Books

Rambles With Roy: One Of NPR’s Funniest Southern Voices Cuts Loose

Michael Edward Miller — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:41:09 +0000

Roy Blount, Jr. is a prolific Southern author and a panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! Often funny, occasionally cantankerous, he joins WUTC’s Michael Edward Miller for a loose, meandering chat. Blount discusses his books, being a Southern expat and participating in the Celebration Of Southern Literature.

Punk Musician/Author Ian Svenonius Visits Chattanooga May 10

Michael Edward Miller — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:07:41 +0000

Ian Svenonius is coming to the Winder Binder Gallery & Bookstore in downtown Chattanooga on Friday, May 10^th, to promote his book Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock ‘n’ Roll Group. The book is a music-industry satire. The publisher says, “Pretending to be a ‘how-to" guide for aspiring rock stars, this book fuses a meticulously researched sociopolitical examination of the history of rock and roll music with the author's trademark humor and cutting wit.”

‘She Who’: Dorothy Allison On Writing, Teaching & Her Next Novel

Michael Edward Miller — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:52:49 +0000

In this interview, celebrated Southern author Dorothy Allison looks back on her novel Bastard Out Of Carolina, which was published more than twenty years ago (and was nominated for a National Book Award). Readers discover (or re-discover) it every year--it’s both wildly humorous and shockingly brutal. In this interview, Allison talks about using her own family legends as source material. Allison also talks about leaving the South, teaching young writers, and discusses her long-in-progress new novel She Who.

Maurice Manning’s Poetry Explores Changing Southern Landscapes

Michael Edward Miller — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:22:55 +0000

Kentucky native Maurice Manning is in Chattanooga for the Celebration of Southern Literature (April 17 – 20), where he was inducted into the prestigious Fellowship of Southern Authors. In this segment, Manning reads a selection from his new yet-to-be published book, talks about working Southern characters and narratives into his poems, and explains why he never met another living poet until he was in college.

A Conversation With Playwright Katori Hall

Michael Edward Miller — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:42:11 +0000

Memphis native Katori Hall is an actress, writer and playwright. She's won numerous awards, and her play The Mountaintop ran on Broadway, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett. Katori Hall is in Chattanooga for the Celebration of Southern Literature, which takes place April 17th, 18th and 19th. In this interview, Hall discusses how The Mountaintop humanizes Martin Luther King, Jr., how she joined the Fellowship of Southern Writers, and what she'll be doing at the Celebration.

Fans Welcome At Celebration Of Southern Literature April 18 - 20

Michael Edward Miller — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:41:05 +0000

This biennial literary gathering used to be called the Conference On Southern Literature. It draws major Southern authors. But it's also open to fans--in fact, fans have always been welcome to attend. This year, organizers have changed the event's name to the Celebration of Southern Literature to emphasize that the public is welcome. Executive Director Susan Robinson expects the event to draw more than forty authors and a thousand fans to the Tivoli in Chattanooga.

Arthur Golden (Finally!) Has A New Novel Coming Out. Here's What He Told WUTC.

Michael Edward Miller — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:24:03 +0000

In 1997, Arthur Golden's smash bestseller Memoirs Of A Geisha was published. Since then, Golden's fans have eagerly awaited a follow-up. Golden says his new novel, set in 19th-century Amsterdam and North America, will be published next year. He stopped by WUTC recently and gave details about the story (and why he's taken so long writing it.)

Forgotten History: Fifty Years Ago, The Lookouts Finally Integrated

Michael Edward Miller — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:42:06 +0000

David Jenkins, a baseball historian, joins WUTC's Michael Edward Miller to talk about Chattanooga Lookouts legends and lore, such as the Lookouts' first integrated team half a century ago. Jenkins is a sports reporter for the Chattanoogan.com, and Arcadia published his book Baseball In Chattanooga.

Teddy Wayne Invents 'Jonny Valentine,' A Tween Idol For Adults

Michael Edward Miller — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:07:50 +0000

Teddy Wayne's novel The Love Song Of Jonny Valentine is a deft mix of pop-culture criticism and slick literary craft. Jonny, the protagonist/narrator, is a tween singer similar to Justin Bieber, and he's savvy enough to understand he exists solely as a marketing tool. Only eleven years old, his star is already fading. The novel is meant for adults—it’s a scathing satire of the music industry's hype machine. Critics are praising it.

Rising Literary Talent Jamie Quatro Shows Us ‘More’

Michael Edward Miller — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:47:04 +0000

Grove/Atlantic published Barry Hannah, Charles Frazier and other celebrated Southern authors. Now, Grove/Atlantic is adding Jamie Quatro to their roster. Quatro’s debut collection of short stories, I Want To Show You More, comes out in March, and she visited WUTC for an interview.

StoryCorps Founder Dave Isay Talks About Love Stories

Michael Edward Miller — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:13:00 +0000

Dave Isay from StoryCorps talked to WUTC's Michael Edward Miller about the appeal of hearing couples' how-they-met stories. Such tales are collected in the book All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps.

Tennessee's Poet Laureate Coming To Chattanooga Feb. 12

Michael Edward Miller — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:42:25 +0000

Tennessee’s official Poet Laureate, Margaret Britton Vaughn, will speak at a Chattanooga Writer's Guild meeting at the Downtown Public Library in Chattanooga on February 12th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Author of 'Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You' to Speak at UTC

Mary Helen Miller — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:15:15 +0000

University of Notre Dame Professor Augustin Fuentes will deliver a lecture at UTC tomorrow called “It’s Not All Sex and Violence.”

The lecture is scheduled from 2p.m. to 4p.m. on January 24 at the University Center Auditorium at UTC.

‘Moon Over Taylor’s Ridge’ Quickly Became Bestseller

Michael Edward Miller — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:48:57 +0000

Janie Dempsey Watts’s debut novel Moon Over Taylor’s Ridge hit the shelves of the Winder Binder Gallery & Bookstore in Chattanooga last fall and became one of the store’s bestselling local books. In this interview, Watts talks about the North Georgia legends and true history that inspired her.

Shane Berryhill’s ‘The Long Silent Night’ Is A Holiday Mashup

Michael Edward Miller — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:52:31 +0000

Shane Berryhill, a Chattanooga, TN resident and author of the Chance Fortune young-adult series, has a new novel intended for all ages. The Long Silent Night is a Christmas noir tale starring a North Pole detective named Jack Frost.