When the going gets tough, the tough get a librarian.
Joan Bauer

Author Talk with 2021 YAVA Award Winner Brynne Rebele-Henry


October 9, 2021
Virtual

Join us for this special virtual program with 2021 YAVA Award winner Brynne Rebele-Henry! Rebele-Henry will discuss her book, "Orpheus Girl," and how the themes of LGBT activism and art influenced her. There will be a brief Q&A following the discussion, and we'll be raffling off two of her books!

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Request your copies of “Rising”



Richmond Public Library is partnering with VCU to bring the 2021-2022 Common Book selection, “Rising” by Elizabeth Rush, to book clubs throughout the city. If your book club is interested in reading "Rising," please fill out our form and request your copies today! Books made available by the Richmond Public Library Foundation.

The Urban Fiction Experience


September 25, 2021
Main Library - Gellman Room & Dooley Foyer

Experience urban fiction at its finest with NYT Best-Selling Author Nikki Turner, Richmond Poet Laureate Roscoe Burnems, and other notable urban fiction authors. Features author workshops, readings, and chances to talk with some great authors.

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September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World



Main Library

Visit our Main Library to view "September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World," a poster exhibit provided by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. This exhibit presents the history of 9/11, its origins, and its ongoing implications. It explores the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and communities at the local, national, and international levels, and encourages critical thinking about the legacies of 9/11. The exhibit can be found on the 2nd floor of the Main Library in the hallway leading toward our administrative offices. We hope you will stop by as a way to remember this day in our history.

Read Up, Richmond


October 13, 2021
Virtual

Richmond Public Library is pleased to welcome acclaimed authors Kiese Laymon ("Heavy," "How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America") and Mira Jacob ("Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations," "The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing") in conversation. Audience Q&A will follow the discussion, and attendees will have the chance to win a copy of "How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America" or "Good Talk!"

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Master Gardener Virtual Help Desk



Online

Fall planting is right around the corner, and we have you covered with gardening help from two Master Gardeners. It's simple. Submit your questions and one of our gardening experts will respond to your question. You'll receive an email with the response, and your answer will join the ranks among our growing repository of helpful gardening information!

Teen Spotlight Issue 2


Now - September 25, 2021
Online

Teen Spotlight is accepting submissions for its Fall 2021 publication. The theme for this issue is reimagining a traditional tale. Fairy tales, folklore, mythology, historical events - the options are endless!

Support Your Library with Amazon Smile



Online

Shop Amazon Smile and choose Richmond Public Library as your designated charity. Amazon Smile has the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on Amazon Smile, the Amazon Smile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to RPL!

Latest from the Blog

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2021 Teen Reading Challenge: Books By or About a Senior Citizen

Jennifer Deuell
September 22, 2021
#bookrecommendations
2021rplteenreadingchallenge
booksforteens
ireadya
readingchallenge
recommendedreads
teenreadingchallenge
teenreads
fiction
nonfiction
reading-challenge
reading-recommendations
teens

Readers, we are in the last quarter of our 2021 RPL Teen Reading Challenge! If you've made it this far, I have complete confidence that you will finish. You may be wondering what happened to my post for Prompt #9: something about 9/11. Well, I did write a blog post about 9/11, I just didn't designate it a reading challenge post. This was for a few reasons. First, this year was the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and I wanted to write a blog post that would be on everyone's radar (not just teens). Also, there just weren't that many YA books written...

New Book Discussion Program!

Ben Himmelfarb
September 20, 2021
book-reviews
events
inform-enrich-empower
reading-recommendations

First Chapters is about building reading skills and community. On the last Wednesday of each month at 12:00 pm online via Zoom, we read the first chapter of a recent book together, out loud, then discuss it. Library staff supplements each session with some readers’ advisory on related titles, read-alikes, or genre guidance. New and longtime readers alike are welcome! Please share this information with anyone you think would be interested. For more information and access to readings, email: benjamin.himmelfarb@rva.gov Pure America by...

Urban Fiction Experience - Saturday, Sept. 25 - Main Library!

Ben Himmelfarb
September 13, 2021
book recs
local authors
poet laureate
public programs
reading suggestions
urban fiction
writing workshop
adult
book-reviews
events
fiction
inform-enrich-empower
poetry
reading-recommendations
writing

Experience urban fiction at its finest with New York Times Best-Selling Author Nikki Turner, Richmond Poet Laureate Roscoe Burnems, and other notable urban fiction authors. This free program features author workshops, readings, and chances to talk with some great authors. No registration required! All events will take place at the Main Library in the Gellman Room and Dooley Foyer. Featured authors include: Nikki TurnerRoscoe BurnemsJB HitzShawn StarlingSilk WhiteTerrie "Bosslady" BranchTiffany F. Forbes Check out items in our...

September 11, 2001: How Will You Remember?

Jennifer Deuell
September 10, 2021
book recommendations
book recs
Fiction
nonfiction
reading suggestions
september11
events
history-and-preservation
reading-recommendations

This year, on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Richmond Public Library is proud to host an educational exhibit made available by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. This exhibition recounts the events of September 11, 2001, through the personal stories of those who witnessed and survived the attacks. Told across 14 posters, this exhibition includes archival photographs and images of artifacts from the museum’s permanent collection. It explores the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and communities at the local, national, and...

Unusual Book Lists

Nae D'Archangel
September 8, 2021
book recommendations
LGBT
new releases
reading suggestions
fiction
nonfiction
reading-recommendations

Every person at a circulation desk can tell you a story or thirty about a patron who can't remember a title but remembers part of the cover. Sometimes we can find it, sometimes we can't. We've all been there, truth be told. I can't tell you now many times I have been thinking of a book but I have NO IDEA the title, just a vague memory of the color scheme and location on the shelf. Over the last year or so I've seen a few patterns emerge. Is there any correlation between the titles? Not at all! But hey, it's been fun staring at them....