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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All Ages — Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. All ages can join Newbery and Caldecott honoree and New York Times bestselling Grace Lin for an engaging conversation about her journey to become an award-winning author and illustrator. Learn about her latest middle grade book, Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends… Read More

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Stephen Graham Jones joins us to talk scary stories, horror and more with librarian Becky Spratford. Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians and Don’t Fear the Reaper, and a prolific author of more than 25 books spanning genres. He… Read More

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

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for an evening with two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward. Hailed as “the new Toni Morrison” by the American Booksellers Association, Jesmyn will discuss her life, her literary vision and her unique perspectives on love and loss. Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director of… Read More

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Celebrate Free Comic Book Day with New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Jarrett J. Krosoczka! Perfect for the entire family, this live, virtual drawing workshop is sure to inspire the inner artist in everyone. Jarrett creates books with humor, heart, and deep respect for his… Read More

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for an evening of inspiration and conversation with bestselling and award-winning children’s and young adult author and poet, Kwame Alexander. During this Illinois Libraries Present event for young people and their families, Kwame will share ways to say yes to your story and persist… Read More

Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for a conversation with Ross Gay, American poet and New York Times best-selling essayist, as he kicks off a new year with his new book, Inciting Joy. Mr. Gay is the author of three collections of poetry: Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the… Read More

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

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

NOTE: Due to a family emergency, this program has been cancelled.   Virtual Program — It will be offered via Zoom. Join us for an evening with two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward as she discusses how her literary vision and personal experiences address urgent questions about racism and social injustice. Ward, hailed as… Read More