“We are elated to honor Louise and to spend the weekend celebrating literacy and the great work of the Library,” said Shawn Bakker, president of the Nashville Public Library Foundation. “Her work embraces difficult, real–life topics and brings awareness to Indigenous culture through beautiful prose.”
Often described as “the best book club in town,” the weekend kicks off on Friday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. with the Patrons Party at the Main Library, sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners and Lillias and Will Johnston. This evening cocktail party will feature a captivating conversation between Louise Erdrich and local award–winning author and Parnassus Books owner Ann Patchett.
The community will have a chance to hear from Erdrich during the free Public Lecture, sponsored by Dollar General, on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. High School.
Held in the breathtaking Grand Reading Room of the Main Library on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m., the Gala, sponsored by Laura Anne Turner and Amazon, will celebrate Erdrich and the Library’s unparalleled impact on our community in an elegant setting.
In accordance with the recommendations from the Nashville Public Library Foundation’s Health & Safety Partner Meharry Medical College, social distancing and mask wearing is recommended at all three events.
Literary Award Weekend Events
Patrons Party
In Conversation: Louise Erdrich & Ann Patchett
Friday, November 11th 6:30 p.m.
Nashville Public Library Main Branch, 615 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37219
Sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners and Lillias and Will Johnston
Public Lecture
Free and open to the public
Saturday, November 12th 10 a.m.
Martin Luther King Jr. High School, 613 17th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37203
Sponsored by Dollar General
Literary Award Gala
Saturday, November 12th 6:30 p.m.
Nashville Public Library Main Branch, 615 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37219
Sponsored by Laura Anne Turner and Amazon
Tickets for the Patrons Party and Gala are available now at https://nplf.org/events–calendar/2022– literary–award–gala. The Public Lecture is free to the public and tickets can be reserved at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/npl–literary–award–public–lecture–registration–404252238327.
Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, is the author of many novels as well as volumes of poetry, children’s books, and a memoir of early motherhood. Her novel The Round House won the National Book Award for Fiction and The Night Watchman won the Pulitzer Prize. Love Medicine and LaRose received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Erdrich lives in Minnesota with her daughters and is the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore. Her most recent book, The Sentence, has been nominated for the Women’s Prize. A ghost lives in her creaky old house.
Founded in 1997, the Nashville Public Library Foundation (NPLF) is a 501(c)3 organization with focus on supporting and fundraising for Nashville Public Library (NPL). As a department of Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, the Library depends on public funding to support operations and maintenance; however, it thrives because of private investment. NPLF has raised over $60 million to advance the impact of NPL programs and initiatives. These gifts allow the library to nurture children and teens, empower our community’s adults, and build conversations about equity. For more information on NPLF or to make a gift, visit http://www.nplf.org.
