Howard County Library System’s author events are a key component of the HCLS curriculum. Notable, best-selling, and local authors provide customers with enlightening experiences throughout the year. Bringing the community together to celebrate the literary arts is a hallmark of HCLS customer service. Join us for these opportunities to meet one of your favorite authors or discover someone new!
There are 15 upcoming classes.
A Survivor's Story: The Attack on the USS Liberty (Online)
Date: 05/04/25Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Branch: Online Branch
Age group: Adults
Program type: Race, Equity & Inclusion
Description:
Memorial Day Remembrance
"This book is both a tribute and a belated memorial to the officers and men of that ill-fated spy ship...By raising carefully researched questions about the entire process, Scott's fine book has put the Liberty center stage and perhaps given the surviving crewmen an account that truly binds up their wounds." -- Naval History Magazine
Join the members of the Veterans Book Group for a discussion of the book The Attack on the Liberty: The Untold Story of Israel's Deadly 1967 Assault on a U.S. Spy Ship by James Scott. The definitive account of the infamous 1967 attack on the USS Liberty by Israeli forces and the continuing controversy over what really happened.
Hear the true story and its impact from veteran Terry McFarland who is a survivor of the attack on the USS Liberty. McFarland is a retired Senior Chief Petty Officer who served 28 years in the United States Navy as a Cryptologic Technician. McFarland was trained as an intercept operator, specializing in intercepting foreign communications and serving mostly in the Pacific Theater.
Terry will be in conversation with David Owens. Owens is a Navy veteran who served for six years onboard two U.S. Navy warships. Owens attended the U.S. Naval Academy and now runs a small media content production business based in the D.C. metropolitan area. Owens loves to read and, even more so, enjoys the discussions and camaraderie of the veteran book groups!
The Veterans Book Group is coordinated statewide by Maryland Humanities and is presented locally in partnership with Howard County Library System.
Please register with an email address to receive an immediate registration confirmation with a link to join the class/event. This email will also contain the dial-in information if you wish to participate by telephone.
Questions? Please email [email protected].
"Free For All: The Public Library" - MPT Film Screening
Date: 05/05/25Time: 7:00pm - 8:15pm
Branch: Central Branch
Age group: Adults
Program type: History & Genealogy
Description:
Free for All: Inside the Public Library tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today's librarians who service the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all.
Interested in discussing the documentary in more detail? Join our virtual discussion group on May 13th at 7pm. Click here for more details, and to register.
Author Works: Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame (Online)
Date: 05/07/25Time: 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Branch: Online Branch
Age group: Adults
Program type: Race, Equity & Inclusion
Description:
With an armored, oath-bound hero reminiscent of The Mandalorian and
the Asian-inspired epic fantasy of She Who Became the Sun, this is a stunning queer novella about a dragon hunter finding home with a dragon queen
“A lovely, intricate gem of a fairy tale about finding yourself in another
person and traveling distant lands to finally come home. I loved it.”
—Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six
Few know the true identity of the masked guildknight of Mithrandon
She barely remembers herself.
The masked guildknight—Yeva—was thirteen when she killed her first dragon. With her gift revealed, she was shipped away to the imperial capital to train in the rare art of dragon-slaying. Now a legendary dragon hunter, she has never truly felt at home—nor removed her armor in public—since that fateful day all those years ago.
Yeva must now go to Quanbao, a fiercely independent and reclusive kingdom. It is rumored that there, dragons are not feared as is right and proper, but instead loved and worshipped. It is rumored that there, they harbor a dragon behind their borders. While Yeva searches for the dreaded beast, she is welcomed into the palace by Quanbao’s monarch, Lady Sookhee.
As they grow closer, Yeva longs to let Lady Sookhee see the person behind the armor, but she knows she must fulfill her purpose and slay the dragon. Ultimately, she must decide who—or what—she is willing to betray: her own heart, or the sacred duty that she has called home for so long.
Neon Yang (they/them) is a non-binary author based in the UK. They have been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Lambda Literary, Ignyte, and Locus Awards, and their Tensorate series of novellas (The Red Threads of Fortune, The Black Tides of Heaven, The Descent of Monsters, and The Ascent to Godhood) was an Otherwise Award Honoree. In previous incarnations, Neon was a molecular biologist, a science communicator, a writer for animation, games and comic studios, and a journalist for one of Singapore's major papers.
