Saturday, September 24th (10am-1pm) @ The Ipswich Public Library Join us at the Ipswich Public Library for the first Local Author Showcase since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Meet local writers throughout the Library and learn about their work, ask them questions about their writing process, network, and learn more about Essex County’s local writer community. No registration required. This year we have partnered with Trails & Sails to promote this event and embrace the diverse and beautiful cultural heritage of Essex County, Massachusetts. Check out their online calendar to learn more about other free events in the area this summer.

children’s book clubs

Click Here to Register Now The Louise & Hugh Johnson Lecture series hosts well-known regional and national authors. The library is pleased to announce that the next author for this lecture series will be Lily King. Lily King is the author of five award-winning novels. Her most recent novel, Writers & Lovers, was published in March 2020. Her 2014 novel Euphoria won the Kirkus Award, The New England Book Award, The Maine Fiction Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Award. Euphoria was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2014 by The New York Times Book Review. It was included in TIME’s Top 10 Fiction Books of 2014, as well as on Amazon, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, and Salon’s Best Books of 2014. Her first collection of short stories, Five Tuesdays in Winter, was released November 2021.  She grew up in Massachusetts and now lives in Portland, Maine. On Tuesday, September 27, 2022, Ms. King will read from and discuss her books. Copies of the books will be available for purchase. Free. Registration required.  This event begins at 7:30 p.m.  Book sales and cash bar start at 6:30 p.m. The Johnson Lecture Series is made possible by a permanent endowment by Louise & Hugh Johnson. The Johnson endowment was left to and is managed by the Friends of the Library and is intended to enrich the lives of Ipswich residents. Louise and Hugh loved life. They loved books, nature, friends, good food, and each other. They lived together in Ipswich. Louise was very involved with the Ipswich Public library, the garden club, bird watching, and poetry. Hugh had a background in publishing, loved to fly fish, and cherished Jane Austen’s novels (his favorite being Emma).