Category Archives: Uncategorized

12th Annual Out Loud! Author Series to Feature Three Nationally Recognized Authors

March 20, 2019Announcements, Uncategorizedauthors, books, cedar rapids, hiawatha, marion, mln, public library, readingadmin

Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series brings another solid set of authors to the metro area this summer for the 12^th consecutive year. The collaborative program of the Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion Public Libraries will present Craig Johnson, Cristina Henriquez, and Jennifer Weiner on three Friday nights in June at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center.

The series will begin with Craig Johnson on Friday, June 7 at 7 p.m. Johnson is the author of eight novels in the Walt Longmire mystery series, which has garnered popular and critical acclaim. The Cold Dish was a Dilys Award finalist and the French edition won Le Prix du Polar Nouvel Observateur/BibliObs. Death Without Company, the Wyoming State Historical Association’s Book of the Year, won France’s Le Prix 813. Another Man’s Moccasins was the Western Writers of America’s Spur Award winner and the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers’ Book of the Year, and The Dark Horse, the fifth in the series, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. Junkyard Dogs won the Watson Award for a mystery novel with the best sidekick, and Hell Is Empty, selected by Library Journal as the Best Mystery of the Year, was a New York Times best seller, as was As the Crow Flies. The Walt Longmire series is the basis for the hit A&E drama, Longmire, starring Robert Taylor, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Katee Sackoff.

Register for Craig Johnson here.

Author Cristina Henríquez will continue the series on Friday, June 14, at 7 p.m. Cristina Henríquez is the author of The Book of Unknown Americans, which was a New York Times Notable Book of 2014 and one of Amazon’s Top 10 Books of the Year. It was the Daily Beast Novel of the Year, a Washington Post Notable Book, an NPR Great Read, and was chosen one of the best books of the year by BookPage, Oprah.com, and School Library Journal. It was also longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Henriquez is also the author of The World In Half (a novel), and Come Together, Fall Apart: A Novella and Stories, which was a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection. Cristina earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Chicago.

Register for Cristina Henríquez here.

The series will end with internationally bestselling author Jennifer Weiner on Friday, June 28, at 7 p.m. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer Weiner’s books have spent over five years on the New York Times bestseller list with over 11 million copies in print in 36 countries. She is the author of the novels Good in Bed (2001); In Her Shoes (2002), which was turned into a major motion picture starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine; Little Earthquakes (2004); Goodnight Nobody (2005); the short story collection The Guy Not Taken (2006); Certain Girls (2008); Best Friends Forever (2009); Fly Away Home (2010); Then Came You (2011); The Next Best Thing (2012); All Fall Down (2014), and Who Do You Love (2015). She is also the author of two middle-grade novels, The Littlest Bigfoot (2016) and Little Bigfoot, Big City (2017), and the nonfiction collection Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing (2016).

Register for Jennifer Weiner here.

While no tickets are required, series organizers are requesting pre-registration. Alternately, patrons may contact any of the Metro Libraries or send an email to events@crlibrary.org.

All Out Loud! authors will take questions from the audience and sign books following their presentations.

11th Annual Out Loud! Author Series to Feature Three Nationally Recognized Authors

March 18, 2018Announcements, Uncategorizedauthors, books, cedar rapids, hiawatha, iowa, library, marion, out loud, public library, readingadmin

Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series brings another solid set of authors to the metro area this summer. The collaborative program of the Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion Public Libraries will present Lisa Gardner, Jacqueline Woodson, and Matthew Dicks on three Friday nights in June at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center.

The series will begin with Lisa Gardner on Friday, June 1 at 7 p.m. Gardner is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of crime thriller novels, including Look For Me, Right Behind You, Find Her, and The Neighbor, which won the International Thriller of the Year Award. Hailed as “one of the best-known names in all of thrillerdom,” Lisa Gardner has an undeniable talent for creating irresistible page-turners. With over 22 million books in print in 30 countries, her compelling suspense novels captivate audiences all over the world. Gardner has appeared on TruTV and CNN, and four of her books have been adapted for the small screen (At the Midnight Hour, The Perfect Husband, The Survivors Club, and Hide). Her novel, The Neighbor, was recognized as the “Best Hardcover Novel” by the International Thriller Writers in the United States and received the Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle in France. In 2000, Gardner received the Daphne du Maurier Award for The Other Daughter. She also received the Silver Bullet Award from the International Thriller Writers in 2017 for her work on behalf of at-risk children and the Humane Society.

Author Jacqueline Woodson will continue the series on Friday, June 8, at 7 p.m. Woodson is the 2014 National Book Award Winner for her New York Times bestselling memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, which was also a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor Award, the NAACP Image Award, and the Sibert Honor Award. She is also the author of New York Times bestselling novel Another Brooklyn (Harper/Amistad), which was a 2016 National Book Award Finalist and Woodson’s first adult novel in twenty years. In 2015, Woodson was named Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. She is the author of more than two dozen award-winning books for young adults, middle graders, and children; among her many accolades, she is a four-time Newbery Honor winner, a three-time National Book Award finalist, and a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. Most recently, she was named the 2018 Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress.

