NOVEMBER 8,2013
P H O T O B Y H E ID I RO SS
A uthor A n n Patchett is the featured speaker on Nov. 20 at the Literary Arts Portland Arts and Lecture Series. H er new work, “This is a Story o f a Happy Marriage,” came out this month.
BY SUE ZALOKAR
The famed
author and
now
independent
bookstore
owner wants
to put paper
books back
into our
hands
S T A F F W R IT E R
ith six novels and three books of
nonfiction to her credit, award-winning
author Ann Patchett has come a long way
since she began her career as a staff writer at
Seventeen magazine.
But Patchett will tell you that her time at
Seventeen honed her skill at crafting nonfiction
pieces, whether for The New York Times or Vogue
magazine.
Her most recent nonfiction book, “This is a
Story of a Happy Marriage” released Nov. 4,
explores the theme of commitment as it is
reflected through her life as a young writer.
In 2011, Patchett opened Parnassus Books with
business partner Karen Hayes in Nashville,
Tennessee - the city Patchett has called home
since she was six years old. More than that,
Patchett has become a spokesperson for
independent bookstores and the printed word.
In 2012, Patchett made TIME magazine’s list of
the 100 most influential people in the world for
her work to raise awareness about the importance
of book selling (and buying). She is the featured
speaker for the Literary Arts Portland Arts and
Lecture Series, at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 20, at the Arlene
W
Patchett is the featured speaker at the Literary
Arts Portland Arts and Lecture Series,
Wednesday, Nov. 20,7:30 p.m. at the the Arlene
Schnitzer Concert Hall.
Schnitzer Concert Hall.
When we matched schedules recently, I found
myself in the Street Roots office at 5 a.m. so that I
could still make it to my day job working as an
instructor at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, a
topic that started our conversation around the
odds against convicted felons from the start — and
of course, a book recommendation.
Ann Patchett: An amazing book - if you have
the time to read - is called “Crossed Over” by
Beverly Lowry. It is about Karla Faye Tucker who
was the first woman to be executed in this country
in 50 years. She was executed 13 years ago.
Beverly is a good friend of mine and she had read
about Karla Faye. It was right after Beverly’s son
was killed and she became interested in Karla
Faye’s story and she ended up writing this book
about before (Karla) was conceived, she had no
chance.
S u e Zalokar: Since you came out o f the gate with
a book recommendation, let me ask you about the
bookstore you opened in Nashville in 2011. What was
the impetus to start Parnassus Books?
A.P.: The bookstores (in Nashville) were closed
and I didn’t want to live in a city that didn’t have a
bookstore because where would I go and get my
books? “State of Wonder” came out in the summer
of 2011 and Parnassus Books opened in November.
My wonderful local frame shop, The Beveled Edge
and my alterations shop, Stitch It, were the two
stores in Nashville that sold my book locally and I
will always love them for that.
But you know, I’m in this business. I need a
book store. I did not want to open a bookstore.
This is not my life-long dream. Frankly, the genius
of it all is that I have an amazing partner, Karen
Hayes. Our deal is, she would do all of the work
and I would pay for it and do the publicity. And it is
a marriage made in heaven.
S.Z.: Part o f the charm of an independent
bookstore is the sense o f intimacy between people and
See PATCHETT, page 10
Inside
health
care hinds
Food stamp
cuts keep
coming
$20 million
earmarked for
services
Lawmakers in
D.C. debate
recipients ’ future
Page 3
Page 5
State mental
The watchers
at the gate
Three decades of
police surveillance
on local activists
on display
Page 8