A Remarkable Lineup! Announcing the 2024 Friends’ Speaker Series

The Friends of the Key West Library is once again offering a remarkable lineup of speakers on Monday evenings in the library’s Palm Garden at 700 Fleming. The Speaker Series will present a stellar lineup of talented writers, presenters, and lecturers beginning Monday, January 15 and concluding March 18. Each event begins at 6 pm. Gates open at 5:30. To be certain of a seat, come early. In case of rain, events will be held inside the library.

Important information for 2024: This year there is no requirement to pre-register for Speaker Series events in the Palm Garden, except for the talk before the Annual Gala on February 19 which will honor Key West’s esteemed Judy Blume. For more information on the Annual Gala visit: www.friendsofthekeywestlibrary.org.

 Visit https://friendsofthekeywestlibrary.org/speaker-series/ for a complete listing of speakers.

The Lineup

Monday, January 15. Jonathan Escoffery’s debut story collection IF I SURVIVE YOU follows a Jamaican family striving for more in Miami. Jonathan appears courtesy of the Key West Literary Seminar

Monday, January 22. Elise Hart Kipness’s LIGHTS OUT is based on her experience in the high pressure, adrenaline-pumping world of live TV sports reporting.

Monday, January 29. Carey Winfrey is the editor of KEY WEST SKETCHES— A treasure trove featuring Mile Zero writers including essays, reminiscences, musings, and poems about Key West.

Monday, February 5. Ann Beattie’s ONLOOKERS is a story collection about people living in Charlottesville, Virginia during a horrific rally in 2017 and its aftermath.

Monday, February 12. Lee Smith’s latest novel SILVER ALERT follows an elderly man who heads off on a joyride with a new young fan.

Monday, February 19. Judy Blume will engage in a lively and timely conversation with Pat Scales, former chair of the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee.

Following the talk, we will honor Judy at our Annual Gala in Palm Garden. This is the only ticketed event in the 2024 Speaker Series. For more information on how to register for the talk and buy tickets to the Gala visit www.friendsofthekeywestlibrary.org.

Monday, February 26. Ariel Delgado Dixon and Allegra Hyde are joining us courtesy of The Studios of Key West where they are in residency. Allegra’s latest work is THE LAST CATASTROPHE. Ariel Delgado Dixon published her first novel DON’T SAY WE DIDN’T WARN YOU in 2022.

Monday, March 4. Jean Hanff Korelitz, author of eight novels, published THE LATECOMER in 2022. It was a New York Times Notable Book and a New Yorker Best Book of 2022.

Monday, March 11. David McConnell’s non-fiction book AMERICAN HONOR KILLINGS explores what happens when straight and gay guys cross paths and the result is murder.

Monday, March. Jeffrey Colvin’s AFRICAVILLE chronicles the lives of three generations against the tumultuous events of the 1930s Great Depression.

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