Frequently Asked Questions

Location / Mailing Address / Contact Information

Virtual events are now held on Zoom. You can now register and buy tickets for author events on Eventbrite.

Registration is required for all events. Once you create an account on Eventbrite and register or purchase a ticket, you will be sent a confirmation email with a link to the event. Be sure you also have a Zoom account so that you can attend on event day. You will receive reminder emails the week prior to and the day of the event.

If your ticket includes a book, your book will be shipped the following week. Please allow up to three weeks for the book to arrive.

Author Events are held in the Montgomery Auditorium on the ground floor at the Parkway Central Library unless noted otherwise.
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Between 19th and 20th Streets just north of Logan Circle
Hours, Directions, Public Transportation
Yes. The Wood Street entrance (at the back of the building) is wheelchair accessible and there are elevators in the building. Enter Wood Street by going south on 19th Street and drive west towards 20th Street. If the gate is down press the buzzer and security will open the gate. There are handicapped parking places right next to the building.
The Montgomery auditorium is equipped with a hearing loop for use by people with hearing aids. The hearing loop provides a magnetic, wireless signal that is picked up by the hearing aid when it is set to "T" (Telecoil). Ask your audiologist if your hearing aids have the Telecoil setting. For those without hearing aids, we offer headphones which augment the sound level.
Free Library of Philadelphia
Author Events Office
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
authorevents@freelibrary.org
Phone: 215-567-4341
Fax: 215-567-7850

Proposals

Author Events at Parkway Central are by invitation; however, programming proposals may be sent for consideration. Due to the high volume of unsolicited inquiries, we are unable to respond personally to every proposal.

Ticketing Information

Tickets are available at the Will Call table in the Lobby 45 minutes prior to the event if the program is not sold out.
A simulcast is a live, simultaneous broadcast of the auditorium event to another room in the Library. You watch the live event on a large screen and can participate in the book signing.
We do not provide refunds for tickets unless an event is cancelled. It is possible to exchange your ticket for another event if the event is not sold out, provided you alert the Author Events Office prior to the missed event.
If an author event is cancelled, you will receive a refund of the face value of the ticket and the processing fee.
Ticket proceeds help to cover the cost of the program.

Program Format And Logistical Information

The general format is a 30 minute lecture/conversation, followed by 30 minutes of Q&A. The book signing takes place in the Lobby directly after the program.
The Will Call table in the Lobby and the auditorium doors open 45 minutes prior to the event. Seats are General Admission.
Yes. Books are sold on-site by Joseph Fox Book Shop. Proceeds benefit library programs!
Book signing guidelines are subject to the specific requests of the author and may change from event to event. In general, you may have up to five books signed, and photos are often permitted. Check specific events for signing restrictions.
Begun in 1993 with a grant from the William Penn Foundation, the Author Events series at the Free Library of Philadelphia offers the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue with today's most celebrated voices in the humanities and sciences. Presenting more than 125 programs each year, the series draw 25,000–30,000 attendees each season with more than one million podcasts and livestreams served annually.
Individuals or families have chosen to honor or memorialize a friend or family member by endowing an annual lecture. To learn more about an author event endowment contact the Development Department at 215-567-7710.
You have up to one month following the program to collect your book. After that time, the book will be returned to the publisher.