Calendar of Events

If you haven’t been to a Sip N Read event yet, you are missing out! These events are designed to get some reading done and meet a lively community of fellow readers, all while sampling tasty drinks from our friends at Peter Kern Library. Bring along your favorite read by a Black author or pick one up at our pop up shop at the event. Sign up now! Tickets go fast.
https://www.thebottomknox.com/events-1/bottom-book-club-sip-n-read-at-peter-kern-library-april

Wednesday, April 16, 6:00-8:00pm

Sundress Academy for the Arts is pleased to announce the guests for the April installment of our reading series, writers Christian Collier and Mandy Shunnarah. Join us on Wednesday, April 16th at Pretentious Beer Co. from 7:00-9:00 PM for a reading followed by an open mic hosted by Shira Haus. Sign-up for the open mic begins at 7 PM sharp and is limited to 10-12 readers.

Mandy Shunnarah (they/them) is an Alabama-born Appalachian and Palestinian-American writer who calls Columbus, Ohio, home. Their essays, poetry, and short stories have been published in The New York Times, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, and others. They won the Porter House Review 2024 Editor’s Prize in Poetry and are supported by the Ohio Arts Council, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and the Sundress Academy for the Arts. Their first book, Midwest Shreds: Skating Through America’s Heartland, was released in 2024 from Belt Publishing, and their second book, a poetry collection titled We Had Mansions, is forthcoming from Diode Editions in 2025. Read more at mandyshunnarah.com.

Christian J. Collier is a Black, Southern writer, arts organizer, and teaching artist who resides in Chattanooga, TN. He is the author of Greater Ghost (Four Way Books, 2024), and the chapbook The Gleaming of the Blade, the 2021 Editors’ Selection from Bull City Press. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poetry, December, and elsewhere. A 2015 Loft Spoken Word Immersion Fellow, he is also the winner of the 2022 Porch Prize in Poetry and the 2020 ProForma Contest from Grist Journal.

https://www.facebook.com/events/505321109280489/

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, April 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Robinella and friends.

Jack Retterer – POETOGRAPHY; Blending Poetry and Photography on the North wall
POETAGRAPHY … Blending poetry and photography. On the surface, poetry and photography appear to be two very different and unrelated art forms. But, as legitimate arts forms, they have much in common. Both help us explore, communicate and understand the human experience. Both can bring our deepest emotions to the surface. They can also help us recognize how we are all more alike than different. As an artist, poet and photographer, my biggest challenge is maintaining a balance in my Poetagraphy creations so that the poetry is not just a caption nor is the image simply an illustration. Each poem and image must be able to stand on its own, and when presented together, create a new and more complete emotional experience beyond what either can accomplish alone.

Originally from the Chicago area, Jack Retterer was introduced to photography at age 16. Early education came from a combination of trial and error and self-study of photography by Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Yosef Karsh and others. He later took classes at the Chicago School of Photography. Frequent attendance at workshops, photography club seminars and conferences helped further his skills. Before moving to Tennessee, Retterer taught photography at Benedictine University in Naperville, IL; currently, he teaches Fine Art Photography at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is active as a teacher and speaker for art and photography groups, and his work has sold and received recognition in numerous Tennessee venues. His present and past professional affiliations and memberships include Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographer of East Tennessee, Tennessee Artists Association, Arts & Culture Alliance, Art Market Gallery, Art Guild of Fairfield Glade, Tellico Village Art Guild, Foothills Craft Guild, and the Tennessee Poetry Society. He has served on the boards of artist and photography associations in both Tennessee and Illinois. For more information, visit jackrettererphotography.com

The exhibitions will be on display April 4-26, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and additional hours TBA. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, April 21, for the holiday. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

First Fridays Poetry Night - This event will take place on April 4th at 6:00pm at the bookstore.

Rachel Coffman - This event will take place on April 12th from 11:00am to 1:00pm at the bookstore.

Heather White - This event will take place on April 15th at 6:00pm at the bookstore.

Bill Haltom - This event will take place on April 25th from 4:00pm to 6:00pm at the bookstore.

Our next book club will take place on the last Monday of the month at Knox Brew Hub starting at 6:30 pm.
Everyone is welcome.

These are free events. Please RSVP so we know to expect you!
Union Ave Books, 517 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-951-2180, www.unionavebooks.com