
Completely Booked - Official Podcast of the Jacksonville Public Library
by Jacksonville Public Library
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On the show
From 10 epsHosts
Recent guests
Recent episodes
Lit Chat Interview with Local Author C.H. Hooks
Dec 16, 2025
56m 55s
Lit Chat with National Book Award Winner Tiya Miles
Nov 25, 2025
59m 59s
Lit Chat Author Talk with Osa Atoe at Duval Comic and Zine Fest
Oct 29, 2025
1h 02m 06s
Lit Chat with Local Author Daniel Powell
Oct 9, 2025
56m 23s
Lit Chat Interview with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Kevin Sack
Sep 17, 2025
59m 10s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/16/25 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Local Author C.H. Hooks✨ | local authorsliterary community+3 | C.H. Hooks | Jacksonville Public LibraryThe Los Angeles Review+7 | St. AugustineSouth Georgia | C.H. HooksCan't Shake the Dust+3 | — | 56m 55s | |
| 11/25/25 | ![]() Lit Chat with National Book Award Winner Tiya Miles✨ | African American historyHarriet Tubman+4 | Tiya Miles | National Book AwardYale+11 | — | Tiya MilesHarriet Tubman+6 | — | 59m 59s | |
| 10/29/25 | ![]() Lit Chat Author Talk with Osa Atoe at Duval Comic and Zine Fest✨ | ceramicspunk music+3 | Osa Atoe | Pottery by OsaShotgun Seamstress | Sarasota, FloridaPortland, Oregon+1 | Osa Atoeceramics+3 | — | 1h 02m 06s | |
| 10/9/25 | ![]() Lit Chat with Local Author Daniel Powell✨ | Southern Gothicghost stories+4 | Daniel Powell | Florida State College at JacksonvilleDown in the Sawgrass Boneyard+2 | Timucuan Preserve | Southern Gothicghost stories+3 | — | 56m 23s | |
| 9/17/25 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Kevin Sack✨ | journalismracial justice+3 | Kevin Sack | The New York TimesLos Angeles Times+3 | South CarolinaCharleston+1 | Kevin SackMother Emanuel+6 | — | 59m 10s | |
| 8/14/25 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Fantasy Author Django Wexler✨ | fantasy literaturetabletop games+3 | Django Wexler | Jacksonville Public LibraryJax Pop Con+3 | — | Django WexlerMichael Regina+3 | — | 57m 29s | |
| 5/30/25 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with USA Today Bestselling Author Kelly Mustian✨ | author interviewbook signing+3 | Kelly Mustian | The Girls in the Stilt HouseThe River Knows Your Name+1 | MississippiBeaches Branch Library | Kelly MustianThe River Knows Your Name+3 | — | 1h 00m 50s | |
| 5/8/25 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Historical Fiction Author Jennifer Coburn✨ | historical fictionresistance+3 | Jennifer Coburn | So Say We AllThe Girls of the Glimmer Factory+1 | San DiegoTheresienstadt | historical fictionresistance+3 | — | 57m 33s | |
| 4/3/25 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Rebecca Brenner Graham✨ | debut authorrefugees+5 | Rebecca Brenner Graham | Jacksonville Public LibraryBrown University+4 | — | Frances Perkinsrefugees+5 | — | 56m 57s | |
| 3/3/25 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Civil Rights Activist & Author Rodney Hurst, Sr.✨ | Civil RightsBlack History+4 | Rodney Hurst, Sr. | Jacksonville Youth Council NAACPJacksonville City Council+2 | JacksonvilleNorthwestern Junior-Senior High School | Rodney HurstCivil Rights+6 | — | 59m 42s | |
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| 2/13/25 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Author Sheila Athens | A First Coast Romance Sheila Athens writes smart contemporary fiction set where the South meets the Sunshine state. Her stories are about women seeking to find the peace we all deserve. Readers are drawn to her work because they believe that everyday heroes can make a difference in our world. Featured Book: Mae Van Dorn's Perfect Storm All thirty-four-year-old Mae Van Dorn wants is to live alone. But she soon finds herself living with her estranged brother in a town she's never been to and working for the founder of the local megachurch, though she's as misanthropic as they come. An added benefit of the job: Ezra Watts, the handsome construction company owner who's remodeling the deck at the pastor's waterfront mansion. Between her brother's mysterious past, the pastor's potentially illicit dealings and Ezra's on-again-off-again flirtations, Mae's life spins out of control…and that's all BEFORE Hurricane Carly makes landfall in Jacksonville Beach. Check out Sheila's work from the Library: https://jaxpl.na4.iiivega.com/search?pageSize=20&pageNum=0&sorting=relevance&sortOrder=asc&searchType=everything&query=sheila%20athens&universalLimiterIds=&materialTypeIds=&collectionIds=&intendedAudienceIds=&literaryFormIds=&agentIds=&conceptIds=&language= After growing up in the Ozarks, Sheila Athens moved to Florida—sight unseen—with the man who would become her husband. Thirty-five years later, she's still on the shores of the Atlantic, grateful that her two grown sons and their families live nearby. After many years as a vice president of human resources, she now spends her time ensconced in her quiet little lair, where she reads, writes and communes with the ducks who live on the lake right off her back porch. She loves quiet spaces, eccentric people and the little band of writer hikers who walk at sunrise on a regular basis. To sign up for her newsletter or to schedule a book club visit (either in-person or virtual), go to SheilaAthens.com. Interviewer Jessica Hatch has a passion for writing genre-blind, character-first fiction. Her work has appeared in such publications as Writer's Digest, The Millions, Fast Company, Neutral Spaces, and Surely Magazine, among others, and her freshman and sophomore novels were published by Hachette UK's Bookouture imprint. Before becoming an author, Jessica worked and interned in New York trade publishing institutions Writers House and St. Martin's Press. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida. Find her at jessicahatch.com. More Recommended Reading SHEILA RECOMMENDS Looking for other authors of Southern fiction? Sheila recommends Karen White, Sarah Addison Allen, Mary Kay Andrews, and Kristy Woodson Harvey. --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 2/5/25 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Author and Filmmaker Morgan Jerkins | A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots New York Times bestselling and National Magazine Award-winning author Morgan Jerkins will be at the Main Library this October to discuss Wandering in Strange Lands, the powerful story of her journey to understand her northern and southern roots, the Great Migration, and the displacement of black people across America. She will be the first featured Lit Chat author in the Library's new African American History series of community programs. The project, in part, seeks to expand the Library's African American History Collection and the associated Digital Community Archive and to make customers aware of all the FREE family research and local history resources available to them in the Special Collections Department at the Main Library, including the newly-expanded Memory Lab. For more information about how you can contribute materials to Special Collections or use these publicly-available resources to trace your family roots, research the history of your home or neighborhood and more, please click on this link. Morgan Jerkins's most recent book is the novel Caul Baby, an Amazon Best Book of 2021. Her other books are Wandering in Strange Lands: A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots, one of Time's must-read books of 2020, and This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America, a New York Times Bestseller. As a journalist, she's written about the internet, intersecting social issues and popular media through celebrity profiles and interviews, reportage, commentary, and personal essays. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Vanity Fair, among others. She's won two National Magazine Awards and was a Forbes 30 Under 30 Leader in Media. Jerkins is also a filmmaker. Her debut short film, Black Madonna, which she wrote and co-directed, was selected at the Big Apple Film Festival, Pan African Film & Arts Festival, and NewFilmmakers Los Angeles. She teaches Creative Writing at Princeton University, where she also holds a Bachelor's in Comparative Literature. She has an MFA from Bennington College, and has taught at Columbia University, Pacific University, The New School, and Leipzig University, where she was the Guest Picador Professor. Based in New York City, she was born and raised in New Jersey. Interviewer Prof. Tammy Cherry has taught at Florida State College at Jacksonville as an English professor for 22 years. Along with composition classes, Tammy teaches African American literature and honors classes. She is a lifelong Jacksonville resident and recently served as co-host for the WJCT podcast Bygone Jax. Praise for Morgan Jerkins's Books "In Morgan Jerkins's remarkable debut essay collection, This Will Be My Undoing, she is a deft cartographer of black girlhood and womanhood. From one essay to the next, Jerkins weaves the personal with the public and political in compelling, challenging ways... With this collection, she shows us that she is unforgettably here, a writer to be reckoned with." — Roxanne Gay "[A] forthright and informative account. . . . Jerkins's careful research and revelatory conversations with historians, activists, and genealogists result in a disturbing yet ultimately empowering chronicle of the African-American experience. Readers will be moved by this brave and inquisitive book." — Publishers Weekly on Wandering in Strange Lands "Morgan Jerkins' fantastic, expansive novel of mothers and daughters and Harlem, Caul Baby, is a meditation on the limits of inheritance and legacy. It's also a love letter to a rapidly changing neighborhood."— Kaitlyn Greenidge Check out Morgan's works from the library! Continue Reading MORGAN RECOMMENDS Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado FEM by Magda Carneci THE LIBRARY RECOMMENDS Dear Ijeawele, or, A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper Life, I Swear: Intimate Stories From Black Women on Identity, Healing, and Self-Trust by Chloe Dulce Louvouezo A Renaissance of Our Own: A Memoir & Manifesto on Reimagining by Rachel E Cargle Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine The Love Song of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers These Ghost are Family by Maisy Card Neighbors and Other Stories by Diane Oliver The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 12/5/24 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Mexican Gothic Author Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Mexican Gothic Author Comes to Jacksonville Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic, is coming to Jacksonville for Hispanic Heritage Month. Her latest novel is a historical drama set in Hollywood, following three different point of view characters all tied to the production of a movie inspired by the Biblical story of Salome. FEATURED BOOK: The Seventh Veil of Salome 1950s Hollywood: Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary woman whose story has inspired artists since ancient times. So when the film's mercurial director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingenue, in the lead role, she quickly becomes the talk of the town. Vera also becomes an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player whose career has stalled and who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves. Two actresses, both determined to make it to the top in Golden Age Hollywood—a city overflowing with gossip, scandal, and intrigue—make for a sizzling combination. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of a number of critically acclaimed novels, including Gods of Jade and Shadow (Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, Ignyte Award), Mexican Gothic (Locus Award, British Fantasy Award, Pacific Northwest Book Award, Aurora Award, Goodreads Award), Velvet Was the Night (finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Macavity Award), and her newest book, The Seventh Veil of Salome, which was a Good Morning America Book Club pick for August 2024. Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination. Cachanilla and Canuck, originally from Baja California, Silvia now resides in Vancouver. She has an MA in Science and Technology Studies from the University of British Columbia. Interviewer Michelle Lizet Flores is a graduate of the FSU and NYU creative writing programs. She currently works as a Creative Writing Instructor at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and co-hosts the What's in a Verse Poetry Open Mic at Rain Dogs. Publications include The NCTE English Journal, Salt Hill Journal, and The Talon Review. A finalist for the Juan Felipe Herrera Award for Poetry, she wrote the chapbooks Cuentos from the Swamp and Memoria, and the picture book, Carlito the Bat Learns to Trick or Treat. Her short fiction is in the anthology, Places We Build in the Universe. Invasive Species, her first full-length collection of poetry, is currently available from Finishing Line Press. READ Check out Silvia's work from the Library! THE LIBRARY RECOMMENDS The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzales James The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones Piñata by Leopoldo Gout Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova Malas by Marcela Fuentes The Death of Vivek Oji by Awkaeke Emezi Bad Fruit by Ella King Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown The Queen of the Cicadas by V Castro River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 11/15/24 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Writer & Musician Daryl Gussin | Zinester Talks Fanzines, Community Daryl Gussin is a writer and musician who has been awkwardly standing around at punk shows for the last twenty-something years. Thankfully at some point in his late teens, he decided to become a little more productive and has been working on zines, setting up shows, and playing in bands consecutively since then. He's been integrally involved in Razorcake fanzine for the last seventeen years. ABOUT THE AUTHOR & INTERVIEWER In 2006, Daryl Gussin became integrally involved in the Razorcake fanzine where he is currently the managing editor. His writing revolves around the honest, bittersweet, and ultimately triumphant aspects of counterculture and its flavorful inhabitants: The heartbreaks, the implosions, and the defiant victories. Community over commercialism, create and destroy. Interviewer Lindsay Anderson is a prolific zine maker and self-publisher based in Jacksonville, FL. Since 2013, Lindsay has developed a long-running zine project, she has helped to organize the annual Duval Comic and Zine Fest (DCAZ) and recently launched a new quarterly zine Mischief on the River. She's passionate about creating from existing resources and making space for others to develop and showcase their own works. READ Check out issues of Razorcake from the library: https://jaxpl.na4.iiivega.com/search?query=razorcake&searchType=everything&pageSize=10 DARYL RECOMMENDS "A quick list of contemporary LA poets I always enjoy seeing read": Ingrid M. Calderón @ingrid_de_lamatepec Iván Salinas @el_ivanooo Jennifer Vierge Baptiste @wheresmsb --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 10/15/24 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Top Chef Personality & Author Kenny Gilbert | Chef Kenny Offers New Takes on Southern Cuisine Chef Kenny Gilbert is best known for his appearance on "Top Chef" Season seven, where he displayed a big personality and instantly became one of the most likable "cheftestants" to date. He is also the author of the new cookbook, Southern Cooking, Global Flavors (2023), which includes tips and techniques for making international variations of over 100 iconic Southern dishes. "My passion is food. Wherever I go, whatever I do, that's how I roll." - Chef Kenny Gilbert Throughout his career, Kenny has traveled the world, staging in some of the top restaurants in Japan, Spain, France and the Caribbean. He has cooked at the James Beard House, participated in wine & food festivals around the country, cooked for the Sports Illustrated Super Bowl party and appeared on the "Today Show," Jacksonville's FOX 30 and in the LA Times. MEET CELEBRITY CHEF KENNY GILBERT Kenny joined us for a Lit Chat Interview on Tuesday, August 27, at the Mandarin Branch Library. This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Mandarin Library. MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR & INTERVIEWER An award-winning chef and restaurateur, Kenny Gilbert's career spans over two decades and has graced him with opportunities to travel around the world and learn the authentic techniques and flavors of global cuisines. He has always had a love of cooking. Growing up in Cleveland, but with roots in the South, his father was an avid BBQ man with his own rubs and sauces while his mother was a fantastic home cook. In April of 2023, Kenny released his very first cookbook, Southern Cooking, Global Flavors from Rizzoli. Interviewer Cindy Sutton and her husband are the parents of three children and are now first-time grandparents. Cindy is retired from the healthcare industry, where she worked for almost 30 years. She has lived in various places across the United States and is an avid traveler who enjoys great food and great wine (and cocktails). Living in different areas around the country and traveling around the world has afforded her the opportunity to eat at famous restaurants and experience the creativity and genius of a lot of chefs. Her husband, David, had the opportunity to experience Chef Kenny's creations in the late 90s when he was at the Ritz Carlton in Amelia Island, and since then they have both been big fans of Chef Kenny and have traveled to other cities just to experience his cuisine. --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 9/12/24 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with "Prairie Man" Author Dean Butler | Dean Butler is an actor, producer, and director best known for his role as Almanzo Wilder (the man Laura Ingalls married) in Little House on the Prairie, based on the beloved Little House book series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. He appeared in the final four seasons of the show, the spin-off show Little House: A New Beginning, and the three post-series TV movies. He was also a producer for NBC Golf's Emmy-nominated series Feherty for over ten seasons. "The idea of being a cowboy and riding horses began for me at our family ranch in northern California," Dean Butler says. "In this picture, I'm holding our horse, Cricket, with my sister Meg in the saddle. Those beautiful summer days in the country with my family all around me shaped my entire life and prepared me for what was to come in the years ahead." Now, on the occasion of Little House on the Prairie's 50th Anniversary in 2024, he's sharing the details of his young life as an aspiring cowboy and what he learned from Michael Landon in touching a new memoir. READ Check out Prairie Man from the library! ABOUT THE AUTHOR & INTERVIEWER Cast just before his twenty-third birthday, Dean Butler joined Little House on the Prairie halfway through its run, gaining instant celebrity and fans' enduring affection. Ironically, when the late, great Michael Landon remarked that Little House would outlive everyone involved in making it, Butler deemed it unlikely. Yet for four decades and counting, Butler has been defined in the public eye as Almanzo Wilder—a role he views as the great gift of his life. Interviewer Devan Stuart Lesley is a longtime journalist and owner of Legacy Talent Group, representing actors and models throughout the Southeast. Her expansive media career experience includes print, radio, and TV journalism; commercial, news, documentary, and independent film producing; assistant directing; acting; and voice-over. She is a freelance correspondent for People magazine and founder of Stuart Media, LLC specializing in corporate media. As a volunteer, Lesley is co-founder and past President of the Norman Studios Silent Film Museum, a 501c3 nonprofit organization working to restore and reopen Jacksonville's sole remaining silent film studio complex, where some of the nation's first African American-cast films were produced. She also is a member of the Jacksonville Mayor's Commission on Motion Picture, Television, and Commercial Production; Film Florida's Marketing & Communications Committee and Industry & Association Council; Women in Film and Television's Jacksonville, FL and New York chapters; and the Northeast Florida Press Club. THE LIBRARY RECOMMENDS More memoirs from the Little House on the Prairie cast: Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim Lessons from the Prairie by Melissa Francis Prairie Tale by Melissa Gilbert The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House by Melissa Sue Anderson --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 8/23/24 | ![]() Lit Chat with Award-Winning Graphic Novelist Nate Powell | Nate Powell began self-publishing as an Arkansas teenager in 1992. Now, he is a National Book Award-winning cartoonist best known for his work on the ground-breaking graphic novel memoir series, March, with civil rights icon John Lewis. An inside story of the Civil Rights Movement told through the eyes of one of its most iconic figures, it was a #1 New York Times and Washington Post bestseller. Nate Powell has received multiple Eisner and Ignatz awards, the Comic-Con International Inkpot Award, and multiple ALA and YALSA distinctions. He was also a two-time finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He has discussed his work at the United Nations, on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, PBS, and CNN. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana. His other work includes the new graphic novel Fall Through (released February 6, 2024) and a new comics adaptation of James Loewen's influential Lies My Teacher Told Me (released April 16, 2024), as well as Save It For Later, Come Again, Two Dead and more. Interviewer Badr Milligan is a podcaster, professional moderator, and community leader all rolled into one. He has moderated panels for some of the biggest conventions and conferences around the country, and to date, he's hosted and produced over 600 episodes of the award-winning and ongoing podcast: The Short Box: A Comic Book Talk Show. For the past 12 years, Badr has made it his mission to use the medium of podcasting to its full potential, engaging with the world's best artists and wordsmiths in thought-provoking interviews that are shared weekly, with listeners in over 140 countries. In 2018, Badr co-founded the Jax Podcaster's United Group: A collective of 500+ audio creators in Northeast, FL, committed to educating and inspiring the next generation of podcasters with collaborative events and community outreach programs. Badr is also an Air Force Veteran, and currently runs his own business, The Short Box Entertainment Company. READ Check out Nate's work from the library! THE LIBRARY RECOMMENDS More great graphic novels and zines to read! Ish by Adam de Souza The Fire Never Goes Out by ND Stevenson They Called Us Enemy by George Takei --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 8/2/24 | ![]() Lit Chat Author Interview with Debut Novelist Alejandro Nodarse | Debut Florida Author Brings the Magic City to Jacksonville "I am, first and foremost, a Miamian. No physical location has done more to shape my personal and artistic sensibilities than the Magic City," Alejandro Nodarse said in a recent interview. "Miami is, unquestionably, very different from its neighboring Floridan cities, and I am a product of that high energy, heavy neon, fiercely multicultural coastal city." Critics seem to agree... This deeply personal vision of the streets and swamps of Miami is getting some attention, with Publisher's Weekly saying, "Heat practically radiates off the page." Nodarse went on to say, "The creative impulses that fueled the novel were heavily inspired by texts that, in their own right, are some of the best examples of how Florida has defined itself in the national consciousness." Alejandro Nodarse holds an MFA from the University of Miami and is an alum of Las Dos Brujas Writers Conference and a former staff member of the VONA Writers Conference. Blood in the Cut is his debut novel. Interviewer Michael Wiley is the Shamus Award-winning author of twelve novels in four series. The most recent series features Franky Dast, an exonerated convict who investigates crimes involving the unjustly accused. Michael's short stories appear often in magazines and anthologies, including Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022. A former board member of the Mystery Writers of America, he teaches creative writing and literature at the University of North Florida. His new novel, Find Your Own Way Home, will release this summer at the end of July. READ Check out Blood in the Cut from the Library! -- https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=AUTHOR%3D%22alejandro+nodarse%22&te= ALEJANDRO RECOMMENDS Here are the top Florida-themed works of art that helped hone Blood in the Cut: Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins "Few films are so Miami-as-it-is and Miami-as-it-should-be as Moonlight. In early drafts of Blood in the Cut, Chiron served as a model for Carlos, my protagonist Iggy's brother, and while Carlos's character arc fell to the background, Chiron, Jenkins's Miami, and the rugged determination of the characters to find their lanes in life held steady as I wrote." The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean "This book is everything I love rolled into one: Mystery, adventure, botany, orchids, the Everglades—what more could you want!? Orlean weaves a tale for readers that examines the lengths that some will go to feed their passions and find rare orchids. It's this combination of beautiful, deep descriptions, unbreakable determination, love of the Everglades, and eye for detail that I hoped to capture in Blood in the Cut." The Florida Project directed by Sean Baker "Throughout the film, Moonee is far wiser than any six-year-old should be, but because of it, she takes everything in stride. I wanted my protagonist, Iggy, to embody that same sort of steely determination as his situation deteriorated. Like any Floridians worthy of the name, both Moonee and Iggy are adept at "resolviendo", a Spanish word that loosely translates to "making things happen", and this is what allows us to hope against all hope when things are darkest for them both. " Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston "The tumultuous external landscape that Janie must navigate throughout the novel mirrors her internal turbulence, and that sort of well-rendered, thoughtful characterization is a literary feat I desperately hoped to accomplish as I crafted my characters, especially Iggy." Cocaine Cowboys directed by Billy Corben "Corben's skill at recreating a bygone era and fully immersing audiences is something I've always marveled at and wanted to achieve in Blood in the Cut, which is set in Miami in 2016, just as the presidential elections are taking shape." Gator Country by Rebecca Renner "I think of this book as Blood in the Cut's nonfiction aspirational counterpart because of how beautifully Renner renders the Everglades and the worlds it contains within. One goal I set for myself as I was writing my novel was to treat the Everglades as a character by rendering it as elegantly, vividly, and faithfully in terms of scope, beauty, danger, and primordial, elemental mood. Gator Country forced me to step my game up as I rendered the Everglades in my work." Ace Ventura: Pet Detective directed by Tom Shadyac "I'd like to go on the record and state that the protagonist of this eponymous, comedic whodunit, Ace Ventura, is the original Florida Man. This film is part mystery, part comedy, part love letter to Miami: a tryptic of accomplishments that inspired some key elements of Blood in the Cut." Swamplandia! By Karen Russell "This book. All of it. The way that Russell lures readers into the Everglades and into the lives of the Big Tree family is the magic I pray for every time I crack open a book. This coming-of-age mediation on love, loss, and "resolviendo" is one of the reasons Blood in the Cut exists." --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 7/19/24 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Bestselling Environmental Writer Jeff Goodell | You May Never See a Hot Summer Day the Same Way Again... Jeff Goodell is a New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World, which was picked as a New York Times Critics' Top Book of 2017, as well as one of Washington Post's 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction in 2017. Goodell's previous books include Sunnyvale, a memoir about growing up in Silicon Valley, which was a New York Times Notable Book, and Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future. His latest book is the New York Times bestseller The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet - about the impact that temperature rise will have on our lives and our planet. This program was presented in partnership with the St. Johns Riverkeeper and the Jacksonville Climate Coalition. Jeff Goodell has covered climate change for more than two decades at Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, and many other publications. A 2020 Guggenheim Fellow, his work has been recognized by the American Meteorological Society, New America, and the inaugural Covering Climate Change Now Journalism Awards for Feature Writing. He is a Senior Fellow at the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center and serves on the board of the McHarg Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. Interviewer Nikesha Elise Williams is a two-time Emmy award-winning producer, an award-winning author, and producer and host of the Black & Published podcast. Her latest novel, The Seven Daughters of Dupree, was acquired by Scout Press and will be published in 2025. A Chicago native, Nikesha is a columnist with JAX Today. Her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, ESSENCE, and VOX. She lives in Florida with her family. READ THE AUTHOR'S WORK Check out Jeff's work from the Library! THE LIBRARY ALSO RECOMMENDS Other climate change reads: Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe Are We Screwed?: How a New Generation is Fighting to Survive Climate Change by Geoff Dembicki The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 6/13/24 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Award-Winning Author Siera London | Hallmarky Romance with Some Light Spice Siera London says, "I write sassy, sensual heroines." Whether it's the Forbidden series, Fiery Fairy Tales, The Bachelors of Shell Cove, you're sure to find plenty of heat, humor, and a rollercoaster of emotions. Dubbed a "Hallmarky romance with a little extra heat" by author Lizzie Shane, London's latest book, Fake It Till You Make It, is no exception. In it, we meet Amarie Walker, who has just left her cheating ex and her entire D.C. life in the rearview. It's not long after crash landing in a small town with no money, no plans, and no job, that Amarie meets certified veterinarian (and certified grump) Eli Calvary. He may not be cracking many smiles but his animal clinic is the only gig for miles. The only problem? The practice Eli inherited from his father is in financial trouble and when he needs to invent an investor on the fly, it's Amarie's name that comes to his lips! Can the gorgeous, bubbly, and business-savvy Amarie help save the clinic from foreclosure? And can the two ignore the nonstop sparks between them long enough to save his family business? The Lit Chat Interview with Siera London took place live at the Bradham and Brooks Library on Saturday, May 11, 2024. USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Siera London crafts tales with a message to heal the heart and soul. From contemporary to paranormal, Siera weaves stories with heroines you know, heroes you love, and romance you feel. When not writing, Siera roams with Mr. Awesome and Frie, her cat muse. Siera is a retired Navy veteran and a Jacksonville native. Learn more about the author and her literary catalog online at sieralondonauthor.com Interviewer Jessica Hatch has a passion for writing genre-blind, character-first fiction with a love of words and a strong beating heart. Her work has appeared in such publications as Writer's Digest, The Millions, Fast Company, Neutral Spaces, and Surely Magazine, and she hosts the virtual reading series Comp Title Book Club. Her freshman and sophomore novels were published by Hachette UK's Bookouture imprint, and her debut novel, My Big Fake Wedding, a Lonely Victories Book of 2022, appeared in the Top 50 women's fiction and Top 100 romantic comedy titles on Amazon. Before becoming an author, Jessica worked and interned in New York trade publishing institutions Writers House and St. Martin's Press. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida. READ Check out Siera's work from the library: https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=AUTHOR%3D%22siera+london%22&te= SIERA RECOMMENDS "I enjoy lazy days at the museum and learning about people who inspire me to invest in myself and others. Check out Fort Mose, a free black settlement established in 1738 in America's oldest city, Saint Augustine, FL." --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 5/30/24 | ![]() Teen Lit Chat with Science Fiction & Fantasy Author Bethany Baptiste | A born-and-raised Jacksonvillian, Bethany Baptiste is a preschool inclusion specialist by day and a young adult SFF novelist by night. If she's not writing an inclusion support plan or a story, she does retail therapy in Florida bookstores and takes scheduled naps with her two chaotic evil dogs. You can visit her website at bethanybaptiste.com Check out all of Bethany's books in our catalog: https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=&qu=AUTHOR%3Dbethany+baptiste+&h=1 BETHANY RECOMMENDS BOOKS Here are some dark, unputdownable Black YA reads perfect for fans of thrills, chills, and anything but ordinary: 📖 DEAD GIRLS WALKING by Sami Ellis (out March 26) 📖 THE DARK PLACE by Britney S. Lewis - https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=TITLE%3D%22dark+place%22&qu=AUTHOR%3Dlewis&te= 📖 MONSTROUS by Jessica Lewis - https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=TITLE%3D%22monstrous%22&qu=AUTHOR%3Dlewis&te= 📖 TENDER BEASTS by Liselle Sambury - https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=tender+beasts+sambury&te= GO-TO STOPS FOR A PERFECT NIGHT IN JACKSONVILLE (IN THIS ORDER) 2nd & Charles: Score affordable, used books Soupa Noodle Bar: Enjoy a hot, delicious bowl of ramen. Cinemark Tinseltown: Catch the latest movie and munch on some movie snacks. Insomnia Cookies: Treat yourself to warm cookies and ice cream. SHOWS & MOVIES 📺 BLOOD & WATER (Netflix): This show is perfect for fans of shadowy family secrets, elite schools, and crime underworlds. 📺 GEN V (Amazon): This show is about superheroes in college but like on really, really dark, twisty steroids. 📺 TINY PRETTY THINGS (Netflix): This show gives you a glimpse into the glamorous yet cutthroat world of ballet. 📺 SELAH AND THE SPADES (Amazon): If elite boarding schools, dark academia aesthetics, and cunning Black female leads are a vibe to you, check this movie out. --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 5/17/24 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with author and former Georgia State Legislator McCracken Poston, Jr. | Death, Love and Redemption "In October 1997, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in Alvin Ridley's house..." Georgia attorney-turned-writer, McCracken Poston Jr., joins us live via Zoom to tell the story behind one of his most famous defense cases and his upcoming book, Zenith Man: Death, Love and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom. "Like a nonfiction John Grisham thriller with echoes of Rainman, Just Mercy, and a captivating smalltown Southern setting, this is the fascinating true story—sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking—of an idealistic young lawyer determined to free an innocent neurodivergent man accused of murdering the wife no one knew he had." - from the Publisher McCracken Poston Jr. is a practicing criminal defense attorney and former state legislator in the Georgia House of Representatives. He is a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and received his law degree from The University of Georgia. He gained national attention for his handling of several notable cases that were featured on CNN Presents, Dateline NBC, A&E's American Justice, and Forensic Files. He lives in Ringgold, Georgia. READ Check out McCracken's work from the library! THE LIBRARY RECOMMENDS True crime stories to investigate: Bone Deep: Untangling the Betsy Faria Murder Case by Charles Bosworth Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson Two Truths and a Lie: A Murder, a Private Investigator, and Her Search For Justice by Ellen McGarrahan --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 5/2/24 | ![]() Lit Chat with Local Poet and Author Michelle Lizet Flores | The Friends of the Bill Brinton Murray Hill Library sponsored a special Lit Chat Interview with local poet Michelle Lizet Flores. Michelle spoke with fellow poet and Lit Chat alum, Jessica Q. Stark, about her latest book of poetry. Michelle Lizet Flores is a graduate of the FSU and NYU creative writing programs. She currently works as a Creative Writing Instructor at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and co-hosts the What's in a Verse Poetry Open Mic at Rain Dogs. Publications include The NCTE English Journal, Salt Hill Journal, and The Talon Review. A finalist for the Juan Felipe Herrera Award for Poetry, she wrote the chapbooks Cuentos from the Swamp and Memoria, and the picture book, Carlito the Bat Learns to Trick or Treat. Her short fiction is in the anthology, Places We Build in the Universe. Invasive Species, her first full-length collection of poetry, is currently available from Finishing Line Press. Interviewer Jessica Q. Stark is the author of Buffalo Girl (BOA Editions, 2023), a finalist for the 2023 Maya Angelou Book Award, Savage Pageant (Birds, LLC, 2020), and four poetry chapbooks, including INNANET (The Offending Adam, 2021). Her poetry has most recently appeared in