Audio of Ann Patchett’s Wi7 Keynote Now Available

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Readers can cast a vote for Patchett in Time’s poll of most influential people

Booksellers were energized, excited, and inspired by Ann Patchett’s keynote address at Winter Institute 7, one in which she shared all her reasons for opening, Parnassus Books, an indie bookstore in her hometown of Nashville.

Matt Norcross and Ann Patchett

It was a truly galvanizing experience that helps explains why Patchett has garnered such wide-spread publicity  —  everything from a profile on the front page of the New York Times to an appearance on The Colbert Report — and why she has become a national spokesperson for the importance of locally owned, independent bookstores and is this year’s recipient of the 2012 Indies Choice Award for Most Engaging Author. Now, all of BTW’s readers have the opportunity to hear Patchett’s Wi7 keynote available here, in an MP3 file. The audio, which is about 40 minutes long, begins with an introduction of Patchett by ABA Board member Matt Norcross, the co-owner of McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, Michigan.

Time magazine has recognized Patchett’s importance to the industry by nominating her as one of “the most influential people in the world.” Not for her award-winning and bestselling novels, but because by “putting her money where her mouth is” with the opening of Parnassus Books, she has placed “herself on the front lines of several ongoing battles for the fate of the printed word.”

The magazine has included a reader poll as a significant part of the selection process. Voting ends on Friday, April 6. Readers can cast their votes here. It only takes a moment.