Tagged Author Events
A Smithsonian Curator on the Lead-Up to the U.S. Civil War
On Thursday, October 10 , in the Fourth Floor Skyline Room at Parkway Central Library , the Social Science and History Department will host Jon Grinspan , curator of political history at the Smithsonian Institution’s National…
Author of Unique Local History to Speak at the Free Library
On Friday, October 4 at 2:00 p.m. , the Social Science and History Department will host Antje Ulrike Mattheus , the author of a unique book on Philadelphia history. Cresheim Farm: An American History of Conquest,…
Hispanic Heritage Month in the Social Science and History Department
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Social Science and History Department at Parkway Central Library is excited to host three programs covering different aspects of the Hispanic-American experience. The first program…
Announcing the 2024–2025 Author Series
After a milestone 30th anniversary season, we are thrilled to announce the 2024–2025 Author Events series will kick off on September 11, brought to you by the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation! Upcoming Fall Author Series…
Author Event: The Warehouse: A Visual Primer on Mass Incarceration
Philadelphia has the highest incarceration rate of any city in Pennsylvania, and the most locked-up census tracts in North Philadelphia have 17 times as many people behind bars as census tracts in Center City, according to the Prison…
Join Us for the One Book, One Philadelphia Finale Celebration
The 2024 One Book, One Philadelphia season is coming to a close with an exciting finale event ! Join True Biz author Sara Nović and poet Ilya Kaminsky — author of 2019 National Book Award finalist …
Author Events Upcoming Spring and Summer Highlights
The Free Library’s Author Events program recently added numerous events to its spring and summer lineups. Here are ten events we’re excited about — along with some accompanying media: Karen…
19th Century True Crime at the Free Library
From classics like In Cold Blood and Helter Skelter to recent bestsellers like In Light of All Darkness and If You Tell , readers love true crime. In addition to generating chills and thrills, a good true crime account sheds light on…
Compelling Black Stories from the Free Library Podcast
The Free Library's podcast archive dates back more than 25 years and features scores of author talks to help you commemorate, celebrate, and reflect on Black History Month . Even in just this last year, we’ve hosted an…
Upcoming Author Events for Winter/Spring 2024
As we dash into 2024, the Free Library is looking forward to another season of its venerable Author Events series. Brave the cold and warm up with a red-hot slate of talks by some of today’s leading novelists, memoirists,…
10 Free Library Podcast Episodes Perfect for Thanksgiving
In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, we present a curated collection of podcasts from our Author Events series archive. Thanksgiving is often traditionally associated with America’s indigenous peoples, but what is the real…
Elevate Your Writing: 10 Author Events Podcasts Perfect for NaNoWriMo
November is National Novel Writing Month. That’s right, the goal is to write a whole novel in a month. For more information about National Novel Writing Month, check out NaNoWriMo.org . While the very idea of writing a whole…
5 Author Events To Catch This September
While it’s a bit of a bummer that summer is drawing to a close, we’re happy to welcome in some cooler weather alongside a brisk fall season of Free Library Author Events. And what a lineup we have! Let’s take an autumn…
Enjoy These Free Library Author Events Podcast "Beach Reads"
It’s summer, and whether you’re lying in a hammock, soaking up the sun at the beach, taking a road trip, or — and we hope this isn’t the case — taking SEPTA to work, it’s the perfect time of year to…
Check Out Our Immigrant Heritage Month Author Events YouTube Playlist
June is Immigrant Heritage Month , and you can celebrate the extraordinary, far-reaching, and diverse contributions immigrants have woven into the American tapestry through this curated video playlist on our author…
The Big Send Off of One Book, One Philadelphia
Thursday, June 22 marks the finale of One Book, One Philadelphia and we over here in the One Book office are working up the nerve to say goodbye to this incredible season of events. After nine weeks of community workshops,…
Bryn Ziegler's Don’t Look Into The Abyss and Other Philadelphia Comics
The Art Department is thrilled to host the launch of Don’t Look Into The Abyss , a new graphic novel illustrated and published by Bryn Ziegler . Ziegler is a book and comic artist specializing in intimate,…
Honoring Juneteenth at the Free Library
Honor Juneteenth with the Free Library of Philadelphia! This year, we celebrate Juneteenth for the third time as a federal holiday, but it has been an important celebration for nearly 200 years! Juneteenth is the oldest known…
LGBTQ+ Authors on the Free Library Podcast
