Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

After the Flood

The characters in Tiffany Quay Tyson’s Three Rivers search for redemption as the floodwaters subside

August 14, 2015 In Three Rivers, Tiffany Quay Tyson plumbs the tension between consequence and chance in the lives of three central characters as they struggle to survive a terrible flood in the Mississippi Delta. Tyson will discuss her debut novel at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on August 20, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.

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A Land of Perpetual Inventions

Stories of the Mountain South defy stereotype in Appalachia Now, a new anthology

August 11, 2015 Perhaps the most striking feature of Appalachia Now: Short Stories of Contemporary Appalachia, a new anthology edited by Larry Smith and Knoxville writer Charles Dodd White, is the sheer variety of characters found in it. The people in these stories fight against preconceived types and offer a rich, bold picture of an Appalachia that defies categorization.

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Islands of Wonder

The grotesque and the glorious shine in James E. McTeer’s Minnow

August 5, 2015 First-time novelist James E. McTeer II chronicles a fantastic journey into the heart of darkness—and wonder—in Minnow. McTeer will discuss the novel at the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 9-11, 2015. All festival events are free and open to the public.

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To Thrive on Exhilaration

A new historical novel by The Paris Wife’s Paula McLain recounts the headlong flight of Beryl Markham

August 3, 2015 There are some people for whom society’s rules are a very poor fit. Beryl Markham, the first woman to fly solo from England to North America, was one of them. In Circling the Sun, Paula McLain paints the life of an iconoclastic woman who found the social order far more perplexing than the natural world she adored. McLain will appear at the Nashville Public Library on August 4, 2015, at 6:15 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

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“It Changes Everything, and It Changes Nothing”

Chapter 16’s own Ed Tarkington lands a book deal with Algonquin

July 30, 2015 Today Chapter 16 contributing writer Ed Tarkington talks about his forthcoming novel, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, which he calls a “mash-up of Cain and Abel, the Prodigal Son, The Graduate, and ‘A Rose for Emily,’ set in the small-town Upper South, with a soundtrack by Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.” Tarkington will read from the novel at the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 9-11, 2015. All festival events are free and open to the public.

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Of Love and Terror

Tim Johnston brings depth and lyricism to the thriller genre with Descent

July 29, 2015 How does one survive the unthinkable? How does a parent live without knowing what’s become of a missing child? How long can a person go on without abandoning hope? These are the questions that frame Descent, the new literary thriller by Memphis novelist Tim Johnston. He will appear at the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 9-11, 2015. All festival events are free and open to the public.

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