Watson
When I was 11 years old, my parents took me to hear Christopher Paul Curtis speak about “The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963.”
I remember being SO excited — but also kind of confused. Not unlike seeing your teacher in the grocery store, the idea that an author as an actual person was disconcerting. It was the first time I realized that being an author was a possible life plan.
Sadly, I do not have the talent necessary to craft a novel, so I stick to appreciating all the amazing authors already out there. But it was fascinating to hear that my favorite books were written by a human being. That seems obvious, but the fact that there were people out in the world, just walking around, that created these books and worlds that I loved seemed ridiculous.
Since then, I have gotten the opportunity to hear many of my favorite authors speak including John Green, Maggie Steifvater, Rainbow Rowell and Morgan Matson. But I remain just as much in awe of their brains and their abilities.
Now I don’t even have to leave my house to get to hear from my favorite authors! The Greenwood Public Library has access to LOTS of author talks through the Library Speakers Consortium. The Library Speakers Consortium is an awesome organization that organizes and presents virtual author talks every month. Each talk is on GPL’s calendar. This means you can sign up to watch the event live, or you can go back and watch any of the past talks. The great thing about watching live is that when you sign up, you can submit questions for the author.
Among the archived talks is Freida McFadden, Rebecca Serle, William Kent Kreuger and Lana Harper. I always learn something fascinating with each talk. Cassandra Clare, author of “The Mortal Instruments,” said she tested her magic system by giving all the rules to a friend to run a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with. I thought that was brilliant! No one wants to find loopholes more than D&D players.
There is even a talk with Rick Steves, the famous guidebook author, with tips and tricks for traveling in Europe!
One of my favorites so far was Kate Quinn. She was speaking specifically about her book “The Diamond Eye,” a fictional account of a real-life woman named Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a Ukrainian-born Soviet sniper during World War II. I loved hearing Quinn talk about all of the research she did for her books. Pavlichenko had written an autobiography, but Quinn pointed out that it was published during the USSR regime, which means that Pavlichenko may have omitted certain things. Quinn explained that sometimes missing information can tell just as much, if not more, of a story.
You can also join us at the library for a live viewing of an author talk. At 7 p.m. Aug. 21, we will be gathering to watch a talk with Shelby Von Pelt, author of “Remarkably Bright Creatures.” It’s a great opportunity to meet other fans of your favorite authors and talk about books.
Keep an eye on the Library’s program calendar for both virtual and in-person author events.
Aubrey Watson is an adult services librarian at Greenwood Public Library. GPL staff members share in writing this twice-monthly column for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
