In this episode of The Archive Project, we hear from beloved, best-selling novelist, essayist, and bookstore owner Ann Patchett. The talk in this episode is from her appearance at Portland Arts & Lectures in 2013. Patchett joined us on the publication of a collection of essays titled This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage.

This talk is powerful because, while her devotion to craft and exceptional talent is clear from her many award-winning novels, we learn that her writing life is also one filled with false starts, detours, happy accidents, and acts of generosity.  It is also consumed, at least in the first part of her career, with the practical need to make a living, and the compromises and survival techniques required to do so. And so, she tells the story of her life as a writer with a wry sense of humor, sharp insight, and refreshingly practical attitude.

“Well, what it turned out the story of my happy marriage was, was the never ending history of divorce in my family. Everyone in my family for as far as the eye can see, in any direction, has been divorced. And when I sat down to write about marriage, it was really fascinating to realize that everything I know about marriage comes from divorce, and that divorce is the bedrock of my marriage.” —Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett is the author of novels, works of nonfiction, and children’s books. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the PEN/Faulkner, the Women’s Prize in the U.K., and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Her novel The Dutch House was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. TIME magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. President Biden awarded her the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is the owner of Parnassus Books.