Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series is thrilled to present three outstanding authors in 2015. The collaborative program of the Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion Public Libraries will present Maureen Corrigan, Rainbow Rowell, and Piper Kerman in free events at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center.

Maureen Corrigan will open this year’s series on Friday, June 12 at 7 p.m. Corrigan is one of America’s most trusted and loved book critics. For more than 20 years, Corrigan has been the book critic for NPR’s Fresh Air. She is also a columnist for The Washington Post and the critic-in-residence at Georgetown University where her courses are very popular, as well as a critic for The Village Voice. She is the author of two books of her own; Leave me Alone I’m Reading and So We Read On: How the Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why it Endures, which was named one of the ten best books of the year by Library Journal in 2014. Aside from her writings for The Washington Post and The Village Voice, Corrigan has also written reviews for The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Nation among others. She is an associate editor of and contributor to Mystery and Suspense Writers and the winner of the 1999 Edgar Award for Criticism. In 2012 she served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. (Register for Corrigan.)

Rainbow Rowell will continue the series on Friday, June 19, at 7 p.m. Rowell is the New York Times bestselling author of Fangirl, Eleanor & Park, and Attachments. Her latest book, Landline, received the Goodreads Choice Award for best fiction in 2014. Her work spans the young adult and adult genres, appealing to people of all ages. Formerly a columnist and ad copywriter at the Omaha World-Herald, Rowell’s two young adult novels, Eleanor & Park and Fangirl were released in 2013 and both were named by The New York Times as among the best young adult fiction of the year. (Register for Rowell.)

Piper Kerman will finish the series on Friday, June 26, at 7 p.m. Kerman is the author of the best-selling memoir Orange is the New Black, which was adapted into a critically-acclaimed series of the same name. The memoir chronicles what the author calls her “crucible experience”, the 13-months she spent in the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. Since her release, Kerman has worked tirelessly to promote the cause of prison and criminal justice reform. (Register for Kerman.)

Alternately, patrons may send an email to events@crlibrary.org.

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

Members of Friends of CRPL and Friends of Marion Library are invited to a “Meet and Greet” reception with Maureen Corrigan, Friday, June 12th from 6-6:45 in the atrium at Hotel Kirkwood, prior to her reading. Wine and soda will be served. The event is free to Friends members; or join at the door to attend if you are not already a member (cash and check only). Register in advance.

Do you want the chance to introduce one of your favorite authors? Broadcast your fandom by submitting your video telling us why YOU should be the one to introduce the author and you could win the opportunity of a lifetime. Complete rules and submission guidelines can be found at www.metrolibrarynetwork.org/outloud/yououtloud.

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 is provided by Hills Bank & Trust Co., Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, Friends of the Marion Public Library, Friends of the Hiawatha Public Library, and Nancy and Stephen Miller.