Coming Next Week: Library Lovers Week on EveryLibrary Live!

To start off this new month and week, I have a great virtual option for you to promote to your library patrons (and for yourselves) that is happening NEXT week live but also it will be on demand whenever.

For Library Lovers Week, EveryLibrary Live is once again hosting conversations with popular authors for readers of all ages and all of it is FREE to you. I will be moderating 3 of these conversations. You can see the entire list of content below or with this link.

What is so great about these conversations is that they are not only free but also available on demand anytime. 

Please let you patrons know that they can watch any or all of these conversations whenever they want. 

But for you as a library worker, these are also a great chance to hear about new books by authors from across the literary landscape. Make sure to share this with your youth colleagues as well. You could even pull books by the authors listed below (backlist and new) and make a Library Lovers Week display. 

See below for the full list of events and authors. At the end of this post I have the promotion slides (with full alt text) for my specific events.

With the way the world is right now, we all need to spread the joy and the power of reading. This week will connect your readers to their stories they love. And again, it is all for free.

Maybe I will see some of you there. 

Library Lovers Week 2026

February 9–13, 2026 | 5 PM, 7 PM & 9 PM EDT on Facebook Live and YouTube Live

---

Join EveryLibrary Live! for Library Lovers Week 2026, a three-night virtual celebration of books, authors, and the libraries that connect readers to stories. Featuring bestselling and award-winning writers across adult, YA, and middle-grade fiction, the event highlights the power of reading, discovery, and access.

With sincere thanks to our publishing and publicity partners: Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, Penguin Random House, W. W. Norton & Company, Kensington, Levine Querido, Ingram, Wunderkind PR, City Owl Press, and Zibby Publishing, whose generous support makes Library Lovers Week possible and helps bring together beloved authors and exciting new voices for readers to discover

12 Live Author Panels • 21 Acclaimed Authors

Each evening features three live conversations designed for readers, librarians, educators, and book lovers of all ages. Library Lovers Week celebrates libraries as essential community spaces that foster lifelong reading, support access, and keep stories alive across generations.

---

Guest Hosts

Guest hosts Gigi Howard (Drinks in the Library) and Becky Spratford (Librarian advisory and horror author), are joined by Andrew Albanese (Words & Money) along with John Chrastka, founder of EveryLibrary, who leads the conversations with insight, energy, and a deep commitment to libraries.

Featured Author Panels

Monday, February 9th 

5:00 PM EDT — James Ponti & Stuart Gibbs (Simon & Schuster) "Mission: Middle Grade High-Stakes Adventures"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/1637016404389157
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVKmk8ADQzM

7:00 PM EDT — Cheryl W. Thompson (Kensington Publishing) - "The Lost Tuskeege Airmen"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/26409055965345069
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VhmMuyQwuU

9:00 PM EDT —   Justin C. Key  (HarperCollins & Wunderkind PR) - "Healing, Justice, and the Future We Choose"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/834072879684711
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiI1TAqAo7Q

Tuesday, February 10

5:00 PM EDT — C. J. Box (Penguin Random House) - "At the Crossroads: Justice, Family, and the Modern West"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/1547079246345955
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXIEetx8j-U

7:00 PM EDT — Heather Morris & Francine Prose (HarperCollins) - "Stories That Endure: Empathy, Memory, and the Power of Fiction"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/1427047182204061
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPIkcsancvw

9:00 PM EDT — Colleen Delaney & Amy Woodruff (City Owl Press) - "Spellbinding Stories with Librarian-Authors" 

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/1200283145613246
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-cDR6b4DGM

Wednesday, February 11

5:00 PM EDT — Jamie Sumner & Megan E. Freeman (Simon & Schuster) - "Uncovering Secrets & Finding Strength"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/25472486765756706
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pzHFSZnLnQ

7:00 PM EDT — Donna Barba Higuera & Daniel Nayeri (Levine Querido / Ingram) - "Worlds Beyond, Stories Within"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/1507831193647728
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIo2iznN01U

9:00 PM EDT — Raúl the Third & Kyle Lukoff (Hachette Book Group) - "Big Laughs, Bold Heroes, and Books Kids Love"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/2963491770648653
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_Eww3Ny5zU

Thursday, February 12

5:00 PM EDT — David Guterson & Naeem Murr (W. W. Norton & Company) - "Lives in Motion: Crossing Borders of Place, Memory, and Belonging"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/1585721749332911
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp6iI8RJuhk

