Give Day Tampa Bay

On May 6, 2014, the Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. will participate in Give Day Tampa Bay. Give Day Tampa Bay is a one-day online giving challenge on May 6, 2014, led by the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and the Florida Next Foundation to raise support for local nonprofits and grow philanthropy in our region. It is a community-wide event to show off Tampa Bay's charitable spirit, raise awareness about local nonprofits, and celebrate the collective effort of the Tampa Bay region. Pledge Now to support the Friends of the Library.

 

The Four Seasons Author Series Welcomes Angela Hunt

The Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. welcomes Angela Hunt, author of the acclaimed picture book The Tale of Three Trees, and the new novel The Offering, to its Four Seasons Author series. This luncheon event will be held on Friday, March 7 at 12:00pm at the University Club, 38th Floor, One Tampa City Center in downtown Tampa.

Seats for the Four Seasons Luncheon are $30. Subscriptions for four seasonal luncheons are $100. Reservations are required.

To reserve your seat for the luncheon, call the Friends office at 813.273.3616 or e-mail fourseasonsluncheon@gmail.com.

Third Annual Lunch With An Author Fundraiser Welcomes Adam Johnson

The Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. is pleased to announce the Third Annual Lunch
with an Author fundraiser, featuring

ADAM JOHNSON, author of
The Orphan Master’s Son. This lunch event will be held on Monday, March 18th at the University Club, 38th Floor, One Tampa City Center in downtown Tampa. Johnson’s debut novel, a New York Times bestseller, earned tremendous critical acclaim, including starred reviews from Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and Library Journal.

Johnson had the rare opportunity to visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, witnessing a culture “where…starving families forage for chestnuts in trees, pedestrians are randomly scooped up for ‘volunteer’ labor, and loudspeakers blast nonstop patriotic anthems” (-- Random House). His experiences led to creating a novel Publisher’s Weekly raves “...accomplishes the seemingly impossible: an American writer has masterfully rendered the mysterious world of North Korea with the soul and savvy of a native, from its orphanages and its fishing boats to the kitchens of its high-ranking commanders.” Booklist calls The Orphan Master’s Son “part adventure, part coming-of-age tale, and part romance.” This special event begins at 11:30 a.m. with the luncheon beginning at noon. Mr. Johnson will speak during the luncheon, and a question and answer period will follow, along with a book signing. A representative from Inkwood Books will be at the event to sell copies of the book.

Reservations are required. RSVP by Friday, March 8, 2013. Tickets are $50 for an individual reservation; table and luncheon sponsorship opportunities are available. To reserve your seat for the luncheon and for all other information please call the Friends Office at 813-273-3616.

The Four Seasons Author Series Welcomes Debra Dean

The Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. welcomes Debra Dean, author of the acclaimed novel The Madonnas of Leningrad and the new novel The Mirrored World, to its Four Seasons Author Series. This lunch event will be on Friday, Jan. 11 at 12 p.m. at the University Club, 38th Floor, One Tampa City Center in downtown Tampa.

Seats for the Four Seasons Luncheon are $30. Subscriptions for four consecutive luncheons are $100. Reservations are necessary to attend.

To reserve your seat for the luncheon, call the Friends office at 813-273-3616 or e-mail fourseasonsluncheon@gmail.com.

The Four Seasons Author Series Welcomes Enid Shomer

The Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. welcome award-winning writer and poet Enid Shomer to the Four Seasons Author Series. This special event will take place at the University Club of Tampa on Friday, October 19, 2012 at noon.

In her new novel The twelve rooms of the Nile, Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert ignite a friendship marked by intelligence, humor, and ravishing tenderness that will alter both their destinies. In Shomer’s deft hands, the two unlikely soul mates come together to share their darkest torments and most fervent hopes. As they travel up the Nile, exploring Egypt’s many wonders—the Cairo markets, the rapids at Aswan, Abu Simbel, the Temple of Osiris, a desert excursion to the Red Sea—we experience alongside them the opulent, varied tapestry of the mid-nineteenth century Ottoman world.

Enid Shomer’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The New York Times Book Review, and The Atlantic Monthly, among other publications. She is the author of four books of poetry and two story collections, Tourist Season, which was awarded the Florida Book Award for General Fiction and named a Barnes and Noble “Discover Great New Writers” pick, and Imaginary Men, which won the Iowa Short Fiction Award and the LSU/Southern Review Award. She is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Florida Arts Council and has appeared on NPR’S Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She lives in Tampa, Florida.

The Four Seasons Author Series is presented by the Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. The subscription series offers four consecutive literary lunches at which guest authors are invited to speak on a variety of subjects, followed by a question and answer period and a book signing for those who wish to purchase the featured book.

Seats for the Four Seasons Luncheon are $30. Subscriptions for four consecutive luncheons are $100. Reservations are necessary to attend.

To reserve your seat for the luncheon, call the Friends office at 813-273-3616 or e-mail fourseasonsluncheon@gmail.com. RSVP by Monday, October 15, 2012.

The Four Seasons Author Series Welcomes Lisa Unger

The Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. welcome award-winning New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger to the Four Seasons Author Series. This special event will take place at the University Club of Tampa on Friday, July 13, 2012 at noon.

Unger is the international bestselling author of BEAUTIFUL LIES and the upcoming HEARTBROKEN. Her novels have sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. and have been translated into 26 different languages. Her writing has been hailed as "masterful" (St. Petersburg Times), "sensational" (Publishers Weekly) and "sophisticated"  (New York Daily News) with "gripping narrative and evocative, muscular prose" (Associated Press).

Unger was born in New Haven, Connecticut but grew up in the Netherlands, England, New Jersey and New York, where she graduated from the New School for Social Research. Unger now divides her time, along with her husband and daughter, between Florida and New York City.

