Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

The Third Pillar of the Community

Leigh Ann Gardner documents Tennessee’s African American lodges and cemeteries

Leigh Ann Gardner talks with Chapter 16 about her book To Care for the Sick and Bury the Dead, which delves into the history of Tennessee’s African American lodges and offers an illustrated survey of surviving lodge cemeteries across the state.

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Not as Different as We Think

Elizabeth Passarella on being a “muddled mashup of everything”

Raised in a conservative corner of Memphis, Elizabeth Passarella now makes her home in New York City, and Good Apple: Tales of a Southern Evangelical in New York tells her story: of moving to the city, getting married, becoming a Democrat, and raising a family, all while maintaining her unquenchable Christian faith.

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Freedom and Fries

Marcia Chatelain explains how McDonald’s intersects with the history of the civil rights movement

In her Pulitzer Prize-winning history Franchise, acclaimed historian Marcia Chatelain explains how the story of McDonald’s intersected with the civil rights movement. Chatelain will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis on February 8.

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Foot Soldier for Justice

Kathlyn J. Kirkwood discusses her memoir for young readers on the making of MLK Day

Kathlyn J. Kirkwood discusses her memoir in verse, Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round, as well as the literacy program she runs in Middle Tennessee with her husband, Alan.

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Feeding a Movement

Suzanne Cope profiles Black women who used food to fight for freedom

In Power Hungry, author Suzanne Cope profiles Aylene Quin, a restaurant owner in McComb, Mississippi, and Memphis resident Cleo Silvers, who ran free breakfast programs for the Black Panther Party. By feeding people, they advanced the Black struggle for freedom.

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Made from Angels and Dirt

Becca Stevens on trauma, resilience, and divine love

In Practically Divine, social entrepreneur and Episcopal priest Becca Stevens explores how the wisdom of women opens a place for love to grow even in the aftermath of trauma.

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