James Patterson

The success of the Posse Foundation and its partnership with Vanderbilt is highlighted in 'Disrupt Everything—and Win: Take Control of Your Future' (Hatchette Book Group/Little, Brown and Company, 2025) by James Patterson, MA’70, and Patrick Leddin, associate professor at Owen Graduate School of Management. Read an excerpt of the book here. Read More

Moments before James Patterson and Patrick Leddin took the stage, the Langford Auditorium went dark. A campus-wide power outage was the culprit, but cancelling the event wasn’t in the cards. Instead, prolific author Patterson and associate professor Leddin used the circumstances to their advantage — they were, after… Read More

Our world is constantly evolving, and the ability to embrace the disruption that arises from change can be the key to unlocking new opportunities and achieving personal growth. That’s the premise behind Disrupt Everything, a new book by acclaimed author and Vanderbilt alum James Patterson and associate professor Patrick Leddin. Together, the authors will discuss the idea behind positive disruption during a book event at Langford Auditorium on March 26 at 7 p.m. Read More

In August 2023, the university launched Dialogue Vanderbilt, its core initiative to bridge divides, reestablish a vibrant culture of civil discourse and free expression, and showcase experts from on campus and around the world, leading the charge to build more engaged citizens and communities.  Read More

James Patterson has published over 400 titles and sold more than 425 million copies of his books, but he first gained the confidence to pursue a career in writing while working toward a graduate degree at Vanderbilt. Patterson, who earned his master’s in English from the university in 1970, discussed his writing process, prolific career, the value of collaboration, and his support for librarians and reading in a wide-ranging conversation moderated by former NBC News anchor John M. Seigenthaler. Read More

Bestselling author and Vanderbilt alum James Patterson will discuss his prolific writing career, support for literacy initiatives and the power of books and reading in a wide-ranging conversation at Vanderbilt University on Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. Co-sponsored by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries, Dialogue Vanderbilt and the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy in collaboration with Parnassus Books, 'An Evening with James Patterson' will be moderated by former NBC News anchor and correspondent John M. Seigenthaler. The event is open to the public, but registration is required to attend. Read More

Prolific bestselling novelist James Patterson, MA’70, and country music legend Dolly Parton have collaborated on a novel, Run, Rose, Run, to be published March 7 by Little, Brown and Co. Read More

Best-selling author James Patterson will speak to a gathering of about 100 middle-school students from Isaiah T. Creswell Middle Arts Magnet School on the power of reading Tuesday, April 8 at Vanderbilt. Read More

James Patterson, MA’70, breathes rare air. His books line the walls in airport shops. They’re tucked into beach bags amid the towels and sunscreen. They’re on sidewalk kiosks and bedside tables around the world. In 2010 he sold more books than John Grisham, Stephen King and Danielle Steele combined. Read More