On a September night in 2013, I made my way downtown and found a seat in the Nashville Public Library auditorium. Ann Patchett came out to introduce the evening’s guest, and then Donna Motherfucking Tartt took the stage.
I’ll never forget it. With her signature black bob, Tartt was wearing a long, Asian-inspired jacket over jeans with high lace-up black combat boots. I probably gasped. Donna Tartt was in Nashville to launch the release of The Goldfinch, which went on to win the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. From that night on, I kept a close eye on which authors were coming to Nashville, and I made a point to see as many of them as I could. Back then Parnassus was the only game in town, and the store, owned by Patchett — herself a widely celebrated author — brought in big names like Roxane Gay, David Sedaris, Zadie Smith, Colson Whitehead, Andy Cohen, Jacqueline Woodson, Tegan and Sara, and Tom Hanks, just to name a few.
That continues. I saw Matthew Desmond at Parnassus this year. Matthew Desmond! And it’s not just Parnassus anymore. We also have writers’ collective The Porch, which brought us writers and visiting instructors like Kiese Laymon and Ada Limón. We have The Bookshop, which hosts a monthly silent book club, poetry nights, author events, storytime for grownups and so much more. Most recently, we have Novelette, which is hosting author events, book clubs and writers’ rounds. If bookstore events are your thing, you’re in the right city.
—Kim Baldwin
Digital Editor, Nashville Scene
Our notes of gratitude to the teachers, workers, nonprofits and institutions who make Nashville special
