BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation - ECPv6.8.2.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20180311T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20181104T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20190310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20191103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20200308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20201101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20210314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20211107T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20220313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20221106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20230312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20231105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T170000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20260218T201129Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260218T201316Z UID:17544-1777536000-1777568400@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Testing a new event for Divi DESCRIPTION:I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet\, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus\, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis\, pulvinar dapibus leo. \n[vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html] URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/testing-a-new-event-for-divi/ LOCATION:ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center\, 300 E 7th St\,\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28202\, United States END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221110T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221110T220000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20220405T202758Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220615T110113Z UID:10981-1668106800-1668117600@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Verse & Vino DESCRIPTION:SAVE THE DATE\nSome call it the greatest book club ever assembled.\nVerse & Vino is Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation’s signature annual fundraiser. This celebration of reading\, writing and the joy of libraries – shared with a community of readers and New York Times best-selling authors – has become one of our region’s most anticipated events. \nSince its debut in 2014\, Verse & Vino has outgrown a venue\, welcomed over thirty New York Times best-selling authors to Charlotte readers\, gone (temporarily) virtual\, and become one of the region’s most anticipated annual literary events. \nLearn more on our Verse & Vino page. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/verse-vino-4/ LOCATION:NC CATEGORIES:Author Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Verse-Vino-topper-new.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221027T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221027T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20221005T163755Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221006T192539Z UID:12003-1666872000-1666875600@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:An Introduction to Estate Planning DESCRIPTION:Join the Library Foundation and moderator and board member Jennifer Green for a virtual lunchtime program at no charge to learn helpful tips and insights from Debra Foster\, an esteemed local attorney who specializes in estate planning. \nDebra shares why and how we should all think about our future needs and legacy plans. There will also be ample time for questions following her presentation. \nCLICK HERE  to register for this event. \n  URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/an-introduction-to-estate-planning/ LOCATION:Virtual\, NC\, United States CATEGORIES:Donor Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Virtual-seminar-1-2x.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220914 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20221022 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20220714T214117Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220714T214342Z UID:11631-1663113600-1666396799@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Book Club Madness DESCRIPTION:Think your book club is the best? Prove it.\nRegistration is now open.\nCharlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation presents the first-ever competition for book clubs. Through a series of five weekly games book club members will win points for their club. Much like March Madness\, book club teammates can score two pointers\, three pointers and free throws for their club\, along with fun weekly prizes and bragging rights. \nLearn more on our Book Club Madness page. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/book-club-madness/ LOCATION:NC CATEGORIES:Competition ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BCM-topper.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220823T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220823T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20220711T201231Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220712T152539Z UID:11596-1661277600-1661284800@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Final Draught: Deadly Declarations with Landis Wade DESCRIPTION:Deadly Declarations with Landis Wade \n \n GET TICKETS \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\nTuesday\, August 23\, 2022\n6:00 pm – 8:00 pm\nAn unlikely trio of retirees try to solve a man’s death\, his strange will\, and the 250-year-old colonial period mystery of the controversial and long-vanished First American Declaration of Independence\, actions which – if successful – will change United States history. That is\, if they don’t die trying. \nIt’s modern day in the New South City of Charlotte\, North Carolina\, when three retirees at the Independence Retirement Community\, a/k/a The Indie\, team up to solve two mysteries related to the death of a 96-year-old resident. Why was his manuscript about the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence missing when they found his body? And why did his handwritten will dated the day he died disinherit his beloved granddaughter (his only heir)\, and leave his $50 million fortune to Sue Ellen Parker\, the most despised resident at the Indie? \nAt the urging of Chuck Yeager Alexander\, an optimistic soul who loves historical conspiracies\, and Harriet Keaton\, a former businesswoman with an extreme dislike of Sue Ellen Parker\, Craig Travail\, a trial lawyer recently ousted from his law firm after 40 years\, reluctantly goes to court to challenge the dead man’s will for the granddaughter. This decision sets in motion a series of dangerous events that could lead the threesome to discover the answer to a revolutionary war period mystery that has evaded historians for 250 years. \nDeadly Declarations plunges readers into the world of history and retirement\, where getting older is a combination of fear\, doubt\, humor\, and new life\, and then transports readers to the courtroom and to the Virginia countryside to prove that age is just a number when searching for and finding the truth about the past. \nJoin Landis at Town Brewing Company for Final Draught\, the Library Foundation’s discussion series featuring conversation\, beer and books.