The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us–A Sweeping History of Food and Culture with Smithsonian Curator Paula J. Johnson, Virtual Event

Virtual

Virtually step into the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History with Curator Paula Johnson as she discusses the book Smithsonian American Table: The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us. American Table is a sweeping history of food and culture that summons everyone to the table for a fresh look at some of the people, ingredients, events, and movements that have shaped how and what we eat. Johnson, curator and project ... Read More

Free

From Murder to Atonement–Confronting My Son’s Killer with Diane Foley & Colum McCann

Virtual

Join us for a one-of-a-kind conversation with National Book Award-winner Colum McCann as he is joined by Diane Foley, the inspiration behind the heartrending book American Mother. American Mother is the story of a mother who, in the course of confronting her son’s killer, gets to the elemental heart of violence and forgiveness. Diane Foley is the mother of Jim, a freelance journalist captured and beheaded by ISIS in 2014, an image ... Read More

Free

A Literary Examination of Power, Love, and Art with Xochitl Gonzalez – Virtual author program

We cannot wait for you to join us as we chat with award-winning and bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez about her newest novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last.  Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite. In 1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art ... Read More

Virtual Author event with Douglas Brunt, author of The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel

Virtual

New York Times Bestselling author, Douglas Brunt is joining us online to chat about his debut non-fiction work, on Wednesday, May 1st at 3 PM ET  via digital live-stream in partnership with The Orange County Public Library! This instant bestseller reveals the hidden history of Rudolf Diesel, one of the world’s great inventors, and his mysterious disappearance on the eve of World War I. Watch live and have the opportunity ... Read More

Free

Virtual author event with Nina Simon. Author of “Mother-Daughter Murder Night”

Virtual

Nothing brings a family together like a murder next door . . . Join Nina Simon online to chat about her lighthearted whodunnit about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio of amateur sleuths on Wednesday, May 8th at 7 PM ET via digital live-stream in partnership with the Orange County Public Library. Nina is the author of the Reese Witherspoon Sunshine Book Club selected novel "Mother-Daughter Murder Night." This event is suitable for ... Read More

Free

Virtual author program with R.F. Kuang, author of “Yellowface”

Virtual

We’re looking forward to a thrilling conversation with Rebecca F. Kuang (R.F.Kuang) as she chats with us about her New York Times bestselling novel, Yellowface on Tuesday, May 21st at 7 PM ET via digital live-stream in partnership with the Orange County Public Library.  Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. In Yellowface, Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu ... Read More

Free

Online author talk with Matt Shindell, curator of the National Air and Space Museum

Virtual

Matt Shindell, For the Love of Mars, Monday, June 3rd  Mars and its secrets have fascinated and mystified humans since ancient times. Due to its vivid color and visibility, its geologic kinship with Earth, and its potential as our best hope for settlement, Mars embodies everything that inspires us about space and exploration. For the Love of Mars surveys the red planet's place in the human imagination, beginning with ancient ... Read More

Virtual author talk with suspense writer Frieda McFadden

Virtual

Get your popcorn and take a seat as we chat with the queen of twists herself, Freida McFadden! McFadden will join us to chat about writing psychological thrillers and her mega-bestselling hit The Housemaid series, in particular her forthcoming (June 11, 2024) third installment, The Housemaid Is Watching. The next installment is full of unbelievable twists and tension as it continues to follow Millie Calloway. She used to clean other ... Read More

Free

Virtual author talk with Tiffany Jewell, “Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School”, Thursday, June 20th

Virtual

Tiffany Jewell, Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School, Thursday, June 20th  Join us as #1 New York Times bestselling author Tiffany Jewell highlights the inequities Black and Brown students face from preschool through college as she presents lessons and knowledge from her new book Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School.   From preschool to higher education and everything in between, Everything I Learned About ... Read More

Free

A Visit to Deckawoo Drive with Mercy Watson and Kate DiCamillo – Virtual author talk for kids K-2

Virtual

Join us for a visit to Deckawoo Drive with everyone’s favorite adventure loving pig, Mercy Watson! Newbery Medal winning author Kate DiCamillo will be sharing the stories behind the creation of her early chapter book series, the original Mercy Watson, and the follow up series, Tales from Deckawoo Drive. We will also be celebrating the publication of the final book in the Mercy Watson series! Mercy is selfish and impulsive, ... Read More

Free

Virtual author talk: Learning the Power of Poetry with Bestselling Author Elizabeth Acevedo (9th-12th grades)

Virtual

You’re invited to learn about the power of poetry with Elizabeth Acevedo! In this exciting author conversation and Q&A, Acevedo will provide a short reading from her National Book Award winning and New York Times bestselling novel-in-verse, The Poet X serving as the backdrop to this amazing chat! The Poet X is about the Afro-Latina heroine, Xiomara Batista, who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth. Xiomara feels ... Read More

Free

Virtual author event Graphic Novels are Life! Telling Your Own Story in a Graphic Novel with Dan Santat (5th-8th Grade)

Virtual

Dan Santat, A First Time for Everything, Tuesday, July 30th (5th-8th Grade)   Join this year’s winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, Dan Santat, as he inspires tweens and teens to tell their own stories through graphic novels. His winning book, A First Time for Everything, is a graphic memoir based on his own awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his ... Read More

Free