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month and the Free Library’s Author Events program has an extensive archive of podcasts and videos to help you celebrate a diverse range of writers working across a wide array of topics and fields. Before we…
AAPI Experiences: Podcasts From Past Author Events
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month , and you can celebrate the heritage, contributions, and writings of these diverse peoples through the Free Library’s Author Events audio podcast and YouTube video archives.…
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow Author Visit
Join us for a special visit with Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow. Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is a Philadelphia-based author of popular educator-recommended children’s books. She is a two-time winner of the Muslim Bookstagram…
Imagine More Story Adventures with Thembi Palmer
Join the ever amazing Thembi Palmer of Imagine More: Story Adventures for a fantastic story time! Thembi Palmer is committed to promoting literacy by developing a love of reading and books in young children, pre-K through 4th grade. She…
The Dehumanization of Jews in Russian and Soviet Cartoons
Room 108 In this evening’s talk Bob Weinberg of Swarthmore College will explore anti-Jewish visual imagery from the late tsarist era to the early years of the Soviet Union to reveal popular and official attitudes toward and…
Novels In Progress - Thorns & Roses: A Stem by Lauren Holguin and STOPPING by Nikki Volpicelli
Molly's Bookstore presents Novels in Progress Series. Thorns & Roses: A Stem by Lauren Holguin Poet and burnt out elementary teacher Lola is devastated by the death of her beloved Abuela. Rushing from Philly to the Los…
Author Talk: Charles Wiedenmann
Author Charles Wiedenmann will present his book, Lawndale: Stories from my Youth: Growing Up in Northeast Philadelphia in the 60s and 70s. The lecture format will allow for an in-depth discussion about the inspiration, creative process,…
Artist talk and book launch: Theodore Harris
Join Theodore Harris for a reading from the new and expanded edition of his book, Our Flesh of Flames , comprised of a suite of collages by the Philadelphia-based artist accompanied by captions written in response by the late poet…
Bill Clinton | Citizen: My Life After the White House
The Author Events Series presents Bill Clinton | Citizen: My Life After the White House REGISTER A powerful, candid, and richly detailed memoir from an American icon, revealing what life looks like after the presidency: triumphs,…
Judge David Tatel | Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice
The Author Events Series presents Judge David Tatel | Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice REGISTER David Tatel has served nearly 30 years on America’s second highest court, the United States Court of Appeals for…
Imagine More Story Adventures with Thembi Palmer
Join the ever amazing Thembi Palmer of Imagine More: Story Adventures for a fantastic story time! Thembi Palmer is committed to promoting literacy by developing a love of reading and books in young children, pre-K through 4th grade. She…
Lori Ginzberg | Tangled Journeys
The Author Events Series presents Lori Ginzberg | Tangled Journeys REGISTER In conversation with Tamala Edwards In 1830 Richard Walpole Cogdell, a husband, father, and bank clerk in Charleston, South Carolina, purchased a…
Andre Robert Lee | A Conversation with the Documentary Filmmaker and Author
The Author Events Series presents Andre Robert Lee | A Conversation with the Documentary Filmmaker and Author REGISTER André Robert Lee most recently served as the Executive Producer of Notes From America With Kai Wright. The…
Novels In Progress - Who Disturbs My Peace This Lovely Evening? by Chandler Myer and Planet Surrey by Maya Afilalo
Molly's Bookstore presents the Novels in Progress Series. Who Disturbs My Peace This Lovely Evening? by Chandler Myer Who Disturbs My Peace This Lovely Evening? is the story of two women, Wendy and Gladys, who have been…
Daniel Schlozman and Sam Rosenfeld | The Hollow Parties: The Many Pasts and Disordered Present of American Party Politics
In conversation with author and Pennsylvania State Senator, Nikil Saval In The Hollow Parties , Daniel Schlozman and Sam Rosenfeld present a comprehensive history of the rise of American mass party politics through the Jacksonian era up…
George Stephanopoulos | The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis
Meelya Gordon Memorial Lecture In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6abc Action News morning edition. ABC News’ Chief Anchor, the host of This Week with George Stephanopoulos , and co-anchor of Good Morning America , George…
Paul Hendrickson | Fighting the Night: Iwo Jima, WW II and a Flyer’s Life
In conversation with Wil Haygood Paul Hendrickson ’s books include Sons of Mississippi , winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost, 1934–1961 , a National Book Critics…
