News

Illinois Libraries Present: Exploring Space with Coralie Adam (virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for an evening with Aerospace Engineer Coralie Adam as she talks about space exploration. Adam leads the multi-mission Optical Navigation team at KinetX Aerospace, the first privately held company to provide deep space navigation and flight dynamics expertise to NASA.  Register for this program… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Slowing Down with Amy Tan (virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for an evening with National Humanities Medal winner and bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan. She joins us to share about her body of work and reflect on the wonder of slowing down and savoring the quiet moments. Her connection to… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: An Evening with James McBride (virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for an evening with James McBride, an award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter. His landmark memoir, The Color of Water, was published in 1996 and is considered an American classic, read in schools and universities across the United States. His 2013 novel, The Good Lord… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Love and Laughs with Michelle Buteau (virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join comedian, actress, and producer Michelle Buteau in conversation with Greta Johnsen. Michelle is the creator/writer/star of the Netflix series Survival of the Thickest, inspired by her autobiographical book of essays of the same name. She is also the host of two popular reality competition shows… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Chicago Pizza – Past, Present, & Future with Steve Dolinsky (virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for an evening with Steve Dolinsky, well known Food Guy reporter at NBC 5 (Chicago). Steve will dish on The Ultimate Chicago Pizza Guide: A History of Squares & Slices in the Windy City, his comprehensive guide to the styles, locales and people that… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: The Magic of Raina Telgemeier

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for a night with critically acclaimed comic artist, Raina Telgemeier. Raina is the author and illustrator of the graphic novels Smile, Drama, Sisters, Ghosts, and Guts, all #1 New York Times bestsellers. She also adapted and illustrated four graphic novel versions of Ann M.… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Holiday Tips & Tricks with Chef Art Smith (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join Chef Art Smith to learn about his culinary journey and bring some culinary inspiration into your holiday season. A two-time James Beard Foundation award winner, Smith believes “The art of cooking, the act of feeding people, is the most engaging, most memorable way to connect… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Raise Your Voice with Jason Reynolds (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Welcome Jason Reynolds, #1 New York Times bestselling author, advocate, mentor, and 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. The recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, a Carnegie Medal, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors, Reynolds' beloved and award-winning titles… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Being Imperfect with Erika Sánchez (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Illinois Libraries Present and Erika Sánchez, award-winning author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. She will be joined in conversation by Cythia Pelayo. Register for this program at https://bit.ly/ILP_ErikaSanchez Erika L. Sánchez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. Her… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: The Many Lives of Kal Penn (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Kal Penn is an actor, writer, producer, and former Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. He is known for his starring roles in Designated Survivor, House, Mira Nair’s The Namesake, the Harold & Kumar franchise, and the Christmas comedy The Santa Clauses… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: The Hidden Gifts of Visual Thinkers with Dr. Temple Grandin (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for a special event with Dr. Grandin, one of the world’s most accomplished and well-known adults with autism. Dr. Grandin has been at the forefront of research and activism for autism and neurodiversity for decades. Register for this program at https://bit.ly/ILP_TempleGrandin Her memoir, Emergence:… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Academy Award® Winner Ruth E. Carter: Interweaving Tradition and Imagination Through Costume Design (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for a special event with Ruth E. Carter, two-time Academy Award®-winning costume designer. Carter made history as the first Black person to win an Academy Award® in Best Costume Design for the film, Black Panther. She received a second Academy Award® in the same… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Romance & Regency with Bridgerton’s Julia Quinn (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Julia Quinn, the #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning romance author, has written close to 40 novels including her popular series about the Bridgerton family which was adapted into an Emmy-nominated series on Netflix. Her newest novel, Queen Charlotte, is co-written with television pioneer Shonda… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: A Conversation with Jerry Craft: From Mama’s Boyz to New Kid and Beyond (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Learn about life, art, and telling your story with bestselling author, illustrator and syndicated cartoonist, Jerry Craft. Join us for a conversation about his works and journey to success, including a drawing demo that will be fun for the whole family! Register for this program at… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Speculating about Our AI Future with Cory Doctorow, Ken Liu, and Martha Wells (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for a panel discussion featuring three best selling science fiction writers, Cory Doctorow, Ken Liu, and Martha Wells. They will discuss the promise, perils, and possible impacts that AI will have on our future, as well as AI in contemporary and future science fiction… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Surviving the Holidays with Lori Gottlieb (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, and co-host of the “Dear Therapists” podcast joins us for a thought-provoking conversation about mental health in anticipation of the winter holiday season. Gottlieb will share tools to help in everyday life… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: A Taste of Love with Maya-Camille Broussard of Justice of the Pies (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join Maya Camille Broussard, star of Netflix’s Bake Squad, and owner of Chicago based Justice of the Pies for a demo from her kitchen just in time for Thanksgiving. She will share her love of pie, the stories of those that inspired her, and some tips… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: On Being Fabulous with Jonathan Van Ness and Kristi Yamaguchi (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. “Queer Eye” and “Getting Curious” star and ice skating superfan, Jonathan Van Ness talks with his idol, Olympic Gold Medalist Kristi Yamaguchi. They’ll chat figure skating, fabulous style, and whatever else comes up! With Jonathan, you never quite know what he’ll say next, but his unfiltered… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: Midwest Baking with Shauna Sever (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for a conversation with Shauna Sever, author of Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland, as she celebrates baking this holiday season. Sever is a cookbook author, TV and radio contributor, and a daughter of the great midwest.  Her fourth book, Midwest Made,… Read More

Illinois Libraries Present: A Conversation with Caitlin Doughty (Virtual)

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for an evening with Caitlin Doughty, mortician, author, advocate, and founder of the funeral reform collective The Order of the Good Death, which has spawned the death positive movement. Doughty is the author of New York Times bestsellers Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, From… Read More