Ann Patchett

 

"Thanks to books I am never alone. I can slip into lives of other people and see the world through their eyes. Reading has made me a more compassionate and empathetic person, which is exactly what I would wish for everyone."

 

Ann Patchett is the author of seven novels, The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Bel Canto, Run, State of Wonder and Commonwealth. She was the editor of Best American Short Stories, 2006, and has written three books of nonfiction, Truth & Beauty, What now? and, most recently, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage.

 

A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Patchett has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including England’s Orange Prize, PEN/Faulkner Award, the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Book Sense Book of the Year, a Guggenheim Fellowship, The Chicago Tribune’s Heartland Prize, The Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the American Bookseller’s Association’s “Most Engaging Author Award”, and the Women’s National Book Association’s Award. Her books have been both New York Times Notable Books and New York Times bestsellers. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages.

 

In November, 2011, she opened Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, with her partner Karen Hayes. She has since gone on to be a spokesperson for independent booksellers. In 2012 she was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. 

 

Ann Patchett lives in Nashville with her husband, Karl VanDevender, and their dog, Sparky. Click here to subscribe to her blog, Notes from Ann, featuring book recommendations, exclusive commentary, articles, and more. Follow along with Parnassus Books on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and the bookstore blog, Musing. Visit Ann's website by clicking here.

 

Photo Credit: Heidi Ross