7:00 PM EDT — Julie Doar & Sarah Sawyer (Zibby Publishing) - "Unraveling the Past"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/895652152872436
YouTube Live: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VMiYpi4akxs

9:00 PM EDT — Janet Skeslien Charles & Sadeqa Johnson (Simon & Schuster) - "Women Who Preserve, Women Who Resist: History, Identity, and the Power of Story"

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/1230979675734232
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK7wihxldeI

Thursday, February 12

5:00 PM EDT - Andru Volinsky - The Last Bake Sale - and What It Means for Libraries, Schools, and Higher Ed

Facebook Live:
YouTube Live:

---

Live + On-Demand Viewing

Watch live on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch every session on demand (perfect for classrooms, libraries, book clubs, or late-night readers).

RSVP & Spread the Word

At a time when access to books is more important than ever, Library Lovers Week puts the focus back where it belongs: on readers, on stories, and on the libraries that make both possible.

Reserve your spot, receive event reminders, and get access to replays. Invite your book club, your students, your patrons, and your fellow library lovers.

When

February 09, 2026 at 5:00pm - February 13, 2026

EveryLibrary's Free Banned Book's Week Festival of Authors And I Am A Part of It!

Banned Books week is coming up on September 22 and EveryLibrary is doing a full week of author and publishing and library professional interviews. They have recruited me to help and I will be doing 3 authors interview panels.

You can go here to signup for free. From the landing page with and easy sign-up box and the schedule as its stands now:

Join us for over 25 panels with 45+ authors, publishing professionals, and experts on book bans and the First Amendment for "EveryLibrary Live! Banned Books Week 2024", September 22 - 27 online. This will be an extraordinary week of conversations about the joy of writing, the culture of reading, the challenges of censorship in schools and libraries, and the celebration of the freedom to read. Plan now to be a part of this new literary festival where everyone is encouraged to read freely. 

We have an exciting lineup of author conversations, panels, and learning events that you can attend online and at your convenience. We will be hosting live broadcasts every day during Banned Books Week 2024 on our Facebook Live or YouTube Live channels. Be a part of each event as it happens, or access the "instant archive" for on-demand viewing. Meet your favorite authors and take the time to learn, listen, and enjoy new ones. 

We start our festival of reading on Sunday, September 22 at 12n EDT and run through Friday, September 27 at 8pm EDT. All events are free to attend. Meet and listen to authors like Julia Quinn, Jason Reynolds, Malinda Lo, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Stephen Chbosky, Maia Kobabe, and Paula Poundstone as they share about writing and how libraries matter in their lives. Join the conversation about fighting censorship and supporting the First Amendment with noted experts and organizers like Dr. Emily Knox and Patrick "PC" Sweeney.

This reading festival is free and open to the public.

EveryLibrary Live! Banned Books Week 2024 is supported by the participation of great publishers like Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, Hachette, Rowman & Littlefield, Kensignton, Candlewick, and Seven Stories Press. Our partner organizations, Authors Against Book Bans (AABB), the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and the We Are Stronger Than Censorship initiative, are powerful advocates for reading. Join your hosts Gigi Howard from the hit podcast Drinks in the Library, Lee Wind from IBPA, Becky Spratford from RA for All, author and ambassador Rex Ogle, and John Chrastka from EveryLibrary for dozens of engaging author conversations.

RSVP now to get the full festival schedule emailed to you, along with reminders every morning. New sessions are still being announced. Sign up now so you won't miss a thing!

While I think this event will be of interest to you, my readers, I also want to remind you that you can (and should) make this FREE event part of your library's Banned Books Week programming.

First, and most importantly, please notice that the authors here are all currently publishing. We are not talking about banning classics. These are books and authors whose work is challenged RIGHT NOW. These are people who are involved in the fight right to stop censorship today.

Please model this behavior during your Banned Books Week programming and promotion. This is not about the outrage of classic titles being banned. We are in a moment when contemporary stories where people who write authentically as a person of color or from their LGBTQIA+ perspective are facing challenges that are demanding that their existence be silenced. Yes it is that serious. Sure it sucks that people ban Huck Finn, but you should be outraged that simply having a queer character means there are loud voices calling it pornography. Showcase the books from the last 10 years that are actively being removed from libraries. Books that have won major awards. 

