A Publication of Humanities Tennessee

A Recognition of the World’s Mystery

October 18, 2012 Dan Chaon first made his name as a writer of short stories, with work appearing in The Best American Short Stories, Pushcart Prize, and The O. Henry Prize Stories. After publishing two highly acclaimed story collections (the second collection, Among the Missing, was a finalist for the National Book Award), Chaon went on to write two stunning novels: You Remind Me of Me and Await Your Reply. It might be tempting to see his latest offering, a short-story collection called Stay Awake, as a return to form, but the book is actually the author’s most visionary work to date. Dan Chaon will give a reading on October 18 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville as part of the Gertrude and Harold Vanderbilt Visiting Writers Series. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 7 p.m. in Buttrick 101.

A Recognition of the World’s Mystery

Seeing Better in the Dark

October 17, 2012 Dennis Lehane built his literary reputation on postmodern thrillers that explore the lives of damaged South Boston cops, criminals, and private detectives. His masterpiece, Mystic River, marked him as a genre-bending literary artist who had achieved a rare alchemy of popular and critical appeal. Lehane’s reputation (and audience) has since grown exponentially, thanks to award-winning film adaptations of his work—Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River, Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, and Ben Affleck’s Gone, Baby, Gone—and his teleplay work for HBO’s The Wire. In his new novel, Live by Night, Lehane offers all the tropes of noir: morally dubious anti-heroes; femmes fatales; cars, guns, and sharp suits; doomed love; and, above all, violence. Lehane will read from Live by Night at the Nashville Public Library on October 23 at 6:15 p.m. as part of the Salon@615 series. The event is free and open to the public.

Very Brave

October 16, 2012 Since his emergence in 1994 with the acclaimed collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie has mapped a career both prolific and virtuosic, penning dozens of stories, novels, poems, and screenplays. His work has been recognized with countless awards and honors, including the PEN/Faulkner, PEN/Malamud, and PEN/Hemingway Awards and the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Alexie is a gifted speaker, and his dynamic and irreverent performances draw unusually large crowds for literary readings. Sherman Alexie will appear on October 18 at Montgomery Bell Academy as part of the Salon@615 series . The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 6:15 p.m. in the Dead Poets Society Auditorium in Lowry Hall, with a signing to follow. Parnassus Books will be on hand to sell copies.

The Death Detective

October 15, 2012 Creator of one of the world’s most popular crime solvers, Patricia Cornwell pioneered the genre of forensic thrillers, opening the door for countless similar books and television shows. Since 1990, her chronicles of Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner, have been published in more than 120 countries and have sold more than 100 million copies. Patricia Cornwell will discuss The Bone Bed on October 20 at 1 p.m. at University School of Nashville as part of the Salon@615 series. The event is free and open to the public.

The Death Detective

A Family Web

October 10, 2012 An engrossing achievement in family narrative, Nancy Jensen’s The Sisters follows three generations of women, illuminating the way decisions—and secrets—can reverberate through decades, fundamentally shaping others’ lives in ways they may never fully understand. What emerges is a multigenerational family portrait that elegantly reveals its individual figures and allows them to reveal one another, while making deft leaps over broad sweeps of time and place. Nancy Jensen will discuss The Sisters at Nashville’s Southern Festival of Books on October 14 at 2 p.m. in Legislative Plaza, Room 31. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Razor Close to Being in Love

October 9, 2012 Mark Helprin’s first novel in seven years, In Sunlight and in Shadow, makes post-war New York City an essential part of the love story between a returning soldier and a young woman who’s already engaged to be married. Early critical praise for this new novel calls attention to its gorgeous use of language, a trademark of the Helprin’s work. He is the bestselling author of the modern classics Winter’s Tale and A Soldier of the Great War, among other novels. Helprin will discuss In Sunlight and in Shadow at Nashville’s Southern Festival of Books on October 13 at 12:30 p.m. in the Grand Reading Room at the Nashville Public Library. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Razor Close to Being in Love

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