Please register with an email address to receive an immediate registration confirmation with a link to join the class/event. (Walk-ins welcome).
What's On Your Shelf? Fiction and Nonfiction Book Chat
Date: 05/08/25Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Branch: Miller Branch
Age group: Adults
Program type: Community Events
Description:
Share fiction and/or nonfiction titles that are on your bookshelf and we will share titles from our shelves. If you don't have a title to share, find inspiration in what others recommend and start building your reading list.
Readers also have the opportunity to ask for recommendations or to ask our instructors questions about books, reading, and the library. Previous discussion topics have included book donations, Little Free Libraries, and Goodreads (the world's largest website for readers and book recommendations).
Your Story to Tell: The Art and Craft of Memoir
Date: 05/08/25Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Branch: Online Branch
Age group: Adults
Program type: Author & Literary Events
Description:
Author Peter Bacho teaches the basics of writing a memoir and helps participants hone their techniques.
A memoir is another form of storytelling, and as such, it uses the same techniques as effective novels: dialogue, action, drama, climax, etc. Participants will be given assignments and will share their results for comment and constructive critique.
The Walters Art Museum: If Books Could Kill
Date: 05/14/25Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Branch: Online Branch
Age group: Adults
Program type: History & Genealogy
Description:
This class is a part of the HCLS' Museum@The Library series.
The rich, jewel-like colors of manuscript illuminations can be dazzling—and dangerous. For centuries, highly toxic materials such as lead, arsenic, and mercury were used by scribes, artists, and bookbinders to create handmade books and to illuminate their pages. If Books Could Kill casts light on the hidden dangers of manuscripts within the Walters’ rich collection and reveals the delicate science behind recognizing those toxic materials and handling them safely today.
This unique manuscript exhibition presents 24 rarely displayed examples of toxic books and materials from around the globe while delving into the human stories behind the manuscripts. It also explores the scientific processes used by the Walters’ Conservation Scientist to test the books and the methods used by the Walters’ Head of Books and Paper Conservation to safely handle and preserve these beautiful but dangerous treasures.
This virtual tour is presented by Lynley Anne Herbert, the curator of this incredible exhibit and Dr. Annette S. Ortiz Miranda, the conservation scientist at The Walters Art Museum.
Lynley Anne Herbert is the Robert and Nancy Hall Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. As curator of a collection containing nearly 1,000 manuscripts and 3,500 rare printed books spanning time and place, her research and exhibition projects have ranged from the twelfth-century St. Francis Missal, to a 19th-century prayerbook woven out of silk, and a unique fourteenth-century lace-cut Book of Hours. In addition to researching and displaying the existing collection, she has also worked to grow it, helping acquire new books such as a seventeenth-century illuminated Lutheran treatise, a woman’s illuminated Neogothic Missal, Spanish Colonial books printed by women, confession manuscripts created and used by Deaf students in 19th century Netherlands, and most recently, a group of 19th-centurty embossed books for the blind.
Dr. Annette S. Ortiz Miranda is the conservation scientist at The Walters Art Museum, where she leads the Museum's lab for scientific analysis. Before joining the Walters, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University's Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts in Chicago and as a conservation scientist at the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK). Her research interests include identifying and characterizing artists' materials and techniques, and the understanding of their degradation patterns. Beyond her work at the Walters, Annette is part of the Board of Governors of the Centro de Conservación y Restauración de Puerto Rico (CENCOR), the elected Assistance Chair of the Research and Technical Studies (RaTS) group of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) and part of the leadership of the ACerS: Art, Archaeology & Conservation Science group.
Credit: Mors (Death), Confession Book of a Deaf Student
Carel (Flemish), Belgium (Kortrijk?), ca. 1819
Watercolor and ink on paper, Museum purchase with funds provided by the W. Alton Jones Foundation Acquisition Fund, 2023, acc. no. W.962, fol. 43r
Please register with an email address to receive an immediate registration confirmation with a link to join the class/event. This email will also contain the dial-in information if you wish to participate by telephone.