Claire Messud | This Strange Eventful History: A Novel
In conversation with Laura McGrath, Assistant Professor of English at Temple University “Among our greatest contemporary writers” ( The Miami Herald ), Claire Messud is the author of The Emperor’s Children , a cutting portrait of…
Colm Tóibín | Long Island: A Novel
“His generation’s most gifted writer of love’s complicated, contradictory power” (Los Angeles Times) , Colm Tóibín is the author of an impressive list of novels, short stories, essays, plays, poetry, and criticism. His novels The…
Jen Psaki | Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World
In conversation with Annie Duke An “unflappable and genial point-person” ( The New York Times ), Jen Psaki served as the thirty-fourth White House Press Secretary under President Biden until May 2022. Currently the host of MSNBC’s…
Frank Bruni | The Age of Grievance
In conversation with Karen Heller, former national features writer and current contributor for The Washington Post, formerly a metro and features columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in…
Erik Larson | The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
In conversation with award winning broadcaster and journalist, Tracey Matisak. “America’s most compelling popular historian” (The Christian Science Monitor) , Erik Larson is the bestselling author of eight critically acclaimed books,…
Dasha Kiper | Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregivers, and the Human Brain
In conversation with Dr. Jason Karlawish In partnership with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society The clinical consulting director of support groups at The CaringKind (formerly The Alzheimer's Association), Dasha Kiper has an MA in…
Amy Tan | The Backyard Bird Chronicles
In conversation with Beth Kephart A “master of illusion, and one of the best storytellers around” (NPR), Amy Tan is the author of the beloved novels The Joy Luck Club , a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book…
Bakari Sellers | The Moment: Thoughts on the Race Reckoning That Wasn't and How We All Can Move Forward Now
In 2006, Bakari Sellers defeated a twenty-six-year incumbent State Representative to become the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature and the youngest African American elected official in the nation. The state’s 2014…
David E. Sanger | New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West
In conversation with Robert E. Hamilton, Head of Eurasia Research - Eurasia Program, Foreign Policy Research Institute Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Endowed Lecture The White House and national security correspondent for The New York…
R. Jisung Park | Slow Burn: The Hidden Costs of a Warming World
In conversation with Patrick Behrer, Research Economist, Development Economics, World Bank How the subtle but significant consequences of a hotter planet have already begun—from lower test scores to higher crime rates—and how we might…
Dennis Yi Tenen | Literary Theory for Robots: How Computers Learned to Write
Dennis Yi Tenen is an associate professor of English at Columbia University, where he also serves as co-director of the Center for Comparative Media. Affiliated with Columbia’s Data Science Institute, he is a former fellow at the…
Tricia Rose | Metaracism: How Systemic Racism Devastates Black Lives—and How We Break Free
In conversation with award-winning journalist and broadcaster Tracey Matisak Acclaimed for her study of the intersections of pop music, contemporary Black U.S. culture, and sex and gender, sociologist Tricia Rose is the author of…
Lydia Millet | We Loved it All: A Memory of Life
Praised for her “darkly funny and painfully sharp” ( Los Angeles Times ) fiction, Lydia Millet is the author of the novel A Children’s Bible , shortlisted for the National Book Award and a New York Times Top 10 book of 2020; the…
Stacey Abrams | Rogue Justice: A Thriller
In conversation with award-winning journalist and broadcaster, Tracey Matisak Introduced by State Rep. Donna Bullock Stacey Abrams is the Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics at Howard University. After serving…
Julia Alvarez | The Cemetery of Untold Stories: A Novel
Barbara Gohn Day Memorial Lecture In conversation with Rebeca L. Hey-Colón, Professor of Latinx Studies, Temple University Awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in 2013, poet, essayist, and fiction writer Julia Alvarez…
Sloane Crosley | Grief is for People
“A fountain of observations” ( The Boston Globe ), Sloane Crosley is the author of three New York Times bestselling essay collections, How Did You Get This Number, Look Alive Out There, and I Was Told There’d Be Cake , which was a…
M. Nzadi Keita | Migration Letters: Poems
In conversation with Herman Beavers M. Nzadi Keita is the author of the poetry collection Brief Evidence of Heaven , a finalist for the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Prize that explored the life of Anna Murray Douglass, Frederick Douglass’…