Author Event: Nickolas Butler

The library is very pleased to host a reading on Wednesday, February 11 at 7:00 by Nickolas Butler, author of Shotgun Lovesongs, a novel about a group of childhood friends from Little Wing, Wisconsin. Jonathan Evison of the New York Times Sunday Review found it “a good old-fashioned novel, a sure-footed and unabashedly sentimental first effort that deserves to be among the standouts in this year’s field of fiction debuts” and the Times’s Janet Maslin described it as “a big-hearted book…impressively original.” Copies will be available for sale and signing at the event from the Book Stall at Chestnut Court.  For those who would like to discuss Shotgun Lovesongs, a book discussion on it will take place on the same day at 1:00 in the afternoon.

Author Visit: Nancy Krulik

Meet children's author Nancy Krulik, writer of series Katie Kazoo and George Brown, Class Clown, on Thursday, November 13th at 4:00. Nancy will be signing books and her books will be available to purchase, courtesy of The Bookstall at Chestnut Court.

Author Event: Dale Laackman

Come to the library on Wednesday, October 22nd at 7:30 and learn about the brilliant publicists who used their talents to promote the Ku Klux Klan. Wilmette author Dale Laackman will read from and discuss his book For the Kingdom and the Power: The Big Money Swindle that Spread Hate Across America. Copies will be available at the event for purchase and signing.

Author Event: Rich Cohen

We are very excited to host Rich Cohen on Sunday, October 19 at 2:00 pm. Mr. Cohen is the bestselling author of such lively and varied works as Sweet and Low, The Fish that Ate the Whale, Tough Jews, Israel Is Real, and Lake Effect, a memoir about growing up in Glencoe. He is also a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. Mr. Cohen will read from his latest book, Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football. He’ll also speak about his many interests, Glencoe roots, and field questions from the audience. Copies of his books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of The Book Stall.

Chef and Author Ina Pinkney

Come meet The Breakfast Queen on Wednesday, June 25 at 7:00 pm!  Restaurateur Ina Pinkney, chef and owner until a few months ago of Ina’s in the West Loop, will read from her 2013 memoir and cookbook Taste Memories: Recipes for Life and Breakfast and will bring samples of one of her most popular recipes. Ms. Pinkney was awarded the Golden Whisk Award from the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Organization, was a leader in getting smoking banned from Chicago restaurants, was a co-recipient of Chicago magazine’s 2011 Green Award, and was named the Small Business Association’s 2008 Woman in Business Champion. Copies of Taste Memories will be available for purchase and signing.

Author Program: Chris Abani

Acclaimed mystery writer Chris Abani will discuss his newly published novel The Secret History of Las Vegas on Monday, January 13 at 7:00 pm. Copies will be available for purchase at the event from the Book Stall. Mr. Abani is the author of GraceLand and The Virgin of Flames. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the PEN/Hemingway Award and a Lannan Literary Fellowship. Born in Nigeria, he is currently a Board of Trustees Professor of English at Northwestern University.

"Chris Abani might be the most courageous writer working right now. There is no subject matter he finds daunting, no challenge he fears. Aside from that, he's stunningly prolific and writes like an angel. If you want to get at the molten heart of contemporary fiction, Abani is the starting point." - Dave Eggers

Author Appearance: Peggy Wolff

Glencoe food writer Peggy Wolff, editor of Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie: Midwestern Writers on Food (U. of Nebraska Press), will visit the library on Thursday, December 5th at 7:30 pm to talk about the inspiration for this post-WWII regional food anthology, the genre called food/lit, some anecdotes about working with writers, and how she put together essays from notable authors who could see food beyond the printed recipe on the page. Fried Walleye contributors include New York Times best-selling authors, Guggenheim fellows, TV comedy writers, National Book Award finalists, top food journalists, restaurateurs and chefs. Elizabeth Berg recalls the comfort of her aunt’s meatloaf. Peter Sagal ponders the ethics of pate. Robert Olmstead digresses into questions of Aztec culture while contemplating Cincinnati five-way chili and Michael Stern addresses himself to Chicago’s Italian beef sandwich. Each essay adds something to our understanding of the experience of food, family, time and place.

Author Appearance: Kevin Peraino

Please join us in the Young Adult Room of the library on Wednesday December 4th at 7:00 pm for an appearance by author Kevin Peraino. As part of a national tour for his recently published book Lincoln in the World: The Making of a Statesman and the Dawn of American Power, Mr. Peraino will speak about his book and be available to sign copies. Kevin Peraino is a veteran foreign correspondent who has reported from throughout the world. He spent a decade at Newsweek, most recently as a senior writer and bureau chief in the Middle East. He was a finalist for the Livingston Award for his foreign affairs reporting and was part of the team that won a National Magazine Award for its coverage of the 2004 presidential campaign. Mr. Peraino is a graduate of Northwestern University and a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations. Copies of Lincoln in the World will be available for purchase, courtesy of The Book Stall at Chestnut Court.

Readings From the Novels of Richard Smolev

Please join us on Sunday, November 3rd at 2:30 pm for a reading in honor of former Glencoe resident and author Richard Smolev. Having long desired to write fiction, Richard found the inspiration for his first novel, Offerings, in a book he checked out of the Glencoe Library. His second novel, the early drafts of which were written in his Washington Avenue home, is entitled In Praise of Angels and was published in July. Due to illness, Richard won't be able to join us for the reading, so his close friend Alan Wolf will be our reader. Jordan and Anita Miller, owners of Richard’s publisher Academy Chicago, and Alan Wolf and Margot Weinberg have donated copies of Richard`s books to our library in his honor and as his legacy to Glencoe.

Jeanne Nolan Author Talk

Join us on Tuesday, October 22, at 7:00 p.m. to meet Glencoe resident Jeanne Nolan, the author of From the Ground Up: A Food Grower’s Education in Life, Love and the Movement That’s Changing the Nation - an engaging blend of how-to, manifesto and memoir. Published in July, her book chronicles her journey back to the North Shore after 17 years of living on a communal farm. The founder of The Organic Gardener Ltd., Ms. Nolan has designed and cultivated more than 650 farms and food gardens in and around Chicago, including the Edible Gardens - a 5,000 square foot vegetable garden for children in Lincoln Park Zoo - and gardens at Glencoe’s Central and South Schools. Copies of her book, which features a foreword by Alice Waters, will be available for purchase courtesy of Books on Vernon.

Blue Balliett Author Program

Blue Balliett, Chicago's own award-winning children's book author of such favorites as Chasing Vermeer and The Wright 3, will be our very special guest at the Community Hall of the Takiff Center on Monday, October 21st at 4:00 pm. Hold Fast, her latest mystery, hit The New York Times Bestseller List and has received acclaimed reviews in the Times and the Chicago Tribune. Copies of Blue's novels will be available for sale at the program by The Book Stall and light refreshments will be served. This special event is for children ages 8 and up with parent or caregiver.