Programs in Numbers

Spotlight Books & Film Club at Main Library in Hillsborough alternates book discussions and film viewings with light discussion. The theme of each book or film we read/watch & discuss will often mirror books and films that Main Library's Adult Services is highlighting that month. Bring a light snack for yourself, and join us! This series is intended for adults. View the upcoming schedule of events in this series here.

This month, we are holding a reading of poems submitted by community members this year for Wax2, the library's literary zine for adults. Join us and bring your own poem to read, or read one by another poet that has moved you in the past. This event will take place on Saturday, April 26th, 2025 from 2-4:00pm at Orange County Public Library's Main Library located at 137 West Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Registration is encouraged. Again, this series is intended for adults.

Resident Superior Judge Alyson Grine will host a discussion with Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, author of The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice.

The location of this event is the Southern Branch Library at the Drakeford Library Complex in Carrboro.

Registration is not required.

The Hillsborough Climate Challenge event series presents an discussion of the book On the Swamp: Fighting for Indigenous Environmental Justice with the author, Dr. Ryan E. Emanuel, noted environmental scientist and member of the Lumbee Tribe. This event takes place on Thursday, April 3rd from 6:30-8pm at Main Library in Hillsborough located at 137 West Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Registration is preferred.

Hillsborough Climate Challenge (HCC) is a month-long series of events for adults, teens, and youth occurring at venues all over town aimed at presenting practical and accessible knowledge and solutions to combat climate challenge that can be incorporated into everyday life.

Click for list of HCC events happening at Main Library and to register.

Click for the full calendar of HCC events, contests, participating restaurants, and more.

Call for Poetry Submissions, December 1st 2024 through February 1st 2025*

Calling all 18+ poets! Contribute to WAXPRINT2, the library’s art & literary zine for adults.

The original WAXPRINT zine was dedicated to youth expression. This new version of the zine will be dedicated to art and writing by adults with different themes per issue. In this first issue focused on poetry, we hope to collect and publish around 50 poems. The zine should be available in March, and a reading of the published poems will take place in April at Main Library. We look forward to seeing your work!

Submission guidelines:

Submissions will be open from December 1st 2024 - February 1st 2025. *Though submissions may close sooner if we have an overwhelming response.

Submit poems in word format or via google doc to kallah@orangecountync.gov

There is submission limit of 1, unpublished poem per person

Poems must be 12pt font and fit on a a single 8.5 x11 in sheet of paper

Poems can be any type, theme, or topic, and while "adult content and language" are not prohibited, submissions may not contain language that is oppressive, abusive, or diminishing to others. Please do remember our setting, here.

If you have questions, call or stop by the upstairs desk at Main Library in Hillsborough or send an email to the address listed above. Many thanks!

Online Poetry Reading to Support Western NC | Thursday, January 23rd from 7-9pm EST via Zoom | For Adults

Join the Friends of the Orange County Public Library (FOCPL)nd poets Catherine Carter, Beth Copeland, and Eric Nelson online via Zoom for a poetry reading to support Western NC. A donation of $15 to one of the charities chosen by the poets or FOCPL is suggested though not required to attend. Registration is required for this event. Registered attendees will receive the link to join online once registration closes. New to Zoom? Click for a quick guide to get you started.

About the Poets, The Friends, and Their Chosen Charities:

Catherine Carter | Catherine’s Charitable Organization: Mother Grove Goddess Temple

Catherine Carter’s poetry collections with LSU Press include Larvae of the Nearest Stars (2019), The Swamp Monster at Home (2012), and The Memory of Gills (2006), with By Stone and Needle forthcoming in fall 2025. Jacar Press has also printed her two chapbooks, and her work has appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, RHINO, Asheville Poetry Review, and Best American Poetry 2009, among others. She is a professor of English at Western Carolina University. Learn more at CatherineCarterPoetry.com

Mother Grove Goddess Temple in Asheville supports hurricane survivors by keeping a food pantry open, collecting gas and grocery cards for survivors, doing some rebuilding, and reaching out to those in need.