Second, you can set up a room in your library to show these interviews live throughout the week as well as passing it on to your patrons for them to watch on their own. This can be your Banned Books Week in person event. EveryLibrary is helping you by doing the work to organize it, but they are doing it to help all of you.

I was talking to EveryLibrary Executive Director John Chrastka about encouraging libraries to make watch parties for this weeklong, "accidental" book festival (his word in quotes). He agreed.

In fact, if you look at the schedule, they were thinking about just this as planning because there are live events starting as late as 8pm Pacific- meaning that all libraries, across the continental US have the chance to have evening programming all week long.

And yet, they are also all free and will be archived for use at anytime. So while this a Banned Books Week event, it can be an anytime of year event as well.

Please sign-up for yourself, advertise the event as YOUR Banned Books Week Programming. Make displays of the books by the authors scheduled to appear. They write in all age levels so that means you can do intergenerational displays as well, and I love these as I have made evident in these posts.

FREE Hybrid Event with Rachel Harrison and Emily Hughes August 21st!

Click here to register for the Zoom

I am posting this on both blogs today because the event is next week and it is available to every one, every where. You don't want to miss it. This is an event for both authors and their latest releases BUT ALSO it is an official Summer Scares event as well.

Please, signup even if you cannot make it. They will be sending a recording. This is a great event to let your patrons know about as well. Again, all can signup no matter where you live.

While this will be a great event on its own, on a selfish note, as one of the people in charge of Summer Scares, I'd love to get a report of HUGE numbers in support of Summer Scares.

Please use the link here or see the text from their website below. 

Maybe I will see you there.

Hybrid: Summer Scares First Bite: SUCH SHARP TEETH & HORROR FOR WEENIES

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21

7:00—8:00 PM 

Meeting RoomSargent Memorial Library

427 Massachusetts Ave

Boxborough, MA 01719

Join us in person at the library or online via Zoom for this special discussion!

As part of this year’s Summer Scares, we welcome authors Rachel Harrison and Emily C. Hughes for a discussion about gateways to the horror genre and how entwined horror is in popular culture. Harrison’s novel Such Sharp Teeth is a selection for the Horror Writers Association 2024 Summer Scares program. Harrison’s work is known for the relatable women protagonists, sense of humor, and feminist twists on tropes. Hughes first book, Horror For Weenies, is forthcoming in September with detailed information on 25 of the most popular horror movies written in an accessible and approachable manner 'for people who love getting the reference but hate being scared.' 

NOTE: This is a HYBRID event. If you'd like to join us online (where we will be taking questions!), please register for the Zoom.

If you'd like to join us in person, just show up.

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

We are proud to be partnering with Silver Unicorn Bookstore for book purchases. You can pre-order signed copies (by bookplate) of the participating authors forthcoming titles, So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison and Horror For Weenies by Emily C. Hughes. Additionally, you can place orders for any of the Summer Scares titles(copies of Rachel Harrison’s Such Sharp Teeth will also be signed). If you are attending in person, our authors will be happy to sign books that you bring from home, too. Please limit them to 3 per author.

About the authors:

Rachel Harrison is the national bestselling author of BLACK SHEEP, SUCH SHARP TEETH, CACKLE, and THE RETURN, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in Guernica, Electric Literature's Recommended Reading, as an Audible Original, and in her debut story collection BAD DOLLS. Her next novel, SO THIRSTY, is out September 10th from Berkley.

Emily C. Hughes wants to scare you. Formerly the editor of Unbound Worlds and TorNightfire.com, she writes about horror and curates a list of the year’s new scary books. Her first book, Horror For Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You’re Too Scared to Watch, will hit shelves in September 2024 from Quirk Books. You can find her writing elsewhere in The New York Times, Vulture, Tor.com, Electric Literature, Thrillist, and more. Emily lives in crunchy western Massachusetts with her husband and four idiot cats.

This hybrid program is brought to you by Sargent Memorial Library in partnership with Ashland Public Library and Framingham Public Library, and several other Massachusetts and New Hampshire libraries.  

This program is part of Summer Scares, an annual reading program from The Horror Writers Association, in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot, Booklist, and NoveList, which provides titles selected by a panel of authors and library workers and is designed to promote Horror as a great reading option for all ages, during any time of the year.

Register through Zoom for online access.

Summer Scares Live on Stage and On Goodreads

The entire concept of Summer Scares is really catching on and I cannot be happier.

After years of doing Summer Scares on their web platforms and promoting our titles Chicago Public Library is having us do Summer Scares Live on Stage AND online for FREE, 1 week from today. Click here or on the images below for the details.

