Spokane is an amazing literary city. It is home to countless successful and up-and-coming authors, an annual literary festival, and a prestigious MFA program for writers. We’ve partnered with a number of local authors this summer to share that wonderful literary energy during programs for kids, tweens, teens and adults. You’ll definitely want to attend some of the following:

INK: Origin Stories – workshop series
Your superhero lies in wait within you. Here’s your chance to unearth your character and develop his or her backstory. Local authors and artists (superheroes in disguise!) will be helping kids (ages 9-14) create their own superheroes, complete with an Origin Story. This is a multi-day workshop, please register and plan on attending all the sessions.

Pajama Storytime with Local Authors
Join local authors Sharma Shields, Shawn Vestal, Kris Dinnison, Ellen Welcker, and Jess Walter for a pajama storytime! This program invites kids (toddlers, preschoolers and elementary-school-aged kids) to come to the library dressed in their favorite pajamas. They’ll get to meet the authors who will each read their favorite picture book.

Cindy Hval – War Bonds
Join local author Cindy Hval (and Spokesman Review columnist) as she shares stories from her new book “War Bonds: Love Stories From the Greatest Generation.” The book tells the stories of 36 couples who met/married during or shortly after WWll. Cindy will share photos and stories from her book, which is fully illustrated with photos from the 1940’s as well as current photos. The book captures the courage, tenacity and commitment of the Greatest Generation.

We’re so grateful to all these local authors and artists for sharing their time and talents with our customers. If you can’t make it to these programs, never fear, you can still absorb their literary energy from their books which you’ll find in our stacks. Ask a librarian if you need a recommendation or need help finding a title.

Routine can be great, it keeps us busy and on schedule but it does get old after a while. That's why summer vacation is such a welcome change after nine and a half months of school days! We have a wide array of ways for kids and families to add even more pizzazz to their summer holiday. Ways to Escape the Ordinary! Here's one but follow the article link for the rest of our great summer line-up (you owe yourself an escape so, go for it!):

Hoot! with the West Valley Outdoor Learning Center (WVOLC)
The WVLOC will bring some of their birds of prey to the libraries and talk about these amazing animals. This interactive presentation will be a hit for kids and families who want to learn about the winged wonders that live in and near Spokane. Come learn the stories of these feathery ambassadors of the bird world.

Many folks like to read and drink some tea or a cup of coffee. You can picture the scene: curl up with a good book and a mug of your favorite drink and the hours drift away. But what’s a sipper to do in this (horrible, terrible, no good) heat? Chill out friends, because Dewey is cooling off with some icy treats. This month we trekked through the 641: Food and Drink stacks and pulled out some frosty goodness (don’t worry, this article won’t digress into a beer commercial, although if beer is your thing check out 663: Beverage Technology where you’ll find books like Homebrew Beyond the Basics).

Read on because we've got some tasty, and chilly treat ideas for you.

Susan Creed, our resident "Fiction Queen," is back with some more great recommendations for summer reading. This time she delves into the world of the fairy tales of our youth but rewritten for adults. You'll definitely be able to Escape the Ordinary with these recommendations. Click below to read on and if you want to check out more of Susan's book picks then take a look at her blog.