Jacksonville Public Library Blog 2023 Archive

The Screening Room: Watch and Discuss the Silent Film The Flying Ace

The Screening Room: The Flying Ace Moderated by Norman Studios

Released in 1926, The Flying Ace was a classic silent film that featured an all-African-American cast, with principal photography shot right here in Jacksonville. Made in the South during a period that arguably represented the height of "Jim Crow," it was one of many films by white filmmaker Richard E. Norman that challenged the stereotypes about Black people found in the overwhelming majority of the films of that era. In 2021, The Flying Ace was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

NaNoWriMo Guest Blogger and Local Author: Hurley Winkler

For National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), we asked a few of our recent Lit Chat and Writer's Lab alumni to answer a few questions about their writing process. Hurley Winkler is a writer and a lifelong resident of Jacksonville. Her fiction and nonfiction work has appeared in Hobart, Neutral Spaces, The Millions, and elsewhere, and she interviews writers and musicians for The Creative Independent and WJCT's Jacksonville Music Experience.

Staff Picks Book Review - The Incredible Events in Women’s Cell Number 3 by Kira Yarmysh

Staff Picks Book Review book list graphic

Though far from a hardened criminal, Anya has found herself arrested in Putin's Russia. Her crime is organizing an unsanctioned political protest. She is soon sentenced to ten days in a detention facility, but she is not alone. Five other women share women's cell number 3. Read more about The Incredible Events in Women's Cell Number 3 by Kira Yarmysh and other books with strong female characters that meet the Bechdel Test.

The Friends' Big Bag Book Sale Returns This Fall

Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library's Big Bag Book Sale on November 16 through 18 at the University Park Library.

The Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library's (FJPL) Big Bag Book Sale returns on November 16-18 with fantastic deals on books, movies, audiobooks, records, jigsaw puzzles, and more. The bookstore is located at the University Park Branch Library at 3435 University Blvd. N.

Get Help Writing, Editing and Publishing Your Novel at the Library

National Novel Writing Month: Books for WriMos

Writing 50,000 words in a single month can be a daunting task... but it doesn't have to be a solitary one! There's a whole community of writers, right here in Jacksonville, and several ways to network and learn from them. Between monthly Writer's Lab workshops as well as Lit Chat Interviews and Author Talks, the Library is truly a local author's best friend. You never have to pay to attend these classes either, whether it's an up-and-coming local author or an international bestselling author. Not only that, the Library has tons of books on writing, publishing and more... and it's all completely free to use!

Celebrate Picture Books With Your Little One at the Library

There's nothing quite like turning the page of a beautifully crafted picture book... In November and all year long, Jacksonville Public Library celebrates the power and beauty of picture books as well as their importance in building key early literacy skills. Whether you join us at your favorite branch for Little Readers storytime or create your own storytime at home with a free Traveling Tales book bundles and activity kit, the Library is here to support your child on their journey to reading readiness and success.

November Art Walk and Zinester Meetup

Celebrate our community's deep pool of creative talent with us on the first Wednesday of each month in Downtown Jacksonville! The Main Library stays open until 9 p.m. for the festivities! We are conveniently located directly across from James Weldon Johnson Park, one of Art Walk's two major hubs of activity. Not only that, there is usually local art on display, zinesters meeting and collaborating on the first floor, tabletop gamers doing one-shot adventures, and special drop-in activities going on in the Teen Room.

Jax Stacks Book Recommendations: A Book With Illustrations

Welcome to a new month of the 2023 Jax Stacks Reading Challenge! We are going to give you suggestions for each* category in the challenge every month so that you always have a great library book waiting for you when you need it. Plus, you can share what you're reading with other Jax Stacks readers at our monthly Jax Stacks Reading Challenge Book Club. Note: Our November meeting takes place at the West Branch Library!

November Life Lit Workshops: Winter Yard Prep, Curb Appeal & More!

Looking for ways to increase your property value? Want to spruce up your home's exterior? Not sure how to prep your yard for winter? Learn everything you need for a successful, all-season yard from Master Gardeners and our friends at the UF Extension Office! Or get entrepreneurship basics and more from our partners at EY at a Life Lit workshop this November!

Join a Book Club at the Library this November

Fall is finally showing up in Jacksonville! Are you prepping for all those extra hours of darkness by building your to-be-read list? It'll be dark by 6 p.m. before you know it! You might also consider joining a Library Book Club! You'll get to talk about what you loved, what surprised you, and what you'd recommend for anyone looking for something similar. Of course, our librarians can recommend read-alikes too!

Book clubs are one of the best ways to discover what other people are reading (and what they think about the books everyone else is reading).