Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

The Work of Secrecy

The Girls of Atomic City tells the stories of women in wartime Oak Ridge

Denise Kiernan’s 2013 book The Girls of Atomic City chronicles the experiences of women working in the secrecy-shrouded town of Oak Ridge during WWII. The author will join Jane Marcellus to discuss the book on Facebook Live on September 19.

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Southern Festival of Books Announces 2023 Lineup of Award-Winning Authors, Poets, and Literary Legends

More than 150 authors to appear for panels, book signings, readings, and discussions

Timothy Egan, Terrance Hayes, Ann Patchett, Lee Smith, and Etaf Rum are just a few of the authors on the roster for the 35th annual Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville on October 21-22. Friday, October 20, will be a Student Day, with featured authors including Carl Hiaasen.

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A Vessel for the Story

Alice Faye Duncan’s books chronicle Black perseverance, past and present

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: Two nonfiction books for children by Memphis writer Alice Faye Duncan illuminate “what it means to be free.” 

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As Much Belowground as Above

A writer returns to the Smoky Mountains and The Overstory

The Overstory,” writes Emily Choate, “is like the Smokies — a lush host to manifold inhabitants, some knowable to the casual visitor and others elusive, inscrutable.” Choate will lead a virtual discussion of Richard Powers’ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel on July 18.

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