Nashville author earns nomination for 'Time' magazine's annual list
Mar. 31, 2012 |
Ann Patchett is nominated for magazine's list. / GEORGE WALKER IV / FILE / THE TENNESSEAN
Oprah. Angela Merkel. The Obamas. George Clooney. And … Ann Patchett?
To have her name mentioned among so many influential people makes the Nashville author laugh. “The humor of it is not lost on me,” she says.
But, whether it’s about her bookstore, her latest best-selling novel or the author herself, Patchett pandemonium seems to be everywhere.
Soon, it could be in Time magazine, too.
Patchett, co-owner of Parnassus bookstore in Green Hills, is nominated for inclusion in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2012. The nominee list is a who’s who of world leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes, which — in addition to the U.S. president and the chancellor of Germany — also includes the Queen of England, Lady Gaga, Hamid Karzai and Rupert Murdoch.
The complete Time 100 list will be chosen by magazine editors and revealed April 17 on Time.com. Right now, people can visit the website and vote among the list of nominees for who they think are the world’s most influential people. Voting ends Friday, and the poll winner will be included in the Time 100 issue.
Patchett is not mounting a voting campaign, and she may not need to. She’s already recognized for her writing talent: Her 2001 novel, Bel Canto, won the PEN/Faulkner Award and some critics say her latest, State of Wonder, is even better. She also is gaining recognition as a champion for independent bookstores. Her popularity skyrocketed after a recent appearance on The Colbert Report during which Patchett twice left host Stephen Colbert speechless.
“If Beyoncé can get 30,000 votes, I’d like to have 30,” Patchett jokes. “I would like fellow Tennesseans to vote for me just so I’m not an embarrassment to the state.” But, she adds, “I don’t think I am going to take Rihanna down on this one.”
“It means people are ready for this change,” she says. “And that’s beautiful.”
Castle says Patchett’s recognition sends a message to those who believe the print book industry is dying.
“Ann really stood up and said, ‘That is not true, and let me show you by writing a remarkable novel and also opening a bookstore at a time when no one thought that was good idea,’ ” Castle says.
The Tennessean
To have her name mentioned among so many influential people makes the Nashville author laugh. “The humor of it is not lost on me,” she says.
But, whether it’s about her bookstore, her latest best-selling novel or the author herself, Patchett pandemonium seems to be everywhere.
Soon, it could be in Time magazine, too.
Patchett, co-owner of Parnassus bookstore in Green Hills, is nominated for inclusion in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2012. The nominee list is a who’s who of world leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes, which — in addition to the U.S. president and the chancellor of Germany — also includes the Queen of England, Lady Gaga, Hamid Karzai and Rupert Murdoch.
The complete Time 100 list will be chosen by magazine editors and revealed April 17 on Time.com. Right now, people can visit the website and vote among the list of nominees for who they think are the world’s most influential people. Voting ends Friday, and the poll winner will be included in the Time 100 issue.
Patchett is not mounting a voting campaign, and she may not need to. She’s already recognized for her writing talent: Her 2001 novel, Bel Canto, won the PEN/Faulkner Award and some critics say her latest, State of Wonder, is even better. She also is gaining recognition as a champion for independent bookstores. Her popularity skyrocketed after a recent appearance on The Colbert Report during which Patchett twice left host Stephen Colbert speechless.
“If Beyoncé can get 30,000 votes, I’d like to have 30,” Patchett jokes. “I would like fellow Tennesseans to vote for me just so I’m not an embarrassment to the state.” But, she adds, “I don’t think I am going to take Rihanna down on this one.”
In all seriousness, Patchett sees her inclusion on this list as an honor.
“It means that people are taking independent bookstores seriously, and I have come to stand for something,” she says. That something, she says, is supporting our community and “feeling like we are not all being eaten alive by a giant corporation.”“It means people are ready for this change,” she says. “And that’s beautiful.”
Castle says Patchett’s recognition sends a message to those who believe the print book industry is dying.
“Ann really stood up and said, ‘That is not true, and let me show you by writing a remarkable novel and also opening a bookstore at a time when no one thought that was good idea,’ ” Castle says.
The Tennessean
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