On 6/26 at 6pm Central you can join us at Harold Washington Library Center or on CPL's Facebook page or on their YouTube Channel. All of the details are here. Please click through for details so you can join us. They will take questions for the authors from the online participants as well.

But it is not just me and my colleagues on the Summer Scares Committee who are out there promoting Horror as a great option in the Summer, Goodreads knows it is too. 

Recently, they had this post where they asked the authors of this summer's scariest books for their Horror picks (see graphic below for a preview of who those authors are). This list, alongside Summer Scares is a great vetted list of awesome reads for you to add to your collections and suggest to a wide range of readers.

Keep this Goodreads list and use it to make a display. Feel free to grab our Summer Scares Graphic to use to promote Summer Scares to all ages of readers at your library and then put out all your Horror books! Starting with our Summer Scares titles from this year, using the archive from past years, and the readalikes in the programming guides on the linked pages, plus this Goodreads list is a great place to start.

And don't forget to make it interactive. You should have a way for readers to leave a note about what their favorite scary summer read is in person or as a comment online. Also why not make this your conversation starter question for the next few weeks. Put a book mark in every book of the hold shelf, asking people to return their book with their favorite "scary" book. Reminder, I have a full post about how to encourage answers to conversation starter questions and turn them into displays here.

Embrace the scares this Summer. Horror is hot and people want to read as much of it as possible. And of course, I am here to help with that every single day of the year.

2023 National Book Festival As A Resource At Your Library

Saturday is the Library of Congress National Book Festival. You can attend in person or online. You can do it tomorrow or view the live streamed talks after the event. You can even view panels and talks from past year's festivals. From their home page:

2023 National Book Festival

Join us in the nation’s capital at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday, August 12, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (doors open at 8:30 a.m.). If you can't join us in Washington, D.C. for a day of free talks and activities, several programs will be livestreamed, and video of all talks can be viewed online after the Festival concludes.

Please go to their web page to check out everything that is being offered, no matter where you live.

You can learn about upcoming books, trends, and more. You can put the videos on your website from this year after the fact or post videos from past year's. You can use the panels and those authors appearing to help you think of display ideas. Maybe you don't use the books or authors who are there, but the titles of their panels would make great display titles.

Here is an example from last year, a panel entitled, "What Happens Next in Sequeland?" What an awesome title for a display of any and all books in a series. You can have any genre represented in this one too.And make sure the stories represent the full breadth of identities.

You can also think about the National Book Festival Programming as your programming. I mean, it actually is your programming is because it is from the Library of Congress and thus free to all Americans. Why not add the scheduled live streams to your event calendar, for example.

I have given you a lot of ideas on how to use this festival as a resource to serve your leisure readers. Go for it. 

Summer Scares Author Panels With Booklist Begin TODAY!!!

Today is the first of our 3 author conversation webinars with Booklist to introduce you all to our Summer Scares books and wonderful authors and illustrators. Here is the full schedule: 

Booklist Webinars Featuring Summer Scares Authors

• Summer Scares Middle Grade Author Panel
• Register for Live May 12th, 2pm Eastern
• Summer Scares YA Author panel
• Register for Live May 24th, 2pm Eastern
• Summer Scares Adult Author panel
• Register for Live June 9th, 2pm Eastern

You still have time to sign-up to join us live today. I will be at all three panels in the "official" background space to help answer any of your questions. And of course, Konrad Stump and I are available 24 hours a day at libraries at horror dot org. Visit the Summer Scares  resource page for more including the 2023 Programming Guide.

Use the links above sign-up for all three panels, or visit the archive later to view for FREE. Check out the other free webinars while you are there as well. 

I hope to "see" you there.

For context, here is my initial announcement post about this series of webinars. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2023

Big News for the Summer Scares Authors Panels!

I can finally announce this! 

In past years, the Summer Scares committee has hosted panel discussions with the authors-- one panel per age group-- and we posted them on the HWA You Tube channel for free.

This year, however, we have coordinated with our Summer Scares partner, Booklist to take advantage of their robust, regularly scheduled, FREE webinars, and have scheduled all 3 panels to be offered live with easy, free on-demand access.

The first one features the Middle Grade authors and is Friday, May 12 at 1 pm CT. Julia Smith, from Booklist and our Summer Scares MG expert will be moderating.

