Beaches Branch Library to Host Beaches Reader Fest

Cassandra King Conroy to Share New Memoir about Late Husband Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 5, 2019 - The Friends of the Beaches Branch Library, a nonprofit volunteer organization that supports the library, will celebrate its Friends' 40th anniversary by sponsoring a Beaches Readers Fest, Nov. 16, 2019, with keynote speaker/author Cassandra King Conroy and more than 15 local authors. Conroy has written five novels, including New York Times best-seller The Sunday Wife. Her new book, Tell Me a Story, a memoir about her life with literary icon Pat Conroy, was released October 2019. Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg said the memoir ". allows us inside the most personal things, a love, with a man who truly was larger than life."

Other authors who will appear at the event are Heather Ashby, Kathryn Bain, Dave Baranek, M.C. Finotti, Ruth Coe Chambers, Vic DiGenti, Dorothy Fletcher, J. W. Garrett, Shannon Greenland, Belinda Hulin, JD Hunter, Krista Keating-Joseph, Susan Kiernan-Lewis, G.W. "Bill" Reynolds, Elle Thornton, Bruce Thomason and David Weiskircher. The festival is free and open to the public.

  WHEN:    Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019

                  10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

                  Coffee with Cassandra (Coffee and Pastries)

                  10:30 - 11:30 a.m.   

  WHERE:  Beaches Branch Library

                   600 3rd St., Neptune Beach, FL - 32266

With the intention of connecting readers with authors, the festival encourages interaction with authors of fiction, nonfiction, memoir, young adult, children's books and more. The festival will include a panel discussion, well-known writers' groups and a self-publishing workshop. Books will be available for purchase.

Library Clerk Terry Welch noted the importance of a book festival such as this at the beaches and said, "Our beaches community is well-known for its love of literature and writing. This has been proven by the success of our book clubs and author visits."

Jacksonville Public Library is committed to making its programs accessible to all persons. If you need special accommodations, please ask for the Special Needs Library at (904) 630-2665 or email your request to JPLTBSpecialNeeds@coj.net at least 72 hours prior to the event. 

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