Coup by Keel Hunt

The Tennessean

It’s got everything except a Ferris wheel.

This weekend, Nashville celebrates the annual Southern Festival of Books in the space tucked between the downtown library and the state Capitol. Go hungry. Go with the kids. Go to meet writers you’ve loved for years and to discover new favorites.

If you’ve never been, this is simply one of Nashville’s most outstanding signature events. It is free. There are no tickets or reservations required. You can come and go. You can stay as long or as little as you want. And you can shop. Have mercy, if you love books, this is the place to do your early Christmas shopping.

This is the 25th anniversary of the festival. The main focus is sessions with authors from all genres in committee rooms at Legislative Plaza, in the House and Senate chambers in the state Capitol, and in meeting rooms at the downtown library. Free schedules will be available.

Most authors will read a bit from their latest works, but the heart and soul of the event is the exchange between readers and writers. This is your chance to ask them questions. All the authors will go to a signing area after their session.

There will be food vendors and a music stage. The popular youth stage will be back. It will feature storytellers, artists, favorite book characters, dancers, first lady Crissy Haslam reading from “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” and a 25th birthday party for “Where’s Waldo?”

I’ve had the pleasure of hosting a session at the festival every year for the past decade or so. This year, I’m thrilled to present Nashville writer Keel Hunt, author of “Coup! The Day the Democrats Ousted Their Governor, Put Republican Lamar Alexander in Office Early, and Stopped a Pardon Scandal.”

This is a wonderfully detailed nonfiction book about the hours on Jan. 19, 1979, when the state’s top leaders from both parties came together to swear Alexander in early as governor. They felt they had to in order to stop Gov. Ray Blanton from freeing murderers from prison for cash. Hunt, a former journalist and campaign aide to Alexander, conducted 163 interviews to write “Coup.” He now works as a public affairs consultant and writes a monthly column for The Tennessean’s editorial pages.

I can’t provide a Tilt-A-Whirl or that Ferris wheel, but I promise it will be a lively and interesting hour. And after you’ve experienced the entire Southern Festival of Books, book lovers will agree it’s better than the best ride on any midway.

 

Click here for the original article online.