Virtual Author Talks

  

February Author Talks 

 

Smithsonian Curator Sabrina Sholts

 

Woman in Blue shirt with arms crossed and black book cover with enlarged blue virus on it

 

 Tuesday, February 4 at 2 PM

 

     Join us for this enlightening presentation with Smithsonian curator Sabrina Sholts as she talks about how the very fact of being human increases our pandemic risks—and gives us the power to save ourselves. 

     The COVID-19 pandemic won't be our last—because what makes us vulnerable to pandemics also makes us human. That is the uncomfortable but all-too-timely message of The Human Disease: How We Create Pandemics, From Our Bodies to Our Beliefs, which travels through history and around the globe to examine how and why pandemics are an inescapable threat of our own making. Drawing on dozens of disciplines—from medicine, epidemiology, and microbiology to anthropology, sociology, ecology, and neuroscience—as well as a unique expertise in public education about emerging infectious diseases, biological anthropologist Sabrina Sholts identifies the human traits and tendencies that double as pandemic liabilities, from the anatomy that defines us to the misperceptions that divide us. 

     Weaving together a wealth of personal experiences, scientific findings, and historical stories, Sholts brings dramatic and much-needed clarity to one of the most profound challenges we face as a species. Though the COVID-19 pandemic looms large in Sholts's account, it is, in fact, just one of the many infectious disease events explored in The Human Disease. With its expansive, evolutionary perspective, the book explains how humanity will continue to face new pandemics because humans cause them, by the ways that we are and the things that we do. By recognizing our risks, Sholts suggests, we can take actions to reduce them. When the next pandemic happens, and how bad it becomes, are largely within our highly capable human hands—and will be determined by what we do with our extraordinary human brains. A presentation you don’t want to miss, register now!

     This program is presented in partnership with Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. 

**The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

     

Register now! 

 


 

Author Waubgeshig Rice

 

Author in blue shirt beside book cover showing night sky in the woods

 

Tuesday, February 11 at 7 PM

 

     You’re invited to a riveting conversation with bestselling author Waubgeshig Rice to chat about his newest book Moon of the Turning Leaves, the hotly anticipated sequel to the bestselling novel Moon of the Crusted Snow

     It’s been over a decade since a mysterious cataclysm caused a permanent blackout that toppled infrastructure and thrust the world into anarchy. Evan Whitesky led his community in remote northern Ontario off the rez and into the bush, where they’ve been living off the land, rekindling their Anishinaabe traditions in total isolation from the outside world. 

     As new generations are born, and others come of age in the world after everything, Evan’s people are in some ways stronger than ever. But resources in and around their new settlement are beginning to dry up, and the elders warn that they cannot afford to stay indefinitely. 

     Evan and his fifteen-year-old daughter, Nangohns, are elected to lead a small scouting party on a months-long trip to their traditional home on the north shore of Lake Huron—to seek new beginnings and discover what kind of life—and what dangers—still exist in the lands to the south. 

     Moon of the Turning Leaves is Rice’s exhilarating return to the world first explored in the phenomenal breakout bestseller Moon of the Crusted Snow: a brooding story of survival, resilience, Indigenous identity, and rebirth. Register now for a thrilling conversation!

     This program is presented in partnership with Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. 

**The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

     

Register now! 

 

 


 

 Author Lee Hawkins

 

Orange background with author in white shirt and black book cover with orange text

 

Tuesday, February 11 at 7 PM

 

     We welcome you to our conversation with journalist and author Lee Hawkins as he talks to us about the examination of his family’s legacy of post-enslavement trauma and resilience in this riveting memoir, I Am Nobody's Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free

     I Am Nobody’s Slave tells the story of one Black family's pursuit of the American Dream through the impacts of racism and racial violence. This book examines how trauma from enslavement and Jim Crow shaped their outlook on thriving in America, influenced each generation, and how they succeeded despite these challenges. 

     To their suburban Minnesotan neighbors, the Hawkinses were an ideal American family, embodying strength and success. However, behind closed doors, they faced the legacy of enslavement and apartheid. Lee Hawkins, Sr. often exhibited rage, leaving his children anxious and curious about his protective view of the world. Thirty years later, his son uncovered the reasons for his father’s anxiety and occasional violence. Through research, he discovered violent deaths in his family for every generation since slavery, and how enslavers impacted the family’s customs. 

     Hawkins explores the role of racism-triggered childhood trauma and chronic stress in shortening his ancestors' lives, using genetic testing, reporting, and historical data to craft a moving family portrait. This book shows how genealogical research can educate and heal Americans of all races, revealing through their story the story of America—a journey of struggle, resilience, and the heavy cost of ultimate success. Register today to join the conversation!

     This program is presented in partnership with Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. 

**The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

     

Register now! 