By working with Booklist for these webinars we can now give the Summer Scares program a larger reach. The webinar announcements will end up on the radar of thousands of library workers. We also have gotten more buy in from the publishers than we ever have before, again, because they trust Booklist webinars. And we can take advantage of the archiving of past programs which Booklist does so well. Library workers already know to go to that archived webinars page to look for training of any kind, on demand, and for free.

Sign up for the MG panel today with this link. Or pass it on to your YS staff. The YA panel will be later in May and the Adult in early June. I will announce them all on both blogs just as I am doing this MG announcement today.

I will also add the link to the archived webinar after it happen to the Summer Scares Resources page. And those Summer Scares pages get archived as well here. Which means, not only can you watch this year's panels after they happen at this link, but also, you can still easily access those old YouTube discussions at this link.

I hope you join us!

Summer Scares Middle-Grade Panel  

Date & Time: May 12, 2023 01:00 PM CT

Description: Gather ‘round the campfire for a spine-tingling discussion of this year’s middle-grade horror selections for the Summer Scares Reading Program, a program designed for libraries by the Horror Writers Association, in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot, and Booklist. Books for Youth senior editor Julia Smith will gab with Summer Scares authors Katherine Arden (SMALL SPACES), K. G. Campbell (A SMALL ZOMBIE PROBLEM), and Dan SaSuWeh Jones (LIVING GHOSTS & MISCHIEVOUS MONSTERS) about all things horror and why scary stories belong on children’s shelves, both at home and at the library. This free, one-hour webinar will take place on Friday, May 12th at 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET. Register now, or the banshees will haunt you forever. 

Click here to register-- FOR FREE-- now!

A Conversation With Zoje Stage On a Brand New ARC Focused Podcast (Featuring Me As Well)

I know some libraries are closed today, so I thought I would share something both useful and fun. My friend Robb Olsen stared a new podcast (he is an experienced podcaster, go here to listen to the first time I met Robb in person and recorded a podcast with him way back ion 2017).

The podcast is called The ARC Party, and it is perfect for library workers because just like the title hints at, this is a podcast with authors of books that have not come out yet. This is the exact space we operate in at libraries when it comes to new books. We need information before they come out. We need to know if we should order a title-- and we are ordering 3-6 months in advance. We also need to know who the best audience for this book is BEFORE it comes out, so we can make sure to get it into the correct people's hands. We want the book to checkout because that shows we made good collection choices, but we also want to make sure it is checked out by its best reader. 

So many of the book podcasts feature a book in the days before it comes out and then right after. What Robb is doing is exciting for authors because it gives them a chance to talk about their book early, to build buzz. But it is also a time when they are not as frazzled and pulled in a million directions doing promotion. It is also going to to be the first time some of them talk about their book to others.

That was exactly the case when Robb invited me to be a part of Zoje Stage's episode to talk about her upcoming title, Mothered. Robb invited me because I reviewed Mothered in the January issue of Library Journal, and in the past we have bonded over our shared love of her novel Wonderland. Stage straight ups said that this was going to be the first time she talked about Mothered to others. I think it makes for a better conversation, one that is more authentic, less promotional, and a better resource for what we need in libraries.

Stage is sharing her book at its essence. She is not worried about taking points or what her marketing people have told her to push. She is honest about the book, the writing process, and what she was trying to do. Also from the interviewer side, both Robb and I read the book way early and our thoughts are also not influenced by marketing or even other readers. It makes for a great conversation, one that library workers will get a lot of useful information out of. 

You can listen for yourself  as the full episode is available on any podcast app you can think of, but here’s the website for direct access as well: https://www.thearcparty.com/p/zoje-stage-mothered#details

Robb also posts a video version on You Tube, fully indexed, where you can jump to the section you want to listen to. That is accessible here.

He also made a promotion clip of Stage talking about the book here.

And one of me talking to authors and publishers about how to get their books into libraries. 

Mothered comes out March 1st. I am pretty sure most of you have it on order already, but use the podcast to hear why we think readers will love it. This will make it easier for you to get this book into the right reader's hands. 

Oh, and one final note. Stage LOVES going to book clubs. So if you read one of her books, reach out to her on social media. She will virtually dial in for your book club. We talk about it right near the start of the episode. 

Stephen Graham Jones Kicks Off His New Book Tour With Me and You Can Join Us and Get a Signed Book

On Friday the 13th, last week, I announced the kick off event for Stephen Graham Jones' book tour for Don't Fear the Reaper on Twitter. Yesterday, the book was on the Library Reads February 2023 Hall of Fame list.

