A literary gala is Coming in September! The first gala for Plenty Downtown Bookshop in Cookeville is themed “Three Musketeers Masquerade for Reading” and promises to be a unique experience for all who care about book culture and appreciate the work that Plenty is doing. 

If you’ve been to one of the 300+ events this past year at Plenty, or just spent time browsing there, you know there is something powerful going on here. For Plenty Downtown Bookshop, the transforming power of book culture is a worthy dream.   

“Plenty is a community experience that leads us to book culture and improves our quality of life. Plenty is a nonprofit and as people purchased books, we were able to offer 318 events for our community in our first year. We also gifted 1700+ books in spaces that needed them. People don’t come to Plenty to purchase books, they come to discover books,” Plenty Co-founder Lisa Uhrik stated, “Every person on our team cares about meeting new friends in a crisis or a joyful moment and they love offering hope, help, and joy through the book that meets them where they are. Our mission is curating and connecting the right book at the right time for every person in our community.” 

At the fall gala, attendees will bid on book packages supporting a wide variety of nonprofits like the Animal Shelter, the Cookeville Pregnancy Clinic, Jere Whitson Elementary, Cookeville Regional Medical Center, and more. The goal is to put at least one perfect book into every set of hands in our community via this gala and through hundreds of other small events (author signings, book clubs, poetry nights, and more).

“We want to show that people can help every cause they care about through books. Books can almost always make a bad situation a little bit better. They help us elevate and aspire to be better. And we have witnessed such beautiful connections: When people talk about books with each other, they form bonds. People become friends around books. They come together,” said Uhrik.

Plenty is now also partnering with area businesses to pair high-interest books with coffee, plants, outdoor love, and more. You’ll find books from Plenty in several stores in the area with the hope that more people find books they love, encouraging them to read more.

With community support, Plenty hopes to create a productive cycle.

“It’s like a perpetual motion machine if we do this well: folks buy books for the people and causes they care about at Plenty, and then more gifting and events happen too.” Uhrik continued, “We are so excited about a literary gala! It’s going to be such meaningful fun and add a unique experience for our community.” 

To join in one of Plenty’s many events, stay in touch with the newsletter, or register to attend or sponsor the gala, call (931) 349-2119, or write info@plentybookshop.com. You can also check out the calendar at Plentybookshop.com or follow events at Plentylife.org.

– by Lisa Uhrik & Andrew Buckner, photos by Tessa Davis & Lisa Uhrik