A selection of authors featured at the SWF Reading Festival
Want to enjoy an encounter with some fine authors? The annual Southwest Florida Reading Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 15, in Centennial Park in downtown Fort Myers. There will be dozens of authors, including Sue Monk Kidd, Phillip Margolin, Stephan Pastis and Rick Yancey.
Bring the kids for storytellers, entertainers and activities. Bring the teens for teen authors and the Teen Battle of the Bands. Every child and teen gets to pick a free book from a giant collection. Admission is free and the events go on, rain or shine. Have a great time and be sure to say hello to the Pine Island Library staff and volunteers that will be working the event.
Here at the library, the Pine Island Genealogy Group meets this Wednesday, March 12, at 1 p.m. Programs later in the month include Wacky Wednesday, stories and crafts for the children at 3:45 p.m., March 26-27, will be a busy day. Family Storytime begins at 11 a.m. This session runs on Thursdays through May 1. Then Lillian Bradley’s discussion of Amy Waldman’s book “The Submission” is at 1:30 p.m. at the United Methodist Church at 5701 Pine Island Road. Following the book discussion, the Friends of the Pine Island Library will meet at the library. This meeting will feature guest speaker Fort Myers attorney Thomas Chase, who will recite his poetry with a local flavor.
The library should begin to quiet down by April but it will liven up during Spring Crafts for the kids on April 12 at 11 a.m. “Gardening: Growing Mangos” will be presented on Wednesday, April 16, at 6 p.m., by Roy Beckford, Agricultural & Natural Resources Agent for the Lee County Extension Service. This will be a good primer on Pine Island’s signature fruit.
Looking for a good read? Place a hold on these upcoming titles that will be arriving this spring: “Unlucky 13” by James Patterson; “The Son” by Jo Nesbo; “Deserves to Die” by Lisa Jackson; and “The Skin Collector” by Jeffery Deaver. And if you are heading north this spring, consider checking out some audio books to listen to on the ride back home. Then just mail them back to the library. Think of it as commercial-free entertainment.
The Pine Island Public Library is located 10700 Russell Road ,N.W., just northwest of the four-way stop. The phone number is 239 533-4350.