Programs in Numbers

Writers: maybe you know your characters as well as your family, but how do you create a world that is believable for them to move through?

In this workshop, local author Melora Fern will break down the intricacies that make up a story world and dive into how to create one that aligns with your characters. By deconstructing the components of themes, designing principles, setting techniques, and symbolism she will help you build a world where your characters thrive.

You will leave this writing workshop with a deeper understanding of the fabric that can be woven around your characters and how it is more than just a backdrop to your story.

The workshop includes a practice exercise so please bring your personal writing tools (laptop, iPad, paper, pen, pencil, etc.).

Writers of all experience levels welcome!

Melora Fern moved from Texas to North Carolina to become herself. Growing up as the perpetual “new kid” she persevered by making up stories and recently has learned how to hone that skill into writing fiction. As a recovering CPA, she now counts seashells, colorful stones, or words discovered on her walks. She is the author of Whistling Women and Crowing Hens, a novel inspired by her grandmother's history as a touring whistler in the 1920s.

Does this sound familiar? You have an idea for a story and start writing, but get stuck when it comes to the larger plot.

In this workshop, local author Melora Fern will break down different types of narrative frameworks and explain the basic structure elements so you can write beyond your story’s premise. You will walk away with a plan of action for leveling up your story and the knowledge to find your way through the writing tunnel.

The workshop includes a practice exercise so please bring your personal writing tools (laptop, iPad, paper, pen, pencil, etc.).

Writers of all experience levels welcome!

Want to learn more from Melora? She is also hosting a workshop next month: click for more information!

Melora Fern moved from Texas to North Carolina to become herself. Growing up as the perpetual “new kid” she persevered by making up stories and recently has learned how to hone that skill into writing fiction. As a recovering CPA, she now counts seashells, colorful stones, or words discovered on her walks. She is the author of Whistling Women and Crowing Hens, a novel inspired by her grandmother's history as a touring whistler in the 1920s.

Join us at the Orange County Main Library for a special book launch event with Hillsborough children’s author John Claude Bemis as he celebrates the release of his brand-new graphic novel, Rodeo Hawkins and the Sons of Disaster, the second book in the Rodeo Hawkins series!

Come meet the author, enjoy refreshments, and get your book signed! There will also be fun giveaways to celebrate this exciting new adventure.

Praised by School Library Journal as “a delightful, interdimensional graphic adventure” this graphic novel is perfect for upper elementary through middle school readers. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this hometown launch celebration!

Join us as Hillsborough-based author Rev. Angie Wright discusses her new memoir "Loving My Enemies & Other Outlandish Pursuits" at Orange County Public Library’s Main Branch in Hillsborough.

Register online or at the library to guarantee your spot!

About The Book
This memoir of faith, family, and power follows Reverend Angie Wright’s commitment as an activist and pastor to stand against hate without indulging the temptation of hating the haters. In her story, spirituality meets social justice and betrayal pushes against the ethic of forgiveness. In Loving My Enemies & Other Outlandish Pursuits, Reverend Wright probes questions most of us have to face at times in our lives: How do we reconsider our relationship with people we’ve been taught to hate and fear? And when others wreak harm on us or our communities, can we respond in ways that summon their humanity while protecting our own?

About The Author
Angie Wright has always liked starting trouble—good trouble, as civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis called it. She was the founding pastor of Beloved Community United Church of Christ in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, where she served for sixteen years. She was a founder of Alabama Arise and a leader in Alabama’s immigrant rights movement. She served on the staff and boards of numerous local, regional, and national non-profit organizations. Now retired, Angie lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina with her red dog, Rio. She has two splendid sons and a precocious 8-year-old grandson.

Based in downtown Hillsborough, Music Maker Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to sustaining American music traditions by ensuring that vulnerable artists have the necessary resources to be healthy, safe, and creatively fulfilled. In 2024, they commemorated their 30th anniversary with the release of "Song Keepers: A Music Maker Anthology", a book and four disc box-set documenting the art and artists that the foundation's work has nurtured over the years. "Song Keepers" features contributions from Grammy Award winners like folk musician Rhiannon Giddens, blues guitarist Taj Mahal, and writer and folklorist William Ferris.

Join us at the Main Library in Hillsborough as Music Maker Foundation co-founder/Executive Director Tim Duffy and "Song Keepers" author Georgann Eubanks present on the essential cultural history the Foundation seeks to protect and promote. Registration is recommended for this event.

Main Library in Hillsborough welcomes the Friends and Family Gathering for Something To Say: Art and Poetry from the Men at Orange Correctional Center. Join us on Saturday, June 27th, 2026, 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 Gallery (121 West Margaret Lane in Hillsborough, next door to the Main Library). Visit Margaret Lane Gallery's website here.

