Poetry | Chapter 16

Light, Community, and Motion

Charlotte Pence’s poetry collection examines the parallels between ecology and mental illness

By Erica Wright | March 20, 2015

March 20, 2015 In her new poetry collection, Many Small Fires, Charlotte Pence writes about her father’s schizophrenia through the lens of ecology. Pence will read with Adam Prince on March 26, 2015, at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville; with Adam Day on March 27, 2015, at Belmont University in Nashville; and with Bradford Tice on March 30, 2015, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. All events are free and open to the public.

"Cast-Offs"

By Charlotte Pence | March 20, 2015

March 20, 2015Charlotte Pence is a poet and critic who received her Ph.D. in creative writing from the University of Tennessee. The author of two chapbooks, she has just published her first full-length collection, Many Small Fires. Pence will read with Adam Prince on March 26, 2015, at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville; with Adam Day on March 27, 2015, at Belmont University in Nashville; and with Bradford Tice on March 30, 2015, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. All events are free and open to the public.

Making a Necessity of Memory

Poet Natasha Trethewey talks about history, her work, her biracial identity, and the violence in her past

By Maria Browning | March 16, 2015

March 16, 2015 Natasha Trethewey won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2007 for her third book, Native Guard, which explores the complex interplay of personal and collective history. Natasha Trethewey will give a reading at Vanderbilt University in Nashville on March 19, 2015, at 7 p.m. The event, which will be held in Wilson Hall Room 126, is free and open to the public.

Poetry in the Air

On the weekly radio show “Difficult Listening,” David M. Harris shares poetry, music, world news, advice, and memories

By Sarah Norris | March 13, 2015

March 13, 2014 Broadcast on Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon, Radio Free Nashville’s “Difficult Listening” program is hosted by David M. Harris. The show centers on poetry: Harris, a writer himself, reads poems on the air and offers his own interpretations.

Woman Alone on the Mountain

March 10, 2015

“Woman Alone on the Mountain by Katherine Smith is a collection of poetry. One of the main themes of the collection is women raising children alone. Many of the poems reflect the beauty of nature in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

–From the publisher

Poet, Lyricist, Musician

Billboard recognizes spoken-word artist Minton Sparks

By Mary Emily Vatt | February 25, 2015

February 25, 2015 Billboard magazine recently highlighted Murfreesboro native Minton Sparks in a profile that attempts to define the work of this genre-defying artist.

Camilla and the Caterpillars

By Frances Figart, illustrated by Matt Brass
Smokies Life
68 pages
$14.95

A young girl’s encounter with an extraordinary caterpillar in the Great Smoky Mountains leads her and her family on a quest to plant a national park right in their own backyard.

This environmentally themed chapter book for ages 6 through 11 introduces young readers to important ecological concepts including habitat loss and the interdependence of native species and offers a compelling grassroots solution through native-plant gardening that invites anyone to take part in addressing the growing biodiversity crisis.

~the publisher