Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Carrying the Torch

Lee Smith on lunch with Dolly, the transformative power of words, and the Southern Festival of Books

Chapter 16 talks with master storyteller Lee Smith about her writing process and her fond memories of the annual Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. Smith will appear at this year’s festival on October 21-22.

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A Connection to the Earth

Brooks Lamb works to preserve the family farm

Family farming is hard work, acknowledges Brooks Lamb in Love for the Land: Lessons from Farmers Who Persist in Place. But he says it’s also a rewarding lifestyle worth saving, for the sake of the environment and ourselves. Lamb will discuss the book at Novel in Memphis on July 29.

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Bringing up the Dead

Lorrie Moore discusses death, humor, and her sensational new novel

I Am Homeless if This Is Not My Home braids the diary of a 19th-century spinster with a modern-day road trip story. With her signature dry humor and mastery of metaphor, Lorrie Moore leaves bodies in her wake.

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Human Drama

Chris Offutt on small towns, homesickness, and whether “bad guys” exist

Chris Offutt talks with Chapter 16 about the love that goes into his rural noir thrillers.

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Gratitude and Loss

Angela Tucker wants us to understand the complexities of adoption

Angela Tucker is committed to opening a conversation about the complex, sometimes contradictory emotions around adoption, especially for transracial adoptees. Tucker will discuss her book You Should Be Grateful with Steve Haruch at The Porch in Nashville on June 10.

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