Virtual Author Talks
June Author Talks
Smithsonian Curator Mary Savig
Wednesday, June 3 at 2 PM
Join us for a fascinating discussion with Smithsonian Curator Mary Savig on the history and significance of craft at state fairs—from blue-ribbon quilts to sculpted butter cows, and so much more!
A Dolly Parton crop art portrait. Size-96 cowboy boots. A button quilt. State Fairs: Growing American Craft features more than 100 photos of extraordinary and unconventional crafts from state and tribal fairs, including needlework, basketry, jewelry, ceramics, crop art, butter sculpture, and saddles. The catalog highlights personal stories and regional and cultural traditions, creating a vibrant portrait of American life. Come one, come all! State Fairs has a little something for everyone. Register now to hear about the fascinating (and often surprising) world of American state fair crafts!
This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
*The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
Author Matt Dinniman
Thursday, June 11 at 7 PM
Matt Dinniman, New York Times bestselling author of the wildly popular (and just plain wild) Dungeon Crawler Carl series, joins us to chat about his latest book, A Parade of Horribles.
As chaos and mass panic spread outside the dungeon in the wake of Faction Wars, Carl and Donut find themselves on the tenth floor, where they’re forced to compete in a surprisingly normal set of tasks. Well, normal for the dungeon.
Races. Get from point A to point B, and don’t come in last. After each race, they pick an upgrade for their vehicle, and the track gets more challenging. It all seems a little too normal, a little too simple.
Ignore those strange glitches that are occurring with increasing frequency. Don’t listen to those whispers about what’s happening on the mysterious eleventh floor, something the system AI calls A Parade of Horribles. Nobody, not even the showrunners, knows what that means. Just that the AI has ominously dubbed it “a coming-out party for the ages.”
Everything is fine, Crawler. I repeat, everything is fine.
Carl hates that it’s business as usual. The rules of this floor have taken away his agency. That just will not do.
So, Carl is planning a party of his own. It’s a plan so dangerous, so insane, he can’t even consult his friends lest the AI put a stop to it. Because if it goes wrong, it’s not just the end of Carl and Donut. No. The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been.
Register now for a fun-filled discussion you won’t want to miss!
This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
*The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
Author Ted Page
Thursday, June 18 at 2 PM
Join us in virtual conversation with storyteller and popular blogger Ted Page as we chat about his book Good Grandpa: Stories from the Heart of Grandfatherhood. This heartfelt book highlights his journey to bring together the stories and wisdom of grandfathers from all walks of life—all with a mission to nurture the next great generation.
When author Ted Page found out he was going to be a grandpa, he did a web search to learn more about the experience in store for him, but all he could find were references to the movie Bad Grandpa. He couldn’t help but wonder, “Where are the good ones?” Page started a blog, GoodGrandpa.com, and set out to talk with grandfathers across a diverse spectrum. This included an NFL pro athlete, a priest, a rabbi, an imam, newsman Tom Brokaw, comedy legend John Cleese, Chinese and Indians, physicians adapting to disability, an air force general, a Vietnam combat vet, and many more—plus his Aunt Lois and the Dalai Lama, because why not?
Along the way, Page delved into family histories—his own and those of the grandpas he interviewed—to reveal fascinating stories and lessons for living a good life. In every conversation he asked grandpas for their number one most important piece of wisdom—one thing that could help our grandchildren grow to become the greatest generation of all time. Would the collective wisdom Page gathered turn out to be one singular idea, or a constellation of north stars that illuminate a path toward a better future? A unified and unforgettable picture does in fact emerge.
Good Grandpa is inspiring, uplifting, evocative, and filled with genuine emotion. It is a recipe of hope for a divided America, and the book that will be on every grandparent’s reading list. Register today and find out why Ted Page says “our greatest generation is to come.”
