Read & Listen: Get the Book and Attend the Virtual Author Talk

Looking for your next great book? Find fresh reading material this spring at Cleveland Public Library. Our recommended reads list includes local, nationally known, and award-winning authors who will host virtual discussions on civic education, baseball, prison literacy, and more.

BATTER UP: Prepare for opening day with a virtual conversation about the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday, March 30 at 7 p.m. Author Luke Epplin will discuss his new book, Our Team: the Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball,which tells the story of four men—Doby, Veeck, Feller, and Paige—whose improbable union on the Cleveland Indians in the late 1940s would shape the immediate postwar era of Major League Baseball and beyond. Registration is required. Register for the Luke Epplin conversation now.

STORIES THAT SHAPE US: On Thursday, April 8 at 1 p.m., Cleveland native and author Echo Brown talks about organ donation and the experiences that shape her books like Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard at the 2021 Cleveland Humanities Festival. The theme of this year’s festival, Identity, will address how we identify ourselves and why it matters. Cleveland Public Library is hosting the discussion in partnership with the Case Western Reserve University Schubert Center for Child Studies. Registration is required for the Echo Brown conversation. Go to echobrown.com to learn more about the author and her work.

REDEFINING FAMILY HISTORY: Explore the cultural phenomenon of home DNA testing on Saturday, April 10 at noon with Libby Copeland, author of The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are. This virtual conversation will focus on the impact of DNA testing on families and the revelations unearthed. Participants can register here.

WRITERS & READERS: Cleveland Public Library is helping facilitate change with our thought-provoking author series, Writers & Readers. The next candid conversation is Saturday, April 17 at noon on the Importance of Civic Education and Engagement with TIME Magazine columnist and MSNBC contributor Eddie Glaude, Jr., author of  Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and its Urgent Lessons for Our Own, and poet, young adult novelist and cookbook author Caroline Randall Williams who wrote The Diary of B.B. Bright, Possible Princess and Soul Food Love. Interested participants can register at cpl.org/writersreaders21.

WE ARE HUMAN. WE WRITE: Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library celebrates National Poetry Month with the ID13 Prison Literacy Project on Saturday, April 17 at 1 p.m. The ID13 prison literacy project provides an outlet for incarcerated individuals to share their thoughts through writing workshops. Register on cpl.org to hear from ID13 co-founder Dr. Christopher Dum and poets performing their written works and spoken word.

THE ART OF WRITING: Clevelanders Laura Maylene Walter, author of Body of Stars, and Marie Vibbert, author of Galactic Hellcats, will discuss their debut novels, the writing process, and offer advice for prospective writers. The virtual conversation will take place on the Cleveland Public Library Facebook page on Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Book lovers are encouraged to visit cpl.org for a complete list of upcoming author talks at Cleveland Public Library.

In-person browsing is available at most locations Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. To order your next read, movie, or audiobook by mail, visit cpl.org to learn about our Homebound Service and Words on Wheels program.