Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

The Royal Slave

Percival Everett’s James builds a new story from an old one

Prolific, critically acclaimed writer Percival Everett offers a new take on a controversial classic with his latest novel, James. Everett will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on March 25.

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Giving Hope a Trellis

In Edgar Kunz’s Fixer, plain language makes way for depth of meaning

Images of ordinary life convey warmth, grief, and complicated emotion in Edgar Kunz’s second poetry collection, Fixer. Edgar Kunz will appear at Vanderbilt University in Nashville on March 21.

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A Revolving Door of Death

Steven Hale lays bare the humanity of those condemned on Tennessee’s death row

Between 2018 and 2020, Tennessee state officials killed seven men by electrocution or lethal injection, more than any other state in the country except Texas. In Death Row Welcomes You, journalist Steven Hale tells the stories of the condemned and the people who have come to know and love them. He also exposes the arbitrary nature of the death penalty and the hypocrisy of Tennessee governors. Hale will discuss his book at Parnassus Books in Nashville on March 22 and Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on April 11.

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She Had a Dream

Freedom Faith examines the little-known influence of civil rights leader Prathia Hall

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: Prathia Hall was a minister, activist, and academic who played a critical but largely unknown role in the civil rights movement. Memphis church historian Courtney Pace recounts her pivotal influence in Freedom Faith: The Womanist Vision of Prathia Hall.

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The Depth of Sisterhood

Claire Jiménez’s debut novel explores the impact of a family tragedy

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez, the debut novel by Claire Jiménez, is both a fast-paced, engrossing mystery and a deep look at the complexities of identity and sisterhood. Jiménez will appear at Vanderbilt University on March 21.

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Chasing the Dream

Caroline Frost’s The Last Verse sets a mystery in 1970s Nashville

An aspiring Nashville singer/songwriter finds a world of trouble in Caroline Frost’s new novel, The Last Verse. Frost will discuss the book at The Bookshop in Nashville on March 14.

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