Best American Poetry, Pleaides, among other literary journals. She is a Poetry Editor at AGNI and is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of North Florida. She co-organizes the Dreamboat Reading Series in Jacksonville, Florida. READ Check out Michelle's work from the library: https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=AUTHOR%3D%22michelle+lizet+flores%22&te= THE LIBRARY RECOMMENDS More poetry to enjoy: If They Come For Us, by Fatimah Asghar Pity the Beautiful, by Dana Gioia Third Winter in Our Second Country, by Andres Rojas --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 4/18/24 | ![]() Lit Chat with Emily Rath author of Jacksonville Rays Romance Series | Recently re-released with bonus content, Pucking Around (the first book in the series) is now a USA Today bestseller! The sequel, Pucking Wild, debuted at the top of the Kindle store in multiple countries: #2 in the USA, #1 in Canada, #1 in Australia, and top 50 in the UK! From the author: "The signed paperback preorder campaign for the Kensington editions of Pucking Around is now LIVE!! I've partnered with Femme Fire Books, which is a Jacksonville-based independent bookstore, to help me run this preorder campaign. You can secure your preorder HERE." - https://femmefirebooks.com/products/pucking-around-by-emily-rath?_pos=1&_sid=cebabb0a5&_ss=r&variant=44219323121891 Emily Rath is an international bestselling author of fantasy and romance. Born in Florida and raised in Kentucky, she is a former university professor, holding PhDs in Political Science and Peace Studies. Her works include the "TikTok sensation" and Amazon Charts bestselling Jacksonville Rays Hockey romance series, as well as the Second Sons Regency Romance series. She currently lives in Jacksonville with her husband, son, and cat. They regularly comb the local beaches looking for shark teeth. Interviewer Jessica Hatch has a passion for writing genre-blind, character-first fiction with a love of words and a strong beating heart. Her work has appeared in such publications as Writer's Digest, The Millions, Fast Company, Neutral Spaces, and Surely Magazine, and she hosts the virtual reading series Comp Title Book Club. Her freshman and sophomore novels were published by Hachette UK's Bookouture imprint, and her debut novel, My Big Fake Wedding, a Lonely Victories Book of 2022, appeared in the Top 50 women's fiction and Top 100 romantic comedy titles on Amazon. Before becoming an author, Jessica worked and interned in New York trade publishing institutions Writers House and St. Martin's Press. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida. READ Check out Emily's work from the library! https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=AUTHOR%3D%22emily+rath%22&te= EMILY RECOMMENDS If you are new to the world of hockey romance, here are some other great authors you can check out: Helena Hunting, Liz Tomforde, Jessa Wilder, Saxon James, and S.J. Tilly. I owe so much to TikTok for helping me reach a whole new world of readers. I spend a lot of time on the #Booktok side of TikTok, where there are some truly amazing content creators. They have brought me so much laughter and whimsy! Some of my current personal favorite non-book-related creators are Brian Morabito (@morathanenough), Laura Ramoso (@lau_ramoso), Prince Stash (@realprincestash), and Sean the Sheepman (@seanthesheepman). If you're looking for an awesome bookish content creator to follow, go follow Reid Moon (@moonsrarebooks)--his rare book collection is absolutely fascinating! --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
| 3/4/24 | ![]() Lit Chat Interview with Bestselling Author & Emmy-Winning Director Jeffrey Blount | Jeffrey Blount is the award-winning author of four novels, including Almost Snow White, Hating Heidi Foster, The Emancipation of Evan Walls, and Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way. He is also an Emmy award-winning television director and a 2016 inductee to the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. During a 34-year career at NBC News, Jeffrey directed a decade of Meet The Press, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and major special events. He is the first African American to direct The Today Show. He was a contributor for HuffPost and has been published in The Washington Post, The Grio.com and other publications, commenting on issues of race, social justice, and writing. Interviewer Fati D. Ashley is a Ghanaian-American literary and visual artist who resides in Florida. She holds a Master of Arts in English (Rhetoric and Composition) from the University of North Florida. Her poem "Cape Coast" was performed in Echoes of Us, a series of curated monologues, directed by Tony Award nominee Michele Shay in 2022. She is the Editor-in-Chief for The Banyan Review, a 2023 Best of the Net nominee, and a 2023 Fellow of The Craft Institute, "a non-profit organization dedicated to curating culturally inclusive ecosystems throughout the world of arts and entertainment..." Ashley consults and facilitates workshops for Authors Roundtable of North Florida and teaches creative writing at Jacksonville Arts and Music School. READ Check out Jeffrey's work from the library: https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=%22jeffrey+blount%22&te= THE LIBRARY RECOMMENDS More books about finding yourself and your community: The Gone Dead, by Chanelle Benz The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net | — | ||||||
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