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. Visit Alamance Orange Prison Ministry's website here.

Join us as Orange County author Nancy Peacock discusses her new book Wildwood: A Memoir with fellow local writer Nora Gaskin at Orange County Public Library’s Main Branch in Hillsborough.

Register online or at the library to guarantee your spot!

About Wildwood:

Wildwood is a clear-eyed and honest memoir, beautifully constructed and written. It tells the story of a young woman growing into her destiny, to be a writer. It evokes a childhood spent in the expectations of a middle class family in the 1950s and '60s, the rebellion of teenaged years, then a chaotic young adulthood--as often denying the destiny as seeking it. Finally, Nancy Peacock becomes the fine writer and teacher she was always meant to be.

Join us as we welcome Hillsborough Poet Laureate Amal Kassir for a poetry workshop entitled "On Wisdom: Harvesting Life's Lessons" on Saturday, June 20th from 2:00pm-4:00pm at the Main Library in Hillsborough located at 137 West Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278.

In honor of the fullness of summer, this workshop invites participants to reflect on the lessons life has given them. Through guided prompts and storytelling exercises, we will harvest the wisdom gathered across years—moments of growth, challenge, love, loss, and discovery—and shape them into short poems meant to be shared with the community. Participants will craft pieces that offer reflections, advice, or insights for future generations of Hillsborough. Poems from this workshop may be performed at the September Last Fridays Community Poetry Showcase and included in the Hillsborough Community Chapbook.

Our Instructor: Amal Kassir

Amal Kassir is Hillsborough's 2025-2027 Poet Laureate, born and raised in Denver Colorado to an Arab father and an American mother. She has performed & taught in 13 countries and cities all over, in venues ranging from orphanages to refugee camps to youth prisons. At the University of Colorado Denver, she designed her own undergraduate major, titled Community Programming in Social Psychology, where she has been able to create programs for a range of causes and people. She is the founder of House of Amal, a global writing community that sits at the intersection of introspection, faith, and literature.

Learn more about Amal and the Poet Laureate Program!

Music Maker Foundation has described their Song Keepers book and CD anthology as "a powerful collection of images, stories and songs that is both a celebration of and part of the living culture of American music." Learn about roots musicians and Music Maker Foundation’s important work to preserve and nurture homegrown music at this presentation from author Georgann Eubanks and Tim Duffy, photographer and Music Maker's co-founder.

Music Maker is a 501(c)(3) that meets the day-to-day needs of the artists who create traditional American music, ensures their voices are heard, and gives all people access to our nation’s hidden musical treasures. It is based in Hillsborough and is also known for Carrboro's Freight Train Blues concert series.

Can't make it on this date, but still want to attend? The Main Library in Hillsborough is also hosting Tim and Georgann on July 23!

How do you create a world that is believable for your characters to move through? Story world goes beyond setting—it’s the interwoven elements including large components such as time period and location, to the small details like smells and textures that your characters interact with throughout their journey. Building a believable story universe will propel your story forward and immerse readers in that world. In this workshop, Melora Fern will break down the intricacies that make up a story world and dive into how to create one that aligns with your characters. By deconstructing the components of themes, designing principles, setting techniques, and symbolism she will help you build a world where your characters thrive. You will leave this writing workshop with a deeper understanding of the fabric that can be woven around your characters and how it is more than just a backdrop to your story. This writing workshop includes a writing exercise so please bring your personal writing tools (laptop, iPad, paper, pen, pencil, etc.).

Melora Fern moved from Texas to North Carolina to become herself. Growing up as the perpetual “new kid” she persevered by making up stories and recently has learned how to hone that skill into writing fiction. As a recovering CPA, she now counts seashells, colorful stones, or words discovered on her walks. She is the author of Whistling Women and Crowing Hens, a novel inspired by her grandmother's history as a touring whistler in the 1920s.

Beginners are welcome at this workshop!

A250

You have an idea for your story and have started writing but are hitting a rut. By digging into the story structure, you can take your premise and elevate the direction of your narrative. A story’s structure is the framework necessary to move your characters along and provides an outline for building tension throughout the story. There are multiple types—from three acts to the hero’s journey to snowflake, and in this workshop, Melora Fern will break down the different types and explain the basic structure elements so you can write beyond your story’s premise. You will walk away from this workshop with a plan of action for leveling up your story and the knowledge to find your way through the writing tunnel. This writing workshop includes a writing exercise so please bring your personal writing tools (laptop, iPad, paper, pen, pencil, etc.).

