Ann Patchett

In 2011, when the last of Nashville’s bookstores had been shuttered, Ann declared, “I have no interest in living in a city without a bookstore.” And so, in November of that year she opened Parnassus Books and has since become a spokesperson for independent booksellers. In 2012, TIME named Ann one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World for her efforts on behalf of the literary community. Writing of her friend on the occasion of that event, novelist Elizabeth Gilbert described Ann as “a woman of wisdom, determination, generosity and courage.”

Ann published her first story in The Paris Review while still a student at Sarah Lawrence College. Her novel, Bel Canto, was awarded the Orange Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award. The world-renowned Lyric Opera Company of Chicago commissioned a production based on the novel that The Chicago Tribune called “a thought-provoking production worthy of a world-class opera company.” In 2016, Ann released her seventh novel, Commonwealth; It was selected as a New York Times Best Book of the Year, a TIME Magazine Top 10 Selection, and was a NBCC Award Finalist. In 2019, she published her first children’s book, Lambslide, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, as well as a novel, The Dutch House, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and has sold more than 1 million copies. Ann’s latest, These Precious Days: Essays, is a deeply personal collection that reflects on home, family, friendships, and writing. Oprah Daily writes, “To read this collection is to be invited into that sacred space where a writer steps out from behind the page to say Hello; let’s really get to know each other. Stoic, kindhearted, fierce, funny, brainy, Patchett’s essays honor what matters most ‘in this precarious and precious life.’”

There’s a pink brick home in Nashville, Tennessee with a wide porch surrounded by old trees. It’s Ann Patchett’s favorite place and it’s where she lives with her husband Karl, their dog Sparky, and lots of books.