The Providence Athenaeum, in partnership with the Membership Libraries Group presents…

Ex Libris: Ann Patchett, in conversation with Patrick Ryan

This event is free for Mechanics Hall members. When registering, please enter promo code “membershiplibrary”. There is a suggested donation of $5 for general admission. Reservations are required; register through Eventbrite (click “Register,” then enter the promo code on the Registration/Donation page) to reserve your spot. 

Ann Patchett (Bel Canto, State of Wonder, Commonwealth, The Dutch House) is a celebrated bestselling author, devoted reader, and a champion of literary culture. In 2011 she opened Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, with her business partner Karen Hayes and has since become a spokesperson and stalwart advocate for independent booksellers. She will be joined in conversation by author Patrick Ryan.

Ann Patchett’s most recent book, The Dutch House, is available for purchase through the Brown Bookstore and other local independent booksellers.

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Ann Patchett is the author of eight novels, The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Bel Canto, Run, State of Wonder, Commonwealth, and The Dutch House. 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. She has won numerous prizes, including the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction, and her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Patchett is the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, where she lives with her husband, Karl VanDevender, and their dog, Sparky.

Patrick Ryan is the author of the acclaimed short story collection The Dream Life of Astronauts (named one the Best Books of the Year by the St. Louis Times-Dispatch, LitHub, Refinery 29, and Electric Literature) and Send Me (a finalist for The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize). He is also the author of three novels for young adults. His fiction has appeared in many literary journals and has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories. A recipient of fellowships from MacDowell and the National Endowment for the Arts, Ryan is the former associate editor of Granta and is the editor-in-chief of One Story.

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