# Bold, Bookish Fun for Book Lovers
Jax Book Fest returns from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Main Library. Jacksonville Public Library's biggest, BOLDEST celebration of books, creativity, and the local literary community, this free, one-day event features 120+ local authors across multiple genres, Lit Chat author talks with three nationally acclaimed authors, and bookish fun for readers of all ages.
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# Library Book Clubs
Looking for your next read? We have 15 book clubs providing great reading recommendations every month. Talk about our book picks and meet with other book lovers to swap recommendations and read-a-likes.
# Lit Chat Interview with Emma Straub
Emma Straub is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books for adults: the novels American Fantasy, This Time Tomorrow, All Adults Here, The Vacationers, Modern Lovers, Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures, and the short story collection Other People We Married. Meet her from 3 - 4 p.m. in the Hicks Auditorium (Conference Level) during Jax Book Fest. A book signing will follow the Lit Chat Interview, with books available for sale on-site from local book store Happy Medium Books Café.
# Life Lab: Improve Your Day-to-Day Life
Life Lab is a series of free workshops offered by trained professionals and volunteers, aimed at improving your life. They cover a wide range of topics from gardening to financial literacy to small business needs. No need to bring anything but yourself to participate!
# Upcoming Workshops:
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Bromiliads, the Perfect Plant for the Botanically Challenged
- with UF/IFAS Extension Duval County
- 6 - 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Webb Wesconnett Regional
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Recycle Yard Waste Responsibly
- with UF/IFAS Extension Duval County
- 6 - 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Murray Hill Branch
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Intro to Small Business Resources at the Library
- 3 - 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, at Main Library
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Cold Weather Plants
- with UF/IFAS Extension Duval County
- 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, at Willow Branch
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Gardening Mistakes
- with UF/IFAS Extension Duval County
- 6:30 - 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at University Park Branch
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Researching US Colored Troops in the Civil War
- with Annette Burke Lyttle, CG®
- 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Bradham and Brooks Branch
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Adaptive Gardening
- with UF/IFAS Extension Duval County
- 6 - 7:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28, at Southeast Regional
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Vines
- with UF/IFAS Extension Duval County
- 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Mandarin Branch
Search our events calendar for more workshops offered by our community partners at the Library.
# Save the Date
# History Chat: Jacksonville's Gullah Geechee Heritage
Guest presenters Ennis Davis and Adrienne Burke present a community-centered exploration of the people, places, and traditions that have shaped Jacksonville’s Black coastal communities from 2 - 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Main Library. Through historical research, oral histories, and cultural landscape storytelling, they invite you to witness, remember, and carry these stories forward. Note: This History Chat is centered around the presenters' book by the same title, Jacksonville's Gullah Geechee Heritage. A book sale and signing will follow the program.
This program is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
# Screening Room: Secrets of the Forest
Watch the documentary Secrets of the Forest (53 min.) at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Willow Branch Library, followed by a brief group conversation led by Shannon Sharpe, Lead Mycologist, Harmony Mushroom Co. A mycologist with an MS in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of North Florida, Sharpe has studied fungi for more than 15 years.
About Secrets of the Forest: "Can forests help cool the planet? Follow scientists working in spectacular forest landscapes in Costa Rica, Brazil, Australia, and beyond as they try to untangle complex networks of trees, fungi, and creatures large and small--all in a quest to tackle the twin threats of climate change and species extinction."
The program is sponsored by the Friends of Willow Branch Library.
