Michal Farris Smith’s protagonist in The Fighter is shattered but persistent
In The Fighter, Michael Farris Smith’s latest tale of human struggle in the Mississippi Delta, brawler Jack Boucher is drowning in debt, dodging enemies, and losing the battle against his own fractured memory. Smith will appear at Novel in Memphis on April 16, and at Parnassus Books in Nashville on April 17.
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Tracy Barrett’s new YA novel explores the ups and downs of skydiving
Through a tale of skydiving, Tracy Barrett’s new YA novel, Freefall Summer, explores the ins and outs of growing up. Barrett will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on April 14.
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Madeline Miller reframes and retells the story of Homer’s Circe
Madeline Miller, author of The Song of Achilles, is back with Circe, another brilliant revamp of tales and characters drawn from Homeric poetry. Miller will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on April 11.
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Leah Stewart’s latest novel shines a spotlight on the art of acting under pressure
Ostensibly the story of a kidnapping, Leah Stewart’s clever new novel, What You Don’t Know About Charlie Outlaw, is also an examination of the cult of celebrity. Stewart, a Vanderbilt graduate, will appear at Novel in Memphis on April 11 and at Parnassus Books in Nashville on April 13.
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Nikki Giovanni’s most recent collection centers on joy and pain
Celebrated poet, children’s author, essayist, and activist Nikki Giovanni will deliver the Wilma Dykeman Stokely Memorial Lecture at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville on April 5.
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Alan Lightman revisits eternal questions in Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine
In a new collection of essays, Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine, Memphis native and acclaimed novelist Alan Lightman seeks to reconcile the material and the mystical.
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