This month, we have two History Chat programs, two Lit Chat Author Interviews, two Writer's Lab workshops, 15 Book Club meetings, a Great Decisions discussion, Life Lit gardening workshops, and more! So, whether you like meeting bestselling authors or just fellow book lovers around Jacksonville, there are so many great ways to use your Library card this month!
Register now for the Lit Chat Interview with New York Times bestselling author Jeff Goodell. He will appear in person on Saturday, May 18 at 2 p.m., live at the Main Library. If you are unable to attend in person, you can catch the live stream online via Zoom. A book signing will follow and books will be available to purchase on-site from partner The Bookmark.
The Lit Chat Interview with Siera London will take place live at the Bradham and Brooks Library on Saturday, May 11, at 2 p.m. If you are unable to attend in person, you can catch the live stream online via Zoom. A book signing will follow and books will be available to purchase on-site from partners at Femme Fire Books.
April is National Poetry Month and we've got some great recommendations for you, including some books of poetry by local poets like Jessica Q. Stark! Whether you enjoy reading poetry or writing it yourself, we also have several programs and drop-in activities happening around the library system including a poetry program double-header (Lit Chat and Writer's Lab) at Willow Branch Library on Saturday, April 13!
Do you have poetry you'd like to share with the world? Do you want to hear from local poets who write creatively about life in Jacksonville? Drop by the Main Library on Wednesday, April 3, during Art Walk for a special Open Mic Night with Taryn "LoveReigns" Wharwood and Hope at Hand, Inc. They'll be set up in the Lounge at 303 North (just inside the entrance on Laura Street). There will also be a poetry zine-making workshop in the Zine Zone (on the First Floor), if you'd like to see your work in print. Then, on April 13, we’ll have a poetry program doubleheader at Willow Branch Library!
Lit Chat Interview with James Patterson, Monday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Patterson will be appearing live at the Main Library’s Hicks Auditorium. As space inside the auditorium is limited, the interview will also be livestreamed online via Zoom. Books are available for pre-order from San Marco Books and More for pick-up at the event. A limited number will also be available to purchase on-site.
Morally gray Black witches. Sisterhood. Politics and rebellion. The Poisons We Drink is a potent YA debut from Jacksonville's own Bethany Baptiste... about a world where love potions are weaponized against hate and prejudice, sisterhood is unbreakable, and self-love is life and death. Join the Teen Lit Chat Interview this March. A limited number of copies of the book will be given away to participants (first come, first served).
Did you know? March 3-9 is Celebrate Reading Week in Jacksonville! This year's theme, Where the Wild Books Are, is designed to take our City's youngest readers on adventures with fictional and real-life animals to show them just how exciting reading and learning can be! There will be programs and events at libraries and locations across Jacksonville all week long. But don't worry, there are also lots of great adult programs!
"In October 1997, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in Alvin Ridley's house - and even more shockingly, she was the wife no one knew he had." Georgia attorney-turned-writer, McCracken Poston Jr., joins us live via Zoom to tell the story behind one of his most famous defense cases and his upcoming book, Zenith Man: Death, Love and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom.
The Friends of the Bill Brinton Murray Hill Library are sponsoring a special Lit Chat Interview with local poet Michelle Lizet Flores live at the Library this February! Michelle will chat with fellow poet and Lit Chat alum, Jessica Q. Stark, about her latest book of poetry.

