Above: A look at the next two month of the virtual events featuring bestselling authors. (images edited from library flyers and promos on library website)
The Southborough Library is continuing to offer the virtual author talk series.
Any Southborough resident with a Southborough Library card can register to join the free live author talks. The series features:
bestselling, award-winning, and highly acclaimed authors from around the world. The featured writers and thought leaders will cover a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres.
The series features 2-3 live events per month. When you register to join the live zoom, you can also pre-submit questions for the Q&A. As with all library events, participation is free to the public. Anyone can take advantage of the opportunity, but registration is required for the live talks.
If you can’t make the live event, the library’s subscription allows patrons to view the recording later. Each talk is added to the existing library of streaming videos available through the library’s website.
Here’s what’s on tap for the next two months, including some sessions clearly selected in honor of Black History month in February:
The Creative and Compassionate Art of Seeing Others Deeply with David Brooks
Tuesday, January 13th at 2:00 – 3:00 pm
The author of How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply “draws from the fields of psychology and neuroscience and the worlds of theater, philosophy, history, and education to present a welcoming, hopeful, integrated approach to human connection” and “offers a possible remedy for a society that is riven by fragmentation, hostility, and misperception.”
To learn more and register, click here.
Nature, Art, and Service as Medicine with Journalist Julia Hotz
Tuesday, January 20th at 2:00 – 3:00 pm
The journalist and author of The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging will discuss how doctors, nurses, therapists, and social workers around the world are “radically changing health and healthcare” by successfully using “social prescriptions” to integrate art, nature, movement, volunteer service or social connections into patients’ lives.
To learn more and register, click here.
Secrets and Second Chances with Liz Moore
Wednesday, January 28th at 7:00 – 8:00 pm
The talk will focus on her fifth novel, a NYT bestseller (and one of NPR’s “Books We Love” highlights) The God of the Woods. The thriller focuses on the search for a 13 year old summer camper who disappears 14 years after her brother “similarly vanished”. The children are part of the wealthy family that “employs most of the region’s residents”. “Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances.”
To learn more and register, click here.
Swashbuckling Heroines and High Seas Adventures with Novelist Vanessa Riley
Thursday, February 5th at 7:00 – 8:00 pm
The author of Fire Sword and Sea will discuss the “seafaring journey of self discovery and reclamation of personal power.” Inspired by folk stories of female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye, Riley imagines her as the mixed-race daughter of a wealthy tavern owner in the Carribbean who rejects marriage and begins her adventures by disguising herself as a male dockworker.
To learn more and register, click here.
Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic with Dr. Lindsey Stewart
Thursday, February 12th at 2:00 – 3:00 pm
The Black feminist philosopher and non-fiction author will discuss her book Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic. It explores the history of black women in America who, “in secrecy and subterfuge, courageously and devotedly continued their practices and worship for centuries and passed down their traditions.” The book is described as “a love letter to the real magic Black women used, their herbs, food, textiles, song, and dance, used to sow rebellion, freedom, and hope.”
To learn more and register, click here.
Smithson’s Gamble: The Incredible History Behind the World’s Largest Museum with Smithsonian Curator Emeritus Tom Crouch
Tuesday, February 24th at 2:00 – 3:00 pm
The longtime curator will discuss his work chronicling the first 60 years of the 190 year old instutution, Smithson’s gamble: the Smithsonian Institution in American life, 1836-1906. The description for the talk is still TBD, but the publisher promotes the book as “filled with fascinating characters, twists and turns, and moments of triumph and tragedy, complete with political machinations, a bit of backstabbing, accusations of murder, and the occasional scandal.
To register (and eventually learn more), click here.
Plus, three more talks are already scheduled for March:
- Wednesday, March 11th at 2:00 pm – Unlock the Hidden Power of Dreams with Sleep Expert Michelle Carr
- Thursday, March 12th at 7:00 pm – Book Portals and Journeys of Literary Magic with Kate Quinn
- Thursday, March 26th at 7:00 pm – Explore Secret Worlds in the Earth, Sea, and Sky with Kate Messner
For more information or to register for any of the author talks, visit bit.ly/sbliblsc. There you can also find links for the following talks that took place over the past few years. They cover a diverse array of subjects and genres including children’s author talks appropriate for kids.
