WNBA Nashville ChapterWe gather, celebrate, and serve book lovers in the
Greater Nashville area and beyond |
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We are now accepting new memberships and renewals for our upcoming year of 2025-26. Expect another great year of fun and programs and social activities, starting in June with our Summer Happy Hour at Pinewood Social.
To join, click here! or on the image above. 
Join us for tea, treats, and bookish fun at this month's book club, co-hosted by Jennifer Sellers and AUTHOR Melissa Collings! This month we will be reading Melissa's book The False Flat, an uplifting story about friendship, love, and growth. Read with us as Penelope (Pen) untangles herself from a past that's holding her back, and cheer her on as she moves forward into a life that will set her free.
The meeting address will be sent out to all registered attendees the day before the event! Click here or on the graphic to register. May Garden Party
Our annual May garden party was held on Thursday, May 8, at the home of our president, Ami McConnell. The rain forced guests to gather indoors, but a good time was had by all as they socialized and got to know one another better. Thanks, Ami, for saving the day!
April ProgramOn a rainy Nashville night 15 intrepid poetry lovers gathered at Carrabba's in Green Hills. Our featured guest for the evening was poet Ciona Rouse, who led us in an invigorating conversation about how to read poetry. Or, ways to think about poems. It was very interactive and the perfect way to spend an atmospheric evening.
Nashville Board
Your Nashville WNBA board will meet on June 21 for our annual board retreat where we will plan next year's programs and activities. Planning our activities and making our organization better is a year round endeavor! Let us know if you have ideas or if you would like to serve on the board and help us make WNBA Nashville even better. If you want to make good friends in WNBA and get to know the members of our organization, serving on the board is the way to do it! For more information about our board members and duties, click here.
Did you realize there are more pages on our website than this one? Click above the website header on the three lines or the plus sign to find the links to our other pages. You'll find lots more content and information! And don't forget to let us know when you have news for our Member News page! We want to share your accomplishments with our members! |
WNBA Nashville’s “Spring for the Kids” Book Drive: Mission Accomplished!
by Molly Lyon As our WNBA Nashville “Spring for the Kids” campaign comes to a close, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in and supported our book drive! Thanks to your generosity, we collected 146 books—far surpassing our original goal of 100! Throughout April and May 2025, we conducted a summer reading project in partnership with Fostering Hope TN, a Tennessee-based nonprofit serving children in foster care. With guidance from members of the fostering community, we curated a thoughtful book list full of stories that educate, inspire, and entertain. Each of these books are now on their way to children in foster care across Middle Tennessee. We hope these stories will spark imagination, bring joy, and remind these young readers that they are seen, supported, and valued. It’s been an honor to help lead this initiative, and I’m so grateful to be part of a chapter that puts compassion into action. Thank you for making it such a success!
by Amylane Reeve
I grew up on a small farm in East Tennessee on the Kentucky border. When I wasn’t reading, I was writing letters to 20 pen pals all over the world. It was the greatest thing to learn about other places and come to know people who lived in other countries. Reading and writing were my ways of learning about and connecting with the world outside of my rural hometown. Summers were spent with weekly trips to the local library. I read the Sweet Valley High series as they were released, then graduated to V.C. Andrews, Dean Koontz, Victoria Holt, and Phyllis Whitney. Several years were spent savoring anthologies and collections containing Tennyson, Byron, Donne, Millay, and Naruda. I found a love for stories by Bierce, Shelly, Crane, Douglass, Hawthorn. The emotions found in the written word resonate as clearly as those in song or speech. My current read is Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maines because I’ve never read any of her books and the title is interesting. Seven years ago, I moved to Nashville—my 30th move since turning 18, and the one that finally felt like home. In 2024, after spending two decades as a technical writer, I decided to pursue my passion for creative writing: lyrics, poems, picture books, novels…I write because I can’t help myself. I travel when I can and take photos nearly every day. I’m currently working on illustrating the picture books I’ve written, editing my first poetry chapbook, putting words to paper about the many moves, slowly composing what looks to be a fantasy novel, querying a humor piece titled The Cicada Chronicles, and submitting photos and bits to smaller publications for motivation and confidence for the bigger writing. In 2023 When SCBWI advertised an event for the Women's National Book Association I decided to attend even though I didn’t know anyone. What I found was a warm atmosphere of welcoming people who all shared a passion for books. I joined soon after and the WNBA has become an essential part of my social life in Nashville. It has inspired me to pursue publishing, meet wonderful people that I instantly consider friends, and I enjoy celebrating others in their publishing journeys. Would you like to be in The Spotlight? This is a great way to get to know our members and for us to get to know you! Contact Nancy at [email protected] Upcoming EventsMonthly Programming for Members. Guests welcome! May 20 Book Club discussion, The False Flat. The author will be in attendance! June 5 Summer Happy Hour at Pinewood Social 6-8 Theme: National Thank You Day —gratitude for authors July 3 Summer Happy Hour and July Book Club discussion at Pinewood Social 6-8 July 3 Book Club discussion at Pinewood Social 6-8 August 7 Summer Happy Hour Theme: National Lighthouse Day —books featuring lighthouses 6-8 September 4 “Shop Local” featuring Indy Bookstores September Book Club discussion October 2 Southern Festival of Books Round-Up special guest speaker. November 6 Best Books Lists “Wrap-Up” + Wrapping Party for A Good Cause November Book Club discussion December 4 Christmas Party (members only) @ Old Natchez Country Club WNBA Loves Books!
We write them, we publish them, we sell them, we teach children and adults to read and appreciate them, we loan them, we borrow them, we give them, we read them, we listen to them, and we share them with friends. --Lee Fairbend WNBA Social MediaDid you know WNBA Nashville is on Instagram and Facebook? Look at the bottom of this page to find the links to both!
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About the Nashville Chapter
Since 1955, the Nashville chapter of the Women’s National Book Association has been promoting reading, supporting literacy, and advancing the role of women in the community of the book. We offer informative programs and networking opportunities from September through May, a book discussion group that meets six times a year, and various charitable and outreach activities
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Questions?
All events, with the exception of the annual Christmas dinner and the Garden Party, are free and open to the public. For more information, or to request a Zoom code, contact [email protected]