\n \n\n\nA sizzling combination of historical mystery\, courtroom drama\, and warm\, burgeoning friendships in a retirement community. I tried to stop reading Deadly Declarations. I simply couldn’t put it down.” \n\n\nDannye Romine Powell \nAbout the Author\n\nLandis Wade is a recovering trial lawyer\, host of Charlotte Readers Podcast\, and author of books and stories whose third book—The Christmas Redemption—won the Holiday category of the 12th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards\, and was the 2018 Holiday category Honorable Mention in the 10th Annual Readers’ Favorite Awards. He won the 2016 North Carolina State Bar short story contest for The Deliberation and received awards for his non-fiction pieces\, The Cape Fear Debacle and First Dance. His short work has appeared in Writersdigest.com\, The Charlotte Observer\, Flying South\, Fiction on the Web and in more than six anthologies\, including by Daniel Boone Footsteps. \n\n\n  \n\nTICKETS: $10\nincludes the program and light bites\nDeadly Declarations will be available for purchase at the event and can be personalized by the author.\nProceeds benefit the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. \nCLICK HERE & GET YOUR TICKET TODAY! URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/final-draught-landis-wade/ LOCATION:Town Brewing Company\, 800 Grandin Rd\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28208\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Final-Draft-topper.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220707T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220707T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20220524T163127Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220615T105753Z UID:11173-1657220400-1657224000@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:A Conversation with Kathy Reichs DESCRIPTION:A Conversation with Kathy Reichs \n IMAGINON WELLS FARGO PLAYHOUSE \n \n GET TICKETS \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n#1 New York Times bestselling thriller writer Kathy Reichs returns with her twenty-first novel of suspense featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan who\, after receiving a box containing a human eyeball\, uncovers a series of gruesome killings eerily reenacting the most shocking of her prior cases.\nWinter has come to North Carolina and\, with it\, a drop in crime. Freed from a heavy work schedule\, Tempe Brennan is content to dote on her daughter Katy\, finally returned to civilian life from the army. But when mother and daughter meet at Tempe’s place one night\, they find a box on the back porch. Inside: a very fresh human eyeball. \nGPS coordinates etched into the eyeball lead to a Benedictine monastery where an equally macabre discovery awaits. Soon after\, Tempe examines a mummified corpse in a state park\, and her anxiety deepens. \nThere seems to be no pattern to the subsequent killings uncovered\, except that each mimics in some way a homicide that a younger Tempe had been called in to analyze. Who or what is targeting her\, and why? \nHelping Tempe search for answers is detective Erskine “Skinny” Slidell\, retired but still volunteering with the CMPD cold case unit—and still displaying his gallows humor. Also pulled into the mystery: Andrew Ryan\, Tempe’s Montreal-based beau\, now working as a private detective. \nCould this elaborately staged skein of mayhem be the prelude to a twist that is even more shocking? Tempe is at a loss to establish the motive for what is going on…and then her daughter disappears. \nAt its core\, Cold\, Cold Bones is a novel of revenge—one in which revisiting the past may prove the only way to unravel the present. \nJoin Kathy Reichs at ImaginOn Wells Fargo Playhouse on July 7 for the launch of her latest spine-tingling pagetuner.\nAbout the Author\nKathy Reichs’s first novel Déjà Dead catapulted her to fame when it became a New York Times bestseller and won the 1997 Ellis Award for Best First Novel. Her other Temperance Brennan books include Death du Jour\, Deadly Decisions\, Fatal Voyage\, Grave Secrets\, Bare Bones\, Monday Mourning\, Cross Bones\, Break No Bones\, Bones to Ashes\, Devil Bones\, 206 Bones\, Spider Bones\, Flash and Bones\, Bones Are Forever\, Bones of the Lost\, Bones Never Lie\, Speaking in Bones and the Temperance Brennan short story collection\, The Bone Collection. In addition\, Kathy co-authored the Virals young adult series with her son\, Brendan Reichs. The best-selling titles are: Virals\, Seizure\, Code\, Exposure\, Terminal\, and the novella collection Trace Evidence. The series follows the adventures of Temperance Brennan’s great niece\, Tory Brennan. Dr. Reichs’ latest novel\, Two Nights\, was released July 11 and features Sunday Night\, a tough-talking\, scarred heroine. Dr. Reichs was also a producer of the hit Fox TV series\, Bones\, which is based on her work and her novels. \nFrom teaching FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains\, to separating and identifying commingled body parts in her Montreal lab\, as a forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs has brought her own dramatic work experience to her mesmerizing forensic thrillers. For years she consulted to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina and to the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Québec. Dr. Reichs has traveled to Rwanda to testify at the UN Tribunal on Genocide\, and helped exhume a mass grave in Guatemala. As part of her work at JPAC (Formerly CILHI) she aided in the identification of war dead from World War II\, Korea\, and Southeast Asia. Dr. Reichs also assisted in the recovery of remains at the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. \nDr. Reichs is one of only 100 forensic anthropologists ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. She served on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the American Board of Forensic Anthropology\, and is currently a member of the National Police Services Advisory Council in Canada. She is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. \nDr. Reichs is a native of Chicago\, where she received her Ph.D. at Northwestern. She now divides her time between Charlotte\, NC and Montreal\, Québec. \n  \n\nTickets\nIndividual tickets are $30 and includes a signed book.