Jax Book Fest Writers' Day and Other Events for Adults this September

# Jax Book Fest

Held annually at the Main Library in downtown Jacksonville, Jax Book Fest is our biggest, boldest celebration of authors, authorship, and the written word. This year, it's so big it's being held over two Saturdays, September 13 and 20. What's more: We've expanded Writers' Day with over a dozen writing, publishing, and marketing workshops - all of which you can pre-register for now.

Check out all of this month's featured programs for adults below.

Support Local Authors

Are you a parent, looking for books your children will love? Youth Readers' Day on September 20 will feature 50+ local authors for kids and teens as well as Lit Chat author programs with two #1 New York Times bestselling authors: Current U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Mac Barnett and Shannon Messenger, author of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. 

Learn more about Jax Book Fest

# Authors, Books & Writing

Join Library Book Club or Invite a Friend to Your Favorite

September is a great time to remind your friends of the value of their library cards or invite them to your favorite library book club.  Or, if they can't come to the library with you, tell them about other things you enjoy, like requesting a personalized booklist or downloading e-books and audiobooks from the Digital Library. And let those bookish friends know (if they don't already have one), getting a library card is free, easy, and empowering.

Read this month's book picks

Writer's Lab: Authors Creating Community Impact with Authors Roundtable

Harness the power of storytelling to inspire social movements and address local challenges. Engage your community using your platform to foster dialogue, collaboration, and positive action. The Authors Roundtable of Northeast Florida is a 501C3 that supports authors in reaching their highest potential. All genres are welcome.

10:15 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Main Library

Register now    See all upcoming

Jax Book Fest: Writers' Day

At this year's Writers' Day from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 13, in the Conference Center at the Main Library, you'll be able to pick from over a dozen different workshops—lead by publishers, authors, and other industry insiders. A conference-style event, it will have four breakout sessions, each lasting one hour. Between workshops, there will also be tours, opportunities to network with local writer's groups, and more. 

Get all the details

Breakout Session #1, all 10 a.m. workshops:

• How to Use Pressbooks Public to Design and Format Your Book for Free
  • with Nash Steele, BiblioBoard
• Decoding the Book Publishing Process
  • with Mindy Marqués, Simon & Schuster
• Traditional Publishing vs. Independent
  • with Leticia Gomez, Kensington Publishing Corp.
• Made You Look, Again - A Revision Workshop
  • with Ashley McInnies, aka Fati D., literary artist and educator
• Understanding Your Audience and the Neuroscience Behind Great Writing
  • with Licia Rester, Indigo River Publishing

Breakout Session #2, all 11:30 a.m. workshops:

• Nonfiction: How to Avoid Pitfalls & Create Books Readers Can't Put Down
  • with Licia Rester, Indigo River Publishing
• Pitch Your Book As If Your Writing Career Depends On It
  • with Leticia Gomez, Kensington Publishing Corp.
• Building Community-Centered Black Literary Movements
  • with Casey R. Kelley of CKMA and Black Book Bash
• Decoding the Book Publishing Process
  • with Mindy Marqués, Simon & Schuster
• How to Use Pressbooks Public to Design and Format Your Book for Free
  • with Nash Steele, BiblioBoard

Breakout Session #3, all 1 p.m. workshops:

• Writing Women’s Lives (featured workshop)
  • with National Book Award Winner Tiya Miles*
• Decoding the Book Publishing Process
  • with Mindy Marqués, Simon & Schuster

If you're not attending a 1 p.m. breakout session, or you have a little extra time after lunch, drop in the Center for Adult Learning between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. and create a mini zine or business card zine!

Breakout Session #4, all 2:30 p.m. workshops:

• Share your E-Book with Readers Across Florida with the Indie Author
  • with Nash Steele, BiblioBoard
• Demystifying Advances, Royalties, Licensing & Contracts
  • with Leticia Gomez, Kensington Publishing Corp.
• How to Craft Fiction That Hooks Readers
  • with Licia Rester, Indigo River Publishing

Lit Chat Author Interview with Tiya Miles*

 Our Jax Book Fest: Writers' Day featured author Tiya Miles has published eight books, including four prize-winning histories about race and slavery. She is also a two-time winner of Yale’s Frederick Douglass Prize and a two-time winner of the National Council on Public History Book Award. Her latest work is Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in biography.  

4 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13, in the Hicks Auditorium at Main Library

Register now    See all upcoming

Tiya Miles is best known for her 2021 National Book Award winner, All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake, which was also a New York Times bestseller and won eleven historical and literary prizes, including the Cundill History Prize. 

# Other Adult Programs

Life Lab: Improve Your Day-to-Day Life

Grow your own garden or small business and take control of your health, career, and personal finances! Life Lit is now Life Lab - 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:

• Fall Gardening Tips for Northeast Florida with UF Extension Office
  • 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 8, at Southeast Library
• Attract Wildlife with UF Extension Office
  • 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at Murray Hill Branch Library
• Right Plant, Right Place with UF Extension Office
  • 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at San Marco Branch Library
• Better Business Planning with UNF Small Business Development Center
  • 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, at Main Library
• Credit and Lending with Navy Federal Credit Union
  • 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, at Southeast Library
• Wildflowers with UF Extension Office
  • 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at University Park Branch Library
• Unlocking Dyslexia - in partnership with Hope Haven and E.R.I.N.
  • 12 - 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, in the Conference Center at Main Library

Search our events calendar for more workshops offered by our community partners at the Library.

# Save the Date

The Screening Room: Embracing Dyslexia

Watch and discuss Embracing Dyslexia with the Library and our partners at Hope Haven. The screening will be followed by a group conversation, led by Dr. Laura Bailet. A licensed school psychologist and assistant professor, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, she has expertise on a wide range of learning problems, including dyslexia and autism. She established and directed the Neurocognitive Assessment Program within the Division of Neurology at Nemours Children's Clinic for 18 years before creating the Nemours BrightStart! initiative.

10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, in the Conference Center at Main Library

Register now

About the film: Embracing Dyslexia is a (51 min.) documentary that will help educators and parents better understand dyslexia, explain why it is important for students struggling with reading, writing, and spelling to be screened for dyslexia as early as possible, and show how proper tutoring and classroom accommodations can give these students a chance at success, in the classroom and beyond.

Hope Haven is a local nonprofit whose mission is to ensure that children and families realize their full potential by providing specialized services and individualized educational opportunities. This Screening Room will be followed by a Life Lab: Unlocking Dyslexia at noon with strategies to understand educational approaches to dyslexia.