Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

How Appalachian I Am

Book excerpt: Appalachian Reckoning

Appalachian Reckoning is a collection of regional responses to J.D. Vance’s controversial bestselling memoir, Appalachian Elegy. In this essay from the book, Kingsport native Robert Gipe, author of Trampoline and Weedeater, writes with humor and compassion about the town where he grew up, the industries that made people sick there, and the people he knew. Appalachian Reckoning will be published by West Virginia University Press on March 1, 2019.

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No Accident

Book excerpt: The Current

In the dead of winter, outside a small Minnesota town, state troopers pull two young women and their car from the icy Black Root River. One is found downriver, drowned, while the other is found at the scene—half frozen but alive. The Current, a new literary thriller by former Memphis novelist Tim Johnston, will be published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill on January 22, 2019.

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Josie and Delia

Book Excerpt: Rayne and Delilah’s Midnight Matinee

In Jeff Zentner’s forthcoming YA novel, Rayne and Delilah’s Midnight Matinee (coming February 26, 2019, from Crown Books for Young Readers), Josie and Delia are best friends and co-hosts on their own public access TV show. But the end of senior year is coming, and Josie is torn between pursuing her television dreams in a new city or stay making TV with her BFF.

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Common (Literary) Ground

WriterFest, a new conference in Nashville, celebrates the city’s collaborative spirit

Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty will talk about her new novel, Nine Perfect Strangers on November 9 during WriterFest Nashville. Songwriter Tom Douglas and TV producer Liz Cackowski are also keynote speakers at the event, which brings together writers across genres.

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William Gay

Book Excerpt: Jesus Crawdad Death

In this excerpt from Jesus Crawdad Death, a new limited-edition chapbook from Third Man Books, Chapter 16’s Betsy Phillips considers the power of an unfinished ghost story by the late Hohenwald novelist William Gay. Phillips will appear at Third Man Records in Nashville on October 28 at 4 p.m.

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Quietly Creating a Literary Community in Nashville

Excerpt: Women in the Literary Landscape: A Centennial Publication of the Women’s National Book Association

In honor of the centennial year of the Women’s National Book Association, Chapter 16 is publishing an excerpt from Women in the Literary Landscape, which includes a history of the organization’s Nashville chapter by Carolyn T. Wilson. The WNBA will host its annual Coffee with Authors on October 13 as part of the Southern Festival of Books.

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