Literary Places

This database of writerly destinations—places writers can visit for inspiration, to promote their writing, for research, and to discover community—includes historical sites, reading venues, literary collections, writing centers, and writers spaces. Save your selections to My P&W and populate a personal Google Map that can be used to plan reading tours and visits to literary meccas, or just to keep track of your favorite literary locales.

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Literary Place	City	State
Head House Books	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
Founded in 2005, Head House Books is a locally-owned independent bookseller in Philadelphia that straddles two historic Philadelphia communities:... Indie Bookstore
Pearl S. Buck House	Perkasie	Pennsylvania
This sixty-eight-acre estate in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, was home to Pearl S. Buck from 1935 to her death in 1973. Visitors are invited to... Historical Site
Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
Edgar Allan Poe lived in Philadelphia for around six years, and he spent his last year in the city living in this red brick building with his wife... Historical Site
The Rosenbach Museum & Library	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
Founded in 1954, The Rosenbach Museum & Library houses the personal collections of Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach and his brother Philip Rosenbach,... Literary Archive
John Hay Library	Providence	Rhode Island
The special collections library of Brown University, the John Hay Library contains more than 3,000,000 items. Holdings range from Babylonian clay... Literary Archive
Burke's Book Store	Memphis	Tennessee
Burke's Book Store, which has survived two World Wars, opened in 1875 as a family business and has been passed on for three generations. Today,... Indie Bookstore
Parnassus Books	Nashville	Tennessee
Parnassus Books is an independent bookstore located in Nashville, Tennessee. It was started by best-selling author Ann Patchett and publishing... Indie Bookstore
Alex Haley House Museum	Henning	Tennessee
Located in Henning, Tennessee, the Alex Haley House Museum is where the Pulitzer Prize-winning author lived from 1921 to 1929. Today the Alex... Historical Site
Sowell Collection	Lubbock	Texas
Created by former Texas Tech University Regent James Sowell, this collection contains the personal papers of some of the country’s most prominent... Literary Archive
Harry Ransom Center	Austin	Texas
The Harry Ransom Center houses extensive collections of rare books and manuscripts, including the Gutenberg Bible, Shakespeare folios, and the... Literary Archive