This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
*The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
CEO Sana Javeri Kadri and Food & Recipe Writer Asha Loupy
Tuesday, June 23 at 2 PM
Join us as we chat with Sana Javeri Kadri and Asha Loupy about The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook, which celebrates beautiful, simple, and seasonal cooking with 85 recipes adapted from India and Sri Lanka’s best family spice farms.
Diaspora Spice Co. sources the most flavorful, fresh spices in the world from 150 regenerative farms across South Asia—from elders, indigenous communities, young changemakers, and brilliant multi-generational farming families across India and Sri Lanka who are leading the way in sustainable and climate change–resistant agriculture. Filled with culinary storytelling, The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook highlights these farmers and their spices with profiles and evocative photography, plus 85 recipes for simple, seasonal, and powerfully delicious meals.
CEO and founder Sana Javeri Kadri and recipe writer Asha Loupy realized that eating with the people who grow our spices unveils a whole new dimension in our cooking. Adapted for a global pantry, these recipes share the warmth of true South Asian home cooking at its truest and tastiest.
Sana and Asha also note which recipes are the most beginner friendly, freezer friendly, good for a dinner party menu (like a Diwali feast!), and which lend themselves to be pantry building blocks, all for a super easy-to-navigate cookbook.
This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
*The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
Join us LIVE for a chance to win a copy of The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook! The giveaway link will be in the Resources area under the broadcast screen during the live event. Please ensure you are watching on your library's webpage for the chance to participate.
July Author Talks
Author Karin Slaughter
Wednesday, July 14 at 7 PM
Join us for a thrilling evening with acclaimed author Karin Slaughter as we chat about her North Falls series, consisting of We Are All Guilty Here, in which two teenage girls vanish in rural Georgia, and her upcoming sequel, The Secrets We Hide.
In The Secrets We Hide, Slaughter welcomes readers back to North Falls. A small town with big secrets…
1601 Iris Drive looks like any other house on the quiet, residential street. But rumors are rampant about the Vickery family, and what goes on behind closed doors.
When gunshots ring out, Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, discover a devastating crime scene. Allison Vickery has been murdered in her own kitchen, and her teenage daughter is bleeding upstairs, left for dead.
Everyone thinks they know what happened. But secrets are buried everywhere in this small town. And it’s up to Emmy Clifton to uncover the truth…
Register now to take part in the discussion, and for an exclusive sneak peek of The Secrets We Hide, coming out August 11, 2026!
This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
*The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
Author Reyna Grande
Wednesday, July at 2 PM
In her ambitious new memoir, Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget, beloved bestselling author Reyna Grande illuminates the hidden cost of the American Dream and the complex journey of healing that follows survival.
What is the true power of stories? Can they heal the jagged edges of a traumatic childhood? Is the cost of telling the story worth the price of the cure?
With her signature blend of sophistication and raw honesty, Grande interrogates how living between two nations, two languages, and two identities has shaped the woman, mother, and writer she has become. Moving from the legacy of violence in her hometown of Iguala, Mexico, to a bittersweet family vacation in Europe spent reconciling her own impoverished past with her children’s world of abundance, she uncovers startling truths about the nature of survival.
This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
*The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
Author Dr. Marisa Franco
Wednesday, July 28 at 2 PM
Join us in virtual conversation with bestselling author Dr. Marisa Franco, one of the world’s leading experts in human connection. Her book, Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make–And Keep–Friends, explores the science of different attachment styles and how they impact our relationships–often in ways we don’t realize!
How do we make and keep friends in an era of distraction, burnout, and chaos, especially in a society that often prizes romantic love at the expense of other relationships? In Platonic, Dr. Marisa G. Franco unpacks the latest, often counterintuitive findings about the bonds between us—for example, why your friends aren’t texting you back (it’s not because they hate you!), and the myth of “friendships happening organically” (making friends, like cultivating any relationship, requires effort!). As Dr. Franco explains, to make and keep friends you must understand your attachment style—secure, anxious, or avoidant: it is the key to unlocking what’s working (and what’s failing) in your friendships.
This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
*The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.