Today, I want to make sure those who follow me on the blog get access to the sign-up link to join me and Stephen as part of Barnes and Noble's Midday Mystery series of live event. The event is on Monday, Feb 6, 2023 at 3PM Eastern.

As a reminder, I loved this book and gave it a STAR review in the December issue of Booklist. You can read my draft review with bonus info here.

But back to the virtual event. You can sign up to join Stephen and I in conversation about Don't Fear the Reaper, Jade the character, life, writing, and of course other authors we love. Stephen and I have known each other for a while now, and frequently collaborate, so I am very excited to get to hang and just chat for the benefit of all of you.  

But here is the thing, you HAVE TO signup with this Eventbrite link:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bn-midday-mystery-presents-stephen-graham-joness-dont-fear-the-reaper-tickets-478291341277

There is a 100% free option to join us and there is also an option where you can buy a signed copy of the book. But again, you must pre-register to be a part of this event.

Side benefit to my followers, leave a comment on this post if there is something specific you want me and Stephen to chat about.

I hope to see you there. 

Spine-Chilling Books Moderated by Me and It's Virtual, Free, and You Can Screen It For Your Patrons

A few weeks ago, I was asked to help organize a virtual panel discussion with Horror authors for a literary society in Michigan. But there was a catch. They only had one author booked, could I fill the panel out for them as well.  Not only was I able to fill the panel, I am quite proud of the group I have assembled. The authors I have chosen for this FREE event, not only all appeal to a wide audience, but also, they all write a different type of horror. From poetry to cosmic, best-selling epics to speculative Noir, from dark fantasy to the world's Halloween expert, there is literally something here for every type of reader.  I am posting this 10 days in advance to give you time to sign up for yourself and promote to your patrons.  But the main reason I wanted to post this here on the general blog is to encourage you to show this panel discussion at your library as a program. Offer it for people to come in person AND through your virtual programming channels.  Tis the season when even the most timid readers want to dip their toe in Horror's scary waters, and I can promise you that this will be an event for ALL readers. You can offer it on a screen for them to participate and pull the titles by these authors and/or use my book to gather up a bunch of titles for them to browse after. We will talk for an hour and you can extend the program by having a discussion about what you heard us talk about and the Horror genre in general. Please consider joining us for free on Monday, October 17th, at pm Eastern, live from a computer of your choice. Here is the official info from the Book and Author Society And here is the direct Zoom registration link: We're thrilled to invite you to another fantastic panel discussion event featuring horror authors, moderated by Becky Spratford. This event is free and open to the public, so please pass this post on and share it with your friends.

Our panel of authors includes: Linda Addison Hailey Piper Chuck Wendig Lisa Morton Cynthia Pelayo Gabino Iglesias Books by these authors can be purchased from Bookshop.org REGISTER HERE ON ZOOM

Library Journal Day of Dialog is Free and Online on May 5th

Click on the image to see details and register

One of the better things to come out of the pandemic is that it appears LJ's annual Day of Dialog is staying virtual. You can access all of the details and register here.

This is an event that is useful to any library worker who will ever speak to an adult leisure reader at any time. Seriously, I am not exaggerating here. Why? Because the day is made up of multiple panels featuring authors, all with upcoming, high interest books, grouped into categories, in conversation with a library person.

You can watch them all at once on the day, or access them from May 5th thru August 5th.

Every panel provides an opportunity for you to hear directly form authors about their books. This serves a few RA purposes:

• Obviously, if you do collection development you can decide then and there if you should add the book.
• Hearing from authors about their books gives you valuable information that you can share with potential readers about said books, without ever reading the book yourself. When I talk about "reading about books" as being just as good as [or even better than] reading that book yourself, this is what I mean. Watch a panel and you will understand. You will never read all of these books, but spend a few hours watching these panels and you will learn about a lot of books, enough to knowledgeably get them into the hands of their best reader. 
• Both seeing the authors grouped in specific panels and taking a wide view of everything that is being offered gives you a sense of emerging trends. It isn't done on purpose, but I always see trends within panels and across the entire day. 
• While you watch the authors in conversation, readalike options and/or display ideas will come to you. Make notes. You could have a "while you wait" list or topical display ready for when these books come out.
• Just being able to sit back and listen to authors talk about their book teaches you a lot. It is an example of other ways to talk about books, you see the person behind the book, you get lists of other authors who the panelists will mention, etc....

