When Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor came to the Parkway Central branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia this fall, she took a moment to step off stage, walk up to audience members, look them in the eyes and shake their hands.
Sotomayor was there to promote her children’s book Just Shine! — the story of a young girl who commits to spreading joy wherever she goes — no matter what hardships she encounters — as part of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation’s Author Events series. The auditorium was packed. WHYY host Cherri Gregg interviewed the justice, who was under no obligation to meet with the public afterwards. Nonetheless, she took the time. Sotomayor especially wanted to meet the children in the audience.
“It was something unlike I’ve ever seen before,” says Daniel Blank, managing director of public programs for the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation. “What we pride ourselves with this series is giving people an up close experience with authors, and it doesn’t get any more up close than that.”
Blank took the helm of the Author Events series last year, bringing novelists and memorists to speak alongside a line up of politicians, historians, scientists and classicists.
He arranged for Governor Josh Shapiro to interview Congressman Jim Clyburn about Clyburn’s book, The First Eight : A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation. Ray Didinger, author of the Eagles Encyclopedia, sat down to chat with Eagles broadcaster Merrill Reese. The Citizen co-hosted Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and Camden County native Trymaine Lee, who took the stage with leaders from local, gun violence prevention organizations ahead of the discussion of his book A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America, with WURD host and Citizen contributor James Peterson.
Last year, the library sold more than 5,000 tickets across 25 diverse author events. The Philadelphia Citizen, for the first time, served as a media partner.
“The most important part of this series is that we can reach every member of the Philadelphia community,” Blanks says. “There truly is something for everyone. If you’re interested in music, if you’re interested in history, if you’re interested in science, if memoir is your thing, if fiction is your thing — there is something in there for you.”
Author events in 2026
The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation last week announced their lineup for the 2026 Spring Author Events Series. As with last year, Blank has strived to bring in writers in a diverse array of genres and subject matters. He’s also been thinking about America’s 250th anniversary, centered here in Philadelphia, and how the series interacts with the broader festivities in the city, how the events can bring people together, in a meaningful and timeless way.
In an era when our lives are increasingly dominated by screens, Blank hopes the series can bring people together to talk about books.
“The written word is such an important vehicle for connecting us,” Blank says. “We are constantly siloed in various ways. Increasingly, people aren’t connecting with each other, but they’re just staring downwards and reading an iPhone. I think these events are opportunities to counteract that.”
Check out a few highlights from this year’s list below. Blank still hopes to add a few more events to this spring’s schedule, but you can see the current spring line up here. All events take place at the Free Library’s Parkway Central Branch: 1901 Vine Street.
Where We Keep the Light by PA Governor Josh Shapiro
Governor Shapiro returns to discuss Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service. The part memoir, part political commentary on the divisiveness of our times contains stories of his family, his faith, and what he’s learned as a politician from knocking on doors and listening to the concerns of ordinary Pennsylvanians.
Seats in the main auditorium are sold out for the event, but the library is still selling overflow and standing room only tickets.
University: A Reckoning by Lee Bollinger
One of the most topical books in the line-up, former Columbia University President Lee Bollinger’s University: A Reckoning looks at President Donald Trump’s attacks on universities and the role institutions of higher education play in shaping — and protecting — our democracy.
Bollinger will be in conversation with MS NOW host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi to discuss the challenges journalists and universities face, and why we need to protect both to ensure the continuation of American democracy.
“It’s going to be a really important title at a moment when higher education is facing any number of crises,” Blank says.
The Book Thief (20th Anniversary Edition) by Markus Zusak
When it was released in 2005, The Book Thief quickly captured the hearts of Americans — and the world at large. Set in Nazi Germany, the novel is narrated by Death and tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl, and her life during the war after her separation from her mother and the death of her brother.
The 20th anniversary edition features insights into Zusak’s writing process, including pages from his writing notebook, sketches and marked-up pages from the manuscript.
Black Power Scorecard by Andre M. Perry
Economist and Brookings Institution fellow Andre M. Perry set out to quantify how much power Black Americans have — in terms of wealth, social mobility, health and other economic factors alongside democratic freedoms. In the end, he poses solutions that could help close structural inequalities and reduce racial wealth and health gaps.
Perry will be in conversation with WURD host and Citizen contributor Dr. James Peterson. The event is sponsored by The Philadelphia Citizen, WURD and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
Jefferson on Race: A Reader by Annette Gordon-Reed
Historian and Harvard University professor Annette Gordon-Reed dives into the public and private writings of Thomas Jefferson to dissect the founding father’s complex and contradictory thoughts on race and slavery in America. She considers Jefferson’s letters, plantation records alongside writings by people who were enslaved at his plantation, Monticello, to create an intricate portrait of a man and the factors that shaped his views on race.
In a year when Jefferson — author of the Declaration of Independence — will likely be the subject of many events in Philadelphia, Gordon-Reed’s talk at the Free Library will dive into one of the most hotly contested parts of his legacy. She will be in conversation with Patrick Spero, CEO of the American Philosophical Society and author of four books on the American revolution.
America, U.S.A. by Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.
Ahead of the 250th, Glaude’s America, U.S.A. considers the role race — and America’s complicated history with White supremacy — has played in our national anniversaries. His book considers writers and visionaries from Herman Melville to Martin Luther King, Jr. to consider what freedom means in America and who gets to tell the story of American history.
Most Free Library author series events are $5. Tickets can be purchased here.
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