For 17 years, the Nashville Public Library Foundation (NPLF) has recognized esteemed writers, encouraged thoughtful discourse and raised much-needed funds for the city’s network of libraries through the Literary Award Gala. This year, instead of opening the doors to the main branch of the li…

When did you first discover a love for golf? I was 7 years old when we were on a family vacation at the beach and my dad put a club in my hands. That’s how it started. We lived close to McCabe so I would watch my dad play and as I grew, I would walk over there by myself and chip and putt. Da…

What’s your favorite thing about your job? I would say the fun part about my job is that I can be literally as aggressive as I want to be, and it be legal. I can knock dudes out, and it be legal!

When did you first discover a love for soccer? I’ve loved the game of soccer for as long as I can remember, simply because it’s a shared family love. My father raised my brothers and me to learn life lessons through soccer, and those childhood experiences placed the game in a special place i…

Emmy Award-winning meteorologist and Talk of the Town co-host Lelan Statom has been helping Middle Tennesseans plan their days since he joined NewsChannel5 This Morning in 1999. He has an undeniable gift for taking something that is complicated and relaying it in a way the rest of us can und…

When did you first discover a love for hockey? When I was 3 years old, growing up in Skellefteå, Sweden.

Named president of Friends of Warner Parks (FOWP) last July, Jenny Hannon was already a familiar face to the walkers, hikers and horseback riders who use the 60 miles of primitive, paved and horse trails in Percy and Edwin Warner Parks. She had been hiking there with Libby, her 12-year-old m…

Rick Schwartz’s fascination with animals extends back as far as he can remember. He fell in love with animals as an infant, started collecting snakes at the age of 7 and got his first job — at a pet shop, naturally — at 12. When he moved to Nashville in 1989 to manage the Nashville Zoo, he h…

A leading global authority on hospitality, Bronson van Wyck has organized some of the most memorable and imaginative parties of the past two decades in locations all over the world. His firm Van Wyck & Van Wyck, founded with his mother, counts heads of state, rock stars and royalty among…

Growing up in Miami, Alex Vaughan never saw flowers other than tropical varieties and grocery store bouquets. She was 18 years old and living in Boston when she finally experienced the arrival of spring and saw her first peony. She was captivated and set out on a path that eventually brought…

With a string of history-making hits, vocalist, songwriter and performer Kelsea Ballerini has certainly experienced a meteoric rise. She is the only female country artist to send three consecutive songs from a debut album to No. 1, and the platinum “Miss Me More” brings the total to five. As…

As a child, Lee Robinson wanted to be a veterinarian. Today, as managing partner and travel consultant for Belle Meade Vacations, she has the career countless others dreamed of. It was the Harpeth Hall Winterim trip to Europe she took — “with Miss Patty and Mrs. Manier as chaperones!” — that…

While in Memphis a handful of years ago, Andra Eggleston discovered countless drawings her father, iconic photographer William Eggleston, had done in years past, many decades before she was even born. Andra was inspired by the sketches and began, almost unconsciously, to turn them into repea…

Although technically a native Nashvillian, Mary Laura Philpott spent 17 years in Atlanta before moving back to Nashville with her family five years ago. “It was time for a change. That’s, in part, what I Miss You When I Blink is about,” Mary Laura said.

Long ago, we bought an armoire at Made in France on West End. It seemed massive, and I wondered how on earth to get it home. Made in France owner Karin Coble suggested I call Larry for help. “You have to use him,” she said. “He’s the only one I trust to move all our furniture. He may be hard…

David Bates was born into the family business. He’s been working at Bates Nursery & Garden Center since he was a child, and growing up around plants and landscape architects has taught him a thing or two about horticulture. Bates Nursery carries everything from ground-cover plants to lar…

Iffy Investment

In addition to being a highly respected, award-winning architect, Kem Hinton is an author, historian, graphic designer, photographer, lecturer and visual artist. A co-founder of Tuck-Hinton Architecture & Design, this Renaissance man is responsible for some of the area’s most exceptional…

Growing up an only child in West Tennessee, Burke Conley learned to cook out of“latch key necessity.” Today, he oversees a team of 17 as executive chef and director of design for G Catering. He learned to satisfy crowds working his way up in the hotel industry, but it’s his ability to consid…

After studying fashion at O’More, designer Van Hoang was inspired by the process of constructing her own garments and had gained an appreciation for knowing where her clothes came from, who produced them and how they were made. But she also found herself disillusioned with the fashion indust…

If you’re not familiar with Benjamin Goldberg — but honestly, who isn’t? — you’re likely acquainted with one of his many dining destinations. As the founder and co-owner of Strategic Hospitality, Benjamin is responsible for bringing culinary hot spots like Pinewood Social, Patterson House an…

Nashville native Crystal Churchwell spent time working in New York and Chicago before returning home for a new career and a chance to be close to her family. For almost two and a half years, she has been at the Frist Art Museum where she serves as director of development. Like the rest of he…

Laura Kimbrell is a Nashville native, but she’s no stranger to life outside of Music City’s boundaries. An avid traveler, she’s visited 49 states and more than 40 countries. When she’s in town, she stays busy as the vice president of marketing and branding for TKO Artist Management, where he…

Amos Gott has always been drawn to event planning, but growing up in the small town of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, he didn’t know it could be an actual career. He organized events for groups he was a part of in high school and college, but in terms of a job, he had the intention of heading down …

For the past 20 years, Paul Vasterling has served as the artistic director for Nashville Ballet. He's choreographed and directed a slew of productions, and under his leadership, the Ballet has commissioned 22 original scores for new works. A decade before Paul took on the role of artistic di…

Architect Bobby McAlpine designed his first house at the age of 5 and hasn’t stopped since. He creates homes with a soulful, timeless presence, including those built here in Nashville, which started with two Italianate-inspired houses in the late ‘90s and continues today with a South African…