Chattanooga State received a $15,000 NEA Big Read Grant in 2016 to support a citywide reading project, and the first chapter begins Thursday. Similar to a citywide book club, with events scheduled throughout the year, the Big Read features Silver Sparrow , a novel set in Atlanta. On Thursday, January 19, author Tayari Jones will be in Chattanooga for a kickoff event at the Camp House , part of Chattanooga State's Writers at Work series. "My father, James Witherspoon is a bigamist," reads the