Posts by Maggie Bean

EpicFest 2024

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EpicFest is an extraordinary, free literary festival that joyfully connects children, teens and families with books and the people who write them through activities that encourage a love of reading and learning.

In Memory of Rose Zukiewicz

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Rose Zukiewicz (July 10, 1949 – May 20, 2024) was a fun-loving librarian who was adored by many people and who adored many in return.

Book Clubbing

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HOSTED BY ALESSANDRO MORANTE & JOCELYN RICHARDSON You are cordially invited to “Book Clubbing,” an evening of dinner and dancing…

In Memory of Heather Goveia

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Heather Elizabeth Goveia, 47, of Davidson, North Carolina, passed away on October 19th, 2023 after an extended illness. She was…

VERSE & VINO Spotlight: Melanie Benjamin

The Buzz: “Melanie Benjamin pairs the surf culture of the Beach Boys with the sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll of Daisy Jones & the Six. . . . Benjamin’s novel is a portrait of three women beset by shifting cultural tides and a shimmering rendering of the promises and heartbreak of Southern California.” —Entertainment Weekly

Remembering Rolfe

Rolfe, best known for being the publisher of The Charlotte Observer, passed away this past weekend at 90. He was dedicated to reporting the truth and upholding intellectual freedom. Naturally, being a steadfast Library supporter wasn’t a big leap.

Final Draught with Barbara Johnson

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Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation welcomes Barbara Johnson to the Final Draught stage on Monday, July 17 at 6:00 pm at Town Brewing Company. The debut author will be sharing her latest work, A Head of Cabbage: A Memoir.

Final Draught’s Triple Feature

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Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation welcomes Joy Callaway, Erika Montgomery and Kim Wright to the Final Draught stage on Monday, June 19 at 6:00 pm at Town Brewing Company. The three novelists will be sharing their latest works, Callaway’s All the Pretty Faces, Montgomery’s Our Place on the Island and Wright’s The Longest Day of the Year.

Final Draught with Lee Smith

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Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation welcomes Lee Smith to the Final Draught virtual stage on Wednesday, May 17 at 4:00 pm. The New York Times best-selling author will be sharing her latest work, Silver Alert.

Final Draught with Junious “Jay” Ward

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Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation welcomes Junious “Jay” Ward to the Final Draught stage on Monday, May 1 at 6:00 pm at Town Brewing Company. The nationally award-winning poet and Charlotte’s inaugural Poet Laureate will be sharing his latest work, Composition.

Circulation Superstars

Our social media post on The Brooklyn Public Library’s most requested books of all time got a lot of attention, so we thought you’d enjoy a peek at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s most requested books of 2022. Are your favorites on the list? Are there books that will be added to your TBR list? Any surprises?

Giving Tuesday 2022

As the caboose of the weekend following Thanksgiving (starting with the infamous Black Friday, then Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday) Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to focus on and celebrate the places and people who strengthen and support our community. Obviously, here at the Library Foundation, we want to shine a spotlight on our libraries and library staff.

Verse & Vino 2022

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation was back at the Charlotte Convention Center at Verse & Vino this year. We are thrilled to announce that we had 1,100 people in attendance and raised over $475,000… with donations still coming in. If there is a group of people more dedicated, enthusiastic and committed to improving and strengthening an organization like the Library, it’s our Verse & Vino guests. They’re the reason why we are one of America’s leading urban public libraries.

This year we were joined once again by our emcee Sheri Lynch and five outstanding New York Times bestselling authors: David Baldacci, Sarah McCoy, Javier Zamora, Megan Giddings, and Adriana Trigiani.

What is Caton Morris reading?

Caton and her husband Charlie are dedicated supporters of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. She has enjoyed volunteering as a member of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation’s annual Verse & Vino planning committee since 2017, and recently joined the Foundation’s Board. Prior to taking time to focus on raising her three young children, Caton was a public and investor relations consultant for 13 years in the biotechnology industry. Check out her spooky-themed picks, just in time for Halloween!

The Leon Levine Foundation Invests $1M In Charlotte’s New Main Library

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation is delighted to announce the generous investment of $1 million from The Leon Levine Foundation to The CommonSpark campaign. A longtime Library supporter and early Library Foundation investor, The Leon Levine Foundation’s values of leadership and opportunity align with the Library’s position as a cornerstone of the community, a place that is open to all.

What is Alan Michael Parker reading?

