Great Authors at the Library

full audience at Colson Whitehead author talk

We hosted #1 New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead in 2018.

We are thrilled to announce the following authors for 2023:
• Apr 6, An Evening with Lisa See, 7 pm
• Apr 26, Family Concert with Eric Litwin | “Because It’s All Good!”, original author of Pete the Cat, 10 am and 6:30 pm

SINCE 2016, the Great Authors at the Library series has brought 17 award-winning, New York Times bestselling authors to Champaign, where they have been welcomed by more than 3,000 community members.

Each author presents a public talk about their writing, signs books, and meets local readers. We often set up book giveaways in advance, sharing ”Read and pass along” copies of the author’s books with community members. For authors of children’s books and teen titles, we set up school visits so that area schoolchildren can meet these literary giants. We also provide books to our partnering Champaign Unit 4 School District libraries. And for the community’s youngest readers, we give out books at storytimes to help families build home libraries.

Acclaimed speakers in the Great Authors at the Library series have included New York Times bestselling authors Doris Kearns Goodwin, Terry McMillan, Scott Turow, Colson Whitehead, Lisa Scottoline, Jamie Ford, Nnedi Okorafor, Gregory Maguire, Luis Alberto Urrea, Nikki Grimes, Javaka Steptoe, Elizabeth Berg, and David Sheff.

Great Authors at the Library visits are made possible with support from the Library Foundation and Library Friends.

Great Authors books in our collection »