Library U

For some authors, writing is a full-time career, but others, including Debora De Farias, write and publish books while holding down another full-time job! Come hear how she managed it at our next Lit Chat!

Do you have a completed book just waiting to make its debut in the world? Do you need some help turning that book into a file that you can publish? Check out Pressbooks, a service offered for free with your library card that gives you a book formatted perfectly for your favorite publishing service.

In The Girl from Blind River, Gale Massey presents a thriller about a young woman trying to protect and escape her family at the same time. In Rising and Other Stories, she digs deep into the everyday lives of women overcoming obstacles. Join us for a chat with Gale Massey about these stories and her writing process!

Is your New Year’s Resolution to read more books, read books outside of your comfort zone, or talk about books with others? We’ve got you covered! Our 10 book clubs run the gamut from true crime and mystery to graphic novels and Florida authors. We are also kicking off our Jax Stacks Reading Challenge book club, where you can come and learn about great books that other people are reading and share your own favorites.

Get in a Christmas mood with a Santa Cruise or A Christmas Story, or dig deep into darkness with the true-crime story, If You Tell. Whatever your reading mood, we hope you enjoy sharing it with us!

Dive into the “weird, wonderful, and obscure” parts of Jacksonville history, including Willowbranch Park’s role in LGBTQ+ and music history and the Main Library’s collection of Le Moyne-DeBry Fort Caroline engravings.

The Library U Small Business and Side Hustle newsletter connects you to resources within the Library and community programs. If you would like to sign up to receive the Library U Small Business and Side Hustles quarterly newsletter, click here.

Links to the Library’s collection (READ), online programs through the Library (WATCH), and local non-profits and other community resources (EXPLORE) designed to assist you with your small business needs are part of the newsletter. Small Business and Side Hustle is delivered to your inbox in August, November, February, and May.

Join us for one (or more!) of our ten book clubs meeting this November, in branches and online. Try our quarterly Cookbook Club at the Regency Branch, or our newly monthly ComiClub at the Willow Branch Branch, or one of our online book clubs via Facebook or Zoom. Fun fact: The New Leaf Book Club’s selection this month is written by a Jacksonville-raised author who graduated from Stanton College Prep!

Deesha Philyaw, a graduate of Stanton College Prep and Yale University, is now a multiple award-winning author for her work, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. Join us for an in-person and live-streamed conversation with Deesha about her book and her writing process at the Mandarin Branch Library!

Join Keith Ashley and Denise Bossy from the University of North Florida as they discuss Jacksonville's indigenous history and share research tips!