We at The Porch are beyond thrilled that our dear friend, board member emerita, Porch Member, and Teaching Writer Ciona Rouse is on the cusp of opening Bard's Towne Books & Bourbon, a bookstore bar that's one of her biggest dreams. We've been hearing about the vision for years, but now, learning more specifics about how BTB&B is coming to life, we're absolutely over the moon about this new addition to the Nashville literary community. Ciona was kind enough to answer some questions from our fall intern, Ashlyn Maroquin, about the new venture. We look forward to raising many glasses to you and with you, Ciona! —Ed.

AM: How did the idea of a bourbon bar/bookstore come about?

CR: I had a dream that I was running a poetry-only bookstore and bar. The space was so full of life. People were in there writing and reading and meeting and visiting from other cities and calling themselves a "poet" for the first time. I awoke and couldn't believe the dream was over. I loved my life in that dream. And I loved what it was creating for Nashville. So I started writing it down and dared to imagine what if.

AM: How does this dream tie into the way you think about poetry?

CR: Bard's Towne Books & Bourbon is a poetry-centric, liberation-loving bookstore bar that is a home for the spirit of poetry in Nashville. Poetry distills language and requires that you slow down, spend time with each word. It asks you to listen and to co-create alongside the poet. I see Bard's Towne as a place where people gather, listen, sip some distilled libations, slow down a bit, and treat one another like a poem. In the dream, we sold poetry only, but in reality we have fiction, nonfiction and some art books, as well, curated to align with the spirit of poetry. We have significantly more poetry than you'll find at most bookstores, though, and we provide experiences for poets to share their work. The same with the bar—we offer non-bourbon beverages, as well, but our focus will be more bourbon than other liquors.

AM: What are some of the biggest obstacles you’ve faced while pursuing this dream?

CR: I suppose my biggest obstacle has been [the challenge of] ignoring voices who say bookstores or poetry are dead or aren't lucrative. People have been digging graves for poetry at some point every decade I've been alive. But poetry never dies. People will always turn to language and line breaks and metaphor and the spoken word to point towards something that makes a bit more sense of this life, or that poses a few good questions, or, at least, helps us feel a little less alone in this life with all of our questions. Poetry keeps breathing, and we're a home for it—a place we can gather to keep it alive together.

I also had to get over some of my own fears around fundraising and seeking help. I'm grateful for the crew at BincTank—a bookstore incubator program by the Binc (Book Industry Charitable) Foundation who helped me connect with resources and other BIPOC booksellers in the startup phase who also believe passionately in the power of a literate society. They offer invaluable tips and support to me for ways forward. My cohort and mentor inspire me to keep creating these popups and, very soon, this brick + mortar space.

Guests can expect to be free in this space because poetry is an avenue for liberating your voice and spirit. We'll also offer ways for you to connect with those less liberated.

AM: What can your customers expect when visiting?

CR: Guests can expect inspiring and art-forward aesthetics, creative events, and a knowledgeable team that's grateful to welcome them into their home for poetry. We'll have social space and quieter space. We'll have educational reading opportunities for those newer to poetry. Guests can expect to be free in this space because poetry is an avenue for liberating your voice and spirit. We'll also offer ways for you to connect with those less liberated. Specifically we have a shelf of books inspired in part by 1920s itinerant bookseller Kathryn Magnolia Johnson who promoted liberation through literacy. These books will focus on the poems and stories of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated humans, and purchasing from this shelf will help build libraries in prisons through a partnership I'm building with Freedom Reads, on organization created by poet Reginald Dwayne Betts.

And, of course, guests can expect a grand wall of bourbon to pair with their books. Oh, and the happiest of happy hours (because bourbon! books! There's nothing happier!).

AM: Would you say that bourbon provides a source of inspiration for your own poetry? How might Bard's Towne feed (or quench?) your own writing life? 

I spoke with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gregory Pardlo and found out that he used to manage a bar. He said his time at the bar is the reason why he's a poet. While there are many layers to his why, of course, this statement also immediately made sense to me. Poetry and bourbon are two of my favorite things—the ways you have to inhale, sip and close your eyes for a minute to identify both of their delicious tasting notes. And sitting at a bar, watching bar tenders interact ever-so-briefly but intimately with guests, often launches me into writing. Or perhaps it feels very human to witness each other at a bar, which is always poetic—to feel human. Each bottle has its own story and farmers who sowed the grains that distillers turned to bourbon. Each bottle took patience and curation to arrive on the shelf. And the bar manager creates stories with their menu. And the tender mixes a beverage and slides it into the hands of some storied human at the bar—some of them even sober and brave enough to stand there and order an alcohol-free concoction [our cocktails come Boozy (whiskey-forward), Bashful (lighter) or Blissful (alcohol-free)]. Bourbon's such a storied beverage, and stories are definitely a source for my poetry.

AM: What aesthetic do you envision for the space? Do you keep a Pinterest board?

I have a private Pinterest board and Instagram folders, inspired by that initial dream. I also have an interior designer named Chad James Group on board. We have some lovely dreams for the space that you'll get to see next year. We cannot wait to show you. I don't want to say too much, but I'll say that the first time I spent time in a space Chad designed, I could not stop writing. I hope our guests feel this way, like they can't stop turning the page of a book or creating—joy, good conversation, words on the page or liberating ideas. In the days ahead, we must keep creating. Like Toni Morrison says, these are the times "we speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal." I have that quote taped to my mirror where I have my other manifestations for Bard's Towne Books & Bourbon.

Poetry and bourbon are two of my favorite things—the ways you have to inhale, sip and close your eyes for a minute to identify both of their delicious tasting notes. And sitting at a bar, watching bar tenders interact ever-so-briefly but intimately with guests, often launches me into writing.

AM: Tell us about the next pop-up!

We're hosting a literary salon at the Frist Museum where we have three books in conversation with Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Behold, the current gorgeous exhibition. This is Thursday, December 12, and it's not necessary to read the books I've curated for the conversation; I'll have ways for you to have access to the conversation whether you've read or not and to purchase books onsite. We'll have a specialty cocktail at the Frist's Café Cheeserie and, most excitingly, recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Coffin has assembled a trio to play Cuban-inspired tunes.

Then we'll be at Tall Tales Rooftop Bar at Waymore Hotel on the East side on January 17 and February 8 (it's indoors, heated). Of course, I'm partnering with The Porch for a January 31st event with author Sheree Greer, as well. Follow @btbooksandbourbon for updates for future events, as well as some fun content I'm preparing to roll out.

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