Writer's Lab

Taryn "LoveReigns" Wharwood is a multifaceted creative force, renowned for her roles as a poet, writer, author, emcee, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and curator. Affectionately known as Love, she has become a catalyst for empowering performers, artists, and entertainers within her community. She joins us for "Writer's Day" at Jax Book Fest 2024 this September to share her insights into the transformative power of poetry, highlighting its ability to connect people on a deeper level and foster empathy and understanding. 

Jax Book Fest returns September 20-21 to the Main Library in downtown Jacksonville with the #1 New York Times bestselling creator of Big, Little Leaders, Little Dreamers, and Little Legends and the illustrator of Andrea Beaty's I Love You Like Yellow, Matthew Cherry’s Hair Love, and Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic’s Hello, Star, among others. She received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for Lupita Nyong’o’s Sulwe and is also a two-time recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children.

This month, we've got local restaurateur, Kenny Gilbert talking all things cooking and cookbooks, Life Lab gardening and civic literacy workshops, and a "Pop-Up" Writer's Lab for authors looking to "Polish Your Pitch." Keep reading to learn more! 

Are you an aspiring author? Thinking about self-publishing? Need tips for marketing your work? Learn how to get your book on the library's shelves and more! Get help writing, publishing, and marketing your own book with free workshops at the Library! There are two Writer's Lab workshops in August with our friends from the Authors Roundtable of Northeast Florida. Plus, information about this year's Jax Book Fest: Writer's Day is now live on our blog and events calendar. Save your seat now!

This month, catch up with Little House on the Prairie star Dean Butler for the release of his memoir and the show's 50th anniversary. Later in the month. learn how to make your own music fanzine with instructor Daryl Gussin in our Writer's Lab series. He returns later that same day for a Lit Chat Interview about music, zines and finding your community. Plus, there are 15 Library Book Club meetings, three Life Lit skills workshops, and more! 

Are you a big music fan? Do you go to concerts, join fan groups, and actively seek out other fans (in person or online) to geek out with about your favorite lyrics? Have you ever considered making your own fanzine? In this workshop, you'll tackle "fandom" as a creative avenue and learn how to build community through collaborative projects. Instructor Daryl Gussin will offer a historical and personal background on the medium and then guide participants through the hands-on process of zine-making.

This month, you have the chance to meet a buzzed-about debut author and an award-winning graphic novelist in our popular Lit Chat Interview series. Or, you can make your first self-published zine or learn how to format any work for print with our Writer's Lab Workshop series. Plus, there are 15 Library Book Club meetings, Life Lit gardening and small business workshops, and more! 

Whether you hand-make every book or create your work digitally, you will get information, tutorials, and resources that will help you organize and format your project for print at our next free Writer's Lab workshop. Thony Aiuppy will teach you some of the tips, tricks, and formatting hacks he has learned over the last decade of making zines, comics, and graphic novels.

Get ready for Duval Comic and Zine Fest! Local zinester and self-publisher, Lindsay Anderson, presents a free introductory workshop on zine-making one week before the big event! Learn how to let your natural passions rise and different ways to capture them using a zine medium.

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!