Poetry | Chapter 16

Mitmensch

September 4, 2013

“In this chapbook, Corey Mesler invokes the specter of a man known only as Mitmensch. Poem by poem, a variety of speakers construct a shadowy portrait of this man. Frustrated artist. Ruthless businessman. Demi-god. Mitmensch’s ‘shifting geography’ leaves all who come into contact with him guessing. Mesler’s wit and evocative language enhance this mystery, making Mitmensch rise from the pages ‘slowly, like a uniform unfolding’ to reveal himself to those brave enough to seek him.”

—From the publisher

Celebrating the Wide Embrace

Poet Jesse Graves considers the life and literary achievements of Jeff Daniel Marion

By Jesse Graves | July 29, 2013

July 29, 2013 “One of the most persistent themes in the poetry of Jeff Daniel Marion is a recognition of transience, that what is here now can quickly vanish into the air.” Poet Jesse Graves considers the lessons he’s learned over the the years—about poetry, love, home—from poet Jeff Daniel Marion. Jesse Graves and Jeff Daniel Marion 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.

Talking with the Dead

Like James Merrill’s Sandover trilogy, Rick Hilles’s new collection is a conversation with spirits

By Pablo Tanguay | July 16, 2013

July 16, 2013 Like James Merrill’s Sandover trilogy, which critic Helen Vendler described as “a conversation with dead friends and spirits in another world,” Rick Hilles’s new book of poems invokes the dead, most dramatically by assuming their very personae. This poetic strategy may be the result of hubris or humility or both, but whatever it is, it works. The great strength of A Map of the Lost World, beyond its thematic gravity and masterful architecture, is its extraordinary writing. Rick Hilles 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.

“Chloe Blooming”

By Corey Mesler | June 20, 2013

June 20, 2013 Corey Mesler is the author of five novels, two books of poetry, and three story collections. He lives in Memphis, where he is the co-owner, with his wife Cheryl, of Burke’s Book Store. “Chloe Blooming” is an excerpt from his newest poetry collection, Our Locust Years, available from Unbound Content on July 1, 2013.

"Motherhood"

By Jan LaPerle | May 10, 2013

May 10, 2013 Jan LaPerle is from a small town in northern New Hampshire. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband, Clay Matthews; daughter, Winnie; and dog, Morty. Her poems and stories have been published in Pank, Rattle, BlazeVOX, Subtropics, and other places, too. Her e-chapbook of flash fiction, Hush, was published by Sundress Publications, and a poetry collection, It Would Be Quiet, is just out from Prime Mincer Press.

Great Stories Live Here

Chapter 16 hits Chattanooga for the seventeenth biennial Celebration of Southern Literature

By Tina LoTufo | May 6, 2013

May 6, 2013 “Being Southern is something you just are,” novelist Elizabeth Spencer said at last month’s Celebration of Southern Literature: “I couldn’t turn it off if I tried. And I never tried.” Held April 18-20 in Chattanooga and sponsored by the Southern Lit Alliance (formerly the Arts & Education Council), this year’s gathering—the seventeenth biennial—included participation by more than twenty-five members of the Fellowship, who handed out ten awards for fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and drama, including the Cleanth Brooks Medal for Lifetime Achievement to Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley.

Tias and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

By Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, illustrated by Josie Del Castillo
Seal Press
304 pages
$30

“Within these pages, I found my abuela, my tías and my primas — laughing, crying, and nodding alongside me. This book is a gift of understanding, and loving one’s family, even when our families are complicated and painful. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling and the profound connection of kinship.”

~ Paola Mendoza, author, organizer and filmmaker