Davidson College’s Douglas Houchens Professor of English Alan Michael Parker is a man of many talents. While he is an accomplished novelist, poet, critic and scholar, Alan Michael is also getting attention for his avant-garde cartoons.

Take a look at some of his creations along with some recommendations you don’t want to miss.

8 Reasons Why Your Book Club is the Best

During the pandemic, book clubs have been a lifeline. Those literary-focused, often-virtual social events were a welcome distraction from the upheaval in work, school, families, children, and life. Even now when the new normal is starting to become the “normal” normal, our book clubs reignite the joy of friendship and help us rediscover the magic in books.

Kathy Reichs: A Look Back

How fortunate we are to call New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs neighbor, friend and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library supporter.

To a crowd of almost 200 Kathy entertained with tales of her real-life adventures dealing in mind-boggling murders and macabre mysteries with a delightful dose of humor.

Novant Health and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library announce $1 million investment, community well-being partnership

Novant Health and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library are excited to announce a strategic partnership to address social determinants of health, advance health equity and create sustainable impact across our communities. Novant Health will make a $1 million investment which includes a cash gift of $500,000 to the CommonSpark campaign and $500,000 in in-kind support for program and service delivery over the next five years.

Keeping a Language Alive

There is a reason why Tamil is thought to be the oldest language in the world. Charlotte Tamil Library Volunteer Group (a.k.a. Charlotte Tamil Noolaga Kuzhu) have devoted time and gifts to bring 150 Tamil books to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library patrons — and they don’t plan on stopping. Their limitless energy and dedication to learning and language enriches our entire community.

What is Sonyah Spencer reading?

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Sonyah Spencer owns and operates The Urban Reader, an independent bookstore in the University City area. A native of Fairborn, Ohio, she opened her store in 2019 with over 3,000 books for all ages and interests, written exclusively by Black authors. See Sonyah’s latest favorites for kids, tweens and adults with a sneak peek gallery of her charming store.

Learning Loss and the Library

As we begin to survey the landscape the pandemic has left behind, our focus has been pulled to the impact made on our national education system. Nationally, children returned to the classroom with at least six to eight months of learning and educational development lost to time. The great pivot from in-person to online revealed how ill-prepared U.S. education systems were for such a massive shift in teaching and learning.

But it also uncovered a well of resilience.

Charles Bowman and the Most Literate City in America

Charles Bowman believes, “Libraries are the land of opportunities. Places where people come together.” Today we celebrate Charles’ retirement of a celebrated career with Bank of America and the many ways he has helped make our community a better place for families. Charles can be described in many ways: attorney, community leader, friend and advocate but our favorite way is library champion.

What is Alicia D. Williams reading?

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Rarely does Alicia D. Williams get to read for the simple pleasure of enjoying beautiful sentences or being pulled into lush worlds. But trust her, every single book is savored like a southern meal. She writes children’s and young adult literature, yet she reads a diverse genre of books.

She changed the world with her discovery. Three men took the credit.

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Join us for a live conversation on March 30th 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. Join the author on Wednesday, March 30th at noon to learn more about the inspiration behind her latest real-life heroine, Rosalind Franklin.

What is Adah Fitzgerald reading?

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Adah Fitzgerald knows a few things about a good read – she’s the owner of Main Street Books, Davidson’s local bookstore right on (you guessed it!) Main Street. Next time you’re in Davidson be sure to visit Adah and her staff for even more well-informed recommendations… then check out the Library right across the street.

Ice Breaking Books for Winter

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The quarterly Foundation board meeting opened with the question “What book are you looking forward to reading this Winter?” The…

New Charlotte Mecklenburg Main Library Receives $10 Million Gift From Tepper Foundations

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation is pleased to announce a generous investment of $10 million to The CommonSpark campaign from both The Tepper Foundation and the David and Nicole Tepper Foundation. The Teppers are the owners of the NFL Carolina Panthers and MLS Charlotte Football Club.

“We are excited about being involved in the Library project, which is an investment in opportunity and access for all,” said David Tepper.

How the Foundation is supporting Community Read

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The Library’s month-long event — Community Read — inspires an active dialogue through discussions, book clubs and events hosted with community partners. This year’s spokespeople Library CEO and Chief Librarian Marcellus “MT” Turner and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles will help amplify the importance of this year’s event theme and join a goal of 10,000 participants. That’s 10% of Mecklenburg County!

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