Author Events

Did you know we have the biggest, number one author event series in the country? Each month the St. Louis County Library Foundation brings bestselling and award-winning authors from a variety of genres to the library, offering readers exclusive opportunities to meet and engage with their favorite writers.

Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Seating is limited; early arrival is highly recommended. Books for signing will be available for purchase at the events. For more information, please call 314-994-3300.

Ticketed Events   July Events   August Events   September Events

By Audience
By Date
Jasmin Graham - “Sharks Don’t Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist” book cover and color author photo

Jasmin Graham

Sharks have been on this planet for over 400 million years, so there is a lot they can teach us about survival and adaptability. For example: how do sharks stay afloat? They keep moving. When Jasmin Graham, an award-winning young shark scientist, started to feel that the traditional path to becoming a marine biologist was pulling her under, she remembered this important lesson: keep moving forward. Jasmin joined with three other Black women to form Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS) and became an independent researcher: a rogue shark scientist, seeking ways to keep these extraordinary endangered creatures swimming free—just like her. “Sharks Don’t Sink” is a triumphant memoir about how we can all learn to respect nature’s most misunderstood and vulnerable creatures—and grant the same grace to ourselves.

Thursday, August 15, 2024
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Clark Family Branch
"Running on Empty" book cover and author Guy Deacon sitting in a wood chair in a white tshirt

Guy Deacon

At the age of sixty, and having lived with Parkinson's disease for over ten years, Guy Deacon CBE set out on one last adventure: to drive solo from his home in the UK through twenty-five countries to the southern tip of Africa. This incredible journey took the former British Army officer over twelve months. Along the way, he broke down five times, underwent one emergency evacuation, and took 3,650 prescription pills. But not only did Guy's journey fulfill a childhood dream to drive the length of Africa, his mission was also to raise global awareness of Parkinson's disease. This is the story of one man’s courage and determination to make a difference to those suffering with Parkinson’s be it at home or abroad.

Saturday, August 17, 2024
3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Clark Family Branch
Thomas Fuller - “The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory” book cover and color author photo

Thomas Fuller

New York Times reporter Thomas Fuller shares the incredible story of an all-deaf high school football team’s triumphant climb from underdog to undefeated. After years of covering wildfires, war, pandemic, and mass shootings, Fuller became captivated by the story of the football team at California School for the Deaf, a state-run school with only 168 students. Fuller packed his bags and drove seven hours to the Riverside campus just in time to see them trounce their opponent in the second game of the playoffs. “The Boys of Riverside” looks back at the myriad heart-wrenching and uplifting stories of the players who had found common purpose. Through their eyes, Fuller reveals a portrait of high school athletics, and deafness in America.

Monday, August 19, 2024
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Clark Family Branch
Reed Farrel Coleman - “Blind to Midnight: A Nick Ryan Novel” book cover and color author photo

Reed Farrel Coleman

Reed Farrel Coleman is the bestselling author of thirty-one crime fiction novels. His latest series introduces an unforgettable antihero, police “fixer” Nick Ryan. Nearly three thousand New Yorkers died on 9/11. But in the entire city on that tragic day, only one murder actually took place. Now, over two decades later, Detective Nick Ryan must dig beneath the official report--and into his own past--to find the truth. Nick's investigations uncover a tangled web of corruption and blood money, and as the horrifying truth emerges, he finds himself outgunned, on the run, and trusting no one.

Wednesday, August 21, 2024
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Clark Family Branch
"Familiaris" book cover and author David Wroblewski wearing a black leather jacket with his right hand positioned on his cheek

David Wroblewski

#1 bestselling novelist David Wroblewski presents the long-awaited follow-up to the beloved modern classic “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.” It is spring 1919, and John Sawtelle and his newlywed wife, Mary, along with their three dogs, are setting off for Wisconsin's northwoods, where they hope to make a fresh start--and, with a little luck, discover what it takes to live a life of meaning, purpose, and adventure. But the place they are headed for is far stranger and more perilous than they realize. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, mysterious and enchanting, “Familiaris” is the stirring origin story of the Sawtelle family and the remarkable dogs that carry the Sawtelle name.

Monday, August 26, 2024
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Clark Family Branch
Jodi Picoult - "By Any Other Name" book cover and color author photo

Ticketed Event: Jodi Picoult

#1 bestselling novelist Jodi Picoult presents a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire that centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Young playwright Melina Green has written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Endowed with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, she is allowed no voice of her own. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Wednesday, September 4, 2024
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center