Tickets are now available for the annual ‘West Hartford Reads!’ event.

By Ronni Newton

The West Hartford Public Library’s biggest literary event of the year – “West Hartford Reads!” – is now underway, and tickets are now available for the culmination of the event, an author talk and book signing with this year’s chosen author, Jacqueline Woodson.

There is no charge to attend the author talk, which will be held in the Sedgwick Middle School Auditorium, 128 Sedgwick Road, on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) but tickets are needed and space is limited. Free tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis, at all three West Hartford Public Library branches.

“West Hartford Reads! is an annual library celebration encouraging everyone to read the works of one notable author, culminating each year with the author visiting us here in West Hartford,” Leah Farrell, the West Hartford Public Library’s Programs & Outreach librarian, said in a statement.

Woodson is the author of best-selling books like “Another Brooklyn,” “Red at the Bone,” and “Brown Girl Dreaming” (National Book Award). She is a National Book Award winner and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, and has written more than two dozen books for children, adolescents, and adults. Her books “After Tupac and D Foster,” “Feathers,” and “Show Way,” have received Newberry honors. “Weaving together lyrical language and powerful imagery to create rich and emotional stories, her work explores the complex intersections of race, class, gender, family, and American history,” the library’s announcement states.

Woodson served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017, and was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress for 2018-19.

“West Hartford Public Library has a long tradition of hosting acclaimed authors, including Jonathan Franzen, Amy Bloom, Ralph Nader, Wally Lamb, Sue Miller, David Rhodes, Anne Fadiman, and Elizabeth Berg. Jacqueline Woodson will be the eighth author to participate in West Hartford Reads! Previous authors include Nick Hornby, Chimamanda Adichie, Anna Quindlen, Billy Collins, and Richard Russo,” according to the library’s announcement.

Free tickets can be obtained at the Noah Webster Library (20 South Main Street), Bishops Corner (15 Starkel Road), and Faxon (1073 New Britain Avenue) branches, until all tickets are accounted for.

The event will include a lecture, Q&A, and book signing. Books will be for sale through River Bend Bookshop.

For more information about author Jacqueline Woodson at jacquelinewoodson.com.

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