Zoom only

Join Shauna Sever, cookbook author, TV and radio contributor, and daughter of the great Midwest, for this special Illinois Libraries Present holiday season event. Shauna will share her love of food, baking, and some tips to make your holiday gatherings delicious. Click here to register. As a writer, Shauna’s work is best defined by her… Continue reading Illinois Libraries Present: Midwest Baking with Shauna Sever (virtual)

Join us for a conversation with Caitlin Doughty, mortician, bestselling author, and advocate for death acceptance. Hailed by The New York Times as "a relentlessly curious and chipper tour guide to the underworld,” she’ll discuss reform of Western funeral industry practices and much more with Mark Bazer (The Interview Show). Register here: https://bit.ly/ILP_CaitlinDoughty Caitlin Doughty… Continue reading Illinois Libraries Present: Caitlin Doughty (Virtual)

Join us for an evening with two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward as she discusses how her literary vision and personal experiences address urgent questions about racism and social injustice. Register here: https://bit.ly/ILP_JesmynWard Ward, hailed as “the new Toni Morrison” by the American Booksellers Association, is the author of fiction, nonfiction, and memoir, including… Continue reading A Conversation with Award Winning Novelist Jesmyn Ward

Register here: https://bit.ly/ILP_MarleeMatlin In celebration of Deaf Awareness Month, Marlee Matlin joins Illinois Libraries Present to share the highs and lows of her Hollywood career and journeys as an activist. The youngest recipient of the Best Actress Oscar, Matlin’s acting career recently achieved another milestone as her 2021 film CODA swept every category it was… Continue reading A Conversation with Marlee Matlin: From Oscar to West Wing

Award winning author and journalist Robert W. Fieseler to read from Tinderbox and discuss the Up Stairs Lounge fire's Illinois impact. Register here: https://tinderbox.eventbrite.com An essential work of American civil rights history -- winner of the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Devil's Kitchen Reading Award from Southern Illinois University, Robert… Continue reading Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Upstairs Lounge Fire

Top Chef contestant and award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi will discuss his cookbook My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef. His cookbook celebrates the cuisine of the African diaspora, “the world’s wisest food.” Onwuachi will share stories behind his family’s recipes, and the importance of the connections between cuisine, place, and culture. Register here: https://bit.ly/June22_KwameOnwuachi… Continue reading An Evening with Chef Kwame Onwuachi

Join Jessamine Chan and Emily Maloney for a discussion about the systems of power that impact our lives, our families, and our finances, through the lens of their acclaimed books, The School for Good Mothers and Cost of Living. Join us on Zoom. Register here: https://bit.ly/ILP_JessamineEmily Jessamine Chan is the New York Times bestselling author… Continue reading An Evening with Jessamine Chan – Virtual Event

Join us for actor/humorist/woodworker Nick Offerman in conversation with musician/hiking buddy Jeff Tweedy. To register: https://bit.ly/April27_NickOfferman Best known for his breakout role as Ron Swanson in the hit TV series Parks and Recreation, actor and New York Times bestselling author Nick Offerman, originally of Minooka, Ill., will be discussing his newest book, Where the Deer… Continue reading Illinois Libraries Present: Nick Offerman and Jeff Tweedy

Join us for an evening with the #1 New York Times bestselling author and award-winning humorist Jenny Lawson as she discusses her most recent memoir, Broken (in the best possible way), and her brilliantly funny body of work. Register here: https://bit.ly/ILP_JennyLawson Lawson is a journalist, author, and blogger known for her great candor in sharing… Continue reading An Evening with Jenny Lawson