And all of these "purposes" don't even take into account that these panels are just fun to watch.

You can go to the LJ DoD site for all of the details and to register. "See" you there.

Feel the Fear: A Horror Round Table Discussion w/ Chicago Public Library and Me

Tonight at 6pm central I am doing a FREE, virtual, live event with Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu, and Hailey Piper for the Chicago Public Library. We will be talking about Horror and announcing the Summer Scares spokesperson at the end of the event. I am going to hand the announcement duties to Summer Scares veteran Stephen Graham Jones who's Mongrels was a 2019 inaugural suggestion and who led the program in 2020. 

This is the first year we are announcing the spokesperson LIVE and I am so happy to do this in conjunction with the largest library in the country who supports the Summer Scares program. We will also be having our normal Halloween announcement here on the blog and with a press release. 

We are going to talk about the state of Horror today, but we are also going to delve into the question of why those from marginalized perspectives are writing some of the bets horror today. All three authors are proof of that. Jones and Katsu were both up for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in May and Piper will be appearing on at least 1 year end Best Horror list that I know of [and that is because I was on that committee]. This is not a trend, by the way, and we will discuss that openly and honestly. 

Also, side note, CPL does an excellent job with virtual live events. Take a look at their YouTube page where they live stream events [as well as on Facebook] and archive them all. CPL does not require a registration for these events which I think is a great idea. You can set a reminder for Facebook and YouTube to remember so people can quasi register, but without making them physically register you eliminate troubleshooting registration links as you are trying to start an event.

See below or click here to watch us tonight. 

But before I lose your attention, tomorrow, the Oak Park Public Library [a town which touches Chicago on its eastern border] is hosting Brian Keene, another former Summer Summer Scares author, for a live event. I will be attending that one as a viewer. You can live anywhere to join that one. Click here to register.

See some of you tonight. We will be taking questions. 

Feel the Fear: A Horror Roundtable Discussion

Wednesday 

October 27, 2021

6-7 pm central

Click here to join

Get in the Halloween spirit and join a lively discussion with three of today's hottest voices in horror: Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu, and Hailey Piper, moderated by local librarian and Horror expert Becky Spratford. They will talk about why they love Horror, how they bring the fear to life on the page, and what creators they seek out for their own frightening fun. This will be a casual and fun conversation where participation by the audience will be highly encouraged. As a special bonus, the evening will be capped off by the official kick off of the 2022 Summer Scares program with a LIVE announcement of this year's author spokesperson. 

For more information about Summer Scares and for librarian vetted Horror for all ages of readers please visit: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/p/summer-scares.html. Come spend a spooky evening with us...if you dare!

How to Attend:

This event will take place on CPL's YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Can't make it to the live stream? We'll archive the video on YouTube to watch later as well.

Accessibility

Captioning is available via YouTube's captioning service. Just turn on the captioning option.

Schedule of Programs for 2021 National Book Festival

Yesterday the National Book Festival Announced their lineup and it is all virtual. Make sure you are making this event accessible to your patrons through your websites and regular programing channels. 

With the increase in virtual options, it is important for libraries to remember that your virtual programming does not all have to be created and or run by you specifically. Something like the National Book Festival can easily be a 10 day event celebrated and presented by your library. It is the best way to get the most interested eyes on the content. 

And as you can see here, there are events for all ages of readers.

Here is the official announcement from the National Book Festival Blog:

We’ve just announced the author lineup and schedule of programs for the 2021 Library of Congress National Book Festival! The 10-day festival, taking place Sept. 17-26, features more than 100 authors, poets and writers in a range of formats — all celebrating the festival theme, “Open a Book, Open the World.” You can engage with your favorite authors through virtual live events, question-and-answer sessions, on-demand videos and two ticketed in-person events at the Library.

This year’s festival also expands its reach with author interviews on NPR podcasts, virtual live events with The Washington Post, a one-hour television special on PBS and virtual events from PBS Books on Facebook in collaboration with public television stations and libraries across the country. You’ll also want to check out the new “Festival Near You” section on the festival website, which highlights associated festival events across the country (make sure to explore the interactive map!). Local libraries, community centers and attendees are encouraged to host watch parties and other community events in their local areas.

Read the schedule announcement here, and get all the details to start making plans for your own festival experience on the 2021 National Book Festival website!

Click here to access the full schedule