Iowa Writers' Workshop alum and bestselling author Chris Offutt will read from his newest book, The Reluctant Sheriff, which is a continuation of his Mick Hardin thriller series. Praised by bestselling author Ian Rankin as “righteous Kentucky noir with top notes of Daniel Woodrell and S. A. Cosby,” The Reluctant Sheriff follows sheriff Mick Hardin as he navigates the "treacherous terrain of a town’s festering secrets and the violent forces who want to keep them hidden" (groveatlantic.com). Lesa...

Writers' Workshop graduate Caitlin Roach will read from her debut book of poems, Surveille, winner of the 2024 Brittingham Poetry Prize. “In Surveille, Caitlin Roach is a reader of omens, of the shapes hidden in shadows, recasting the hard lessons of the natural world. Born between the twin flames of Brigit Pegeen Kelly and Mary Oliver, this book is both intimate and political. A bridge between the public chaos surrounding us and the portentous silence of private life, these poems are urgent and...

Jaap Blonk (born 1953 in Woerden, Holland) is a self-taught composer, performer and poet. He went to university for mathematics and musicology but did not finish those studies. In the late 1970s he took up saxophone and started to compose music. A few years later he discovered his potential as a vocal performer, at first in reciting poetry and later on in improvisations and his own compositions. For almost two decades the voice was his main means for the discovery and development of new sounds...

Writers' Workshop alum Jonathan Thirkield will read from his newest book of poems, Infinity Pool. The University of Chicago Press, publisher of Infinity Pool, describes Thirkield's poems as "...[cutting] through a decade of exponential technological growth, landing in the reality of our corporeal experiences: the isolation of chronic illness, the daunting journeys of children growing up today, and the hope that we can remain connected to each other no matter how tenuous the ties." Katie Peterson...

Are you a writer that is interested in improving your skills or connecting with other local writers? Have you ever wondered what it might be like to participate in a workshop at the world-renowned Iowa Writers' Workshop? Griffin Rockwell from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop will join us at the Library to provide a workshop experience right here in Lisbon!This month, we'll be learning more about writing poetry in honor of National Poetry Month!To submit your writing sample in advance (doesn't have to...

Iowa Writers' Workshop alum Sanjena Sathian will read from her new novel, Goddess Complex, and will be joined in conversation by Ren Arcamone, also a Writers' Workshop alum. Penguin Random House, which published Goddess Complex, describes it as "a darkly funny, vertiginous novel about the dilemmas of procreation, pregnancy, and parenting." Sarah Thankam Mathews, author of the National Book Award finalist All This Could Be Different, praises Goddess Complex as "the most interesting, illuminating...