Ann Patchett, born on December 2, 1963, in Los Angeles, California, is a distinguished American author known for her compelling narratives and deep exploration of human relationships. She received the prestigious 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year for her novel Bel Canto. Patchett's body of work encompasses a wide range of novels including The Patron Saint of Liars (1992), Taft (1994), The Magician's Assistant (1997), Run (2007), State of Wonder (2011), Commonwealth (2016), The Dutch House (2019), and Tom Lake (2023). The Dutch House was notably a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Beyond her novels, Patchett has edited the Best American Short Stories, 2006, and authored four non-fiction books—Truth & Beauty, about her friendship with the writer Lucy Grealy, What Now?, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, and These Precious Days. She also ventured into children's literature with Lambslide (2019) and Escape Goat (2020), illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser.

A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Patchett has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including a National Humanities Medal, England’s Women’s Prize, the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and many others. Her novels have been recognized as New York Times Notable Books and bestsellers, and her works have been translated into more than thirty languages.

In November 2011, Patchett co-founded Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, becoming a vocal advocate for independent booksellers. She has appeared on numerous platforms including NPR, The Colbert Report, and Oprah's Super Soul Sunday to champion books and bookstores. Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time magazine in 2012, Patchett continues to contribute significantly to the literary world.

Ann Patchett lives in Nashville with her husband, Karl VanDevender, and their dog, Sparky.