Tagged: Books

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.

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.

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.)

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'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.  

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.