Melora Fern moved from Texas to North Carolina to become herself. Growing up as the perpetual “new kid” she persevered by making up stories and recently has learned how to hone that skill into writing fiction. As a recovering CPA, she now counts seashells, colorful stones, or words discovered on her walks. She is the author of Whistling Women and Crowing Hens, a novel inspired by her grandmother's history as a touring whistler in the 1920s.

Beginners are welcome at this workshop!

A250

Join us as we welcome Hillsborough Poet Laureate, Amal Kassir, for an Earth conscious poetry workshop entitled "On Home and Earth: Writing the Places We Love" on Tuesday, April 21st at 5:30pm at Main Library in Hillsborough located at 137 West Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278.

This workshop launches a new community writing series inviting all residents of Hillsborough—writers and non-writers alike—to tell their stories through poetry. Through simple prompts and guided reflection, participants will craft heartfelt pieces about land, home, memory, and belonging in a time of rapidly changing climate. Whether reflecting on a childhood creek, a garden, a front porch, or the forests and fields that shape our region, this workshop invites us to write about the places that hold us. Pieces created here may be shared at the April Last Fridays Open Mic and submitted to the Hillsborough Community Chapbook, a town-wide poetry anthology celebrating Hillsborough voices.

Amal Kassir is a Syrian American poet born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She has performed and taught in 13 countries and cities all over the world in venues ranging from orphanages to refugee camps to youth prisons. At the University of Colorado Denver, she designed her own undergraduate major titled Community Programming in Social Psychology, where she has been able to create programs for a range of causes and people. She is the founder of House of Amal, a global writing community that sits at the intersection of introspection, faith, and literature. She is also the founder of the mental Wellness Program for Muslim Youth for Positive Impact in Colorado, working to create access and dismantle stigma around mental health in the Muslin community. Amal is the Town of Hillsborough’s 2025-2027 Poet Laureate. She and her husband Omar Rezk own a farm in Hillsborough. https://www.amalkassir.com/

Hillsborough Climate Challenge (HCC) is a month-long series of events for all ages that presents practical and accessible things people can do in their everyday lives to combat climate change. Though HCC events occur at venues all over town, a number of them will take place at Main Library located at 137 West Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278.

This program is a Green Literacy learning event that encourages people of all ages to enjoy nature, learn about the environment, and build earth-friendly habits. Click here for a list of upcoming Green Literacy events.

Click here to find a complete list of Hillsborough Climate Challenge events happening throughout Hillsborough.

GreenLiteracy

Engaging characters are crucial for successful storytelling—readers root for them, they drive the narrative and bring your story to life. Compelling characters are a joy to read yet, a challenge to write. During this writing workshop, Melora Fern will take you through the steps to create your own complex characters by teaching character basics, development, purpose, and archetypes. She will help you discern your character’s needs and the motivations that drive them to change. This workshop will provide the recipe to build well rounded characters so you can enhance your story and propel the plot forward in a meaningful way. This writing workshop includes a writing exercise so please bring your personal writing tools (laptop, iPad, paper, pen, pencil, etc.).

Melora Fern moved from Texas to North Carolina to become herself. Growing up as the perpetual “new kid” she persevered by making up stories and recently has learned how to hone that skill into writing fiction. As a recovering CPA, she now counts seashells, colorful stones, or words discovered on her walks. She is the author of Whistling Women and Crowing Hens, a novel inspired by her grandmother's history as a touring whistler in the 1920s.

Beginners are welcome at this workshop!

A250

The publishing world has grown and stretched over the last few years and this change has made it both easier and more challenging to get your words published. In this workshop, Melora Fern will guide you through the different options for publishing your manuscript and the pros and cons of the spectrum from traditional to self-publishing. She will also provide guidelines on how to discern when your manuscript is ready and outline the pitching process from query letters and loglines to elevator pitches. This writing workshop will provide you with the terminology and basic understanding of publishing options today so you can take your first steps towards figuring out which path to publishing is right for you. This workshop may include a writing exercise so please bring your personal writing tools (laptop, iPad, paper, pen, pencil, etc.).

Melora Fern moved from Texas to North Carolina to become herself. Growing up as the perpetual “new kid” she persevered by making up stories and recently has learned how to hone that skill into writing fiction. As a recovering CPA, she now counts seashells, colorful stones, or words discovered on her walks. She is the author of Whistling Women and Crowing Hens, a novel inspired by her grandmother's history as a touring whistler in the 1920s.

Beginners are welcome at this workshop! A completed manuscript is not necessary to attend.

A250

Do you have stories or mementos from your family’s past that keep nudging you? Come to this writing workshop that focuses on taking family facts and lore to creating a historical fiction novel that is refreshingly new with nods to your own story. Melora Fern will take you through the steps of the factual framework, character development, and adding splashes of color through fiction to get your family stories on the page. This class will provide the foundations needed to get started writing historical fiction based on family stories and after the workshop you will walk away with a plan of action to get your own novel underway.

Melora Fern moved from Texas to North Carolina to become herself. Growing up as the perpetual “new kid” she persevered by making up stories and recently has learned how to hone that skill into writing fiction. As a recovering CPA, she now counts seashells, colorful stones, or words discovered on her walks. She is the author of Whistling Women and Crowing Hens, a novel inspired by her grandmother's history as a touring whistler in the 1920s.

Beginners are welcome at this workshop!

A250

Author Hal Crowther presents and discusses his new book, "Bible Belt Blues."

Do you have stories or mementos from your family’s past that keep nudging you? Come to this writing workshop that focuses on taking family facts and lore to creating a historical fiction novel that is refreshingly new with nods to your own story. Melora Fern will take you through the steps of the factual framework, character development, and adding splashes of color through fiction to get your family stories on the page. This class will provide the foundations needed to get started writing historical fiction based on family stories and after the workshop you will walk away with a plan of action to get your own novel underway.

Melora Fern moved from Texas to North Carolina to become herself. Growing up as the perpetual “new kid” she persevered by making up stories and recently has learned how to hone that skill into writing fiction. As a recovering CPA, she now counts seashells, colorful stones, or words discovered on her walks. She is the author of Whistling Women and Crowing Hens, a novel inspired by her grandmother's history as a touring whistler in the 1920s.

We have a special guest coming to our Library!

Tate Godwin will lead a super fun 45-minute workshop that’s all about using your imagination. First, you’ll hear the exciting, twisty tale of how Operation: Cover-Up was created, with colorful, cartoony slides to bring the story to life.

Then, you’ll get to make your very own story using a special packet called Operation: Make a Story. You’ll learn how to come up with a main character, give them a goal, and add some tricky obstacles—then see where your imagination takes you!

K-5th Graders,

join local comic Tate Godwin for a workshop learning about how he made his graphic novel series Operation Cover-up and practice skills to tell your own story through comics!

Please note, library policy requires that children under 10 must be supervised by an adult caretaker during their visit. Parents are welcome into the room.

Main Library welcomes local author, April Scales, reading from her new book, Love Tales, a compilation of short stories to warm the heart and make you think about life’s possibilities and what ifs. Registration is required. Light refreshment will be served. Learn more about the author at www.aprilbarberscales.com

Main Library in Hillsborough welcomes the Friends and Family Gathering for Something To Say: Art and Poetry from the Men at Orange Correctional Center. Join us on Saturday, September 27th 2025 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 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 in Hillsborough.

Join us at the Orange County Main Library for a special book launch event with Hillsborough children’s author John Claude Bemis as he celebrates the release of his brand-new graphic novel, Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem!

Come meet the author, enjoy refreshments, and get your book signed! There will also be fun giveaways to celebrate this exciting new adventure.

Praised by Kirkus Reviews as “an epic ruckus,” this Junior Library Guild Selection is perfect for upper elementary through middle school readers. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this hometown launch celebration!

Booked for Lunch: Adult Summer Reading Finale Celebration on July 27th 2025 form 12:30-3pm at Main Library in Hillsborough located at 137 West Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278. This is an adults-only event. Registration, which will open in June27th, is required.

Join us as we celebrate the end of this year's Adult Summer Reading Program with a special luncheon featuring local authors, Eryk Pruitt and Ellery Adams. Enjoy the food and engage in lively conversation with the authors as they share insights about their creative process and answer your questions. Books will be available for sale at this event courtesy of Purple Crow Books. This event is for adults only, and registration is required.

Adult Summer Reading

Unleash your imagination and take your writing to the next level in this hands-on workshop led by author Alex Evanovich!

Whether you're dreaming of writing the next big novel or just love creating stories, Alex will help you unlock your creativity! Get ready for fun writing prompts, helpful tips, and personalized feedback to help you develop your voice as a writer. Don’t miss this chance to learn from this great author and get inspired to bring your ideas to life!

Registration Required.

About Alex: Alex Evanovich lives with her family in North Carolina. Her favorite hobbit is Samwise Gamgee. The sorting hat says she’s a Ravenclaw. Her favorite Darth Maul is the one from Clone Wars with the giant robot legs. And she’s never rolled a nat 20.

These programs are designed for patrons who have already completed 6th - 12th grade. Rising 6th graders may join teen programming after September 1, 2025.

The Summer Reading Program is generously funded by the Friends of the Library, whose support helps make our programs possible.

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 viewing the film Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022). This event will take place on Saturday, May 24th, 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.