Are you looking for our shop-people? Coming up this weekend, October 9-11, you can find them at the Southern Festival of Books. They’ll be in the big Parnassus bookselling tent down at War Memorial Plaza in downtown Nashville on Friday (12-5 p.m.), Saturday (10 a.m. – 6 p.m.), and Sunday (12-5 p.m.). Meanwhile, we — the shop dogs of Parnassus Books — will be taking advantage of the brainstorming time to come up with a festival of our own.
That’s right. We’d like to propose a Canine Festival of Books, where all the sessions are geared toward furry four-legged attendees. Allow us to explain:
Vogue magazine says everyone should come to Nashville for the Southern Festival of Books, because it’s the stylish, literary thing to do. They also recommend attendees wear “seventies suedes and a frisson of fringe.” That might be fashionable for humans, but at the Canine Festival of Books, we’ll encourage a different dress code.
Bandanas!
It’s true that the Southern Festival of Books schedule is packed with 200 of the nation’s and region’s most prominent authors of just about every kind of book you can imagine — mystery, poetry, literary fiction, kids’ books, cookbooks, memoir, quirky humor, and more — including several of our 2015 staff picks and First Editions Club selections. And yes, they have loads of programming for all ages and interests, including performances and events especially for kids — plus fun extras like musical entertainment, ample autographing opportunities, and Nashville’s best food trucks (think Crepe A Diem, Yayo’s Original Mexican Gourmet, Deg Thai, Slow & Low BBQ, Provence Breads & Café, Crankee’s Pizza, and Bolton’s Hot Chicken and Fish). But we think you’ll be impressed with the sessions we’ve proposed for the Canine Festival of Books, too.
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How to Move Discounted Merchandise Effectively and Adorably
Speaker: Mary Todd Lincoln
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Excuse Me, Were You Reading That? Interrupting Others When You Need a Scratch
Speaker: Sparky
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Napping Strong: Enjoying Books With Your Eyes Closed
Speaker/Snoozer: Eleanor Roosevelt
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Bookstore Office Etiquette, Or, Is That Sandwich for Me?
Speaker: Opie
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Living with Books: Where to Sit When There’s No More Space
Speaker: Belle
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The Perfect Match: A Book for Every Reader, and a Reader for Every Book
Shop Dogs Panel Discussion, Moderated by Mary Todd Lincoln
We still have some details to iron out, but we’re working on it.
Meanwhile, we hope you will go see our shop-people and have a great time this weekend at the Southern Festival of Books, which apparently is the book festival of every human book-lover’s dreams. We’ll see you back at the store!
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More info on the Southern Festival of Books:
Events for kids and young adults
There’s an app for that (of course): Plan your schedule, scope out the food trucks, and learn more about the authors and vendors. (Google Play or iTunes)
Musing 