Authors in the Round unites readers with writers for Humanities Tennessee

For 14 years, book lovers and lexophiles have carefully guarded the evening of Humanities Tennessee’s Authors in the Round on their calendars. Using the unofficial tagline of being “Nashville’s best book club,” this year’s event saw nearly 400 guests arrive at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to celebrate authors visiting for the Southern Festival of Books. Guests enjoyed Champagne and cocktails as they traversed the HCA Lobby and Carlton Family Terrace, taking in skyline views that set the tone for the cosmopolitan event.

As is tradition, each of the 40 visiting authors shares their own table with Nashville’s literary set. This year’s lineup included a variety of authors, like fantasy writer Leslye Penelope, fiction writers Bret Anthony Johnston and Andre Dubus III, suspense writer Peter Swanson, popular science writer Richard Panek and many more. 

Conversation in the room was immediately lively as organizers worked to seat the guests so dinner could begin. The evening’s emcee, Jeremy Finley — a noted author, Edward R. Murrow Award winner and A Word on Words co-host — thanked the crowd for their support of Humanities Tennessee and their dedication to keeping the written word alive. He shared that since 2008, the organization has raised $1.25 million to support local authors.

Once dinner began, guests dove right into discussion, asking their author hosts questions about how they find inspiration and what led them to write their first books. Each guest headed home with a copy of their host author’s book as a memento of the evening.

“Authors in the Round is one of Nashville’s most fun, unique, and fascinating events,” said co-chair Allison Stansberry. “It is a book lover’s dream.”