All Jacksonville Public Library locations are closed Wednesday, Oct. 9 through Friday, Oct. 11 due to the threat of Hurricane Milton.
A New Library Catalog is coming soon! Read more about the transition period and some of the new features.
Bestselling author and renowned writing instructor Elizabeth Gilbert joins us in September for two days of bookish excitement! Readers can check out our Lit Chat Interview with her on Friday evening, and writers can attend a 3-hour Writer’s Lab workshop on Saturday morning. We’d love to see you at both!
Matt de la Peña is a New York Times bestselling and Newbery Award-winning author for youth, and he joins us at the library for two days in September to talk to kids and teens about his books and writing! Check out our two events with him below and register now to reserve your seat, and a book!
In her self-published novel, Seen, Julie G. Delegal takes a story straight from Jacksonville’s headlines and tells a fictional version that explores a similar event from two perspectives. Join us to chat with Julie about the process of fictionalizing true events and how she was inspired to write this novel!
New York Times bestselling author Marc Cameron joins us virtually in August to talk about his newest book, Cold Snap, and how his experiences in law enforcement have helped him write his wildly popular thrillers. Join us to learn more!
Lit Chat with Madeline Martin, Saturday, July 30, at 1 pm. This event will take place live at the Main Library’s Hicks Auditorium and will be livestreamed online via Zoom. Martin will sign books after the event. Books will be available to purchase on-site or in advance from sponsor San Marco Books or you can bring a book purchased from your favorite bookseller.
Nikesha Elise Williams has been featured at the library as a Writer’s Lab workshop instructor and Lit Chat interviewer many times over the last two years. Now she takes on the role of featured author in our next Lit Chat! Join us at the Highlands Library to learn about Nikesha’s journey as an award-winning self-published author, journalist, and podcaster.
Teen Lit Chat returns this July with a visit from Chris Crutcher! Chris is a longtime writer of teen novels covering serious topics but not actually a very serious person. Read on to learn more about Chris and check out his recommendations for things to read, write and do, and then join Chris to talk about his books and writing process, live on Zoom!
Brit Bennett wowed readers in 2016 with her debut novel, The Mothers, and again in 2020 with her New York Times number-one bestselling novel The Vanishing Half. If you were one of those readers, you now have a chance to meet Brit Bennett in person at the library! Come hear about her books and writing process, and get a chance to ask her questions during our Q&A session.
In her new book of historic photographs, Jada Wright-Greene celebrates the homes of African Americans throughout the state, including cabins, shotgun homes, and two-story residences in Jacksonville and beach homes in American Beach and Butler Beach. Join us to learn more about these homes and the process of researching their histories!
If you love living in Florida, and love to be annoyed at “Florida Man”, you will definitely want to check out our upcoming Lit Chat with New York Times bestselling author Craig Pittman! Pittman writes fondly of the strange state we call home and all the interesting people who make it famous. Thanks to the Friends of the Beaches Branch Library for sponsoring this author talk!