\nAdditional copies of Kathy Reichs’ book will be available for purchase at the event. Proceeds benefit the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. \nCLICK HERE & GET YOUR TICKET TODAY! URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/a-conversation-with-kathy-reichs/ LOCATION:ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center\, 300 E 7th St\,\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28202\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Kathy-Reichs_sm-header.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220607T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220607T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20220506T150157Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220506T150157Z UID:11104-1654624800-1654632000@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Final Draught: Poster Girls with Meredith Ritchie DESCRIPTION:Poster Girls with Meredith Ritchie \n \n GET TICKETS \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n  \nAfter an unwanted southern migration\, an upside-down world in 1943 offers military wife and mother\, Maggie Slone\, a job at Charlotte’s largest wartime employer––the massive and dangerous Shell Assembly Plant. \nMeanwhile\, military wife and Alabama native\, Kora Bell’s steadfast determination enables her to navigate the challenges she faces as a Black woman seeking employment under Jim Crow. \nA shared love of literature spurns an unlikely friendship between Kora and Maggie\, and the two work together to unify the plant’s workforce. Stringent rules are necessary when the air is charged with gun powder and polite society\, until Maggie and Kora must break them in order to support their families\, end the war\, and bring their husbands home. \nTold from two perspectives\, Poster Girls is driven by the true but forgotten events and accomplishments of a diverse group of ordinary American women\, both relevant and necessary to stop modern cycles of misunderstanding. \nJoin Meredith at Town Brewing Company for Final Draught\, the Library Foundation’s discussion series featuring conversation\, beer and books.\n \n\n\nIt is through books that authors can offer their own stories\, so we\, as readers\, can see ourselves in them and learn.” \n\n\nMAGGIE SLONE\, protagonist \nAbout the Author\nMeredith Ritchie has made a career in business communications and wrote this\, her first novel\, as a cure for acute “empty nest syndrome” after her triplets became adults. She lives in Charlotte with her husband and two cats\, who encourage her curiosity of the forgotten triumphs of the spirit—especially those in our own backyard. You can find more about Meredith at Meredithritchie.com\, on Instagram at @postergirlsbook\, and on Goodreads. \n  \n\nTwo Ticket Options\nOption A\n$10 includes the program and light bites \nOption B\n$25 includes a signed book\, program and light bites. \nAdditional copies of Poster Girls will be available for purchase at the event.\nProceeds benefit the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. \nCLICK HERE & GET YOUR TICKET TODAY! URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/final-draught-poster-girls-with-meredith-ritchie/ LOCATION:Town Brewing Company\, 800 Grandin Rd\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28208\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Final-Draft-topper.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220519T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220519T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20220316T205339Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220316T214324Z UID:10862-1652983200-1652990400@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Final Draught: The Tannery with Michael Almond DESCRIPTION:The Tannery with Michael Almond \n \n GET TICKETS \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n  \nThe Tannery is historical fiction at its best\, a murder mystery and legal thriller whose twists and turns will hold readers’ attention to the final page. Meticulously researched\, this page-turning debut novel transports readers to another time and place\, the story unfolding in the turbulent world of Post-Reconstruction social\, political\, and racial conditions in North Carolina and throughout the South. Reflecting issues prominent in today’s headlines\, themes of Black voter suppression and intimidation\, White Supremacy campaigns\, the Wilmington Massacre of 1898\, the violence and depravity of the Red Shirts and vigilante terrorism\, and the rise of Jim Crow drive the narrative to its dramatic and surprising conclusion. \nJoin Michael at Town Brewing Company for Final Draught\, the Library Foundation’s themed\, quarterly discussion series featuring conversation\, beer and books.\n  \n \n\n\nThe Tannery is tough to put down because the storytelling is so compelling. … This book is timely\, in that we can reflect on how far we have come today and see the tangible progress we have made. But it also glaringly reminds us that the issues of racism\, voter suppression\, and economic inequality are still with us\, and indeed\, to paraphrase a famous author…the past is not yet passed\, it is still with us today.” \n\n\nHarvey B. Gantt\, former mayor of Charlotte\, first African American student accepted by Clemson University\, inspiration for the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture \n  \nAbout the Author\nMichael A. Almond\, a retired international business attorney\, was raised in the small town of Pilot Mountain in the Piedmont foothills of North Carolina. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\, and was a Fulbright Scholar in political science at the University of Mannheim\, Germany. An avid reader of Southern history and literature\, Michael and his wife Helen Ruth live at Almond Springs Farm in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with two horses\, three donkeys\, and their canine companions\, Lucy and Greta. The Tannery is his debut novel. \n  \n\nTwo Ticket Options\nOption A\n$10 includes the program and light bites \nOption B\n$25 includes a signed book\, program and light bites. \nAdditional copies of The Tannery will be available for purchase at the event.\nProceeds benefit the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. \nCLICK HERE & GET YOUR TICKET TODAY! URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/final-draught-the-tannery/ LOCATION:Town Brewing Company\, 800 Grandin Rd\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28208\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Final-Draft-topper.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220412T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220412T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20220315T163701Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220316T214751Z UID:10829-1649786400-1649793600@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Final Draught: The Vote Collectors with Michael Graff & Nick Ochsner DESCRIPTION:The Vote Collectors with Michael Graff & Nick Ochsner \n \n GET TICKETS \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n  \nIn November 2018\, Baptist preacher Mark Harris beat the odds\, narrowly fending off a blue wave in the sprawling Ninth District of North Carolina. But word soon got around that something fishy was going on in rural Bladen County. At the center of the mess was a local political operative named McCrae Dowless. Dowless had learned the ins and outs of the absentee ballot system from Democrats before switching over to the Republican Party. Bladen County’s vote-collecting cottage industry made national headlines\, led to multiple election fraud indictments\, toppled North Carolina GOP leadership\, and left hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians without congressional representation for nearly a year. \nIn The Vote Collectors\, Michael Graff and Nick Ochsner tell the story of the political shenanigans in Bladen County\, exposing the shocking vulnerability of local elections and explaining why our present systems are powerless to monitor and prevent fraud. In their hands\, this tale of rural corruption becomes a fascinating narrative of the long clash of racism and electioneering—and a larger story about the challenges to democracy in the rural South. \nAt a time rife with accusations of election fraud\, The Vote Collectors shows the reality of election stealing in one southern county\, where democracy was undermined the old-fashioned way: one absentee ballot at a time. \nJoin Michael and Nick at Town Brewing Company for Final Draught\, the Library Foundation’s themed\, quarterly discussion series featuring conversation\, beer and books.\n  \n \n\n\nA fine-grained and vivid account of the 2018 North Carolina congressional race that was overturned because of electoral fraud…Throughout\, the authors weave in intriguing bits of local color and draw trenchant connections to fraud claims in the 2020 presidential election. This doggedly reported chronicle sheds light on America’s political dysfunctions.” \n\n\nPublishers Weekly \n  \nAbout the Authors\nMichael Graff is the southern bureau chief for Axios Local and a reporter for Axios Charlotte. His work has appeared in ESPN\, Politico\, Garden & Gun\, the Guardian\, Success\, among others. Before Axios\, he was the editor of Charlotte magazine\, senior editor of Our State magazine\, and worked as a reporter for the Fayetteville Observer\, the Rocky Mount Telegram\, and the Winchester Star. He lives in the NoDa neighborhood of Charlotte with his wife Laura\, 2-year-old son George\, and 6-year-old mutt Gizmo. \nNick Ochsner is chief investigative reporter for WBTV. He has worked as an investigative reporter in Lubbock\, TX and Hampton Roads\, Va. He lives in Charlotte with his wife\, Sarah and their two dogs\, Murrow and Cassie. \n  \n\nTwo Ticket Options\nOption A\n$10 includes the program and light bites \nOption B\n$25 includes a signed book\, program and light bites. \nAdditional copies of The Vote Collectors book will be available for purchase at the event.\nProceeds benefit the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. \nCLICK HERE & GET YOUR TICKET TODAY! URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/final-draught-the-vote-collectors/ LOCATION:Town Brewing Company\, 800 Grandin Rd\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28208\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Final-Draft-topper.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220330T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220330T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20220225T162035Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220325T190513Z UID:10727-1648641600-1648645200@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:A Conversation with Marie Benedict DESCRIPTION:A Conversation with Marie Benedict \n VIRTUAL AUTHOR EVENT \n \n GET TICKETS \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n  \nJoin us for a live conversation with New York Times bestselling historical fiction author Marie Benedict about her latest novel Her Hidden Genius. Benedict’s powerful new work shines a light on a woman who sacrificed her life to discover the nature of our very DNA\, a woman whose world-changing contributions were hidden by the men around her but whose relentless drive advanced our understanding of humankind. \nJoin the author on Wednesday\, March 30th at noon to learn more about the inspiration behind her latest real-life heroine\, Rosalind Franklin. The $30 ticket price includes an access link to live virtual event and an autographed copy of Her Hidden Genius. \n  \n \n\n\nMarie Benedict has given us an immense gift: a peek into the inner world of Rosalind Franklin\, one of the most brilliant—and overlooked—scientist of her time… This is Benedict’s best work yet\, a book that will break your heart\, rattle your expectations\, and ultimately leave you stunned by the sacrifices one woman made for science.” \n\n\n—Nathalia Holt\, New York Times bestselling author of ​Rise of the Rocket Girls \n  \nOnline registration ends Friday\, March 25 at 5 pm.  \nTo sign up after the online registration deadline\,\ncontact Lenny Tran at LTran@cmlibrary.org or 704.416.0805. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/marie-benedict/ LOCATION:Virtual\, NC\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Foundation-presents-topper.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211104T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211104T000000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20210715T174043Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210715T180848Z UID:9239-1635984000-1635984000@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Verse & Vino DESCRIPTION:Verse & Vino is Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation’s signature annual fundraiser. This celebration of reading\, writing and the joy of libraries – shared with a community of readers and New York Times best-selling authors – has become one of our region’s most anticipated events. \nDue to the COVID-19 pandemic\, Verse & Vino 2020 was transformed into a fast-paced\, entertaining virtual event. Verse & Vino 2021 will be a hybrid format – we will build on the success of last year’s broadcast and add more opportunities to gather in person. Public and private gatherings of all sizes throughout the County will be incorporated into the broadcast\, and we encourage participants to attend or host one of these celebrations. \n \nSpecial thanks to PNC\, presenting sponsor of Verse & Vino. \nFind a list of all Verse & Vino sponsors here. \n  URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/verse-vino-3/ LOCATION:Virtual and satellite celebrations CATEGORIES:Author Event,Donor Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/VerseVino-e1626372503654.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210909T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210909T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20210715T174802Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210715T180921Z UID:9242-1631214000-1631217600@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Carnegie Circle Donor Appreciation Event DESCRIPTION:This annual invitation-only event celebrates members of the Carnegie Circle\, over 200 Library supporters whose annual gifts of $1\,000 or more create a community where reading\, learning and imagination thrive. \nThis year’s event will feature Annette Gordon-Reed\, Harvard professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of On Juneteenth. \n \n  \nSpecial thanks to Bank of America\, presenting sponsor of this event. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/carnegie-circle-donor-appreciation-event/ LOCATION:Virtual\, NC\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event,Donor Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/21BOOKGORDON-REED1-superJumbo-e1626372245521.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210819T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210819T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20210715T175659Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210715T180229Z UID:9249-1629399600-1629403200@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Damnation Spring: Ash Davidson with Kelly Mustian DESCRIPTION:We’re thrilled to co-present this free\, virtual evening with our partners at Main Street Books: \nABOUT THE BOOK \nAn epic\, immersive debut\, Damnation Spring is the deeply human story of a Pacific Northwest logging town wrenched in two by a mystery that threatens to derail its way of life. \nFor generations\, Rich Gundersen’s family has chopped a livelihood out of the redwood forest along California’s rugged coast. Now Rich and his wife\, Colleen\, are raising their own young son near Damnation Grove\, a swath of ancient redwoods on which Rich’s employer\, Sanderson Timber Co.\, plans to make a killing. In 1977\, with most of the forest cleared or protected\, a grove like Damnation—and beyond it 24-7 Ridge—is a logger’s dream. \nIt’s dangerous work. Rich has already lived decades longer than his father\, killed on the job. Rich wants better for his son\, Chub\, so when the opportunity arises to buy 24-7 Ridge—costing them all the savings they’ve squirreled away for their growing family—he grabs it\, unbeknownst to Colleen. Because the reality is their family isn’t growing; Colleen has lost several pregnancies. And she isn’t alone. As a midwife\, Colleen has seen it with her own eyes. \nFor decades\, the herbicides the logging company uses were considered harmless. But Colleen is no longer so sure. What if these miscarriages aren’t isolated strokes of bad luck? As mudslides take out clear-cut hillsides and salmon vanish from creeks\, her search for answers threatens to unravel not just Rich’s plans for the 24-7\, but their marriage too\, dividing a town that lives and dies on timber along the way. \nTold from the perspectives of Rich\, Colleen\, and Chub\, in prose as clear as a spring-fed creek\, this intimate\, compassionate portrait of a community clinging to a vanishing way of life amid the perils of environmental degradation makes Damnation Spring an essential novel for our time. \nABOUT ASH DAVIDSON \nAsh Davidson was born in Arcata\, California\, and attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her work has been supported by the Arizona Commission on the Arts and MacDowell. She lives in Flagstaff\, Arizona. \nABOUT KELLY MUSTIAN \nKelly Mustian grew up in Natchez\, Mississippi\, the southern terminus of the historic Natchez Trace. Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals and commercial magazines\, and her short fiction has won a Blumenthal Writers and Readers Series Award. She is a past recipient of a Regional Artist Grant from the North Carolina Arts and Science Council. Kelly currently lives with her family near the foothills of North Carolina. The Girls in the Stilt House\, her debut novel\, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly\, was highlighted by POPSUGAR\, Library Journal\, and Deep South Magazine as a “must read\,” is SIBA bestseller\, and has been longlisted for the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation for best debut novel set in the American South. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/damnation-spring-ash-davidson-with-kelly-mustian/ LOCATION:Virtual\, NC\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/main-st-books-event.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210727T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210727T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20210715T175222Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210715T180153Z UID:9246-1627412400-1627416000@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Celebrating Libraries with Karin Slaughter and Jackie Cooper DESCRIPTION:Our friends at HarperCollins Publishers are celebrating libraries with this free\, virtual event: \nJoin Karin Slaughter in-conversation with Jackie Cooper to celebrate libraries and discuss Karin’s latest standalone\, FALSE WITNESS! \nKARIN SLAUGHTER is one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe\, her twenty-one novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books\, as well as the Edgar-nominated Cop Town and the instant New York Times bestselling standalone novels Pretty Girls\, The Good Daughter\, and Pieces of Her. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia\, she lives in Atlanta. Her standalone novel Pieces of Her is in development with Netflix\, and the Grant County and Will Trent series are in development for television. \nJACKIE COOPER is an American author and film critic. He is the host of the Jackie K. Cooper Show\, an entertainment review television show broadcast weekly on Com South and Progressive Tel cable networks in the Middle Georgia area. He is also one of the founders of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and is also a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association. Jackie lives Perry\, Georgia\, and is the author of 7 books of memoirs and short stories. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/celebrating-libraries-with-karin-slaughter-and-jackie-cooper/ LOCATION:Virtual\, NC\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/event-cover-4770.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201105T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201105T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20191126T175121Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201009T184356Z UID:4827-1604602800-1604610000@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Verse & Vino DESCRIPTION:Verse & Vino is a Charlotte literary tradition.  This evening of food\, wine\, and conversation with New York Times best-selling authors celebrates the joy of reading\, writing and libraries\, and brings together a community of readers in support of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. \nVerse & Vino is made possible with the generous support of PNC Bank and other corporate\, foundation and individual sponsors. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/verse-vino-2/ LOCATION:Virtual\, NC\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event,Donor Event END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200914T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200914T204500 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20191126T175429Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200312T193044Z UID:4831-1600106400-1600116300@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Carnegie Circle Donor Appreciation Dinner with Susan Orlean DESCRIPTION:An annual invitation-only event celebrating members of the Carnegie Circle\, over 200 Library supporters who make annual gifts of $1\,000 or more. Learn more about joining the Carnegie Circle here. \n  \nThis year’s event will feature New York Times best-selling author Susan Orlean\, author of The Library Book. \n\n  \nphoto credit Noah Fecks\nSusan Orlean is the bestselling author of Rin Tin Tin\, The Orchid Thief and The Library Book. Orlean has been described by The New York Times Book Review as “a kind of latter-day Tocqueville.” One of her generation’s most distinctive journalistic voices\, she is fascinated by American stories of every stripe. From Rin Tin Tin\, the orphaned German shepherd who became a silent film star in the 1920s\, to John Laroche\, the convicted felon who slinks through the swamps of southern Florida looking for rare orchids\, Orlean has an eye for the moving\, the hilarious\, and the surprising. A staff writer at The New Yorker for more than twenty years\, she has also written for Outside\, Esquire\, Rolling Stone\, Vogue\, and The Boston Globe\, and has edited both Best American Essays and Best American Travel Writing. Her writing has inspired two films\, including Adaptation\, the Academy Award-winning film directed by Spike Jonze and starring Meryl Streep. \n  \nThe Library Book is an exploration of the history\, power\, and future of these endangered institutions\, told through Orlean’s quest to solve a mysterious act of arson that nearly destroyed the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986. It was named one of both The New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2018 and The Washington Post’s Best Books of 2018. Orlean will adapt The Library Book for a forthcoming television series with Paramount TV. \nFor more information on Susan Orlean\, please visit susanorlean.com. \n\n  \nThe Carnegie Circle Dinner is presented by Bank of America. \n  URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/carnegie-circle-donor-appreciation-dinner-2/ LOCATION:NC\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event,Donor Event END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200115T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200115T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20191213T172148Z LAST-MODIFIED:20191220T212412Z UID:4879-1579111200-1579118400@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Final Draught: Janis Joplin\, Her Life and Music with Holly George-Warren DESCRIPTION:Final Draught is a themed\, quarterly discussion series…with beer and books!