Former attorney, Northwestern University MFA graduate, and Pushcart Prize nominee Tara Stringfellow’s debut novel Memphis is a multi-generational novel based on the author’s rich Civil Rights history. Tracing the effects of violence on the family after the family patriarch, the first black homicide detective in Memphis, is lynched by the members of his own squad, the novel is a celebration of the bonds of family and the strength of matriarchy. Dial Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, acquired the book at auction by Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts at HG Literary, with UK rights to John Murray Press. The novel is scheduled for a Spring 2021 release.

Third World Press published her first collection of poetry entitled More than Dancing in 2008. Nominated for two Pushcart Prizes, her poems have appeared, or are forthcoming, in Collective Unrest, Best Emerging Poets of Illinois, Best of the Net Anthology, Jet Fuel Review, Minerva Rising, Women’s Arts Quarterly, and Apogee Journal, among others. A cross-genre artist, the author was Northwestern University’s first MFA graduate in both poetry and prose. She splits her time between Italy, Brooklyn, and Memphis.

From Book Pipeline: “Potentially epic (by all definitions) as a TV series. A story merging fiction and the family history of the author positions the material for a deeply personal narrative that can easily be shaped to suit the conventions—and then break the conventions—of the film or TV market. This dynamic is perhaps what helps bring a distinct sense of authenticity to Tara’s voice and perspective. While we must primarily view the material through the lens of a producer or showrunner, the prose in Memphis cannot be overlooked–this is the work of a true storyteller. Such command over one’s narrative comes along only once every so often. Tara Stringfellow is an author to watch for in years to come.”

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