We like our characters in the South, and Maggi Vaughn was one of the great characters of our time. The Poet Laureate of Tennessee since 1995, Maggi was a poet, storyteller, songwriter, and art collector who lived out a big life in a small town. With her recent passing, we at Humanities Tennessee feel the loss of a member of the Southern Festival of Books family.
In 2011, Karen Hayes and Ann Patchett opened Parnassus Books, which celebrates its fifth anniversary today. During that time, the Nashville store has doubled its space, bought a bookmobile, and brought authors, hundreds of them, to town. And they’re just getting started. Drop by the store today for special anniversary discounts, giveaways, prizes—and birthday cake.
February 23, 2016 In A Girl’s Guide to Moving On, bestselling author Debbie Macomber continues to explore the experiences of women whose lives take an unexpected turn. Macomber recently answered questions via email in advance of her appearance at the Nashville Public Library on February 24, 2016, at 6:15 p.m.
July 30, 2014 When she faced the prospect of sending both of her sons into war zones—one to Iraq, the other to Afghanistan—River Jordan conceived of a unique way to calm her fears: every night she would say a prayer for someone she didn’t know. Along the way, her project became an Internet phenomenon. Jordan will appear at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville October 10-12, 2014. All festival events are free and open to the public.
June 2, 2014 Brad Thor routinely hits the top of the bestseller lists with immensely popular spy novels featuring counterterrorism agent Scott Horvath. The tech-savvy writer stays connected to his fans via social media, so it’s no surprise that he recently chose to make a big announcement via Twitter: he is moving to Nashville from Chicago, citing high crime and taxes as his primary reasons for leaving Illinois.
April 22, 2014 We won’t condescend to Elizabeth Spencer by counting her age (which is ninety-two) as the most extraordinary element of her recent productivity. Any working writer of any age would live for years like the one Spencer is having, which includes a prestigious award and a critically acclaimed new collection of stories, slyly titled Starting Over.
