Description

Join us for a literary mashup celebrating the synergy between New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett's novel Tom Lake and the Pulitzer Prize–winning drama Our Town. At this extraordinary event, Patchett and moderator Jeremy McCarter take the stage with members of the 2024 Broadway production, including director Kenny Leon, actors Zoey Deutch, Jim Parsons, Ephraim Sykes, and more. Following the conversation and performances, Tappan Wilder (nephew of Thornton Wilder and head of the Wilder Family LLC) and Jackson R. Bryer (president of the Thornton Wilder Society) will present Patchett with the prestigious Thornton Wilder Prize.

“We are honored and delighted to present this year’s Thornton Wilder Prize to Ann Patchett,” said Tappan Wilder, the nephew of Thornton Wilder and head of the Wilder Family LLC. “Beyond her inspired use of Our Town in her extraordinary novel Tom Lake, Ann shows a passionate dedication to lifting up new literary voices and, through her bookstore in Nashville, celebrating the written word—values that were dear to my uncle’s life and work.” - Tappan Wilder