November Is NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo! It’s a national event that encourages participants to work towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 p.m. on November 30. “Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel.”

It’s free to register on the NaNoWriMo website and you can track your writing progress, chat with other writers, and find out more about local writing sessions and parties. Join hundreds of thousands of writers across the country in this fun event.

Did you know? Over 250 NaNoWriMo novels have been traditionally published. They include Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Hugh Howey’s Wool, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, Jason Hough’s The Darwin Elevator, and Marissa Meyer’s Cinder.

Join us at the Main Library at Goodwood for write-in sessions on the following days:

Tuesday, November 4: 7-9:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 13: 7-9:30 p.m.

Sunday, November 16: 3-6 p.m.

Thursday, November 20: 7-9:30 p.m.

We’ll meet in Conference Room 102 on the first floor.

There are two write-ins scheduled at the Greenwell Springs Road Regional Branch Library: Monday, November 3, at 7 p.m. and Monday, November 17, at 7 p.m.

The Writers Club at the Eden Park Branch Library is also having a write-in on Saturday, November 15, at 3:30 p.m.

EBRPL also offers a wealth of resources for aspiring writers. Check out our Writers InfoGuide for details, including information on the self-publishing platform FastPencil and Gale Courses that offer writing classes, all free with your library card.

Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

Louisiana Book Festival 2014

The 2014 Louisiana Book Festival is this Saturday, November 1, from 10-5, in downtown Baton Rouge at the State Library of Louisiana, the State Capitol, the Capitol Park Museum, and nearby locations.

Whether you’re young or old, just can’t get enough of poetry or love to cook up some great Louisiana dishes, this national award-winning event has something for every book lover.

The Louisiana Book Festival is your chance to meet exceptional writers while enjoying book-related activities and presentations. Don’t forget to stop by our Library tent as we unveil our 2015 One Book, One Community selection.

Author-Illustrator Program: Katherine Paterson

Teachers, writers, and fans of young reader fiction are invited to the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s 37th Annual Author-Illustrator Program. This year’s featured guest is world-renowned author Katherine Paterson, winner of the Newbery Medal and National Book Award. She’s the author of such works as Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Jacob Have I Loved. Her talk will focus on writing for a young audience, her writing process, and more. The Thursday, October 9, event at 7 p.m. is free and open to the public. Registration and a fee are required for the half-day workshop with Paterson on Friday, October 10, starting at 8 a.m. There is a question-and-answer session scheduled after the workshop, followed by an autograph session, and Paterson’s books will be sold for this purpose. This exciting two-day event will be held at the Main Library at Goodwood. Registration deadlines are fast approaching, so don’t miss out! The form is available online or by calling (225) 231-3760 or emailing parnold@ebrpl.com.

 

Author Event: Clive Thompson

Author Clive Thompson, a longtime contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and a columnist for Wired, will speak at 7 p.m. this Friday, September 26, at the Main Library at Goodwood. This is the Library’s first “after hours” event, and we will kick it off with a festive reception (on the third-floor terrace garden if the weather is good) beginning at 6 pm. His new book is Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better. It’s the perfect choice to help us celebrate 75 years of evolving Library services.

As a child growing up in Toronto in the 1970s and ’80s, Thompson became fascinated with the first “home computers”, the ones you plugged into your TV, like the Commodore 64, and programmed using BASIC. When he became a magazine writer in the 1990s, the Internet erupted into the mainstream, and he began reporting on how digital tools — everything from email to digital photography to instant messaging — was changing society.

Today, Thompson is one of the most prominent technology writers, respected for his long-form magazine stories that go beyond the headlines and harness the insights of science, literature, history, and philosophy. He specializes in writing not only on the inventors of technologies but on the often unpredictable ways in which everyday people use them. Thompson also writes for Mother Jones and Smithsonian magazines.

World of Poetry

Columbia Granger’s World of Poetry is an exciting new addition to our Digital Library. A one-stop shop for everything poetry-related, World of Poetry lets you search for a specific poem, poet, subject, region, and time period. You can find author biographies and literary criticism too. Looking for a little Keats or Whitman with your morning coffee? World of Poetry has a Listening Room where you can hear your favorite poems read out loud! Check out this database today – simply go to our Digital Library, find it in the A-Z list, and log in with your library card.