The UnBook Reading Group
Date: 05/14/25Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Branch: Off Site
Age group: Adults
Program type: Community Events
Description:
The UnBook Reading Group
Connect with a community of readers without the stress of assigned reading! Bring the book of your choice, read silently in a comfy spot at Backwater Books. Then, wrap up the evening by sharing something interesting about what you read in an open literature-related discussion! No purchase required to participate. This group meets at Backwater Books in Old Ellicott City.
2nd Wednesdays @ 6:30 - 8 pm.
6:30-7:15 pm quiet reading time
7:15 - 8 pm - discuss books (optional - you may chose to just listen or continue reading)
Please register with an email address to receive email reminders and updates.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
Author Works: Spitfires: American Women who Flew in the Face of Danger during WWII
Date: 05/19/25Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Branch: Miller Branch
Age group: Adults
Program type: Race, Equity & Inclusion
Description:
Memorial Day Remembrance
A bold and soaring work of history . . . whip-smart, deeply researched, and beautifully written.” -Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of King: A Life
The heart-pounding true story of the daring American women who piloted the most dangerous aircraft of World War II through the treacherous skies of Britain.
They were crop dusters and debutantes, college girls and performers in flying circuses-all of them trained as pilots. Because they were women, they were denied the opportunity to fly for their country when the United States entered the Second World War. But Great Britain, desperately fighting for survival, would let anyone-even Americans, even women-transport warplanes. Thus, twenty-five daring young aviators bolted for England in 1942, becoming the first American women to command military aircraft.
In a faraway land, these “spitfires” lived like women decades ahead of their time. Risking their lives in one of the deadliest jobs of the war, they ferried new, barely tested fighters and bombers to air bases and returned shot-up wrecks for repair, never knowing what might go wrong until they were high in the sky. Many ferry pilots died in crashes or made spectacular saves. It was exciting, often terrifying work. The pilots broke new ground off duty as well, shocking their hosts with thoroughly modern behavior.
With cinematic sweep, Becky Aikman follows the stories of nine of the women who served, drawing on unpublished diaries, letters, and records, along with her own interviews, to bring these forgotten heroines fully to life. Spitfires is a vivid, richly detailed account of war, ambition, and a group of remarkable women whose lives were as unconventional as their dreams.
Becky Aikman is the author of two books of narrative nonfiction: her memoir, Saturday Night Widows, and Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge. A former journalist at Newsday, Aikman has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications. She lives in New York.
Books will be available for sale and a book signing will take place after the talk.
After the Floods with Dr. Ken Conca
Date: 05/27/25Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Branch: Miller Branch
Age group: Adults
Program type: History & Genealogy
Description:
Small towns across America and around the world face mounting challenges with flood risk, a result of not only climate change but also poorly adapted landscapes, sprawl, overdevelopment and poor planning. After the Floods is about Ellicott City, a small town in central Maryland that experienced two devastating flash floods just 22 months apart.
Despite the town's many advantages―wealth, access to expertise, a mobilized community, and a stout identity steeped in 250 years of history―Ellicott City found itself mired in a deeply divisive argument over what to do in the aftermath. As a resident, Ken Conca bore firsthand witness to the conflict that took root when the flood waters receded.
Dr. Ken Conca’s research and teaching focus on global environmental governance, environmental peacebuilding in war-torn societies, environmental politics and policy in the United Nations system, water governance, and environmental policy analysis. Dr. Conca's research has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Grawemeyer Prize for Ideas Improving World Order; the International Studies Association’s Harold and Margaret Sprout Award, for best book on international environmental affairs; the Chadwick Alger Prize, for best book in the field of International Organization; and the Al-Moumin Environmental Peacebuilding Award.
This free event is co-sponsored by the Howard County Library System and the Howard County Historical Society.
Veterans Book Group 2025 (Online)
Date: 06/01/25Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Branch: Online Branch
Age group: Adults
Program type: Race, Equity & Inclusion
Description:
Veterans, both active and retired military, are invited to this online discussion series. During five monthly facilitated sessions, discussions center on military experiences and a unique set of readings, which may include classics, fiction, memoirs, poetry, short stories, articles, and essays. The readings relate in some way to military experiences or offer a veteran’s perspective.
Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions. Registration is open to veterans/active duty only, please.
All reading materials are provided. Space is limited.
1st Sundays; February 2 - June 1 from 1:30 - 3:00 pm. Online.