The Four Seasons Author Series is presented by the Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. The subscription series offers four consecutive literary lunches at which guest authors are invited to speak on a variety of subjects, followed by a question and answer period and a book signing for those who wish to purchase the featured book.

Tickets are $30 for a one-time event, and a subscription for four consecutive luncheons is $100. Reservations are necessary to attend. To reserve your seat for the luncheon, call the Friends office at 813-273-3616 or e-mail fourseasonsluncheon@gmail.com. RSVP by Tuesday, July 10, 2012.

Last Call for Award Nominees

The Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. seeks nominations from the public for their Annual Awards.

The call for nominations runs through February 25, 2012.

The three awards include the Citizen Award, the Friend Award, and the Library Staff Award.

The Citizen Award goes to a Hillsborough County resident who has contributed to upholding the principles and mission of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Library System. The Nominee must have volunteered long-term and significant services to the Library System and its mission.

The Friend Award honors an outstanding member of the Friends of the Library. Nominees should be an active member of a Friends Chapter for at least a year and have demonstrated contributions and benefits to the Friends Council or Chapters.

The Library Staff Award recognizes a Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library employee who goes above and beyond to promote the goals of the Library System and to assist or promote the Friends of the Library.

Please send nominations to:

Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. P.O. Box 172608 Tampa, FL 33672

Nominations must be received by February 25, 2012.

The winners will be honored at the
Friends of the Library Annual Meeting - Tuesday, April 10, 2012.

For more information, please contact the Friends of the Library Office at (813) 273-3616.

Friends of the Library: Call for Award Nominees

The Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. seeks nominations from the public for their Annual Awards.

The call for nominations runs through February 25, 2012.

The three awards include the Citizen Award, the Friend Award, and the Library Staff Award.

The Citizen Award goes to a Hillsborough County resident who has contributed to upholding the principles and mission of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Library System. The Nominee must have volunteered long-term and significant services to the Library System and its mission.

The Friend Award honors an outstanding member of the Friends of the Library. Nominees should be an active member of a Friends Chapter for at least a year and have demonstrated contributions and benefits to the Friends Council or Chapters.

The Library Staff Award recognizes a Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library employee who goes above and beyond to promote the goals of the Library System and to assist or promote the Friends of the Library.

Please send nominations to:

Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. P.O. Box 172608 Tampa, FL 33672

Nominations must be received by February 25, 2012.

The winners will be honored at the
Friends of the Library Annual Meeting - Tuesday, April 10, 2012.

For more information, please contact the Friends of the Library Office at (813) 273-3616.

Four Seasons Author Series Welcomes Merl Reagle

The Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. welcome crossword creator Merl Reagle to the Four Seasons Author Series. This special event will take place at the University Club of Tampa on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012 at noon.

Reagle constructed his first crossword puzzle at age 6 and sold his first puzzle to The New York Times when he was just 16. He started making the Sunday crossword for the San Francisco Examiner in 1985 (he’s now in the Chronicle), and since the mid-1990s his self-syndicated puzzle has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Seattle Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and many others.

“Crossword-solving is supposed to be good exercise, like a ThighMaster for your mind,” says Reagle. “But like any exercise, I think it should be as fun as possible. I’ve always had sort of a bent but G-rated sense of humor – hence the guarantee in all of my crossword puzzle books, ‘Twisted but fair.’”

Reagle has been featured on “Oprah,” ABC’s “Nightline” with Ted Koppel and NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and he co-starred in the hit documentary “Wordplay.” He currently lives in Tampa, FL with Marie, his wife and partner in their puzzle book publishing company.

The Four Seasons Author Series is presented by the Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. The subscription series offers four consecutive literary lunches at which guest authors are invited to speak on a variety of subjects, followed by a question and answer period and a book signing for those who wish to purchase the featured book.

Tickets are $30 for a one-time event or a subscription for four consecutive luncheons is $100. Reservations are necessary to attend. To reserve your seat for the luncheon, call the Friends office at (813) 273-3616 or e-mail fourseasonsluncheon@gmail.com. RSVP by Friday, Feb. 10, 2012.

Four Seasons Author Series Welcomes Merl Reagle

The Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. welcome crossword creator Merl Reagle to the Four Seasons Author Series. This special event will take place at the University Club of Tampa on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012 at noon.

Reagle constructed his first crossword puzzle at age 6 and sold his first puzzle to The New York Times when he was just 16. He started making the Sunday crossword for the San Francisco Examiner in 1985 (he’s now in the Chronicle), and since the mid-1990s his self-syndicated puzzle has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Seattle Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and many others.

“Crossword-solving is supposed to be good exercise, like a ThighMaster for your mind,” says Reagle. “But like any exercise, I think it should be as fun as possible. I’ve always had sort of a bent but G-rated sense of humor – hence the guarantee in all of my crossword puzzle books, ‘Twisted but fair.’”

Reagle has been featured on “Oprah,” ABC’s “Nightline” with Ted Koppel and NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and he co-starred in the hit documentary “Wordplay.” He currently lives in Tampa, FL with Marie, his wife and partner in their puzzle book publishing company.

The Four Seasons Author Series is presented by the Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. The subscription series offers four consecutive literary lunches at which guest authors are invited to speak on a variety of subjects, followed by a question and answer period and a book signing for those who wish to purchase the featured book.

Tickets are $30 for a one-time event or a subscription for four consecutive luncheons is $100. Reservations are necessary to attend. To reserve your seat for the luncheon, call the Friends office at (813) 273-3616 or e-mail fourseasonsluncheon@gmail.com. RSVP by Friday, Feb. 3, 2012.