Library U

Are you a fan of historical fiction? Then you'll want to register for our next Lit Chat Interview! We are excited to announce that Beatriz Williams has made Jacksonville Public Library an official stop on her latest book tour! She's got a brand new, ravishing summer read that transports readers back to a midcentury New England in the years following the Second World War. Rich with secrets and Cold War intrigue, The Beach at Summerly "weaves two standbys of summer fiction into one escapist story," (New York Times book review).

We are really excited to bring a different kind of Writer’s Lab to the Library this month – a three-hour workshop on creating a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with a Wizards of the Coast employee! We also have great summery Lit Chats, gardening workshops for everyone, and 16 book clubs to check out. And, of course, the Jax Stacks Reading Challenge continues (with new prizes up for grabs)!

Do you have questions about invasive or aggressive plants? Curious about integrating wildflowers into your landscape to help pollinators? Avoid common garden mistakes and learn how to grow a Florida-friendly yard with help from Master Gardeners and our friends at the UF Extension Office! And if you want to be the first to know about new workshops and locations, sign up for our Life Lit mailing list!

Building that TBR list for an upcoming vacation? Looking for more ideas for books to read for that one elusive Jax Stacks Reading Challenge category? Join a Library Book Club and get book recommendations from librarians and other book lovers! You might even make some bookish friends you can swap titles with! 

Is 2023 the year you... Make your hobby a side hustle? Start your own business? Or work on taking your business to the next level? This month is all about building and leading a diverse team and harnessing the strengths of being an outsider. We asked a local business owner a few questions. Plus, we've highlighted some books and other resources to help you out! 

Jacksonville Public Library and St. Johns Riverkeeper are partnering up to bring you two great events with author and poet Camille Dungy on Saturday, June 24. In her newest book, Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden Dungy recounts the seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden in the predominately white community of Fort Collins, Colorado. When she moved there in 2013, with her husband and daughter, the community held strict restrictions about what residents could and could not plant in their gardens.

Summer is almost here and so are a ton of great programs! There are three - count them THREE - awesome Lit Chats in June, a Writer’s Lab doubleheader, and our newest Book Club at Pablo Creek! If you're not sure what to read this summer, we've got some great book recommendations for you on our blog.

In June, we'll announce the dates for Jax Book Fest 2023 and the three authors who'll be headlining that event! Join us at Lit Chats and Writer's Labs this summer and be sure to follow our social media (and read your emails) for the BIG reveal.

Whether it's a sizzling summer romance for that much-deserved day at the beach, a cozy mystery for that long flight or night in... or the perfect nonfiction audiobook for that cross-country road trip - you can count on the Library to have all of the hottest titles! And with all the money you save from those FREE books, that just means more money towards your next vacation (or stay-cation)! 

Book your next visit to the Library. Find your next read and chat with your fellow readers this summer at a Library Book Club near you!

Is 2023 the year you... Make your hobby a side hustle? Start your own business? Or work on taking your business to the next level? In May, we're looking at the University of North Florida's Small Business Development Center (Florida SBDC) and the management, marketing and other assistance they provide for free to prospective and existing small business owners in North Florida. In June, they're hosting two Life Lit small business workshops at the Library!

Join us for a Lit Chat Interview with graphic novelist Leela Corman. She'll be in conversation with local podcaster Badr Milligan live at the Main Library during the second annual Duval Comic and Zine Fest on Saturday, June 10, at 1:30 p.m. Corman is a founding instructor of the Sequential Artists Workshop in Gainesville, Florida, and an instructor at Rhode Island School of Design. DCAZ Fest is a celebration for self-publishing that brings together local comic and zine makers with fans of underground art, alternative press and DIY media. Chair seating will be guaranteed to those who register for the in-person program and there will also be standing room available at the event.