NPL Literary Award Public Lecture featuring Amor Towles

We are excited to come together in November to honor Amor Towles and celebrate Nashville Public Library!

Event Highlights

Join us for an unforgettable event as we honor acclaimed novelist Amor Towles, recipient of the 2025 Nashville Public Library Literary Award, in a special conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham.

This exclusive event offers a rare glimpse into the mind of one of America’s most beloved storytellers, as he reflects on craft, character, and the enduring power of narrative — in dialogue with one of the nation’s foremost voices on history and biography.

Don’t miss this extraordinary celebration of literature, legacy, and the art of conversation.

Parnassus Books will be selling a variety of Mr. Towles and Mr. Meacham's books at the event. There will not be a signing line.

Branch Watch Party information coming soon.

You can also watch at home on NECAT - IQTV Channel 10!

About Amor Towles

Born and raised in the Boston area, Amor Towles graduated from Yale and received an MA in English from Stanford. Having worked as an investment professional for over twenty years, he now devotes himself full time to writing in Manhattan, where he lives with his family. His novels Rules of Civility, A Gentleman in Moscow, and The Lincoln Highway, and his collection of shorter fiction Table for Two have all been New York Times bestsellers, have collectively sold more than eight million copies, and have been translated into more than forty languages. Both Bill Gates and President Barack Obama included A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway on their annual book recommendation lists.

Rules of Civility (2011) was a New York Times bestseller and was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best books of the year. The book’s French translation received the 2012 Prix Fitzgerald.

A Gentleman in Moscow (2016) was on the New York Times bestseller list for two years and was named one of the best books of 2016 by the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR. In 2024, Paramount+ released a mini series based on the novel which stars Ewan McGregor.

The Lincoln Highway (2021) debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The book is being adapted as a feature film by Warner Brothers with Chris Storer, the creator of “The Bear”, writing and directing.

Table for Two (2024), a collection of six short stories and the novella “Eve in Hollywood”, was a New York Times bestseller. Towles’s short stories have appeared in the Paris Review (#112), Granta (#148), British Vogue, and Audible Originals.

About the Public Lecture

Established in 2004, the Nashville Public Library Literary Award recognizes distinguished authors for their illustrious contributions to the world of books, literacy, and reading. Each year, we bring an outstanding individual to Nashville for a weekend-long celebration to honor their achievements while simultaneously raising funds to support NPL and its essential education and literacy programs and resources. The free Public Lecture offers the opportunity for the entire community to come together in celebration.

All are invited to join this free celebration, but we ask that you kindly reserve your ticket. If you are able to make a gift to support our remarkable library, your generosity would be greatly appreciated.

Interested in how you can support the Public Lecture? Become a Public Lecture Patron and receive exclusive benefits, including:

• Signed copy of an Amor Towles book

• Reserved, premiere seating for two to the Public Lecture

• Distinctive recognition at the Public Lecture and on the Foundation website

If you’re interested in becoming a Public Lecture Patron, please email Caitlin Reed, Director of Community Giving, at caitlin.reed@nplf.org to learn more.

Your support as a Patron not only supports the critical work of Nashville Public Library, but it will also ensure that the Public Lecture and other events like this remain free and accessible for everyone in the Nashville community.

Literary Award Weekend Presented by:

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Literary Award Sponsor:

SANDRA SCHATTEN FOUNDATION

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The Public Lecture is proudly sponsored by: