Opinion: Authors at JCPL series back in-person

Did you know the Johnson County Public Library (JCPL) hosts bestselling and award-winning authors as part of our Authors at JCPL series? Thanks to donations to the JCPL Foundation and those who virtually attended the third annual Snuggle Up with a Book Ball, we bring notable authors like Jan Brett, J.A. Jance, Brad Thor and Tomi Adeyemi to Johnson County.

During the pandemic, we pivoted to host authors virtually, but we are excited that beginning this spring, we can return to in-person author visits. The first author to kick things off is Jennifer Weiner. She will join us at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11 at The Sycamore at Mallow Run. Registration opens at 9 a.m. Friday.

Jennifer Weiner is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of 18 books, including “Big Summer,” “Mrs. Everything,” “Good in Bed,” and an essay collection, “Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love and Writing.” A graduate of Princeton University, Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia. We will celebrate her new title, “The Summer Place,” and we hope you can join us for this exciting evening.

The second author we will host this summer is Craig Johnson, The New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire mystery novels. Johnson has written 17 books, two novellas, and many short stories featuring the Longmire character.

He is also the recipient of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Fiction, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award for Fiction and his novel “Spirit of Steamboat” was selected by the Wyoming State Library as the inaugural One Book Wyoming title. The books are celebrated at an annual festival called Longmire Day, which is held in the small town of Buffalo, Wyo., the real-life inspiration for the series’ fictional setting.

The books also inspired the Longmire TV series, which was the highest-rated original drama series on A&E before moving to Netflix. The show starred Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff and Lou Diamond Phillips.

Craig grew up in Huntington, W. Va., and attended college at Marshall University, but now lives in the tiny town of Ucross, Wyo., (population 25) with his wife. Join us at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7 at The Historic Artcraft Theatre for a wonderful evening. Registration opens at 9 a.m. Monday, May 16.

It has been a long two years, but we are ready to bring authors to you again. If you have ever wanted to meet your favorite writer, get your books signed and listen to them talk about their writing process, now is your chance. All events are free and open to everyone.

Find registration details and more information about the Authors at JCPL series at PageAfterPage.org/authors.

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