NPL - Flipbook - Page 16
PROGRAMS
SPOTL IGHT
Nashville Reads
We want to bring people together around
great literature. Every year, we recommend
a good book to our entire city and hold
free forums and events to explore its
themes – it’s like a citywide book club for
Nashvillians of all ages and backgrounds,
and it's called Nashville Reads.
2018 Nashville Reads:
The Potlikker Papers: A Food
History of the Modern South
by John T. Edge
For Nashville Reads 2018, we selected
John T. Edge’s The Potlikker Papers:
A Food History of the Modern South.
Beginning with the lunch counter sit-ins of
the civil rights movement, Edge traces a
people’s history of the South through the
food that has fueled social change and
shaped our region as we know it today.
By encouraging our neighbors to read
The Potlikker Papers, we wanted to bring
our community together through food
and highlight Nashville’s history, cuisine,
and people.
To get the conversation started, the
library and our Nashville Reads partners
distributed free copies of The Potlikker
Papers throughout the city for residents to
pick up, discover, and pass on in an initiative
called “Take Me, Read Me, Leave Me.” We
also kicked the Nashville Reads season off
with a panel discussion featuring legends
of Nashville’s food scene, including Margot
McCormack of Margot Café and Tandy Wilson
of City House.
Throughout Nashville Reads 2018, we
partnered with local restaurants and
organizations to hold book discussions, give
free cooking demonstrations, and more. We
even invited our neighbors to contribute to an
exhibit for the Main Library created by Dirty
Pages, a local recipe storytelling project.
In May, we wrapped up with our finale: a
discussion of The Potlikker Papers with the
author followed by a conversation with
representatives of Nashville’s food future.
I think Nashville Reads is an important initiative because it helps
define who we are as a city. It sends a message about what we
value and what is important to us... reading, learning,
and creating a sense of community. Renee, Nashville Reads participant
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N A S H V I L L E P U B L I C L I B R A R Y A N D T H E N A S H V I L L E P U B L I C L I B R A R Y F O U N D AT I O N