Editorial Policy | The Annotated Nashville

Purpose

The Annotated Nashville is an independent, curated guide to the literary life that already exists in Nashville: the bookstores, libraries, organizations, writers, programs, publications, festivals and gatherings that make up the city’s reading and writing community.

We aim for curation, not completeness. An entry is here because an editor decided it is worth knowing about and could describe it accurately. A shorter list we can stand behind is better than a longer one we cannot.

We are an index, not a publication. We list and describe; we don’t publish reviews, interviews, news or criticism. Nashville already has publications that do that work well, and we list them rather than repeat it.

The guide is for readers, writers and newcomers looking for a way in, not for tourists or advertisers.

What we include

An entry must meet all three tests.

It is literary at its core. Books, reading or writing are central to what it does, not a side activity. A bookstore qualifies; a coffee shop with a shelf of used paperbacks does not.
It is in Nashville. It is based in Davidson County, or it holds its regular activity in person in the county. Statewide organizations based here (for example, Humanities Tennessee) qualify.
It is real and current. It is operating, holds activity on a regular schedule, and has a public way to find it (a website, a venue or a listed contact).

Category notes:

Bookstores: independent and used shops. Chain stores are not listed.
Libraries: public branches, and academic or special collections open to the public.
Writers: people who live in Davidson County, or have a substantial, documented tie to Nashville, and whose work has been traditionally published: a book from a publisher that does not charge its authors, a sustained record of poems, essays, stories or journalism in edited publications, or produced plays or screenplays. A writer must have a professional website we can link to. We do not list writers whose work is solely self-published. We list only public, professional information.
Book clubs and reading groups: open to new members, or publicly listed by a library or bookstore.
Events: recurring series, annual festivals and other yearly occasions such as award ceremonies. One-off events are linked to the host’s calendar rather than listed.
Places: literary landmarks with a documented connection to a writer or literary history.

What we don’t include

Chain and big-box stores, and online-only retailers.
Paid services that sell to writers without a community or educational purpose, such as vanity presses and pay-to-publish contests.
Groups that are private or invitation-only, unless they ask to be listed.
Private individuals. We do not list people who have not chosen a public literary role.
One-off events, sales and promotions.
Anything we cannot verify from a reliable source.

Independence

Listings are free and cannot be bought. No one pays to be included, to rank higher or to be featured.

We do not use affiliate links or take a commission on sales.
“Featured” and “Selected” entries are editorial choices.
If we ever accept sponsorship or support, it will be labeled clearly and kept separate from listings.
When an editor has a personal or professional tie to an entry (works there, sits on its board, is published by it), we disclose it on that entry’s page.

Accuracy and verification

Every entry shows the date an editor last checked it. We recheck each entry at least every six months.

Sources: facts come from the organization’s own website or materials, or from reliable published sources. We list the sources for each entry on its page.
What we leave out: hours, prices and other details that change often. We link to the official source instead.
Closures and pauses: when something closes or goes on hiatus, we mark its status on the page rather than deleting it, so the record and its links survive.
Corrections: we fix errors promptly and note significant corrections on the entry.

How we write entries

Each entry is an annotation: a short, factual note on something that already exists, telling a reader what it is and what is worth knowing about it. We describe; we don’t review.

What it is, and what sets it apart. Every summary says what the entry is and gives at least one concrete fact that distinguishes it from others of its kind.
How to take part. Where it applies, we say who it is for and how to join in: open to anyone, by application, on the first Thursday of each month.
How it connects. We note when an entry hosts, runs or belongs to another entry in the guide.
Context as fact. History and distinctions appear only as facts we can source: when it was founded, who runs it, what it publishes.
A source for every claim. If we can’t point to a source for a fact, we leave it out.
No praise or spin. We don’t call anything beloved, vibrant, a hidden gem or a must-visit, and we don’t guess at why people go.

Some entries carry a short note in the margin: one more fact that helps a newcomer find their way in, such as how to join, a piece of history or a connection to another entry. Notes follow the same rules as the rest of the entry.

Writers and other people

We publish only public, professional information about people: name, published work, literary affiliations and their own public website or profile.

We never publish home addresses, personal contact details, family information or anything taken from private sources.
We contact living writers before listing them.
Writers can ask us to correct, update or remove their entry at any time. Removal requests are honored without needing a reason.

Suggestions, corrections and removals

Anyone can suggest an entry or report an error by email, at the address on the site’s Suggest page.

An editor reviews every suggestion against the inclusion tests above.
Corrections to facts are checked against a source and usually fixed within a week.
New suggestions may take longer. Not every suggestion will be added, and we may not explain each decision.
Removal requests from the people or organizations listed are handled first.

Use of AI and automation

People decide what is listed and approve every word published about an entry.

We use software, including AI tools, to build the site, check links and flag entries that may be out of date.
AI may help research or draft, but no entry is published until an editor has checked each fact against a source.
Automated checks never change or remove an entry on their own; they only flag it for an editor.

Images and credits

We use only photos we took, photos licensed for reuse, or photos used with the owner’s permission. Every image is credited. Images are optional; an entry without one is complete.

We do not use logos or photos copied from an organization’s website without permission, and we do not use stock photography.