Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

The Unmatched Strength of Womanhood

Jen Fawkes spins a fiercely feminist tale centered in 19th-century Nashville

Jen Fawkes’ latest novel, Daughters of Chaos, finds its center in Civil War-era Nashville and the decision to protect Union soldiers against syphilis by removing all prostitutes from the city. Fawkes will appear at the 2024 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, October 26-27.

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Healing the Mother Wound

Sarai Johnson’s debut novel is a deeply moving, multigenerational exploration of womanhood and motherhood

Sarai Johnson’s debut novel, Grown Women, is an eloquent story of multiple generations of Black women navigating their lives against a nonlinear backdrop of American motherhood.

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Portrait of the Artist as a Young Nashvillian

Liz Riggs’ debut novel looks at a creative woman’s struggle to find herself

With her debut novel, Lo Fi, Liz Riggs proves that Nashville can hold its own along with New York, L.A., or Boston when it comes to locales where young artists go to find themselves. Riggs will discuss Lo Fi at Parnassus Books in Nashville on July 31.

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To Live on This Margin of Earth

Three debut poetry collections highlight the originality of their authors’ visions

Recently published debut poetry collections from Tara M. Stringfellow, Ben Groner III, and Stephanie Choi invite us into the particulars of their authors’ imaginative worlds.

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The Year of Living Surreally

For Robyn Hitchcock, the psychedelic call of 1967 inspired a lifetime of music

Robyn Hitchcock’s memoir 1967 tells the story of a time, a place, a music — and how they fired his imagination. Hitchcock will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on July 18.

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Making a New Sun

Saeed Jones writes poetry of grief and survival

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: Alive at the End of the World is the latest apocalyptic collection of poetry from Memphis native Saeed Jones. 

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