Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Difficult Choices, Few Options

Sadeqa Johnson’s The House of Eve surveys the possibilities for two young Black women in the 1950s

Sadeqa Johnson’s fifth novel, The House of Eve, is a story of young Black women in the pre-Roe era. Johnson will appear at the 2023 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 21-22.

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Blood and Gold

Power, desire, and survival collide in Ben Fountain’s Devil Makes Three

Ben Fountain’s Devil Makes Three is a pulse-quickening adventure and espionage thriller set against the political turmoil of early 1990s Haiti. Fountain will appear at the 2023 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 21-22.

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Between Two Worlds

In Evil Eye, a young woman navigates cultural crossroads in search of herself

The protagonist of Etaf Rum’s second novel, Evil Eye, struggles to carve out a place in two worlds without losing what she loves. Rum will appear at the 2023 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 21-22.

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Avant-Garde Traditionalist

Taylor Hagood uncovers the life and death of country music icon David “Stringbean” Akeman

Taylor Hagood’s Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Music Legend lays out David Akeman’s life story and details the murder of Akeman and his wife, Estelle, at their house near Nashville on November 10, 1973.

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Invincible Language

Major Jackson’s latest collection combines new and old poems to dazzling effect

Major Jackson’s sixth poetry collection, Razzle Dazzle, sets the biographical details of the poet’s life alongside the evolution of his work. Jackson will give a reading at East Tennessee State University on September 18. He’ll lead a workshop sponsored by The Porch at Vanderbilt University in Nashville on October 9, and he will appear at the 2023 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 21-22.

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The Ugly Baggage of the World

Lauren Yero’s debut novel follows two teens who risk it all to challenge their unjust world

Fans of dystopian romance will likely find much to enjoy in Under This Forgetful Sky, Lauren Yero’s tale of star-crossed lovers who become caught up in the dirty politics of their homelands. Yero will discuss the book at the 2023 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 21-22.

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