Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

The Mirror and the Magnifying Glass

Joel Agee’s debut novel delves into a young boy’s mind in a time of crisis

The Stone World, the first novel from memoirist and translator Joel Agee, tracks the burgeoning consciousness of a boy living with his parents in 1940s Mexico. Agee, son of legendary writer James Agee, depicts a world of émigré artists who teach the protagonist about art, politics, and community.

Read more

Without Fear or Condescension

Autistic actor Mickey Rowe celebrates difference

Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor’s Journey to Broadway’s Biggest Stage is Mickey Rowe’s memoir of growing up with autism and his barrier-breaking career. Rowe will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on March 16.

Read more

Rough and Rowdy

Elizabeth Elkins sorts fact from fiction about Nashville’s Timothy Demonbreun

The record is full of gaps when it comes to the life of Timothy Demonbreun, the French Canadian fur trader who has come to be known as Nashville’s first resident. Elizabeth Elkins goes about getting the story straight in We Should Soon Become Respectable, a lively, well-researched history of a mysterious man.

Read more

A Mystery Set to Music

Parton and Patterson tell a Nashville story in Run, Rose, Run

In Run, Rose, Run, Dolly Parton and James Patterson collaborate on a story about a frightened young woman escaping a mysterious menace while pursuing a career as a country music singer/songwriter.

Read more

Doing the Work

Nikky Finney’s fifth poetry collection is an essential collage of life and art

Love Child’s Hotbed of Occasional Poetry, Nikky Finney’s first new collection in nearly 10 years, demonstrates how the National Book Award-winning poet continues to push herself and expand our idea of poetry’s scope. Finney will appear at the 2022 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, March 24-27.

Read more

The Glorious Pastime: Mary Laura Philpott

Mary Laura Philpott loves sad books … and happy ones

Mary Laura Philpott’s forthcoming book, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives, due in April, has been named among the most anticipated releases of 2022, and Parnassus Books will host a launch party for Bomb Shelter at the Hilton Green Hills in Nashville on April 10. Today, Philpott answers our Glorious Pastime questionnaire. 

Read more
TAKE THE SHORT READER SURVEY! CHAPTER 16 SURVEYOR SURVEYING