Completely Booked - Official Podcast of the Jacksonville Public Library

Jim Rugg is an Eisner and Ignatz Award-winning cartoonist, designer, and YouTuber. His comics have been published by Marvel, DC, Image Comics, AdHouse Books, New York magazine, Dark Horse Comics, Titan Books, and Fantagraphics. Rugg's comics career began with the publication of Street Angel in 2004. Street Angel comics are part of the National Archives and the Smithsonian Collection. In 2007, Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg created The PLAIN Janes, launching the Young Adult graphic novel explosion. Rugg's graphic novel Afrodisiac was honored on the AIGA 50/50 list for book design. In 2018, Rugg started Cartoonist Kayfabe on YouTube with Ed Piskor (X-Men Grand Design). Cartoonist Kayfabe celebrates all things comics – with creator interviews, history, tutorials, and discussions about comics. In 2020, Jim Rugg created the world's 1st blacklight comic book, Mtsyry: Octobriana 1976. He taught visual storytelling at the School of Visual Arts from 2012-2022. Rugg has run one marathon so far and lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and cats. Interviewer Badr Milligan is a project manager by day and an audio creator by night. Since 2012, he has used a mic to help others share their stories. He hosts the award-winning show, The Short Box Podcast, and recently created the Nexxt Spin podcast for fellow vinyl lovers. Inspired by the expanding podcast medium and community around him, he assembled the first Jax Podcaster's United! meet-up in 2018, a now regular event with a fast-growing collective of podcasters and audio enthusiasts dedicated to helping one another through collaboration and community. Badr is also an FSCJ alumnus and veteran of the Florida Air National Guard, using both experiences to run his own small business, The Short Box Entertainment Company. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Jim Rugg Borrow Jim's books from our collection: https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=%22jim+rugg%22&te= Website: https://www.jimrugg.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimruggart Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimruggart/ Badr Milligan/The Short Box Website: https://www.theshortboxpodcast.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheShortBoxJax Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortboxjax/ Jacksonville Public Library Website: 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: [email protected]

Marc Cameron is a New York Times bestselling author. Cameron's Jericho Quinn Thriller Series debuted in 2011. Since then, he's written eight Quinn novels and four Arliss Cutter novels featuring a deputy US marshal based in Alaska, including the most recent Cutter, Cold Snap. Marc is the author of five Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan novels for the Tom Clancy estate, including the most recent, Chain of Command. A retired Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal, Marc spent nearly thirty years in law enforcement. He holds a second-degree black belt in jujitsu and is a certified law enforcement scuba diver and man-tracking instructor. The job of a deputy US marshal is extremely varied. Marc's career focused primarily on dignitary protection and fugitive operations. As a member of the rural Tactical Tracking Unit for the US Marshals District of Alaska, Marc routinely tracked lost hikers, hunters, and fugitives in the vast Alaska bush. His assignments have taken him from Alaska to Manhattan, Canada to Mexico and dozens of points in between. Interviewer Michael Wiley writes the Sam Kelson Chicago PI mystery series, the Shamus Award-nominated Franky Dast mysteries, the Daniel Turner thrillers, and the Shamus Award-winning Joe Kozmarski hard-boiled detective mystery series. He lives in Jacksonville and teaches at the University of North Florida. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Marc Cameron Borrow Marc's books from our collection: https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=AUTHOR%3D%22marc+cameron%22&te= Website: https://marccameronbooks.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarcCameron1 Michael Wiley Borrow Michael's books from our collection: https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=AUTHOR%3D%22michael+wiley%22&te= Website: http://www.michaelwileyonline.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mwileyauthor Jacksonville Public Library Website: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

Chris Crutcher's first novel, Running Loose, was published in 1983, and by 1984 made USA Today's top ten banned books list, along with nine other long-celebrated novels. He is proud to report that nearly all of his subsequent works have been censored and/or banned somewhere in the great U.S. of A, and that those challenges have earned him two lifetime achievement Intellectual Freedom Awards, one from the National Council of Teachers of English and the other from the National Coalition Against Censorship. Crutcher first came face to face with his professional destiny and the vibrant, often courageous community that would provide inspiration for his fictional work as a teacher, then director, of a racially-diverse K-12 alternative school in Oakland, California. That and his subsequent twenty-odd years as both a therapist specializing in child abuse and neglect and chairperson for his region's Child Protection Team have informed his thirteen novels and two collections of short stories. In the midst of all that heartbreak and unforgiveable neglect and violence, he says, "new heroes arose" — compelling Crutcher to fashion his stories around them. Interviewer Stacey Horan left her career as a corporate lawyer to become an award-winning author of young adult novels. Her works include Sycamore Lane, Inland, and The Elixir Vitae Adventures (a five-book series). She also hosts a podcast called The Bookshop at the End of the Internet, which is dedicated to helping book lovers discover new authors. Visit her website at www.staceyhoran.com or find her on social media at @staceyleehoran. Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Chris Crutcher Borrow Chris' books from our collection: https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=AUTHOR%3D%22chris+crutcher%22&te= Website: http://www.chriscrutcher.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/chriscrutcher Stacy Horan Website: www.staceyhoran.com Twitter: @staceyleehoran Jacksonville Public Library Website: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

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, Beyond Bourbon Street, was awarded Best Fiction by the Black Caucus of African-American Librarians in the 2021 Self-Published eBook Literary Awards. It also received the 2020 Outstanding Book Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Nikesha's forthcoming book, Mardi Gras Indians, will be published by LSU Press on October 5. A Chicago native, Nikesha is an Editor at Narrative Initiative and a columnist with JAX Today. Her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, ESSENCE, and VOX. She lives in Florida with her family and is working on her next novel. Interviewer Yvette Angelique Hyater-Adams is a poet, teaching artist, and proven culture change strategist. She publishes, curates, and facilitates storytelling for healing, creating art, for consciousness-raising, and advocacy. Her most recent work is a digital poetry chapbook: Something Old, New, Borrowed, and The Blues. As a recovering bank executive and management consulting firm CEO, Yvette runs a social arts practice, Narratives for Change, LLC. Writing poetry and essay, teaching, and activism is central to her social arts practice. She teaches creative writing for women and girls, and Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) for social justice thought leaders. Yvette is on the editorial board for Practicing Social Change for Applied Behavioral Science. She is a volunteer for TEDx Jacksonville as a curator and speaker coach. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors for Alternate ROOTS, a social justice organization for artists and cultural organizers. Yvette lives with her banker-jazz musician husband in Atlantic Beach, FL. Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Nikesha Elise Williams Borrow Nikesha's books from our collection: https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=nikesha+elise+williams&te= Website: http://www.newwrites.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nikesha_Elise Yvette Angelique Website: https://www.yvetteangelique.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/yhyater Jacksonville Public Library Website: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

Mackenzi Lee holds a BA in history and an MFA in creative writing from Simmons college. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling Montague Siblings series, which kicked off in 2017 with The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, which was a New York Times bestseller, an ABA bestseller, has been optioned for film by Greg Berlanti for HBO, was a 2018 Stonewall Honor Book, and won the New England Book Award. Mackenzi is also the author of Bygone Badass Broads, a collection of short biographies of women in history you probably don't know about but definitely should, based on her viral twitter series of the same name; and The History of the World in 50 Dogs, which is the same thing but dogs. She is currently finishing a series with Marvel detailing the origin stories of fan-favorite antiheroes from the MCU and comics-iverse, including Loki, Nebula, and Gamora. In 2020, Mackenzi was included on the Forbes 30 under 30 media list. Her short fiction and nonfiction has appeared in the Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, Teen Vogue, and Bust magazine, among others. Interviewer Kay Huggins is a creative, the owner of Aphelion Editing and Consulting, and the host of The Raindrop Corner Podcast. As a longtime resident of Jacksonville, Florida, they have sought to support local artistry, foster thought-provoking content, and aid in human rights advocacy. For over a decade, their life has been dazzled with project management, technology industries, logistics, writing, and production. Through the intersectionality of Kay's craft, they aim to champion the community by providing a platform to marginalized groups. Currently, Kay is writing their debut novel and enjoying leisure moments with their wife and fur babies. Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Mackenzi Lee Borrow Mackenzi Lee's books from our catalog: https://jkpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=AUTHOR%3D%22mackenzi+lee%22&te= Website: http://www.mackenzilee.com/ Kay Huggins Website: https://www.kaylareneehuggins.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kayisadragon Jacksonville Public Library Website: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

