Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

What Was Buried

A small town is shaken by racial turmoil in David Joy’s Those We Thought We Knew

David Joy’s Those We Thought We Knew explores family ties, secrets, and revelations that will shake a man to his core.

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Art and Intimacy

Tom Lake is Ann Patchett at her best

The protagonist of Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake tells her daughters the full story of her past. Or does she? Patchett will discuss Tom Lake at Harpeth Hall School in Nashville on July 31, Novel in Memphis on August 18, and the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 21-22.

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Reaching Others at a Deeper Level

C.T. Vivian recounts a life devoted to justice and nonviolence

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: It’s in the Action, the posthumous memoir by civil rights legend C.T. Vivian, reveals a life of extraordinary vision, conscience, and discipline.

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All That Glitters

A Hollywood gossip columnist wrestles with her high-stakes role in a scandal for the ages

In Lindsay Lynch’s debut novel Do Tell, a gossip columnist confronts the dark reality behind the glittery screens of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Lynch will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on July 11, The Book & Cover in Chattanooga on July 19, and Novel in Memphis on August 18.

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An Enlightened Message

In Nature’s Messenger, Patrick Dean follows an 18th-century naturalist of the American South

Nature’s Messenger: Mark Catesby and His Adventures in a New World, the second book from Sewanee-based writer Patrick Dean, relates the history of a little-known man and his greatest achievement. 

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Poetry of Goodbye

Linda Parsons’ Valediction gives form to final farewells.

In Valediction: Poems and Prose, Linda Parsons meditates on what is essential in life as she weeds the garden, weathers a pandemic, and weighs her personal losses. Parsons will read from her work at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on June 24.

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