Lipscomb University Hosts Inaugural Festival of Books and Writing
Speaker Lineup Includes Renowned Authors, Poets, Novelists and Screenwriters
BookFest Nashville, a new festival celebrating books and writers, debuts November 8 – 9, 2018, on the Lipscomb University campus. Registration is now open at www.BookFestNashville.com.
BookFest Nashville attendees will enjoy lectures by and conversations with bestselling authors, world-class publishing professionals, filmmakers, poets and songwriters. Attendance will be limited to 500 registrants to ensure an intimate experience.
“Nashville is a magnet for writers,” says Ami McConnell, Founder and Festival Director for BookFest Nashville. “BookFest aims to empower, inspire, and connect them.”
Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts will host the festival along with the Department of English & Modern Languages in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. BookFest Nashville sponsor and retail partner, Parnassus Books, will host book sales at the festival and will feature speaker’s books in store.
BookFest Nashville 2018 will feature sessions and panels spanning genres. This year’s lineup of speakers continues to grow, with these renowned experts already confirmed:
- JT Ellison, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, No One Knows
- Michael Bishop, author, Murder in the Music City
- Stephanie Appell, manager of books for young readers, Parnassus Books
- Ruth Chou Simons, bestselling author, Gracelaced
- Melissa Chambers, romance novelist, Seaside Sweets and President of Music City Romance Writers
- Colleen Coble, USA Today Bestselling novelist, The House at Saltwater Point
- Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling novelist, Becoming Mrs. Lewis
- Howie Klausner, writer & producer of “Space Cowboys,” “Soul Surfer,” author of Rocketman
- Ariel Lawhon, critically acclaimed novelist, I Was Anastasia
- Amy Parker, bestselling children’s author
- Mary Laura Philpott, author & illustrator Penguins with People Problems, Emmy-winning co-host of
“A Word on Words” Nashville Public Television - Karen Hayes, co-owner Parnassus Books, Nashville
- Liz Cackowski, writer and producer, “Saturday Night Live,” “Community,” “Last Man on Earth”
- Courtney Stevens, young adult novelist, Dress Code for Small Towns
- Marjory Wentworth, Poet Laureate of South Carolina, co-author, Out of Wonder
- MaryBeth Whalen, co-founder com, novelist, When We Were Worthy
- Sarah Arthur, author, A Light So Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeline L’Engle
Ami McConnell is founder and Festival Director for BookFest Nashville. She is former Editor-in-Chief and Vice President, Howard Books/Simon & Schuster, and her editing credits include numerous New York Times bestsellers and award-winning titles. Ami has edited renowned authors Colleen Coble, Ted Dekker, Karen Kingsbury, Max Lucado, Frank Peretti, and Wm. Paul Young. She served on the Advisory Board of The Buechner Institute at King College and is an active member of the Women’s National Book Association. Ami is co-author with Candace Cameron Bure of Kind Is the New Classy (2018 HarperCollins). www.BookFestNashville.com.
