Library Journal Evening of Dialog, February 26, 2020
Nashville Public Library Main Branch
615 Church St, Nashville, TN 37219

Come join LJ for cocktails, light refreshments, and great conversation with a dozen notable authors, who will be interviewed by Barbara Hoffert, Prepub Alert Editor, LJ, about their forthcoming titles. Signings will follow, with plenty of opportunities for attendees to meet and greet the authors and grab their latest advanced reading copies/galleys. This is a free event for library professionals with space available on a first-come, first-served basis.

To be invoiced for your registration or pay with a PO, please email your request to ljevents@mediasourceinc.com.

LJ Evening of Dialog is designed for librarians, educators, and library students. If you have any questions, email us at ljevents@mediasourceinc.com. 

6:30–7:00 PM | GUEST ARRIVAL/RECEPTION 
 

7:00–7:30 PM | PANEL 1: FICTION 1 

Debut author Ashley Blooms’s ten-year-old Misty survives life in an Appalachian holler. Acclaimed second-timer Lauren Francis-Sharma’s heroine must tell her son about her family’s struggles in late 1700s Trinidad. Internationally best-selling crossover author Ruta Sepetys relates the travails of two young people navigating Franco’s Spain. And Alex/Shirley Jackson award winner Kevin Wilson introduces us to two children who burst into flames when upset. Four top-notch authors offer grownup stories embracing young characters. 

Ashley Blooms, Every Bone a Prayer (Sourcebooks Landmark: Sourcebooks)
Lauren Francis-Sharma, Book of the Little Axe (Grove Atlantic Monthly: Grove Atlantic: Ingram)
Ruta Sepetys, The Fountains of Silence (Philomel: Penguin Young Readers)
Kevin Wilson, Nothing To See Here (Ecco: HarperCollins) 
 

7:30–8:00 PM | PANEL 2: NONFICTION 

Dr. François S. Clemmons of Mister Rogers fame talks about his life. Bittersweet novelist Danler limns the burdens of being raised by addict parents and returning “home” to California after a decade to wrestle with their continuing squalor and her own. Award-winning University of Washington astronomer Levesque reports on the accomplishments of the thinning crowd of scientists who continue studying the stars. And California surfer/swimmer Tsui, a New York Times contributor, explains the lure of splashing about in the water. New voices in nonfiction that range far and wide. 

Dr. François S. Clemmons, Officer Clemmons: A Memoir (Catapult: Ingram)
Stephanie Danler, Stray: A Memoir (Knopf: Penguin Random House)
Emily Levesque, The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers (Sourcebooks)
Bonnie Tsui, Why We Swim (Algonquin: Workman) 
 

8:00–8:30 PM | PANEL 3: FICTION 2 

Debuter Alexandria Bellefleur offers an #ownvoices queer romance about two astrologically incompatible women. Bookman’s Tale author Charlie Lovett introduces a debut novelist eager to untangle a mystery behind his favorite children’s series. And the New York Times best-selling Walsh dreams up a machine that can tell users their life’s true potential, which really disrupts a small Louisiana town. Popular fiction that can take you in new directions. 

Alexandria Bellefleur, Written in the Stars (Avon: HarperCollins)
Charlie Lovett, Escaping Dreamland (Blackstone Publishing)
M.O. Walsh, The Big Door Prize (G.P. Putnam’s Sons: Penguin Random House) 
 

8:30 PM | AUTHOR SIGNINGS

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