Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Not a Place to Visit

Reflections on You Are Here, a collection of contemporary nature poetry

For You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón commissioned 50 American poets to reflect on their unique place in the world, wherever they are and however they see it. Sara Beth West reflects on her journey with the collection.

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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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Looking Back on 50 Years of Tennessee Books

50 Books / HT50, Part 10: 2018-2022

This final installment of the 50 Book / HT 50 series features two Pulitzer Prize winners, a book about a controversial figure in the Civil Rights Movement, a richly imagined historical novel set in Nashville, and an award-winning collection of essays about the South. 

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Fletch Inhaled Twice

Reflecting on the influence of I.M. Fletcher and his creator, Gregory Mcdonald

Gregory Mcdonald’s 1974 novel Fletch created the modern comic mystery, influencing a generation of writers who followed. In addition to nine Fletch books, Mcdonald created such series characters as Flynn, Skylar, and Son of Fletch, writing many of those from his home near Pulaski, Tennessee.

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Looking Back on 50 Years of Tennessee Books

50 Books / HT50, Part 9: 2012-2017

The mid-2010s were an eventful time on the Tennessee literary scene. Awards were received, some beloved writers left us, and of course, the Southern Festival of Books brought amazing authors to Tennessee every year. There were also plenty of wonderful Tennessee books released. The sampling in this installment of the 50 Books / HT50 series features titles with a connection to each region of the state, and — though we didn’t plan it that way — there’s not a traditional novel in the bunch. 

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“Haunting My Own Name”

Julian Randall’s lyrical memoir uncovers the past to light a brighter future

Comprised of braided essays which use key pop-culture moments to weave together stories of triumph and personal exploration, Julian Randall’s The Dead Don’t Need Reminding unearths grief and deeply rooted family histories.

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