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Free Library Brings Literacy to Life at Eighth Annual Philadelphia Book Festival
Free Library locations throughout the city will host a bevy of festive, literacy-based programs during National Library Week
PHILADELPHIA, February 25, 2013—This April, the Free Library’s Philadelphia Book Festival is hitting the road once again. People of all ages from across Philadelphia will be able to enjoy free Book Festival programming, from author appearances to craft workshops, at Parkway Central Library as well as at neighborhood libraries right in their own communities.
Taking place during National Library week, April 13-20, 2014, the eighth annual Philadelphia Book Festival will feature free headlining author events in the Parkway Central Library Monday through Saturday as well as author appearances and other literary events at neighborhood libraries throughout the week. A burst of books and inspiration, the week-long Philadelphia Book Festival embraces literacy, creativity, and the arts with a diverse array of free events for all.
Weeknight headline events at Parkway Central Library, all beginning at 7:30 p.m., include:
Pat and Gina Neely | Monday, April 14 – Food Network stars and owners of popular barbecue joints in Memphis, Nashville, and New York, Pat and Gina Neely have charmed fans across the country with their “down-home, food-and-booty jubilance” (Ebony).
Debbie Macomber | Tuesday, April 15 - New York Times bestselling author and the “reigning queen of women’s fiction” (The Sacramento Bee), Debbie Macomber is the author of more than 150 books that have won her millions of fans and a raft of prizes, including the prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America.
Barbara Ehrenreich | Wednesday, April 16 – “Veteran muckraker” (The New Yorker) Barbara Ehrenreich is the New York Times bestselling author of 14 books, including the working class exposé Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch, in which she investigated the economic shadow world of white-collar unemployment.
Anne Perry | Thursday, April 17 - With memorable characters, historical accuracy, exploration of social and ethical issues, and knife’s-edge suspense, Anne Perry’s acclaimed Victorian mysteries “would make Dickens’s eyes pop out” (New York Times Book Review). She was named one of the 20th century’s 100 Masters of Crime by The Times of London.
Lydia Davis | Friday, April 18 - “One of the quiet giants of American fiction,” (The Los Angeles Times Book Review) and “the best prose stylist in America,” according to writer Rick Moody, Lydia Davis received the 2013 Man Booker International Prize for her witty, poetic, and minimalist fiction.
Doug Fine | Saturday, April 20 - Investigative journalist and muckraking author of the “eye-opening and persuasive” (The New York Times Book Review) bestseller Too High to Fail: Cannabis and the New Green Economic Revolution, Doug Fine peeks into dank corners to find the straight dope on the burgeoning American hemp industry.
Other exciting Philadelphia Book Festival events include:
“Make a Book about You” Craft | Tuesday, April 14 at 3:00 p.m.
Wyoming Library | 231 East Wyoming Avenue
What makes you special? What stories do you have to tell? Participants in this fun workshop for children and teens will have the opportunity to create unique books all about themselves.
Author Event with Greg Pizzoli | Thursday, April 17 at 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia City Institute | 1905 Locust Street
Children’s picture book author and illustrator Greg Pizzoli will share his Geisel Award-winning book, The Watermelon Seed, as well as his forthcoming book Number One Sam. This event is made possible by the Philadelphia City Institute Board of Managers.
Author Event with Amy Ignatow | Friday, April 19 at 11:00 a.m.
Charles Santore Library | 932 South 7th Street
Amy Ignatow is the author and illustrator of the bestselling Popularity Papers series. The sixth book in the series, Love and Other Fiascos with Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang, was released last fall.
“The Free Library of Philadelphia is excited to be bringing the Philadelphia Book Festival back into neighborhoods throughout the city and celebrating literacy and the arts throughout National Library Week,” said Siobhan A. Reardon, President and Director. “I encourage all Philadelphians to visit Parkway Central for a great lineup of free author events and to check out what’s going on at a library near them, too!”
To find out more about the Philadelphia Book Festival, including a full schedule of events, please visit freelibrary.org/festival.
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The 54-location Free Library of Philadelphia system advances literacy, guides learning, and inspires curiosity with millions of digital and physical materials; 25,000 yearly programs and workshops; free public computers and extensive Wi-Fi; and rich special collections, including those at Parkway Central Library and at The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation. The combined holdings of these renowned collections—which include hundreds of thousands of rare books, manuscripts, and ephemera—inspire unique exhibitions and programs throughout the year. With more than 6 million in-person and 9 million online visits annually, the Free Library and The Rosenbach are among the most widely used educational and cultural institutions in Philadelphia and boast a worldwide impact.
04/09/2014
Department of External Affairs, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710, FAX (215) 567-7850