Growing Up Southern: How the South Shapes its Writers
by Fred Brown and Jeanne
McDonald
"The profiles of the thirteen southern writers in this
book show how growing up in the South shaped their work and contributed
to the estimable collection of literature we call "southern writing."--Fred
Brown and Jeanne McDonald. Profiles of these acclaimed authors
include: Shelby Foote, Lee Smith, Yusef Komunyakaa, George Garret,
Doris Betts, Fred Chappell, Jayne Anne Phillips, Richard Marius, Elizabeth
Cox, Alan Wier, Elizabeth Spencer, Willie Morris, and Eudora Welty.
Available at all local bookstores and at amazon.com.
Serpent Handling Believers: Three Families and Their Faith
by Fred Brown and Jeanne McDonald (2000)
Jeanne McDonald writes:
"....Mark 16:16-18 says, in part, "Thou shalt take up
serpents and not be harmed." Regardlessof how others might interpret
this passage, the serpent handlers see it as a mandate from God. We
interviewed three families--one in Middlesboro,KY; one in Newport, TN;
and one in Jolo, WV, to learn about the people and their faith.
Besides attending their church services, we visited in their homes,
met their children, and were welcomed to their home comings. We
learned that this religion is not an exhibitionistic ritual, not a sideshow
nor a flirtation with death,but a serious commitment to following God's
commandments and living as closely as possible by the mandates expressed
by the Word....
Also included in the book are dozens of photographs showing the families' interactions, old photographs of groups and individuals involved in the practice, and current photographs of each person profiled. Their own stories are tender, touching, sometimes frightening, and other times, humorous. Writing this book has been a rewarding and soul-searching experience. We look upon it as one of the most exciting projects of our writing lives."
Available at all local bookstores and at amazon.com.
Guild member and
former Guild president Jeanne McDonald has published her first novel
Water Dreams . According to novelist Lee Smith, "An
accidental drowning forever changes the middle-aged man who happens
to witness it--and affects everyone else in his life like widening circles
in the water after a rock has been thrown in. Male and female readers
alike will be swept away by this absorbing, grown-up novel, a serious
meditation upon chance, fate, love, and responsibility. Like all the
best storytellers, Jeanne McDonald knows how to disappear and let the
story take over."
Available at all area bookstores, and amazon.com.
Discovering October Roads: Fall Colors and Geology in Rural
East Tennessee
by Fred Brown and Harry Moore (2001)
A traveling companion for scenic fall trips, geologic history, and topography, cultural history, and anecdotes, this book contains dozens of color photographs, maps, plates, and figures as well as directions for trips in the Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge, and the Cumberland Plateau. Published by University of Tennessee Press. Available at all area bookstores, UT Press, and amazon.com
Treat
by Angie Vicars (2001)
A girl meets girl story
set in Knoxville. Two college students from different sides of
the tracks, meet and face many obstacles in order to have a relationship.
Available at local bookstores,
amazon.com , and Malaprops Book Store.
Contact the author .
A Small Price to Pay: Poems from East Tennessee
and Beyond
by Caroline P. Norris, illustrated by Agneta Nordmark
(2001)
This small book of
structured (as opposed to free-form) poetry describes a range of life-developments,
ending on a very upbeat note. The poems are mostly set in
the mountains and towns of East Tennessee, but both the events and
the personal experiences set forth here have no real geographical
boundaries. Illustrated by Swedish artist Agneta Nordmark. For
more information, contact the
author .
Disciplining the Devil's Country
by Carole Borges
This book of poetry explores
the terrain of the distance between what is and what should be.
It's a healing book in the sense that it examines moments,
concrete instances, of individual confrontations with the sacred.
It's a harsh book at times, but above the portraits of a struggle
and desperation, a voice can be heard singing hymns of praise.
Life, if we can master the art of appreciation, contains
innumerable riches. In addition to Disciplining the
Devil's Country, Borges has had work appear in Poetry,
Piedmont Review, Soundings East, and Kalliope,
among others. Published by Alice James
Books.
Available from the publisher
and from amazon.com
Abou and the Angel Cohen
by Claude Campbell
The angel, Cohen, attempts to advise Abou about the problems he faces living in present-day Gaza. Nothing Cohen says can avert the tragedy Abou faces, but he does give Abou insight into the human predicament.
Available at all local bookstores and at amazon.com. Contact the authorfor more information.
If I Were An Eagle
- Book One, 1st of a trilogy
by D.L. Hale
This novel is simplistic in its style yet it delves deep into a teenage girl's heart. It allows one to look inside of her and the time in which she lived. Her name is Karen Quincy, and she lived in a rural mountain town in Tennessee. It is shortly after WWII, a time of rebirth, struggle, and hope for all. The area is beset with rolling hills and mountains. Moonshine stills and bootleggers dotted the landscape while strict religious factions offered healing and promise for a people who lived on what they grew, food rations coupons and gas stamps.
Available now at the author's web site www.eaglewriter.com and soon at Barnes & Noble, amazon.com, Book Sellers, and Book Warehouse.
Writing Out The Storm: Journal Musings of a Manic-Depressive
Wanderer
by Rebecca Mitchell Merriman
A memoir of her 20-year silent struggle with the illness. Endorsed by Pulitzer prize nominee and bestselling author of The Beast, Tracy Thompson: "Rebecca Mitchell Merriman's Writing Out The Storm is a terrifying and vivid first person account of what itis like to suffer bipolar illness--a witness from the eye of a hurricane. It is a valuable and eloquent addition to a growing genre: memoirs by those of us who have survived these life-disfiguring illnesses."
Available at local book stores, amazon.com , borders.com, and Knoxville Writers' Guild meetings.
Paddling the Tennessee River : A Voyage on Easy Water (Outdoor
Tennessee Series)
by Kim Trevathan
This travel narrative of Trevathan's 1998 canoe trip down the 652 mile Tennessee River is due to be published by the University of Tennessee Press in October 2001. Accompanied by his dog Jasper, Trevathan includes historical background on the old, free-flowing river and the string of reservoirs created by TVA's nine dams.
Available at UT Press web site, amazon.com , Barnes and Noble, and other Knoxville, TN area bookstores.
For more information,
visit Kim Trevathan's
web site .
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Portraits Unpainted
Tennessee Book Award - Peter Taylor Prize for
the Novel