The twelfth annual celebration of Verse & Vino, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation’s grand literary gala and fundraiser, will take place in the Charlotte Convention Center on November 6, 2025. In the span of just twelve years, Verse & Vino has come to be recognized as one of our community’s premier cultural events as is reflected in the fact that this year’s event is already sold out. I contacted Maggie Bean, the Director of Communications for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, and I asked her to comment on the success of Verse & Vino. Here is what she sent to me:
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation’s literary gala Verse & Vino returns this fall — and though the event is already sold out (with a long waitlist of hopefuls), there’s still plenty to celebrate about its storied history.
First held in 2014 at the Westin, the inaugural Verse & Vino sold out all 850 seats. The lobby was so packed that guests coming off the escalator practically ran into each other on their way to toast the evening’s authors. That first lineup included five writers, among them New York Times bestselling romance novelist Debbie Macomber, who delighted the crowd with the story of her most loyal fan club: male inmates who write her heartfelt letters from across the country. (She writes them back.)
In the eleven years since, Verse & Vino has grown into one of Charlotte’s most anticipated events, raising more than $5.4 million to support Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. PNC Bank has proudly served as the Presenting Sponsor since day one, and beloved radio personality Sheri Lynch has emceed every year, reading each featured author’s work in full before stepping up to the microphone to deliver personal and eye-opening remarks.
Park Road Books has been the exclusive bookseller since the beginning as well, selling an impressive 12,750 books through the years, but none has been more popular than Chef Edward Lee’s Bourbon Land, which sold 417 copies last year. Longtime event planner Todd Murphy and his team have orchestrated each year’s celebration including immersive and elaborate vignettes based on the novels. Just don’t lay on the beds; they’re cardboard.
And there will be wine. More than 7,000 bottles of wine have been poured over our eleven years.
This year’s gathering is the largest yet, welcoming 1,380 guests to hear from an exceptional roster of 2025 authors: Nathan Harris (Amity), Rachel Hawkins (The Heiress), Diane Kochilas (Athens), and Jason Mott (People Like Us).
Verse & Vino may be one night only, but its good vibes last all year long.
I attended the very first Verse & Vino event in 2013, and I remember how much I enjoyed the evening. Since then, I have been impressed with how our community has embraced this event and in the process has embraced the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. As I see it, Verse & Vino is more than a fundraiser for our public library; it is also a celebration of libraries, literacy, books, and our Storied Charlotte community of readers and writers.