Fall Guide: Books: The Southern Festival of Books, new work by Alice Randall, Madison Smartt Bell and others jumpstarts the literary fall
by Maria Browning
OCT. 9-11, WAR MEMORIAL PLAZAIn spite of alarming reversals in the publishing business and the uncertain effect of new technology on the behavior of bibliophiles, the Southern Festival of Books seems to be thriving. The festival will include more than 200 authors this year who'll read, sign and discuss books in every genre. Alice Randall (see below), Roy Blount, Jr., A. Manette Ansay (of Oprah Book Club fame), Jill McCorkle and Madison Smartt Bell are some of the more familiar literary names on the bill, but the festival will also offer celebrity authors such as Buzz Aldrin and Kathy Mattea. There'll be music writers (Barry Mazor), artists (Brother Mel) and journalists (Dave Cullen), along with some of the best regional fiction talents, including Karen McElmurray and Lynn Pruett. Longtime Scene contributors Diann Blakely, Clay Risen and Michael Sims are also on the roster.
Children and teens get their own festival events, with favorite authors including Kate DiCamillo and Sara Zarr. Festivalgoers who want a break from books can distract themselves with music, cooking demonstrations and children's events. Not to be outdone, the Women's National Book Association will hold a "Breakfast With the Authors" at the Nashville Public Library on Saturday morning (see below).
All events at the festival are free, and seating is on a first-come basis. Information about the festival and a complete list of authors is available at www.humanitiestennessee.org. • Sept. 17: Jim Squires reads and signs Headless Horsemen A newspaperman-turned-horse breeder, whose farm produced 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, Squires will read and sign his exposé of the racing industry. Subtitled A Tale of Chemical Colts, Subprime Sales Agents, and the Last Kentucky Derby on Steroids, the book examines financial corruption and rampant horse doping in the sport of kings. 7 p.m. at Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Green Hills Mall.
• Oct. 8: Alice Randall reads Rebel Yell Randall first gained literary fame with The Wind Done Gone, a parody of Gone With the Wind that drew a lawsuit from the estate of Margaret Mitchell. Randall may stir up a different kind of hornets' nest with her third novel, Rebel Yell, the tale of a prince of the civil rights movement who grows up to become that rare and mysterious creature, a black conservative. Portions of the novel are set in Nashville, with the characters wandering through beloved local landmarks such as the Silver Sands restaurant. 3 p.m., Jubilee Hall, Fisk University, 1000 17th Ave. N. Call 329-8500 for more information.
• Oct. 9: Authors in the Round Roy Blount, Jr., Rick Bragg and Jill McCorkle are among the 40 authors who will be table guests at this dinner to raise funds for the Southern Festival of Books. Along with food and literary schmoozing, attendees will get John Seigenthaler as their host, along with a partial tax deduction for the $200 ticket price. War Memorial Auditorium. Email info@humanitiestennessee.org or call (615) 770-0600 for tickets and more information.
• Oct. 10: Breakfast With the Authors The Women's National Book Association teams up with Humanities Tennessee to host a complimentary breakfast with some of the Southern Festival of Books authors, including Marie Brenner, Inman Majors and Holly Goddard Jones. Seating is limited, and attendees must RSVP to Joanne Slaughter by Sept. 30 by emailing Joanne@garyslaughter.com or calling 279-9799. 9:15-11 a.m., Downtown Public Library, 615 Church St.
• Nov. 3: Landiss Lecture/Natasha Trethewey Born in Gulfport, Miss., Trethewey won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for her third poetry collection, Native Guard. Her somber, introspective verse has been praised by Rita Dove as "reclaiming for us that interior life where the true self flourishes." Trethewey has a gift for conveying powerful images in a direct, uncluttered style: "In my dream, / the ghost of history lies down beside me, / rolls over, pins me beneath a heavy arm." 7:30 p.m., Doris Swang Chapel, Ezell Center, Lipscomb University.
• Nov. 14: William P. Young reads The Shack Young's novel of encountering God has been a mega-hit with the Christian contingent, though a few heretics have suggested its theology is dubious. The 3600-plus reader reviews at Amazon.com range from "an amazing book that reveals God's heart" to "philosophically bankrupt, theologically challenged airport novel." For the price of a ticket ($28-$33.50), Nashvillians in the favorable camp can get their spiritual wisdom straight from the source. 7:30 p.m., War Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are available from TPAC, or online at patron.tpac.org.
• Nov.19 Robert Hicks/Evening With an Author Hicks, author of the best-selling The Widow of the South, will discuss and sign A Separate Country, a novel based on the life of Confederate General John Bell Hood. Hicks wears a lot of hats, from music promoter to historic preservationist, so the conversation should be lively. 6 p.m. Location to be announced. For information, email eveningwithanauthor@yahoo.com.
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