Emily Choate | writer

It was a real joy and challenge to review Appalachian Reckoning, a new anthology edited by Anthony Harkins and Meredith McCarroll. This book brings together a collection of responses to the huge and problematic phenomenon of J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy. I like this book best when it pulls no punches, and as a writer, I was galvanized by it. You can read my review at Chapter 16.

I’m thrilled to share my Q&A with the wonderful Maurice Carlos Ruffin. I can’t express how exciting it is to see my friend’s debut novel, We Cast A Shadow, doing so well. We are both longtime members of the great swirly ball of wonder otherwise known as The Peauxdunque Writers Alliance, and it’s a privilege now to ask him questions in print. ALSO: I’ll be asking him more questions at Parnassus Books this Saturday, March 2^nd, at 2 PM. So, come! Our Q&A is up today over at Chapter 16.

I’m so excited to share my review of Cary Holladay’s new short story collection (plus one novella), Brides in the Sky. Holladay’s fiction usually dives deeply into Virginia landscapes or roams across a settler’s vision of the long-ago West. And she is a powerhouse talent. My review’s up today at Chapter 16.

Reviewing Dani Shapiro’s most recent memoir, Inheritance, was a great gig. There’s so much to consider in this fascinating, quick-reading book, especially in light of her previous memoirs (Like Slow Motion, Hourglass, and Devotion), all of which touch on the very subject matter at issue in this new story of upended family history. You can read my review over at Chapter 16.

Last month, I had the opportunity to review a unique guide to energy-based spiritual practices and meditations, written by a man who has played a fascinating role in in our culture for over 20 years–Damien Echols, known as the most prominent member of the West Memphis Three. High Magick serves not only as a primer on spiritual disciplines, but also as a kind of spiritual chronicle of how Echols faced his many years on death row, prior to his release via an Alford plea. You can read my review of High Magick over at Chapter 16.

I had the chance to write some thoughts on the new novel from East Tennessee writer Charles Dodd White. In the House of Wilderness presses into that great territory loved by all of us Southern writers: how our landscape can nourish us and imperil us, often simultaneously. You can catch my review over at the ever-nourishing Chapter 16.

Writing for Chapter 16 is such a blissy gig, especially when it entails reviewing a powerhouse talent like Tiana Clark and her debut collection, I Can’t Talk About The Trees Without The Blood. Clark is a necessary poetic voice in Southern literature right now. My review is up over at the also-necessary Chapter 16 and in this week’s Nashville Scene.