Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

What’s Most Sacred

Cemeteries reveal the good, bad, and ugly sides of U.S. history

In Over My Dead Body, author Greg Melville leads readers on a fascinating journey through time by means of the burial grounds and death practices of the United States from colonial Jamestown to the present day. Greg Melville will appear at the 2022 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 14-16.

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Everybody Has to Do Something

The effects of climate change endanger the lives of four teens

“Nature can take care of itself,” proclaims a climate change denier in Alan Gratz’s latest middle-grade thriller, Two Degrees. But by the end of the story, Gratz and his four teenage protagonists have made a strong case that the opposite is true. Alan Gratz will appear at the 2022 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 14-16.

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Candlelit Suspense

A gripping story set in the waning days of the Italian Renaissance

In The Marriage Portrait, Maggie O’Farrell spins a tale that flows like quicksilver beneath heavy gowns and gilt pageantry. O’Farrell will appear in conversation with Ann Patchett at Parnassus Books in Nashville on October 12.

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The First Novel

The Hero of This Book ponders the story of a mother and daughter

Elizabeth McCracken’s new novel, The Hero of This Book, offers a dazzling, prismatic story of an author reflecting on her mother and her writing. McCracken will discuss the book with Ann Patchett at Parnassus Books in Nashville on October 10.

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Irrepressible Artist

Steve Stern paints a fictional portrait of Chaim Soutine

Steve Stern’s The Village Idiot, a fictionalized account of the life of painter Chaim Soutine, dives into the relationships, politics, and context that shaped his often overlooked masterworks. Stern will appear at Burke’s Book Store in Memphis on October 13.

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Rolling Back History

No Choice takes readers to the heart of post-Roe America

Becca Andrews’ No Choice takes readers to communities in the South and beyond where abortion rights have eroded, particularly with the fall of Roe v. Wade. Andrews will appear at the 2022 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 14-16.

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