Thousands of Stories

Category: Literature

4-22-21

Nikki Giovanni: A Poet’s Upbringing in Tennessee

by Stephanie Davis and Joyska Nunez-Medina “… a place where no matter what, I belong. And Knoxville belongs to me. I was born there in Old Knoxville General and I am buried there with Louvenia.” – Nikki Giovanni, from “400 Mulvaney Street” Poet and writer Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni Jr. was born on June 7, 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Although her younger years were spent in Wyoming, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, she returned to K... Read More

Posted by Joseph Pagetta

Black History Literature

The Pulitzer Prize and the Tennessee State Museum

Update: On July 11, 2021, Katori Hall of Memphis, Tennessee became the latest Tennessean to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her Memphis-set play, "The Hot Wing King." The Pulitzer board called Hall's play a “funny, deeply felt consideration of Black masculinity and how it is perceived, filtered through the experiences of a loving gay couple and their extended family as they prepare for a culinary competition.” Read more in the Commercial Appeal and T... Read More

Posted by Joseph Pagetta at 4-25-19

Exhibitions Featured Literature

80 Years Ago, Tennessee's Famous 'Boy Adventurer' Met His Untimely Death

by Scott Williams It was 80 years ago this month, presumably on March 24, 1939, that Brownsville, Tennessee-native Richard Halliburton, the most famous travel and adventure writer of his time, met his untimely death while sailing a Chinese junk across the Pacific Ocean. In this post, originally published as the preface to his book, The Forgotten Adventures of Richard Halliburton: A High-Flying Life from Tennessee to Timbuktu (2014), writer Scott Williams looks back on&nbs... Read More

Posted by Joseph Pagetta at 3-20-19

Featured Literature