Beth Copeland | Beth’s Charitable Organization: Ashe Outreach

Beth Copeland is the author of Shibori Blue: Thirty-six Views of The Peak (Redhawk Publications, 2024): Selfie with Cherry (Glass Lyre Press, 2022); Blue Honey, 2017 Dogfish Head Poetry Prize winner; Transcendental Telemarketer (BlazeVOX, 2012); and Traveling through Glass, 1999 Bright Hill Press Poetry Book Award winner. Beth lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Learn more at BethCopelandWriting.com

Ashe Outreach is a nonprofit volunteer organization in my community that provides a food pantry, meal delivery to shut-ins, and food for school children to take home for weekends. Members of the Board of Directors are my neighbors and friends. They have been working tirelessly as volunteers to coordinate the clean up of Riverview Community Center after the hurricane and to provide food for all people in our community who need assistance.

Eric Nelson | Eric’s Charitable Organization: Southside Community Farm

Eric Nelson has published seven collections of poetry. His most recent, Horse Not Zebra, was published in 2022 by Terrapin Books. His previous books include Terrestrials, chosen by Maxine Kumin for the X.J. Kennedy Award; The Interpretation of Waking Life, winner of the University of Arkansas Poetry Award, and Some Wonder, which won the Gival Press Poetry Award. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Learn more at EricNelsonPoet.com

Southside Community Farm is a Black-led project in a historically segregated Black neighborhood of Asheville which supports the needs of Black people and other Community Members of Color while celebrating diverse cultures and foodways.

Friends of the Orange County Public Library | FOCPL's Suggested Charitable Organization: American Library Association’s Disaster Relief Fund

The Friends of the Orange County Public Library is an independent, nonprofit organization comprised of people from all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life who share the goal of supporting library programs and initiatives. Through book sales and other fundraisers, the Friends raise money to fund services, technology, furniture, programs, and more that aren’t covered by public appropriations. The Friends also sponsor author events, advocate for patron and library needs, and support the wider community through their support of the library. Learn more and join at focplnc.org

The American Library Association’s Disaster Relief Fund provides funds to libraries in the U.S. and around the world that have been damaged or destroyed due to natural or human-caused disasters. Communities in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina have been impacted by Hurricane Helene and Milton. The ALA Chapter Relations Office is collaborating with our state chapter partners to identify affected libraries and facilitate the distribution of funds from ALA's Disaster Relief Fund.

Call for Poetry Submissions, December 1st 2024 through February 1st 2025*

Calling all 18+ poets! Contribute to WAXPRINT2, the library’s art & literary zine for adults.

The original WAXPRINT zine was dedicated to youth expression. This new version of the zine will be dedicated to art and writing by adults with different themes per issue. In this first issue focused on poetry, we hope to collect and publish around 50 poems. The zine should be available in March, and a reading of the published poems will take place in April at Main Library. We look forward to seeing your work!

Submission guidelines:

Submissions will be open from December 1st 2024 - February 1st 2025. *Though submissions may close sooner if we have an overwhelming response.

Submit poems in word format or via google doc to kallah@orangecountync.gov

There is submission limit of 1, unpublished poem per person

Poems must be 12pt font and fit on a a single 8.5 x11 in sheet of paper

Poems can be any type, theme, or topic, and while "adult content and language" are not prohibited, submissions may not contain language that is oppressive, abusive, or diminishing to others. Please do remember our setting, here.

If you have questions, call or stop by the upstairs desk at Main Library in Hillsborough or send an email to the address listed above. Many thanks!

Call for Poetry Submissions, December 1st 2024 through February 1st 2025*

Calling all 18+ poets! Contribute to WAXPRINT2, the library’s art & literary zine for adults.