 


 

March Author Talks 

 

Author Dan Heath

 

bookcover with target on it and author in blue suit

 

 Wednesday, March 12 at 2 PM

 

     Are you ready for a revolutionary guide to fixing what’s not working—in systems and processes, organizations and companies, and even in our daily lives? Join us for an enlightening conversation with bestselling author Dan Heath as he talks with us about his newest book, Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working

     Changing how we work can feel overwhelming. It can feel like trying to budge an enormous boulder. We’re stifled by the gravity of the way we’ve always done things. We spend so much time fighting fires—and fighting colleagues—that we lack the energy to shift direction but with the right strategy, we can move the boulder. In Reset, Heath explores a framework for getting unstuck and making the changes that matter. The secret is to find “leverage points”: places where a little bit of effort can yield a disproportionate return. Then, we can thoughtfully rearrange our resources to push on those points. Heath weaves together fascinating examples, ranging from a freakishly effective fast-food drive-thru to a simple trick from couples therapy to an inspirational campaign that saved a million cats. 

     What if we could unlock forward movement—achieving progress on what matters most—without the need for more resources? The same people, the same assets…but dramatically better results. Yesterday, we were stuck. Today, we reset. In this talk, you’ll learn: Why the feeling of progress can be your secret weapon in accelerating change; How leaders can uncover and stop wasteful activities; Why your team’s motivation is often squandered—and how to avoid that mistake; How you can jumpstart your change efforts by beginning with a “burst.” Register now for your reset!

     This program is presented in partnership with Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. 

**The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

     

Register now! 

 

 


 

 Author Clara Bingham

 

Boookcover with pink orange and yellow outlined text with photo of author

 

 Thursday, March 20 at 2 PM

 

     Join us for a transformative conversation with award-winning journalist and author, Clara Bingham, as she chats with us about her new book, The Movement: How Women’s Liberation Transformed America, 1963-1973

     The Movement is a comprehensive and engaging oral history of the decade that defined the feminist movement, including interviews with living icons and unsung heroes. The Movement is the first oral history of the decade that built the modern feminist movement. Through the captivating individual voices of the people who lived it, The Movement tells the intimate inside story of what it felt like to be at the forefront of the modern feminist crusade when women rejected thousands of years of custom and demanded the freedom to be who they wanted and needed to be. 

     This engaging history traces women’s awakening, organizing, and agitating between 1963 and 1973 when a decentralized collection of people and events coalesced to create a spontaneous combustion. From Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique to the underground abortion network the Janes, to Shirley Chisholm’s presidential campaign and Billie Jean King’s 1973 battle of the sexes, Bingham artfully weaves together the fragments of that explosion person by person, bringing to life the emotions of this personal, cultural, and political revolution. Artists and politicians, athletes and lawyers, black and white, The Movement brings readers into the rooms where these women insisted on being treated as first-class citizens and, in the process, changed the fabric of American life.

     This program is presented in partnership with Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. 

**The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

     

Register now! 

 

 


 

Author, Jennifer Weiner

 

Author with blue silk blouse and two book covers one blue and one white

 

 Wednesday, March 26 at 7 PM

 

     You’re invited to a glimmering conversation with New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner as we chat about the signature emotional depth of her books that have been inspiring readers toward self-discovery for decades. Hearing from the queen of fun herself, we’ll chat with the author about her New York Times bestselling novels, Good In Bed, In Her Shoes, Big Summer, The Breakaway and many more. 

     Additionally, in a special preview, Weiner will briefly discuss her forthcoming novel (due out on April 8, 2025) The Griffin Sister’s Greatest Hits. Set in the world of pop music, The Griffin Sister’s Greatest Hits is about sisters, motherhood, young love, and the dreams we chase. 

     Sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were born just a year apart but could not have been more different. Zoe, blessed with charm and beauty, yearned for fame from the moment she could sing into a hairbrush. Cassie was a musical prodigy who never felt at home in her own skin and preferred the safety of the shadows. On the brink of adulthood in the early 2000s, destiny intervened, catapulting the sisters into the spotlight as the pop sensation the Griffin Sisters, hitting all the touchstones of early aughts fame—SNL, MTV, Rolling Stone magazine—along the way. 

     But after a whirlwind year in the public eye, the band abruptly broke up. Two decades later, Zoe’s a housewife; Cassie’s off the grid. The sisters aren’t speaking, and the real reason for the Griffin Sisters’ breakup is still a mystery. Zoe’s teenage daughter, Cherry, who’s determined to be a star in spite of Zoe’s warnings, is on a quest to learn the truth about what happened to the band all those years ago. 

     As secrets emerge, all three women must face the consequences of their choices: the ones they made and the ones the music industry made for them. Can they forgive each other—and themselves? And will the Griffin Sisters ever make music again? Register now for what will most certainly be a dazzling conversation!

     This program is presented in partnership with Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. 

**The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Findlay-Hancock County Public Library/Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

     

Register now!