With Ghostman, debut crime novelist Roger Hobbs proves himself a literary prodigy
August 27, 2013 Roger Hobbs graduated from Reed College in 2011 after studying film noir, literary theory, and ancient languages—all of which he manages to put to good use in his debut novel, Ghostman, a thriller that legendary Knopf editor Gary Fisketjon characterizes as “addictive, electrifying, and quicksilver-paced.”
Novelist Jonathan Tropper talks with Chapter 16 about comedy and catastrophe
August 26, 2013 Jonathan Tropper’s six novels address a fundamental question: when life doesn’t turn out as you planned, what do you do next? Despite the catastrophes Tropper’s characters encounter, his books are fun, knee-slapping, tear-inducing comedies that provide a guide for surviving calamity and discovering what lies on the other side. Tropper talks with Chapter 16 prior to his appearance at the twenty-fifth annual Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 11-13, 2013. All festival events are free and open to the public.
Helene Wecker explores Jewish and Arab myth against the backdrop of immigrant life in 1899 New York
August 23, 2013 In her debut novel, The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker weaves an intricate tapestry made of both Middle Eastern myth and the gritty reality of life on New York’s Lower East Side at the turn of the twentieth century. In this colorful world, two magical creatures craft their own version of humanity from elemental earth and fire. Wecker will appear at the twenty-fifth annual Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 11-13, 2013. All festival events are free and open to the public.
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, Anton DiSclafanii’s debut novel, captures the swirl of impulses in a 1930s teenager at odds with her age
August 22, 2013 In her debut novel, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, Anton DiSclafani offers an elegantly written, reflective journey of a protagonist who begins to confront her own fearlessness and desire, both of which put her at odds with the cultural expectations for women of her time. DiSclafani will discuss The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls at the twenty-fifth annual Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 11-13. All festival events are free and open to the public.
In Claire of the Sea Light, Edwidge Danticat explores the secrets of a small Haitian town
August 20, 2013 Born in Haiti and raised there by her extended family until she joined her parents in the U.S. when she was twelve, Edwidge Danticat is a writer who can interpret both cultures, and she has a keen eye for the tensions between them. In Claire of the Sea Light, she offers a story of modern Haiti and its enduring spirit. Danticat will appear at the Nashville Public Library on August 28 at 6:30 p.m.
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James McBride, bestselling author of The Color of Water, returns with The Good Lord Bird
August 19, 2013 James McBride earned universal praise and worldwide recognition for The Color of Water, his classic memoir of growing up black with a white mother in 1960s New York. His subsequent books—including Miracle at St. Anna, a novel adapted into the 2008 film by Spike Lee—have grappled with the problem of race and the legacy of slavery. In The Good Lord Bird, McBride returns to these themes but with a starkly different approach. He will appear at the twenty-fifth annual Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 11-13. All festival events are free and open to the public.
