Contacts:
Chris Boivin, (904) 255-6106
Cell: (904) 759-5643, cboivin@coj.net
Amanda Toman, (904) 255-2348
atoman@coj.net
Two Free, Live Events with New York Times Best-Selling Author of Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert at Jacksonville Public Library in September
Author and renowned writing instructor Gilbert to hold an author talk and host a free writer’s workshop
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., September 8, 2022 - Bookworms and fans of Elizabeth Gilbert—NYT Best-Selling author of Eat, Pray, Love, the book that inspired the award-winning film of the same name—can listen to her talk about her books, writing, and life for free on Friday, September 23 at the Main Library. Gilbert will be interviewed live, in person, by popular local author Nikesha Elise Williams.
Writers of all experience levels also have an opportunity to attend a free three-hour Writer’s Lab workshop with Gilbert the morning of Saturday, September 24.
Jacksonville Public Library cardholders are invited to register for one or both events. Registration is required and must be completed two hours prior to the start time. (No card? Get one now at https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/card.)
#WHAT: Lit Chat Author Talk with NYT Bestselling Author Elizabeth Gilbert
WHERE: Main Library’s Hicks Auditorium and live-streamed virtually on Zoom
WHEN: Friday, September 23, 2022, 6:30 p.m.
HOW: Click here to register (at least two hours prior to the event)
WHO: Free and open to all
#WHAT: Writer’s Lab: Big Magic Creativity and Courage with NYT Bestselling Author Elizabeth Gilbert
WHERE: Main Library Conference Center
WHEN: Saturday, September 24, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
HOW: Click here to register (at least two hours prior to the event)
WHO: Free and open to all
"We are excited to bring our Lit Chat Interview series to the library's largest venue, where hundreds of our readers can enjoy and participate in the conversation between literary rock star Elizabeth Gilbert and fan-favorite interviewer Nikesha Elise Williams," says library supervisor Alison McCarty.
#About Elizabeth Gilbert
In her critically acclaimed novels and immensely popular nonfiction, Elizabeth Gilbert expands our understanding of creativity, spirituality, and love. Whatever her subject, whether in fiction or nonfiction, Gilbert writes with “a mix of intelligence, wit, and colloquial exuberance that is close to irresistible” (The New York Times Book Review). Her memoir, Eat Pray Love, exploded onto the scene in 2006. A #1 New York Times bestseller, Eat Pray Love famously chronicled the year Gilbert spent traveling the world after a shattering divorce. Translated into more than 30 languages, the book has sold over thirteen million copies, and was adapted into a 2010 film starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem. In the years since, people around the world have looked to Gilbert for guidance in leading brave, authentic, and creative lives. With over 20 million views, her TED Talk on creativity is one of the top 25 most popular of all time. In her nonfiction treatise, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, another instant #1 New York Times bestseller that has sold over one million copies, Gilbert unpacks her own generative process and shares her wise, witty insights into the mysteries of curiosity and inspiration. Her newest bestseller is the novel, City of Girls, a “fiercely feminist” (Esquire) story of a young woman coming into her own in the theater world of 1940s New York. City of Girls debuted at #2 on The New York Times bestseller list, has sold nearly a million copies, and is currently in development at Warner Brothers as a major motion picture.
#About Nikesha Elise Williams
Interviewer Nikesha Elise Williams is a two-time Emmy award winning producer, an award-winning author, and producer and host of the Black & Published podcast. Her latest novel, Beyond Bourbon Street, was awarded Best Fiction by the Black Caucus of African-American Librarians in the 2021 Self-Published eBook Literary Awards. It also received the 2020 Outstanding Book Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Nikesha's forthcoming book, Mardi Gras Indians, will be published by LSU Press on October 5. A Chicago native, Nikesha is an Editor at Narrative Initiative and a columnist with JAX Today. Her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, ESSENCE, and VOX. She lives in Florida with her family and is working on her next novel.
#About Jacksonville Public Library
The mission of Jacksonville Public Library is to enrich lives, build community and foster success by bringing people, information and ideas together. Last year, more than 3.1 million visits were made to Jacksonville Public Libraries, items were checked out more than 4.7 million times, and over 15,000 programs and services were offered to Duval County residents at the Main Library and 20 branch locations. For more information about Jacksonville Public Library, call 255-BOOK (2665).