The series will end with storytelling champion and internationally bestselling author Matthew Dicks on Friday, June 22, at 7 p.m. Dicks is author of the novels Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, Something Missing, Unexpectedly, Milo, The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs, and the upcoming Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling. His novels have been translated into more than 25 languages worldwide. Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend was the 2014 Dolly Gray Award winner and is nominated for a 2017 Nutmeg Award in Connecticut. Matthew is a 35-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 5-time GrandSLAM champion whose stories have been featured on their nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour and their weekly podcast. He has also told stories for This American Life, TED, and Literary Death Match, among many others.

While no tickets are required, series organizers are requesting pre-registration. To register, visit www.metrolibrarynetwork.org/outloud and select the author event you wish to attend. Alternately, patrons may contact any of the Metro Libraries or send an email to events@crlibrary.org.

All Out Loud! authors will take questions from the audience and sign books following their presentations.

More information about the Out Loud! Author Series is available at www.metrolibrarynetwork.org/outloud.

Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series is supported by the Giacoletto Foundation with media support from The Gazette and event book sales provided by Barnes & Noble Booksellers. Additional support comes from the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation, Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, Friends of the Hiawatha Public Library, and Friends of the Marion Public Library, Hills Bank and Trust, and Nancy A. Miller.

10th Annual Out Loud! Author Series to Feature Perry, Alexander, and Macomber

March 24, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – March 25, 2017 – Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series is thrilled to celebrate its tenth season in 2017 with a wonderful line up of authors. The collaborative program of the Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion Public Libraries will present Anne Perry, Kwame Alexander, and Debbie Macomber on three consecutive Friday nights in June at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center.

The series will kick off with Anne Perry on Friday, June 9 at 7 p.m. Perry is the international bestselling author of over 50 novels, which have sold over 25 million copies. The Times selected her as one of the 20th Century’s 100 Masters of Crime. In 2015 she was awarded the Premio de Honor Aragón Negro. Her first series of Victorian crime novels, featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, began with The Cater Street Hangman. The latest of these, The Angel Court Affair, is her most recent of many appearances on the New York Times bestseller list.

[Register for Anne Perry]

Author Kwame Alexander will continue the series on Friday, June 16, at 7 p.m. Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 24 books, including The Crossover, which received the 2015 John Newbery Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American literature for Children, the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, The NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Paterson Poetry Prize. Alexander writes for children of all ages. Some of his other works include The Playbook: 52 Rules to Help You Aim, Shoot, And Score in This Game of Life; the picture books, Animal Ark, Out Of Wonder and Surf’s Up; and novels Booked, He Said She Said, and the forthcoming Solo.

[Register for Kwame Alexander]

The series will end with #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber on Friday, June 23, at 7 p.m. Macomber is one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 990 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Twelve of these novels hit the number one spot.

In 2017, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publications include If Not for You (March), Any Dream Will Do (August), and Merry and Bright (October). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published two bestselling cookbooks, an adult coloring book, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.

[Register for Debbie Macomber]

All Out Loud! authors will take questions from the audience and sign books following their presentations.

More information about the Out Loud! Author Series is available at www.metrolibrarynetwork.org/outloud.

2016 Out Loud! Author Series to Feature Gruen, de la Peña, and Lawson

March 13, 2016Uncategorizedadmin

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – March 14, 2016 – Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series is thrilled to present another season of outstanding authors in 2016. The collaborative program of the Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion Public Libraries will present Sara Gruen, Matt de la Peña , and Jenny Lawson in free events at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center.

The series will kick off with Sara Grue n on Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m. Gruen is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of At the Water’s Edge, Water for Elephants, Ape House, Riding Lessons, and Flying Changes. Her works have been translated into forty-three languages, and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Water for Elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring Reese Witherspoon, Rob Pattinson, and Christoph Waltz in 2011.

Young adult author Matt de la Peña will continue the series on Friday, July 1, at 7 p.m. Matt de la Peña is the New York Times Bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning author of six young adult novels: Ball Don’t Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Her e, I Will Save You, The Living, and The Hunted. He’s also the author of the critically-acclaimed picture books A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) and Last Stop on Market Street (illustrated by Christian Robinson). de la Peña currently lives in Brooklyn NY. He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country.

The series will end with #1 New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson, best known as “The Bloggess,” on Friday, July 8, at 7 p.m. Known for her sardonic wit and her hysterically skewed outlook on life, Jenny Lawson has made millions of people question their own sanity. Lawson’s blog (TheBloggess.com) is award-winning and extremely popular, seeing more than half a million page-views per day. She is also the author of two books: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir), which won Goodread’s Best Humor Book of 2012 and was chosen as one of Hudson Bookseller’s Best Books of 2012; and Furiously Happy, a comical and emotional exploration of her lifelong battle with mental illness.

While no tickets are required, series organizers are requesting pre-registration to help gauge the size of the venue needed (all seating will be general admission). To register for each program, visit these links:

All Out Loud! authors will take questions from the audience and sign books following their presentations.

Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series is supported by the Giacoletto Foundation with media support from The Gazette and event book sales provided by Barnes & Noble Booksellers. Additional support comes from Hills Bank and Trust Company, Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, Friends of the Hiawatha Public Library, Friends of the Marion Public Library, and Nancy and Steve Miller.