The Veterans Book Group is moderated by David Owens. David Owens is a Navy veteran who served for six years onboard two U.S. Navy warships. Owens attended the U.S. Naval Academy and now runs a small media content production business based in the D.C. metropolitan area. Owens loves to read and, even more so, enjoys the discussions and camaraderie of the veteran book groups!
The Veterans Book Group is coordinated statewide by Maryland Humanities and is presented locally in partnership with Howard County Library System.
Reading Selections:
February 2: Red Platoon by Clinton Romesha
March 2: The Fine Art of Camouflage by Lauren Kay Johnson
April 6: The Special Prisoner by Jim Lehrer
May 4: Attack on the Liberty by James Scott
June 1: In Pharaoh’s Army by Tobias Wolff
Image credit: Generated using AI
Please register with an email address to receive an immediate registration confirmation with a link to join the class/event. This email will also contain the dial-in information if you wish to participate by telephone.
Questions? Please email [email protected].
The UnBook Reading Group
Date: 06/11/25Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Branch: Off Site
Age group: Adults
Program type: Community Events
Description:
The UnBook Reading Group
Connect with a community of readers without the stress of assigned reading! Bring the book of your choice, read silently in a comfy spot at Backwater Books. Then, wrap up the evening by sharing something interesting about what you read in an open literature-related discussion! No purchase required to participate. This group meets at Backwater Books in Old Ellicott City.
2nd Wednesdays @ 6:30 - 8 pm.
6:30-7:15 pm quiet reading time
7:15 - 8 pm - discuss books (optional - you may chose to just listen or continue reading)
Please register with an email address to receive email reminders and updates.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
The UnBook Reading Group
Date: 07/09/25Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Branch: Off Site
Age group: Adults
Program type: Community Events
Description:
The UnBook Reading Group
Connect with a community of readers without the stress of assigned reading! Bring the book of your choice, read silently in a comfy spot at Backwater Books. Then, wrap up the evening by sharing something interesting about what you read in an open literature-related discussion! No purchase required to participate. This group meets at Backwater Books in Old Ellicott City.
2nd Wednesdays @ 6:30 - 8 pm.
6:30-7:15 pm quiet reading time
7:15 - 8 pm - discuss books (optional - you may chose to just listen or continue reading)
Please register with an email address to receive email reminders and updates.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
The UnBook Reading Group
Date: 08/13/25Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Branch: Off Site
Age group: Adults
Program type: Community Events
Description:
The UnBook Reading Group
Connect with a community of readers without the stress of assigned reading! Bring the book of your choice, read silently in a comfy spot at Backwater Books. Then, wrap up the evening by sharing something interesting about what you read in an open literature-related discussion! No purchase required to participate. This group meets at Backwater Books in Old Ellicott City.
2nd Wednesdays @ 6:30 - 8 pm.
6:30-7:15 pm quiet reading time
7:15 - 8 pm - discuss books (optional - you may chose to just listen or continue reading)
Please register with an email address to receive email reminders and updates.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
The UnBook Reading Group
Date: 09/10/25Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Branch: Off Site
Age group: Adults
Program type: Community Events
Description:
The UnBook Reading Group
Connect with a community of readers without the stress of assigned reading! Bring the book of your choice, read silently in a comfy spot at Backwater Books. Then, wrap up the evening by sharing something interesting about what you read in an open literature-related discussion! No purchase required to participate. This group meets at Backwater Books in Old Ellicott City.
2nd Wednesdays @ 6:30 - 8 pm.
6:30-7:15 pm quiet reading time
7:15 - 8 pm - discuss books (optional - you may chose to just listen or continue reading)
Please register with an email address to receive email reminders and updates.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
The UnBook Reading Group
Date: 10/08/25Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Branch: Off Site
Age group: Adults
Program type: Community Events
Description:
The UnBook Reading Group
Connect with a community of readers without the stress of assigned reading! Bring the book of your choice, read silently in a comfy spot at Backwater Books. Then, wrap up the evening by sharing something interesting about what you read in an open literature-related discussion! No purchase required to participate. This group meets at Backwater Books in Old Ellicott City.
2nd Wednesdays @ 6:30 - 8 pm.
6:30-7:15 pm quiet reading time
7:15 - 8 pm - discuss books (optional - you may chose to just listen or continue reading)
Please register with an email address to receive email reminders and updates.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
