Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train
Christina Baker Kline at Moses Lake, WA
An excited crowd came out to meet #1 New York Times bestseller Christina Baker Kline in Moses Lake,WA this February, including a 12-year-old girl who checked out Orphan Train just before Christina’s arrival and decided to stay for the Orphan Train presentation. Said librarian Paula Walters: “She for sure will be a lifelong reader!! Also, I have been getting emails from members of our book clubs thanking me. Moses Lake was just thrilled.”
Author, Reyna Grande, speakes at Monroe Community College, OH
Reyna Grande at Grande Valley State, Monroe CC and La Prensa; OH
In a whirlwind three city trip, author Reyna Grande, author of The Distance Between Us, visited Grand Valley State University, Monroe Community College, and Toledo, OH for Books in Common arranged events. “Reyna’s visit was wonderful!” said Brian Jbara, the Director of Integrative Learning and Advising at Grand Valley State University. “Books in Common was great! Your service was really wonderful.” Cheryl Johnston of Monroe County Community College said, “In short, we had great author event for our 2014 One Book, One Community. Thank you Christie. Making arrangements with the author and facilitating the contract and travel arrangements was a huge help. We will be looking for more suggestions for next year. The last two years with guest authors, ChitraDivakaruni and Reyna Grande, have been wonderful.”
Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer winner and author of Enrique’s Journey
Sonia Nazario at Benjamin School; North Palm Beach, FL
Pulitzer Prize winning author of Enrique’s Journey, Sonia Nazario, visited the Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, FL in March. In presentations to the middle and upper schools, as well as a public community event, Sonia wowed audiences with her passionate and inspiring presentations.
Author, Jamie Ford, takes selfie at Santa Clarita Library
Jamie Ford at Southern California and West Kentucky Reads; Paducah, KY
Jamie Ford’s travels took him to Southern California this March. After visits to the Santa Clarita Library and Corona Public Library, where he mixed a love of literature with a love for craft beer at “Books, Brew, and a Ford,” Jamie attended the 2014 Camarillo Reads, which chose Songs of Willow Frost to read together this year.
Connie, owner of Camarillo’s local independent bookstore Mrs. Figs Bookworm, said, “I would say the highlight…is…Jamie’s entertaining presentation. He was already admired for his storytelling “on paper,” but to see and hear his storytelling “live” was certainly a bonus.”Jamie also dropped by the Wenatchee Public Library and the Sammamish Library in WA to talk about Songs of Willow Frost. According to Sammamish librarian PhilisAnnBodle: “Attendees got a kick out of the Tweets Jamie shared regarding people’s
reactions to reading his book(s).
Jamie Ford visited Paducah, KY in April, as part of the West Kentucky Reads program. Coordinator Gail Robinson said, “Before the presentation, I found Jamie in the audience of around 275 chatting with people. That was cool. He was very gracious and talked about how interesting the student essay winner seemed. Also, Jamie is a funny, nice, humble guy.” They also really enjoyed the chance to ask questions (I think the fans would have asked questions until midnight if we could have let that happen).Thanks for your help with this event.”
Author, Charlotte Rogan, in Bracken, CT
Charlotte Rogan at Bracken Memorial / Woodstock Academy; Woodstock, CT
Charlotte Rogan, author of The Lifeboat, visited the Bracken Memorial Library at Woodstock Academy on April 11th, rounding out their three author series in 2013/14, which also included Jamie Ford and Christina Baker Kline. “Charlotte’s presentation was great,” said coordinator, Deb Sharpe. “The slideshow really enhanced her presentation. I am really looking forward to continuing this program next year and would love to work with Books in Common again!”
Author, Kelsey Timmerman, at Hostelling International USA Conference
Kelsey Timmerman at Hostelling International USA Conference; San Diego, CA
As the keynote speaker for their 2014 National Gathering, Kelsey Timmerman was the highlight of the event. According to coordinator Greg Coble, “The connection of his regular talk with our themes of “active global citizen” and the “power of travel” was perfect. His conclusion was that travel makes you care – and actually he used some more colorful language than that. As our chairman said, Kelsey’s talk reminded us of how travel can change a person.Kelsey exceeded our expectations as a speaker – and he also happens to be a great guy. Thanks for all your help and support Christie. I couldn’t be more happy with how things turned out!”
