Celebrations at the Public Lecture and Gala to be held on Nov. 15
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kristi Graham, Director of Communications and Marketing
July 24, 2025 kristi.graham@nplf.org
615-862-5787
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville Public Library and the Nashville Public Library Foundation are proud to honor New York Times best-selling author, Amor Towles, as the 2025 Literary Award winner. Mr. Towles will be recognized for his contributions to literature during the 21st Anniversary Literary Award Weekend, presented by the First Horizon Foundation. Mr. Towles’s richly crafted stories of historical fiction make him an ideal recipient for this award sponsored by Sandra Schatten Foundation.
Mr. Towles will be celebrated during the weekend at several events including a Public Lecture, sponsored by Dollar General and Carol and Bobby Frist, a Private Reception, sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners, and The Literary Award Gala, sponsored by The Judy and Laura Anne Turner Endowment Fund. The weekend events are co-chaired by Tiffany and Alfred Degrafinreid, Lee Pratt and Neil Krugman, and Lindsay and Tyson Moore.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Towles to Nashville,” said Shawn Bakker, president of the Nashville Public Library Foundation. “His lyrical prose continues to captivate people around the world, and we are excited to hear his insights firsthand.”
“First Horizon Foundation is honored to be the presenting sponsor of the 21st Anniversary Literary Award Weekend featuring Amor Towles,” says Carol Yochem, Central Region President, First Horizon Bank. “We look forward to an amazing weekend.”
The community will have a chance to hear from Mr. Towles during the free Public Lecture on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. High School. The Literary Award Gala will follow that evening at 6:30 p.m. in the breathtaking Grand Reading Room of the Main Library. These highly anticipated annual events will celebrate Mr. Towles and the Library’s unparalleled impact on the community.
The Public Lecture is free to the public. Tickets for the Gala will go on sale in September 2025. Be the first to know when tickets for both events become available by signing up for NPLF’s newsletter. For more information on NPLF or to make a gift, visit nplf.org.
About the 2025 Literary Award Honoree 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 miniseries 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 Nashville Public Library Foundation
The Nashville Public Library Foundation (NPLF), founded in 1997, is a 501(c)3 organization, supporting and fundraising for Nashville Public Library (NPL). The Library depends on public funding to support operations and maintenance; however, it thrives because of private investment. NPLF has raised more than $81 million to advance the impact of NPL programs and initiatives, as well as extend the reach and essential nature of NPL. Gifts to NPLF unlock a world of opportunity and access for people of all ages through investment in library resources that build literacy, digital skills, workforce readiness, lifelong learning, and ultimately, create better lives.
About First Horizon Foundation
First Horizon Foundation is the private charitable foundation of First Horizon Corporation. Founded in 1993, the Foundation has donated more than $150 million to meet community needs. Grants from the Foundation support the following impact areas: Arts & Culture, Education & Leadership, Environment, Financial Literacy, and Health & Human Services.
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Public Lecture
Free and open to the public
Saturday, Nov. 15 at 10 a.m.
Martin Luther King Jr. High School, 613 17th Ave. N., Nashville, Tenn. 37203
Sponsored by Dollar General and Carol and Bobby Frist
Literary Award Gala
Saturday, Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Nashville Public Library Main Branch, 615 Church St., Nashville, Tenn. 37219
Sponsored by The Judy and Laura Anne Turner Endowment Fund