The original WAXPRINT zine was dedicated to youth expression. This new version of the zine will be dedicated to art and writing by adults with different themes per issue. In this first issue focused on poetry, we hope to collect and publish around 50 poems. The zine should be available in March, and a reading of the published poems will take place in April at Main Library. We look forward to seeing your work!

Submission guidelines:

Submissions will be open from December 1st 2024 - February 1st 2025. *Though submissions may close sooner if we have an overwhelming response.

Submit poems in word format or via google doc to kallah@orangecountync.gov

There is submission limit of 1, unpublished poem per person

Poems must be 12pt font and fit on a a single 8.5 x11 in sheet of paper

Poems can be any type, theme, or topic, and while "adult content and language" are not prohibited, submissions may not contain language that is oppressive, abusive, or diminishing to others. Please do remember our setting, here.

If you have questions, call or stop by the upstairs desk at Main Library in Hillsborough or send an email to the address listed above. Many thanks!

Main Library in Hillsborough welcomes the 2024 Friends and Family Gathering for Something To Say: Art and Poetry from the Men at Orange Correctional Center. Join us on Saturday October 5, from 1:30 to 4pm for a celebration of creativity and community with those who have lived experience of incarceration.

Art from this project will be on display at Margaret Lane Art Gallery from September 18th through October 13th. Margaret Lane Art Gallery is located at 121 West Margaret Lane in Hillsborough, next door to Main Library.

Something To Say is sponsored by Alamance Orange Prison Ministry which operates in Orange County, North Carolina, and works primarily out of the Orange Correctional Center.

If you have interest in supporting inmate access to books and learning please consider donating to the Book Giving Tree at Main Library.

Join the Friends of the Orange County Public Library on Friday, October 4th at 7pm for a conversation with local and regional crime writers, S.A. Cosby and Eryk Pruitt. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Books will be available for purchase at the event courtesy of Purple Crow Books.

About the Authors:

S.A. Cosby is the New York Times bestselling author of Razorblade Tears, Blacktop Wasteland, All the Sinners Bleed, and The Rhythm of Time, a children’s book co-written with Questlove. His books have won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Anthony Award, International Thriller Writers Best Hardcover Novel, a Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel, the Crime Writers’ Association’s Silver Dagger and Gold Dagger awards, and were named Library Journal’s and NPR’s Best Book of the Year, among many other awards and accolades. Cosby has appeared on The Daily Show and The Tonight Show Featuring Jimmy Fallon, and lives in Southeastern Virginia. When not writing, he is an avid hiker and chess player.

Eryk Pruitt, known for his devilishly dark sense of humor, is a master of many storytelling mediums. He has brought his stories to life as a filmmaker, podcaster, short story writer, and novelist. He is also the publisher of Dark Yonder, a quarterly literary magazine. His books include Townies, Hashtag, Dirtbags, and What We Reckon, along with books in his Jess Keeler thriller series – Something Bad Wrong and Blood Red Summer. His work has also appeared in a number of anthologies. When not writing, you can find him at Yonder, a bar and entertainment venue he operates in Hillsborough. Learn more about upcoming projects at erykpruitt.com

Southern Noir Book Discussion - Thursday, September 26th at 6pm | Join us at the Main Library in Hillsborough for a discussion of All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby and Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt. This is a discussion with librarians in advance of a conversation with the authors on October 4th. Registration for this event is encouraged but not required.

Join us at Main Library in Hillsborough as we welcome local author, Harry Kavros, reading from his new book, Observations of an Accidental Farmer―and a Mindful Reader. Registration for this event is encouraged but not required. Books will be available for sale and signing courtesy of Purple Crow Books.

Join us at the Main Library in Hillsborough as we welcome Frances Mayes for a book reading, signing, and mingling event! Frances will be reading from her new novel, A Great Marriage. Copies will be available for purchase at this event via Purple Crow Books. Registration for this event is required.

