Join the Richmond LGBTQ Chamber for a special Author Event at Fountain Bookstore. Enjoy an evening with author of Fountain's 2025 Book of the Year, author Silas House. He'll be talking about his new novel, Tulip Poplars, with Kelly in the store
Whether you're a longtime fan, an avid reader, or simply looking for an engaging community experience, this event offers the opportunity to hear from the author, ask questions, and connect with fellow book lovers.
Register
Mix, mingle, and enjoy:
More than just a place to discover great books, Fountain Bookstore is a vibrant community gathering space that brings readers, writers, and ideas together. We look forward to welcoming you for an unforgettable evening of books, conversation, and community!
About the Book: Amos and Tom fall in love while working in the tobacco fields during the hot summers of the early 1900s, yet Tom cannot shake his strict religious upbringing nor the responsibilities of his family’s farm. His longtime friend Maeve also pines for a man she can’t have, lest she endanger his already tenuous life in a town and world shaped by racial lines. How do you live a life that feels untrue, and at what point do you risk everything?
The Tulip Poplars is a gorgeous and moving novel spanning most of the 20th century, centering on four people trying to find happiness in a world that demands conventional choices. House tells a deeply intimate story of faith and doubt, race and class, sexual desire and the longing to be good when you’ve been taught that you are evil for loving who you love. Based on the story of an ancestor, House’s new novel takes us from NYC to Southern cities to Appalachia and will leave you with a bigger heart.
About the Author: Silas House was a finalist for a 2024 Grammy Award, winner of the 2022 Duggins Prize, and is a two-time winner of the Southern Book Prize. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time, the New York Times, the Advocate, Time, Garden & Gun, and other publications. He teaches at Berea College and at the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Creative Writing.
Kelly is our fearless leader and an omnivore of a reader who will try almost any type of book at least once. She has been an indie bookseller since 1989, came to Fountain in 2000, and took over in 2008. She has served on countless bookseller boards and committees nationally and internationally but recently has scaled back on those activities to spend more time on the bookstore and personal passions like travel, cooking, and being with important people in her life and the cat.
