Central PA: a Hub for Author Appearances this Spring!

Bookstores and libraries are wonderful places to meet award-winning and bestselling authors. The dynamic friends of the library groups and fabulous librarians spend hours researching and contacting bestselling authors. Many of the local libraries present successful authors who are also amazing speakers.

Hershey Public Library and the Friends of the Hershey Public Library have hosted bestselling authors including Fiona Davis, Kate Baer, and Nnedi Okorafor in the past twelve months. Fiona Davis writes historical fiction set in New York City including The Magnolia Palace, The Chelsea Girls, and The Address Kate Baer is a Central Pennsylvania poet with multiple New York Times bestselling collections. Baer is active on Instagram and her books are What Kind Of Woman, I Hope This Finds You Well, and her most recent release, And Yet Nnedi Okorafor has won multiple awards for her bestselling speculative fiction including the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus, and Lodestar awards. Some of Okorafor’s books for adults are Who Fears Death, the Binti trilogy, and the Book of Phoenix. Okorafor also writes for younger readers, with titles such as Ikenga, Akata Witch, Zahrah the Windseeker, and Chicken in the Kitchen.

There are several exciting upcoming events in the Central Pennsylvania area including a visit from historian and bestselling author, Erik Larson, as part of the York County History Center Distinguished Speaker Series on April 18, 2023, at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts. On Tuesday, March 28, 2023, The Elizabethville Area Friends of Library will host Sarah Albee for a meet and greet with a book signing. Albee is the New York Times bestselling author of more than one hundred and fifty children’s books like Fairy Tale Science, Accidental Archaeologists, and Poop Happened! The Council of Friends of Public Libraries, which supports all of the Lancaster County Libraries, is bringing bestselling mystery author Robert Dugoni to the Lancaster area on Thursday, April 13, at 11:00 am. Dugoni writes thrillers like A Cold Trail, Murder One, and The Silent

Sisters

The Friends of the Hershey Public Library will be hosting a Distinguished Author Visit with Kevin Wilson on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at 2:00 in the afternoon at the Hershey Public Library. Wilson is an award-winning short story and fiction author. His short story collections include Tunneling to the Center of the Earth, which received an Alex Award from the American Library Association and the Shirley Jackson Award, and Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine. Some of his novels are The Family Fang, Perfect Little World, and Nothing to See Here, a New York Times bestseller and a Read with Jenna book club selection. Wilson’s latest book is Now Is Not the Time to Panic. This coming-of-age book has received rave reviews since its release in late 2022.

These are a sampling of some of the Central Pennsylvania author appearances at libraries this Spring. Many of these events are fundraisers for the libraries and the friends of the library organizations. Prior to the events, readers and fans who want to meet these incredible authors should check the library web pages for registration information and more details. These authors draw crowds, so make sure to check with the organizers.

Michelle Haring is the owner of Cupboard Maker Books, a 6,500 square foot store in Enola, Pennsylvania, with ample parking on Routes 11/15. The store is across the river from Harrisburg and contains over 120,000 curated, unique, previously loved paperback and hardback titles including Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Children’s, History, Art, Religion, and many other genres. The bookstore cats and foster cats from Castaway Critters roam freely and love visitors. Cupboard Maker Books hosts book signings and monthly book clubs and carries thousands of new titles including fiction and nonfiction by local traditionally published and independent authors.