For the past three years,
WaterCooler has been hosting events that highlight the hidden gems in Nashville,
some old and some new. Over the past
year, we have tried be more programmatic in our events, tying them to cultural
happenings in the city. For us, these
are some of the reasons Nashville is a great place to call home.
The most recent example of this was the WaterCooler hosted at Parnassus Books, on August 19. We heard from Serenity Gerbman of Humanities Tennessee, which hosts the Southern Festival of Books, among other programs; Karen Hayes, Co-Owner of Parnassus; and the award-winning novelist, Ann Patchett, who happens to co-own Parnassus Books with Karen.
These speakers gave us
insight into all the opportunities to be a reader in Greater Nashville. Parnassus has a program called the First
Editions Club, which is like a coffee-of-the-month club, but which delivers
signed first editions of books, hand selected by the folks at Parnassus, 10-12
times a year. They’ve also got something
called the Founders
Rewards Program that, in exchange for showing your support in an
independent bookstore, provides fringe benefits ranging from invitations to
high-profile artist receptions to personal use of the store after hours –
pretty cool place for a date, if you ask me.
Serenity Gerbman, who is Director
of Literature and Language Programs at Humanities Tennessee, helps oversee programs
including the Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word. It’s scheduled for October 12-14 at
Legislative Plaza. This is actually the
24th anniversary of the Southern Festival of Books. It’s completely free and there are no
advanced registrations. Just like
WaterCooler, if something interests you, show up and it’s first come first
serve. Serenity said that they are still
looking for volunteers to host the rooms in which the various authors will be
speaking and presenting. So, in true
WaterCooler fashion, we’re always looking for ways invite people to plug into
our community, and this is an easy opportunity.
For me, the most fascinating
part of this WaterCooler was hearing the amazing line up of literary talent
coming to Nashville in the next few months, including Caroline Kennedy, Molly Ringwald, Patricia Cornwell, Barbara Kingsolver, and Jon Meacham. All of these authors are part of Humanities Tennessee's Salon@615 program,
Another great option is to
attend the Authors in the
Round, the fundraising dinner that kicks off the Southern Festival of Books,
where diners are paired with well-known authors. If you love schmoozing with writers, and hate
dancing and silent auctions, this fundraiser is for you. This year, it will be held on October 12 at the
historic War Memorial Auditorium. If
you’d like an invitation or for more information, visit their website.
In wrapping up at
WaterCooler, Ann Patchett said something that everyone in the audience
appreciated. She said that Parnassus's
staff is what sets them apart from online book vendors. She compared Parnassus to an old fashioned
hardware store where you bring in your broken parts and the employees tell you
exactly what you need. Same thing with
Parnassus: walk on in, tell them what you’ve been reading, and they can
recommend your next favorite book. But,
if you come into Parnassus, take advantage of the recommendations from the
staff, and then go home to buy it on Amazon.com for $5.00 cheaper, Ann says
you’re “just flat not welcome.” Everyone
in the room loved the straight shooting.
For a group like WaterCooler, which promotes locally-owned businesses,
we couldn’t agree with you more, Ann.
Follow WaterCooler on Twitter
at @WaterCoolerNash.Follow me on Twitter at @StephenZralek.