In her new book of historic photographs, Jada Wright-Greene celebrates the homes of African Americans throughout the state, including cabins, shotgun homes, and two-story residences in Jacksonville and beach homes in American Beach and Butler Beach. Join us to learn more about these homes and the process of researching their histories! Jada Wright-Greene is a writer, independent museum professional, lecturer, museum activist, and Black history lover. She is the Founder & President of Heritage Salon, the first and only electronic magazine dedicated to promoting Black museums, historical sites, and homes and telling the stories of Black history. Jada was raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and is an alumnus of Bethune-Cookman University, Michigan State University, and Johns Hopkins University. Jada recently fell in love with her home state of Florida's Black history, and she is on a mission to share the stories of Black Floridians. Interviewer Ennis Davis is a certified senior planner who holds a degree in Architecture from Florida A&M University. He is the author of the award-winning books Reclaiming Jacksonville, Cohen Brothers: The Big Store and Images of Modern America: Jacksonville. A mayoral appointee to the Northeast Florida Regional Transportation Commission, Davis has served with various organizations committed to improving urban communities, including the American Planning Association and the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. A 2013 Next City Vanguard, Davis is a co-founder of Modern Cities and TransForm Jax, and a former citizen member of the Florida Times-Union editorial board. Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Jada Wright-GreeneBorrow Jada Wright-Greene's book from our catalog Website: jadawrightgreene.com Twitter: @jadawgreene Ennis DavisWebsite: thejaxsonmag.com and moderncities.com Twitter: @thejaxsonmag Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

If you love living in Florida, and love to be annoyed at "Florida Man", you will definitely want to check out our upcoming Lit Chat with New York Times bestselling author Craig Pittman! Pittman writes fondly of the strange state we call home and all the interesting people who make it famous. Thanks to the Friends of the Beaches Branch Library for sponsoring this Lit Chat! Craig Pittman is a native Floridian, an author, a podcaster and an award-winning environmental reporter. Born in Pensacola, he graduated from Troy State University in Alabama, where his muckraking work for the student paper prompted an agitated dean to label him "the most destructive force on campus." In 31 years at the Tampa Bay Times, Pittman covered a variety of beats and several natural disasters, including wildfires, hurricanes and the Florida Legislature. He now writes a weekly column for the Florida Phoenix and is co-host of the popular podcast "Welcome to Florida." He's the author of six non-fiction books about Florida, including the New York Times bestseller Oh, Florida: How America's Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country and Cat Tale: The Wild Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther, which Garden & Gun magazine named one of the 20 best books of 2020. His most recent one, published in September 2021, is The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife. He lives in St. Petersburg with his wife and two children. Interviewer Bill Delaney is a writer, editor and higher education professional from Jacksonville whose work focuses on the culture and history of the First Coast. Delaney is the author of the guidebook Secret Jacksonville, and is co-owner and editor of the publications Modern Cities, TheJaxsonMag.com and Edible Northeast Florida Magazine. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in English from the University of North Florida. Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Craig PittmanBorrow Craig Pittman's books from our catalog Website: craigpittman.com Twitter: @craigtimes Bill DelaneyWebsite: thejaxsonmag.com Twitter: @Tacachale Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

Dawnie Walton left Jacksonville after high school to pursue a successful career in magazines. Now she returns to town to chat with us about her first novel, which features a music magazine editor on a mission to discover the truth about an enigmatic music duo – a mission which includes a quick trip to Northeast Florida! Dawnie Walton is the author of the novel The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, a "spectacular debut" (Publisher's Weekly, starred review) that has been named one of 2021's most anticipated books by Essence, Vogue, The Oprah Magazine, Elle, The Independent, Lit Hub, PopSugar, The Millions, and Hypebae. Her work as a fiction writer and journalist explores identity, place, and the influence of pop culture. A MacDowell Colony fellow (2015), a Tin House Scholar (2017), and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop (MFA, 2018), she has worked as an executive-level editor for magazine and multimedia brands including Essence, Entertainment Weekly, Getty Images, and LIFE. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, she lives in Brooklyn. 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, Beyond Bourbon Street, was awarded Best Fiction by the Black Caucus of African-American Librarians in the 2021 Self-Published eBook Literary Awards. It also received the 2020 Outstanding Book Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Nikesha is a Chicago native and she attended The Florida State University. Nikesha writes full time with bylines in The Washington Post, ESSENCE, and VOX. Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Dawnie WaltonBorrow Dawnie Walton's books from our catalog Website: dawniewalton.com Twitter: @dawniewalton Nikesha Elise WilliamsBorrow Nikesha Elise Williams' books from our catalog Website: newwrites.com Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

Andres Rojas was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. at age 13. He's been writing poetry since just about then, has an MFA and a JD from the University of Florida, and currently works for the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He is also the poetry editor for Compose. Interviewer Tim Gilmore counts Andres Rojas as one of his favorite poets on a bookshelf with nearly 1000 volumes of poetry. He is also the author of 20 books and several works for the stage, and is the founder of the literary arts festival JaxbyJax. Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Andres RojasBorrow Andres Rojas's books from our catalog Twitter: @okaporia Tim GilmoreBorrow Tim Gilmore's books from our catalog Website: jaxpsychogeo.com Twitter: @tim_gilmore Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

Alyssa Day is the pen name (and dark and tortured alter ego) of author Alesia Holliday. As Alyssa, she is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author with more than a million books sold, and she writes the Warriors of Poseidonand Cardinal Witches paranormal romance series and the Tiger's Eye Mysteries, a paranormal mystery series. As Alesia, she writes comedies that make readers snort things out of their noses, and is the author of the award-winning memoir about military families during war-time deployments: Email to the Front. She has won many awards for her writing, including Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award for outstanding romance fiction and the RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Paranormal Romance novel of 2012. Interviewer Valerie Bowman's debut novel was published in 2012. Since then, her books have received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus. She's been an RT Reviewers' Choice nominee for Best First Historical Romance and Best Historical Romance Love and Laughter. Two of her books have been nominated for the Kirkus Prize for fiction. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Alyssa DayBorrow Alyssa Day's books from our catalog Website: alyssaday.com Twitter: @alyssa_day Valerie BowmanBorrow Valerie Bowman's books from our catalog Website: valeriebowmanbooks.com Twitter: @valeriegbowman Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

Mia P. Manansala is a writer and book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. She is the winner of the 2018 Hugh Holton Award, the 2018 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, the 2017 William F. Deeck - Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers, and the 2016 Mystery Writers of America/Helen McCloy Scholarship. She's also a 2017 Pitch Wars alum and 2018-2020 mentor. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Mia P. Manansala Borrow Mia's Tita Rosie's Kitchen series from our catalog Website: miapmanansala.com Twitter: @MPMtheWriter Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

Debora G. De Farias graduated in Dentistry from the University of Brasilia, followed by a Master Degree in Health Sciences. She also obtained her equivalent D.D.S degree from the University of Florida, when she moved to the United States in 2001. Debora is passionate about her health career, literature and arts. An avid reader since the age of four, she grew up surrounded by books, fascinated especially by the true stories of those unknown heroes and heroines that are part of our history. This is one of the main reasons she began the writing journey with her first historical novel, Standing Tall. Debora lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with her husband Toan Nguyen and their son Andrew. When not writing, reading, painting or promoting beautiful smiles, Debora can be found traveling, hiking, or simply wandering around with her family and friends, always with a camera in her hands. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Debora De Farias Read: Borrow Standing Tall from our catalog Website: defariasbooksandarts.com Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: jaxpubliclibrary.org Twitter: twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: facebook.com/JaxLibrary Instagram: instagram.com/jaxlibrary YouTube: youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions (at) coj.net

Dive into the "weird, wonderful, and obscure" parts of Jacksonville history, including Willowbranch Park's role in LGBTQ+ and music history and the Main Library's collection of Le Moyne-DeBry Fort Caroline engravings. Bill Delaney is a writer, editor and higher education professional from Jacksonville whose work focuses on the culture and history of the First Coast. He is co-owner and editor of the publications Modern Cities, TheJaxsonMag.com and Edible Northeast Florida Magazine. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in English from the University of North Florida. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Bill DelaneyRead: Secret Jacksonville in the Library Catalog Twitter: @tacachale Website: The Jaxson Mag 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 (at) coj.net

In The Girl from Blind River, Gale Massey presents a thriller about a young woman trying to protect and escape her family at the same time. In Rising and Other Stories, she digs deep into the everyday lives of women overcoming obstacles. Join us for a chat with Gale Massey about these stories and her writing process! Gale Massey's debut novel, The Girl from Blind River, received a 2018 Florida Book Award and was a finalist for the Clara Johnson award. Her work has appeared in Lambda Literary, CutBank, CrimeReads, Sabal, the Tampa Bay Times, SawPalm, and the forthcoming Tampa Bay Noir. Gale was a Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers Conference, a fellow at Writers in Paradise, and has served as a panel judge for the Lamdba Literary Awards. She has been nominated for a Pushcart prize in both fiction and nonfiction. She is currently working on her second novel. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Gale MasseyRead: Library Catalog Website: https://galemassey.com/ 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 (at) coj.net

USA Today-bestselling author Sherry Thomas decided that her goal in life is to write every kind of book she enjoys reading. Thus far she has published romance, fantasy, mystery, and a wuxia-inspired duology. Her books regularly receive starred reviews and best-of-the-year honors from trade publications, including such outlets as the New York Times and National Public Radio. She is also a two-time winner of Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA® Award. Sherry immigrated from China at age 13 and English is her second language. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Sherry ThomasRead: Library Catalog Twitter: @sherrythomas Website: https://www.sherrythomas.com/ 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 (at) coj.net

Historian and author Leslie Kemp Poole will discuss her research on Florida women's roles in the state's environmental movement, the topic of her book Saving Florida: Women's Fight for the Environment in the Twentieth Century. Jacksonville Public Library + MOCA(Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville) present Art & Conversations, a series of innovative programs focused on literacy and the arts. In this series, the Jacksonville Public Library and MOCA collaborate to provide the community access to a rich set of resources by partnering an educational library program with a museum exhibition. This series of programs centers around MOCA's current exhibition, Structure of Nature | Nature of Structure by Jacksonville artist Doug Eng. His art and advocacy highlights the need to preserve our endangered wetlands and forests in Northeast Florida. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Leslie Kemp PooleRead: Library Catalog Website: https://www.lesliekemppoole.com 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 (at) coj.net

Join Keith Ashley and Denise Bossy from the University of North Florida as they discuss Jacksonville's indigenous history and share research tips! Ashley and Bossy will debunk some major myths about the indigenous communities of Northeast Florida and share research tips to those interested in conducting their own research. Dr. Keith Ashley is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Florida (UNF) and is UNF's Archaeology Lab Director. His research focuses on the cultures and histories of the indigenous peoples of southeastern North America, with a special interest in Northeast Florida. Dr. Denise Bossy is an Associate Professor of History at the University of North Florida. Bossy specializes in cross-cultural relations between Indians, Europeans, and Africans in the early South. Her current research specializes specifically with the Yamasee Indians of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. One of her current book projects include The Yamasee Indians: A New History of the Early South. Ashley and Bossy are currently co-writing a book titled Heca Utimile/Our Land: The Indigenous History of Northeast Florida. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Keith AshleyRead: Late Prehistoric Florida: Archaeology at the Edge of the Mississippian World, edited by Keith Ashley Denise BossyThe Yamassee: From Florida to South Carolina, edited by Denise Bossy 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 (at) coj.net

Kristen Arnett's novels and short stories explore queer life and life in Florida, combining the two with her signature dark humor. Join us to chat with the New York Times bestselling author about the stories that motivate her to write, what she's learned from writing, and more! Kristen Arnett is the author of With Teeth: A Novel and the New York Times bestselling debut novel Mostly Dead Things, which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction. She is a queer fiction and essay writer. Her work has appeared at The New YorkTimes, The Cut, Oprah Magazine, Guernica, Buzzfeed, McSweeneys, PBS Newshour, The Guardian, Salon, and elsewhere. Her next book (an untitled collection of short stories) will be published by Riverhead Books. She has a Masters in Library and Information Science from Florida State University and currently lives in Miami, Florida. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Kristen ArnettRead: Kristen's Books in the Library Catalog Website: https://www.kristenarnettwriter.com/ Twitter: @Kristen_Arnett 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 (at) coj.net

Interested in learning more about authors from your community? What is their writing process and what inspires them? Learn more at Lit Chat with Therese Tappouni, who will talk about her book, Caught Between Worlds. Tappouni will be joined with moderator Stacey Horan, a local author and podcaster. Both authors reside in Jacksonville and are passionate about living creatively and helping others through their writing. Therese Tappouni is a native of Springfield, Illinois, she attended Hillsborough Community College, the University of Florida, and studied writing at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, USF, and Eckerd College. Her passion arises from being a mother to six and a grandmother of three. She is the founder of the company Whole Heart, which is dedicated to helping people live a balanced, loving, and creative life. Stacey Horan is our moderator for this Lit Chat. Prior to becoming a writer, Horan was a corporate lawyer and used writing as a creative outlet. Eventually, she became a full-time writer of young adult books. After experiencing book festivals and author discussions, she was inspired to start her podcast, The Bookshop at the End of the Internet. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Therese TappouniRead: Caught Between Worlds Website: https://www.theresetappouni.com/ Twitter: @thereseta Stacey Horan Read: Sycamore Lane Website: http://www.staceyhoran.com/ Twitter: @staceyleehoran 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 (at) coj.net

Rochelle Alers has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today's most prolific and popular African American authors of romance and women's fiction. With more than eighty titles and nearly two million copies of her novels in print, Ms. Alers is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, regularly chosen by Black Expressions Book Club, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Rochelle AlersRead: The Beach House Website: https://rochellealers.org/ Twitter: @rochellealers 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 (at) coj.net

Willow Branch Library sits in a corner of Willow Branch Park, a popular location for local musicians during the late 1960s to develop and expand their audience. Named after the "Human Be-In," San Francisco's 1967 counterculture celebration, Jacksonville's "be-ins" spawned several notable acts, including the Allman Brothers Band. In Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock, Michael Ray FitzGerald digs into the history of bands like the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd and how Jacksonville played a role in bringing these bands to a national audience. FitzGerald and Alan Bliss, CEO of the Jacksonville Historical Society, will talk about this and more in this Lit Chat! --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Michael Ray FitzgeraldRead: Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock Website: http://michaelrayfitzgerald.com/ 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 (at) coj.net

Marsha Dean Phelts joined us back in March of 2021 to chat about American Beach and her two books, An American Beach for African Americans and The American Beach Cookbook. Phelts will cover the myths of the beach -- what is the first, the most, the oldest? -- and the informational treasures unearthed there. She will also talk about the women of American Beach, including Miss Martha, Emma Morgan, Beach Lady, Annette Myers, and Hurricane Dora. Phelts is an American Beach homeowner, a contributor to the Florida Star, and a former librarian with the Jacksonville Public Library. She will be joined in the chat by Felice Franklin of the PRIDE Book Club. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment 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 (at) coj.net

Have you ever read a sci-fi or fantasy book and wondered, what kind of a mind thinks up these new worlds? Find out and get a peek inside of one at our Lit Chat with Chuck Wendig! Chuck Wendig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Star Wars: Aftermath, as well as the Miriam Black thrillers, the Atlanta Burns books, Zer0es/Invasive, Wanderers, and the upcoming The Book of Accidents (July 2021). He's also worked in a variety of other formats, including comics, games, film, and television. A finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the cowriter of the Emmy-nominated digital narrative Collapsus, he is also known for his books about writing. He lives in Pennsyltucky with his family. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Chuck WendigWebsite: http://terribleminds.com/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChuckWendig 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 (at) coj.net

We all know a "Florida Man", but how many of us want to admit to being one? In The Thing About Florida, author Tyler Gillespie takes on the strange people and stories of the Sunshine State from the perspective of a fifth-generation Florida native. Gillespie joins us to talk about what he discovered in his quest to learn more about the state we all call home. Tyler Gillespie is a fifth-generation Floridian who went to undergrad at the University of Central Florida and did a master's program at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. He quarantined with his grandmother in Largo (near Clearwater) for the past year. His Twitter handle is @TylerMTG. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Taylor AndersonWebsite: https://tylermtg.com/ Twitter: @TylerMTG 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 (at) coj.net

New York Times Bestseller Taylor Anderson talks about the last book in his Destroyermen series, Winds of Wrath. The Destroyermen Series follows the crew of the WWI destroyer USS Walker which is mysteriously transported to an alternate version of earth where unfathomable new wars, and embattled new species, pose even greater threats. Join us to find out how this author, gunsmith, re-enactor, and history professor created an alternate world on the sea. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Taylor AndersonWebsite: https://taylorandersonauthor.com/ Facebook: 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 (at) coj.net

Jacksonville artist Michael Regina published his first books with Kickstarter money back in 2013, and now his newest book, The Sleepover, is being published by a major imprint. Find out how he achieved this success in our Lit Chat! Michael Regina has been drawing comics since the third grade, and his passion for art and storytelling has stayed with him his whole life. He studied painting and drawing at the University of North Florida and minored in literature. Michael is also the creator of the Webtoons.com featured comic Adamsville. When he's not making comics, he loves fishing, begrudgingly rooting for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and spending time with his family. They all live in Jacksonville, Florida. --- Sign Up for Library U to hear about the latest Lit Chats and catch them live! — https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-u-enrollment Michael ReginaWebsite: http://www.michaeleregina.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelregina 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 (at) coj.net

We sit down with Dawn Wailey and Lindsey Anderson from DCAZ to talk about the Duval Comics and Zine Fest. Originally scheduled for March 28 at the Main Library, the event has been postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. DCAZ will be Jacksonville's first event designed to celebrate regional self-publishers. This free event will offer tabling for self-publishers to showcase their work, bookbinding, zine-making workshops and panel discussions featuring the local creators who helped lay the foundation for Northeast Florida's DIY and self-publishing community.

Hello book friends! We're back with another bonus podcast to chat about new releases you'll ♥ this March.

Brad Meltzer is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inner Circle, The Book of Fate, and 10 other bestselling thrillers including The Tenth Justice, The First Counsel, The Millionaires, The President's Shadow, and The Escape Artist. Meltzer has books on bestseller lists for nonfiction (The First Conspiracy), advice, children's books, and even comic books, for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award.

Action News Jax anchor Tenikka Hughes joins us on the podcast to chat about Tenikka's Books for Kids, an annual effort to collect book donations for children who participate in our Summer Learning Program. We chat about her passion for literacy in children, her career as an Emmy-award winning journalist and everything you can expect during the book drive's kick off at Jax Book Fest this Saturday, Feb. 29!

Calli Marie is the author of BAKES and co-owner of BREW Five Points, a coffee shop and craft beer bar in Jacksonville's historic Riverside neighborhood. Calli chats with us about her journey as a baker, becoming a successful business owner and the process of publishing her first book.

Theresa and Todd Rykaczewski are the founders of Word Revolt Art Gallery in Atlantic Beach. It's a non-profit gallery dedicated to hosting free exhibitions and events that benefit artists, charities and the community.

Hello book friends! We're back with another bonus podcast to chat about new releases you'll ♥ this February, plus details on African American History Month programs, free tax help, Book Fest and more.

Stacey Horan is an award-winning author of young adult novels including Inland, Sycamore Lane and The Elixir Vitae Adventures. Stacey chats with us about her journey from corporate lawyer to full-time writer and podcast host. To chat more with Stacey, you can meet her at Jax Book Fest 2020 on Feb. 29 at the Main Library.

Allison McGill is the author of The Adventures of Duke, the Therapy Dog: Duke Finds a Home. Based on a true story, this picture book for children shares the tale of a rescue dog and his new life with a happy ending. She chats with us about her writing process, starting her own publishing company, and upcoming projects she has on the horizon.

We were off this Monday, so we dug into the archive and pulled a great podcast from earlier last year! On this episode, we chat with former Times-Union photojournalist, Bruce Lipsky. He's captured 35 years worth of Jacksonville's history– the good, the bad, and the ugly– and today, he shares some of those experiences with us.

Steve Williams is well known throughout Jacksonville as the CEO of Harbinger Sign, the owner of Florida Mining Gallery, and a hard-core advocate of the arts and development in the urban core. He chats with us today about Mapping Jax, an initiative to inspire, preserve, educate, and advocate for our city's natural and built environments.

Tim Driscoll is a film producer here in Jacksonville, and has been a major force in cultivating the local film community. Today, he chats with us about JAX Film Bar Mondays, a casual meetup group that brings producers, actors, directors, writers, and technical experts together.

Happy New Year, book friends! Shawn Norton from the Readers' Advisory Committee joins us again to chat about new releases coming to the library this January. If your New Year's resolution is to read more, this podcast is for you.

Happy New Year's Eve from all of us at the Jacksonville Public Library! Our guest, Justin Tichy, joins us today to talk about something wildly popular for NYE festivities: Champagne. We talk about the history of the Champagne region in France, how to decode labels on a bottle, misconceptions people have about popular Champagnes, the best places to find a good bottle of bubbles in Jax, and more.

Gayle Hart is the VP of Marketing for the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair. She joins us on today's episode of Completely Booked to chat about the wonderful things her team does for the community and how she first became involved with the fair.

TubaChristmas is a free concert that's presented around the world where tuba and euphonium players get together and play Christmas music for one hour every year. Today, we chat with Marc Dickman and Suna Hall, the conductor and coordinator of Jacksonville's TubaChristmas performance, about the upcoming show on December 14, 2019 in Jacksonville Beach at 1:30 p.m. Our producer, Justin, guest hosts this episode as he is a longtime player in TubaChristmas.

Hello book friends! This segment is for you. Welcome to our first Wednesday podcast episode highlighting new releases to look out for this month! We sit down with Shawn Norton from our Readers' Advisory Committee to chat about materials coming to the library in December 2019.

Local author and historian Tim Gilmore returns to Completely Booked this week to chat about his recently published book, Channeling Anna Fletcher: On Seances and Women's Rights. We also talk about Tim's website, Jax Psycho Geo, that contains nearly 500 unique, unusual, and macabre stories on local Jacksonville history.

The holiday season is here, so we have preschool teacher Rebecca McNeil back on Completely Booked to help you get your family ready. We go over tips for handling holiday traditions and gift-giving with your children, fun activities you can do with your family over the break, and, of course, her top holiday book recommendations for the little ones.

Anna Claire Hodge is a writer and professor based in Jacksonville, Florida, and holds a Ph.D in creative writing from Florida State University. We chat about everything from her greatest literary inspirations to the hidden world behind beauty blogging and Instagram influencing, which ultimately led to how she found her voice as a writer.

Today is Monday, November 11, which is Veterans Day. So on this episode of Completely Booked, we interview Joe Tillman, President of the Buffalo Soldiers Historical Society here in Jacksonville, Fl. We explore ways to go beyond the uniform and express appreciation for veterans on Veterans Day.

Each year JaxbyJax hosts a literary arts festival highlighting Jacksonville stories and settings, and this year one of its main venues is the Main Library! On this week's episode of Completely Booked, we chat with the driving forces behind JaxbyJax, Darlyn and Brad Kuhn, about everything you need to know for the upcoming festival on Saturday, November 16.

Halloween is right around the corner, so this episode is a spooky special edition of Completely Booked. We teamed up with PFC Paranormal to investigate the Willowbranch Library. Located in Riverside, the Willowbranch Library opened in 1930, making it the oldest existing library branch in Jacksonville. This episode includes our interview with Misty Darnell, the founder of PFC Paranormal, and one of her team members, Bree– plus a bit of audio from our paranormal investigation.

On this episode we chat with the founder of Jax Cooking Studio, Terri Davlantes. Terri believes that food should enrich your life, so she started Jax Cooking Studio to teach people how to plan and cook hearty, delicious meals that are easy and affordable.