AVALON – The Avalon Free Public Library announces its summer Author Lecture Series featuring the renowned writers of a variety of highly acclaimed works.
Among the authors scheduled to appear is Christina Baker Kline, whose “Orphan Train” spent more than two years on the New York Times Best Seller list, including five weeks at No. 1. The author of six novels, Baker Kline’s work has been published in more than 40 countries and been awarded a variety of literary and historical-fiction prizes. Her appearance is scheduled for July 20.
“Orphan Train” is a historical-fiction book that imagines the story behind Irish immigrant Vivian Daly, a traveler on one of the so-called orphan trains that ran regularly from 1854 to 1929 from the cities of the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest. The trains carried abandoned children, whose fates would vary from adoption to a life of servitude by sheer luck. The novel follows modern-day Molly Ayer, a foster child completing community service by helping Vivian sort through her keepsakes. The story unravels as the duo discover they may not be so different after all.
A full schedule of author appearances can be seen below. All are scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Avalon Free Public Library. For more information, be sure to visit the website at www.avalonfreelibrary.org.
2016 Avalon Free Public Library Author Lecture Series
- July 11: Charlene Briggs, “Letters to Lida: World War II Told Through the Eyes, Heart and Words of a B-29 Tail-Gunner” (nonfiction)
- July 13: Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella, “I’ve Got Sand in All the Wrong Places” (fiction)
- July 14: Alan L. Moss, “The Samoa Seduction” (fiction)
- July 18: Arthur Schwerdt, “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things” (nonfiction)
- July 19: Bill Madison, “Reflections, A Life Story” (fiction)
- July 20: Christina Baker Kline, “Orphan Train,” “Bird in Hand,” “The Way Life Should Be,” “Desire Lines,” “Sweet Water” (fiction)
- July 21: Jerry Casway, “The Culture and Ethnicity of 19th-Century Baseball” (nonfiction)
- July 27: Roseann C. Diamond, “Holding My Hands and Saving My Life: My Journey with Meryl and Maks” (nonfiction)
- July 28: Jay Paterno, “Paterno Legacy: Enduring Lessons from the Life and Death of My Father” (nonfiction)
- Aug. 3: J. Francis Watson, “The Ghosts of Duffy’s Cut: The Irish Who Died Building America’s Most Dangerous Stretch of Railroad” (nonfiction)
- Aug. 11: Meredith Trede, “Tenement Threnody” (poetry)
The Avalon Free Public Library is celebrating its 10th anniversary and has received a 5-star rating in the Library Journal’s national rating of public libraries. Attendees are encouraged to “Check It Out” and visit the library to browse the wide range of programs and services offered including Hoopla, OverDrive, Freegal, TumbleBooks and more. The library’s extensive collection includes classics, best sellers, movies, video games and a wide range of reference information.
