Lit Chat

Are you interested in learning more about authors from your community? What is their writing process and what inspires them? Learn at our next Lit Chat with Therese Tappouni who will talk about her book, Caught Between Two Worlds. Tappouni will be joined with moderator Stacey Horan, a local author and podcaster. Both authors reside in Jacksonville and are passionate about living creatively and helping others through their writing.

We all know a “Florida Man”, but how many of us want to admit to being one? In The Thing About Florida, author Tyler Gillespie takes on the strange people and stories of the Sunshine State from the perspective of a fifth-generation Florida native. Gillespie joins us to talk about what he discovered in his quest to learn more about the state we all call home.

April is National Poetry Month! This 25^th annual celebration of poets and poetry was launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996 to remind us that poets have an integral role to play in our culture. And what better time than Spring to promote artists and an art form that’s given us so much beauty? Whether you’re looking for a new poet, revisiting old favorites, or composing your own haiku, freeform poem, rhyme, or blank verse: the Library’s collection is a great place to find something that resonates with you.

Have you ever wondered how a poem gets from a spark of an idea to a written work of art? Find out at our next Lit Chat celebrating National Poetry Month with local poet and educator Tiffany Melanson. Melanson will talk about her poetry and the process of writing in conversation with Yvette Angelique, a local poet and artist.

Frederick Joseph joins us to discuss his book The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person. This book serves as a conversation starter, tool kit, and invaluable window into the life of a former "token Black kid" who now presents himself as the friend many readers need. Frederick Joseph chats with Jacksonville teen, Taylor Richardson who made The Black Friend available to all 21 library locations in Jacksonville. Learn more about Taylor Richardson here.

Marsha Dean Phelts joins us this week to chat about American Beach and her two books, An American Beach for African Americans and The American Beach Cookbook. Phelts will cover the myths of the beach -- what is the first, the most, the oldest? -- and the informational treasures unearthed there. She will also talk about the women of American Beach, including Miss Martha, Emma Morgan, Beach Lady, Annette Myers, and Hurricane Dora.

Historian Richard Webb chats about his book Boats Against the Current. He presents a case for Westport, Connecticut as the real setting of one of America's most famous novels, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Boats Against the Current is a large-format book that includes compelling stories about Scott, Zelda, and their wealthy neighbor the model for Jay Gatsby. Illustrated with period newspaper clippings, items from Fitzgerald family scrapbooks and never-before-seen photos, the book also recounts Webb’s process of making a companion documentary film with Robert Steven Williams. 

Jacksonville Public Library + MOCA present Art & Conversations, a new series of innovative programs focused on literacy and the arts. In this series, Jacksonville Public Library and MOCA will collaborate to provide the Jacksonville community access to a rich set of resources by partnering an educational library program with an interactive museum exhibit. 

Jacksonville Public Library is excited to host Lit Chat on Thursday, February 11 at 6 p.m. with Alexander Smalls. Alexander is a James Beard Award winner, Grammy Award winner, Tony Award winner, restauranteur, and author. Alexander chats with Ulysses Owens Jr. about everything from his family roots, his music, cooking, and using talents to give a voice to the people of the African diaspora.

Alternate history novelist Taylor Anderson joins our Lit Chat series on Tuesday, January 12th, at 7 pm. Taylor will be discussing his Destroyermen series and his most recent and final book, Winds of Wrath.