Virtual Authors Series: Tiffany Jewell | Thursday, June 20th at 2:00 PM EDT | For Adults and Teens

Unpacking a History of Systemic Racism in the American Education System with Tiffany Jewell, author of the #1 New York Times and #1 Indie Bestseller, This Book Is Anti-Racist, as well as The Antiracist Kid, and the recently released Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School.

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.

Virtual Authors Series: Freida McFadden | Thursday, June 13th at 8:00 PM EDT | For Adults

Psychological Thrillers and the Queen of Twists– An Author Talk with Freida McFadden, bestselling author and practicing physician who has penned multiple psychological thrillers and medical humor novels

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.

Virtual Authors Series: Matt Shindell | Monday, June 3rd at 2:00 PM EDT | For Adults

For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet with Smithsonian Curator, Matt Shindell

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.

Community Read!

Join OCPL's Community Read of Trinity by local author, Zelda Lockhart. The book is available in print at the library and on Hoopla in both an e-book and audiobook formats. The discussion, hosted by the Tuesday Evening Book Club, will take place on Tuesday, June 11th at 6:30pm at the Main Library in Hillsborough.

This Community Read & Discussion are part of Orange County Public Library's Black Literature & Arts Celebration (BLAC), an annual celebration that takes place during the week leading up to Juneteenth.

For more information about The Tuesday Evening Book Club and other book clubs at OCPL, visit the the library's book club page.

Virtual Authors Series: Rebecca F. Kuang | Tuesday, May 21st at 7:00 PM EDT | For Adults

Asian American Representation in Literature: An Author Talk with Rebecca F. Kuang, New York Times Bestselling Author of Yellowface, Babel, and the Poppy War Trilogy

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.

Virtual Authors Series: Nina Simon | Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00 PM EDT | For Adults

A Murder Mystery, Family Story, & Love Letter to Strong Women Everywhere: Author Talk w/ Nina Simon, New York Times Bestselling Author and Reese’s Book Club Pick - Mother-Daughter Murder Night

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.

Virtual Authors Series: Douglas Brunt | Wednesday, May 1st at 3:00 PM EDT | For Adults

Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I - An Author Talk with Douglas Brunt, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel and Ghosts of Manhattan

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.

Virtual Authors Series: Xochitl Gonzalez | Wednesday, April 17th at 8:00 PM EDT | For Adults

A Literary Examination of Power, Love, and Art with Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming and Anita de Monte Laughs Last.

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.

Virtual Authors Series: Diane Foley & Colum McCann | Tuesday, April 9th at 2:00 PM EDT | For Adults

From Murder to Atonement–Confronting My Son’s Killer with Diane Foley & Colum McCann

McCann is the author of the award-winning and bestselling books Apeirogon, Let the Great World Spin, and Transatlantic.

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.

Virtual Authors Series: Paula J. Johnson | Tuesday, April 2nd at 2:00 PM EDT | For Adults

The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us–A Sweeping History of Food and Culture with Smithsonian Curator, Paula J. Johnson. A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.

Mushroom, Starfield, Hickory, Dirt:

A Poetry Reading by Garrett Sharpe, Gary Phillips, Maura High, and Pam Baggett

Wednesday, March 27th at 7pm | Doors open at 6:30pm

Writing on the theme of nature, four poets have collaborated to create new work in response

to each other’s poems. The event is free and open to all. Registration is encouraged but not required.

Virtual Authors Series: Madeline Miller | Thursday, March 21st at 7:00 PM EDT | For Adults

On Retelling Greek Classics: An Exploration of the Modern Epics with Madeline Miller, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Song of Achilles and Circe.

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.

Virtual Authors Series: Christopher Paolini | Thursday, March 14th at 4:00 PM EDT | For Adults and teens

20 Years of Dragon-Riding in YA Fantasy with Christopher Paolini, International Bestselling Author of Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance.

The Virtual Authors Series is sponsored by the Friends of Orange County Public Library and brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit https://libraryc.org/ocpl to register and for information about this event and upcoming or previous events in the series.