\n\n\n\n\n\nHolly George-Warren is a two-time Grammy nominee and the award-winning author of sixteen books\, including the New York Times bestseller The Road to Woodstock (with Michael Lang) and the \nbiographies A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton and Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry. She has written for numerous publications\, including The New York Times\, Rolling Stone\, and Entertainment Weekly. George-Warren serves on the nominating committee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and teaches at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and son. \n\n\n \n\n\nAbout the Book\nThis blazingly intimate biography of Janis Joplin establishes the Queen of Rock & Roll as the rule-breaking musical trailblazer and complicated\, gender-bending rebel she was. \nWritten by one of the most highly regarded chroniclers of American music history\, and based on unprecedented access to Janis Joplin’s family\, friends\, band mates\, archives\, and long-lost interviews\, Janis is a complex\, rewarding portrait of a remarkable artist finally getting her due. \nTickets include discussion\, light bites and a copy of Janis: Her Life and Music. Beer will be available for sale.\nBuy Tickets URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/final-draught-rock-the-new-year/ LOCATION:Town Brewing Company\, 800 Grandin Rd\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28208\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20191109T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20191109T180000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20190910T172243Z LAST-MODIFIED:20190910T172315Z UID:3236-1573293600-1573322400@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:EpicFest DESCRIPTION:EpicFest is an extraordinary\, free literary festival that brings children\, teens and families together with authors\, illustrators and the Library. \n\n\nThis event welcomes book-lovers of all ages into a community of readers. \nEpicFest is presented to the community by Wells Fargo\, with community partner Read Charlotte\, and with additional generous support from corporate citizens and individual sponsors. \nEpicFest was created to remember and honor Jim and Elizabeth (Libby) Preston’s passion for reading\, and to encourage and instill a love of reading in children. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/epicfest/ LOCATION:ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center\, 300 E 7th St\,\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28202\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event,Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20191107T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20191107T213000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20190910T171533Z LAST-MODIFIED:20191011T003055Z UID:3231-1573149600-1573162200@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Verse & Vino DESCRIPTION:Verse & Vino 2019 is currently SOLD OUT! Join our waiting list to be notified if tickets become available. \nVerse & Vino is a Charlotte literary tradition.  This evening of food\, wine\, and conversation with New York Times best-selling authors celebrates the joy of reading\, writing and libraries\, and brings together a community of readers in support of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. \nVerse & Vino is made possible with the generous support of PNC Bank and other corporate\, foundation and individual sponsors. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/verse-vino/ LOCATION:Charlotte Convention Center\, 501 S. College St.\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28202\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event,Donor Event END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190311T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190311T204500 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20190201T215611Z LAST-MODIFIED:20190201T215616Z UID:1988-1552327200-1552337100@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Carnegie Circle Donor Appreciation Dinner DESCRIPTION:An annual event celebrating members of the Carnegie Circle\, over 200 Library supporters who make annual gifts of $1\,000 or more. \nThis year’s event features Marie Benedict\, author of The Other Einstein and Carnegie’s Maid. Her new novel\, The Only Woman in the Room\, is based on the incredible true story of Hedy Lamarr – a glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication. \nThe Carnegie Circle Dinner is presented by Bank of America\, with additional support from Foundation For The Carolinas. \n  URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/carnegie-circle-donor-appreciation-dinner/ LOCATION:Foundation For The Carolinas\, 220 North Tryon Street\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28202\, United States CATEGORIES:Donor Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/social-square.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190207T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190207T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20190131T204636Z LAST-MODIFIED:20190131T204636Z UID:1855-1549566000-1549569600@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:An Evening with Tommy Tomlinson DESCRIPTION:Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation and WFAE are pleased to celebrate the release of Tommy Tomlinson’s inspirational memoir The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man’s Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America. Tommy will speak and take questions about his experience and his writing. \nPark Road Books will be onsite with books for sale before and after the program. This event is free\, but seating is limited so an RSVP is required. \n  \nAbout the book: \nIn the tradition of Roxane Gay’s Hunger\, a searing\, honest\, and candid exploration of what it’s like to live as a fat man\, from acclaimed journalist Tommy Tomlinson\, who decided he had to change his life as he neared the age of fifty weighing in at 460 pounds. \nWhen he was almost fifty years old\, Tommy Tomlinson weighed an astonishing—and dangerous—460 pounds\, at risk for heart disease\, diabetes\, and stroke\, unable to climb a flight of stairs without having to catch his breath\, or travel on an airplane without buying two seats. Raised in a family that loved food\, he had been aware of the problem for years\, seeing doctors and trying diets from the time he was a preteen. But nothing worked\, and every time he tried to make a change\, it didn’t go the way he planned—in fact\, he wasn’t sure that he really wanted to change. \nHe was only one of millions of Americans struggling with weight\, body image\, and a relationship with food that puts them at major risk. Intimate and insightful\, The Elephant in the Room is Tomlinson’s chronicle of meeting those people\, taking the first steps towards health\, and trying to understand how\, as a nation\, we got to this point. From buying a FitBit and setting an exercise goal to contemplating the Heart Attack Grill\, America’s “capital of food porn\,” and modifying his own diet\, Tomlinson brings us along on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery that is a candid and sometimes brutal look at the everyday experience of being constantly aware of your size. Over the course of the book\, he confronts these issues head on and chronicles the practical steps he has to take—big and small—to lose weight by the end. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/an-evening-with-tommy-tomlinson/ LOCATION:ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center\, 300 E 7th St\,\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28202\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Untitled-design-37_3.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180829T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180829T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20180810T151542Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241218T151519Z UID:431-1535567400-1535572800@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:An Evening with Kathy Izard DESCRIPTION:Moderated by Sonja Gantt\nJoin us to celebrate the release of a new edition of Kathy Izard’s inspirational memoir about building a home for Charlotte’s homeless. The Hundred Story Home reminds us that not only can we help change the world\, but in doing so we change ourselves. \nRegistration Required\n  \nAbout the Book: \nBelieving in the whisper was crazy. Denying she had heard it was impossible. \nDo Good. Love Well. Kathy Izard grew up believing in this family wisdom. And although she had abandoned her faith years ago\, she was proud to serve regularly in her community’s soup kitchen. Then an unexpected encounter with the formerly homeless and bestselling coauthor\, Denver Moore\, made her realize that though she thought she was doing good\, serving soup was not enough. \nFollowing an insistent whisper\, Kathy quit her job as a graphic designer and began to do what seemed unimaginable: build a home for Charlotte’s homeless. Kathy was a mother of four\, in the second half of life\, and the task didn’t make any sense\, yet it proved to be her first step in finding her own way home. \nIn The Hundred Story Home\, Kathy invites us to live out our own stories more fully. “Do you ever have the feeling that what you are doing isn’t what you are supposed to be doing? I wrote The Hundred Story Homenot to convince you to solve the homelessness in your community but to help solve the homelessness in you.” \nAbout Kathy Izard: \nKathy Izard was an award-winning graphic designer for twenty years in Charlotte before launching the pilot program Homeless to Homes for the interfaith Urban Ministry Center in 2007. She led the city-wide effort to build Moore Place\, Charlotte’s first permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless men and women. After Moore Place opened in 2012\, Kathy worked on numerous civic projects most recently leading the development campaign for HopeWay\, Charlotte’s first nonprofit residential mental health treatment center which opened in 2016. She wrote about her efforts in the originally self-published memoir The Hundred Story Home which received the 2017 Christopher Award.  In 2017\, the book and movie rights to her story were purchased by Thomas Nelson\, a division of Harper Collins\, and a new edition released June 2018. www.kathyizard.com \n  \n  \nAbout Sonja Gantt\, Moderator \n \nSonja Gantt currently serves as the Executive Director of the CMS Foundation. By harnessing the power of private investments in education the CMS Foundation seeds innovative ideas and works to expand programs that accelerate system-wide transformation in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Sonja often shares that her work is all about developing a culture of “schoolanthropy”- a spirit of support for our public schools. \nPrior to joining the Foundation in 2016\, Sonja spent 28 years in television news most recently serving as an anchor/reporter at NBC Charlotte. Her journalism career started in Florence\, SC at WBTW and included stints at WBTV (Charlotte) and WGN (Chicago). Her reporting has been celebrated with numerous awards including a Mid-South Regional Emmy in 2011. \nSonja enjoys being involved in the Charlotte community and is currently an active member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church\, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority\, Inc. and the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte. \nShe is a die-hard Tar Heels fan having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from the University of North Carolina after graduating from East Mecklenburg High School. Sonja and her husband Mitch have two children\, Gabrielle and Grant. URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/an-evening-with-kathy-izard/ LOCATION:Morrison Regional Library\, 7015 Morrison Blvd.\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28211\, United States CATEGORIES:Author Event END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180824T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180824T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T182215 CREATED:20180810T151218Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241218T151519Z UID:427-1535112000-1535115600@foundation.cmlibrary.org SUMMARY:Charlotte's Growing Literacy Scene: At the Southern Women's Show DESCRIPTION:Join us at the Southern Women’s Show for a panel discussion of Charlotte’s literary landscape. Jenni Gaisbauer\, the Library Foundation’s executive director\, will moderate a conversation featuring four longtime friends of the Library: Kimmery Martin\, author of Queen of Hearts\, Kathy Izard\, author of The Hundred Story Home\, Helen Kimbrough\, author and publisher of multiple children’s books\, and Kathie Collins\, poet and co-founder of Charlotte Lit. \nThis panel is included with admission to the Southern Women’s Show. \nPurchase Tickets URL:https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/date/charlottes-growing-literacy-scene/ LOCATION:Charlotte Convention Center\, 501 S. College St.\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28202\, United States CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR