Kim Rinaldi, Senior Branch Manager
Happy Birthday, Key West Library!
On November 20, Key West staff and Friends held a birthday party for the little pink library. The community turned out to enjoy speeches from Key West dignitaries and staff, a poetry reading by the 2024 Key West Poet Laureate Emily Weekley, a presentation of “A Short History of the Key West Library” by Lead Historian Dr. Corey Malcom, and entertainment by the Libby York Jazz Quartet. And, of course, there was cake! It was truly a special night with an amazing turnout from our community. I think Roberta said it best when she said the library is “a shining beacon of reading and history and the arts in Key West!” I could not agree more.
The Key West Library is hosting several terrific authors in December with the kickoff of the annual Café con Libros series, so be sure to take a break from holiday shopping to discover your next favorite book.
On Tuesday December 3, at 10 a.m., local author Heather Gaines presents Am I Dead Yet? a triumphant tale of addiction and her strength to overcome the grip that drugs and alcohol had on her life. I have had the pleasure of seeing Heather present her story on two occasions and her accounts of life as an addict were both scary and compelling. This is one you don’t want to miss.
Then, on Tuesday December 10, at 10 a.m., Kevin Kokomoor presents La Florida: Catholics, Conquistadors, and Other American Origin Stories, a collection of stories that “complicates and sometimes challenges how Americans view their past, which author Kevin Kokomoor refers to as “the country’s founding mythology.”
On Wednesday, December 11, at 6:00 p.m., enjoy “Mysteries Under the Moonlight” in the Palm Garden. Local authors Lucy Burdette (Key West Food Critic Mysteries), Elise Hart Kipness (Kate Green Thrillers), and Barbara Ross (Maine Clambake Mysteries) will discuss writing and publishing their popular crime fiction series.
And on Tuesday December 17, we host another Café con Libros event with children’s author Sherry Sweet Tewell. Sherry is the author of the lovable Cosmo the Cat series and is releasing her latest book just in time for the holidays titled, Cosmo to the Rescue: a Christmas Adventure Story. Stop by to hear her latest tale and grab a copy for the children in your family.
As you enjoy the holiday fairs and festivities around Key West this year, be on the lookout for the library at several of these events. We will read to hundreds of school children at the Silverliner’s Flight to the North Pole at the Key West International Airport. And for the first time in many years, the Key West Library will walk in the Annual Key West Christmas Parade. Look for a shiver of sharks circling our float, steered by Captain Quint and his faithful pirates. Our theme is a clever one – “The Bite Before Christmas.” We can’t wait to see you this holiday season at the little pink library in paradise!