Author Signing

Peter James Stelling will present a multi-media discussion of his new novel, A Place to Call Home, inspired by true stories set against the background of the First World War, the Roaring Twenties, and the Great Depression.  It centers around two well-to-do families joined by an arranged marriage. The action is seen through Angela’s eyes as she struggles with the effects on her life of her parents’ divorce, a thing viewed in the 1920’s as scandalous and tragic

Tuesday, December 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the downstairs Library meeting room.

Teen Read Week

Join us for three killer programs just for teens. 

Tuesday we'll be showing a popular vampire film at 5:00 p.m.  We can't tell you the name here, but the vampires sparkle.

Wednesday, there will be a Teen Mystery Dinner Theatre at 5:00 p.m.  Come to the Library, eat pizza, and see if you can solve the mystery.

Friday at 4:00 we'll have a jam session in the Library.  Bring your instruments and make some music.  It's your chance to get loud in the Library.

Take a Photographic Safari

Join Dorothy Sibert for a showing of photographs from her recent animal safari to Tanzania.  

The Serengeti is located in Tanzania and is the home of the largest mammal migration in the world.  The migration is one of the ten travel wonders of the world.  This is a program you won't want to miss.

Monday October 17th at 7:00 in the first floor meeting room,

Star Wars Comes to the Library

On Saturday, October 15th from 2 PM to 4 PM, the Smyrna Public Library will enjoy a visit from the Georgia Garrison of the 501st Legion! You will be able to meet & greet with our favorite Star Wars characters! Be sure YOU dress up too! Mark your calendars to attend on the 15th and be on the lookout for more details.

Hand Made Book Exhibit

Ruth Kramedjian is exhibiting her hand made books in the library display cases.  Ms. Kramedjian is a graduate of the University of Georgia with degrees in drawing and painting and art history.

In her current exhibit, she has moved to a more intimate output with the art of the handmade book. She incorporates her own art forms and collage in the books that she makes. She is exploring not only book forms, but also the art of handmade paper.

Summer Frozen Yogurt Social & Book Sale

Smyrna is Hot!  Hot!  Hot! and I know you're looking for ways to cool down.

Well - The Friends of the Smyrna Library will be holding their annual Summer Frozen Yogurt Social in the Library this Sunday (July 10th) from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  There will be free frozen yogurt from Pinkberry and live music performed by Peter Vogl. 

FYI - Peter Vogl has performed on the stage with great musicians from all around the world including Michael Bolton, Bo Diddley, Earl Klugh and James Brown.  This will be cool fun for children and adults.

Summer Reading Club Kickoff!!!

We're starting the Summer Reading Program off with a bang.  Magician Ken Scott will perform tricks that will amaze and amuse you at our kickoff program in the Community Center, Thursday, June 2 at 6:30.

Sign up early.  Registration is required and you won't want to miss this show.

Marvelous Junque by Marlis

Marlis from Marvelous Junque is exhibiting her recycled art in the Library display cases upstairs. Musicians will be fascinated by the works made from piano keys and hammers.

The exhibit is only here for six more weeks. Catch it before it's gone.

Mike Nalley Photography

Anyone that thinks photography isn't art needs to see Mike Nalley's work. It takes the ordinary and makes it special. He'll be exhibiting in the Library Art Gallery through June 30.

Friends Book Sale

The Friends of the Library will be holding their semi-annual book sale Saturday and Sunday (April 30 and May 1) at the Jonquil Festival. This is your chance to get some great books at bargain prices.

A word to the wise. Arrive early. They sell a lot of books the first day.

Nuclear Energy

I know many of you are concerned about what's happening in Japan. How serious is the problem and what is radiation anyway?

The Library has many information sources that can explain the details, but I want to let you about one you can use at home. Salem Press is providing free access to articles about nuclear energy from its reference collection. These provide clear, concise, and accurate information on the history, development, pros and cons of nuclear power. Click on the links below to access each article.

Nuclear Energy: http://salempress.com/store/pdfs/Nuclear_Energy.pdf

Climate: http://salempress.com/store/pdfs/Climate.pdf

Enrico Fermi: http://salempress.com/store/pdfs/Fermi.pdf

Chernobyl: http://salempress.com/store/pdfs/Chernobyl.pdf

Patricia Sprinkle - Indian Travels Program

Internationally renowned mystery writer, Patricia Sprinkle, went on a five-week trip to India and Nepal last fall. She taught creative writing to middle-school students in a small village for three weeks, but also rode an elephant, visited the Taj Mahal and saw the Himalayas.

Patricia now qualifies as a legitimate adventurer and the story of her travels is sure to be interesting and entertaining. Personally, I want to hear the details about her midnight ride in a tuk-tuk (an auto rickshaw). Apparently, it bordered on being a religious experience.

You won't want to miss this. Ms. Sprinkle's program will be in the Library meeting room at 7:00 p.m. next Wednesday, March 23rd.

Cobb Photographic Society Exhibit

The Cobb Photographic Society is exhibiting members works in the library through April 30th. This diverse exhibit includes everything from portraits and landscapes to digitized pictures look like impressionist paintings.

The Cobb Photographic Society welcomes photographers of all skill and ability levels. The common bond is a desire to become better photographers. Whether an individual's interest is in capturing memories, sharing pictures with friends, or becoming a semi-professional or professional photographer, the club offers many ways for members to enhance their skills.

There are speaker meetings on the third Monday of each month and workshops and tutorials. If you're interested in photography, check them out. Come by the library and see examples of the great work they've done.

Author Thomas Mullen Coming to the Smyrna Library

Get up close and personal with a great young author. Thomas Mullen will be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the Smyrna Reading Group next Tuesday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m.

Thomas Mullen is the author of The Last Town on Earth, which was named the Best Debut Novel of 2006 by USA Today, was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year, and was awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize. His latest book is the critically acclaimed, The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers.

Attendance at this meeting is free and open to the public. Arrive early so you can get a good seat.

New Catalog Software

The Library has new catalog software and we're excited. It has a crisp, clean appearance and is packed with new features.

One change is the book river. There is a constantly flowing river of book covers on the main page. If you see something you like, you can click on it and get more information. We also have genre browsing bars that let you scroll through science fiction, mystery and romance novels. There's a box for New York Times bestsellers and another for new books.

It's easier to reserve and renew books. You can set up an easy access user name and make changes to your profile. Check it out. I think you'll be pleased and surprised.

Murder Goes South 2011

Wow! What a great conference!

Every speaker was interesting. The intimate setting let participants get up close with the authors. The food was great. And the weather even cooperated.

If you weren't there, ask someone about the customs and border protection program. I learned beagles are cute, but sneaky.

Planning has already begun for next year. Make a mental note, because you won't want to miss another one.

Dr. Susan Kirkpatrick Smith - Murder Goes South

The Murder Goes South Mystery Festival starts tomorrow. Are you excited?

Dr. Susan Kirkpatrick Smith from U.S. Customs and Border Protection is one reason you should be excited. She received her Ph.D. from Indiana University. Her areas of research interest include skeletal analysis and the interaction between health and social status in Greek populations. She spent a year living in Athens, Greece researching skeletons from the Late Bronze Age cemetery at the foot of the Acropolis. Her teaching interests include forensic anthropology, human evolution, and human biological variation.

Dr. Smith will be giving two presentations about forensic anthropology and how it can be used in the murder mystery business. The first, "Death, Decay and Decomposition" highlights what happens in the body after death. The second program "Who are You? Age, Sex, and Skeleton" will tell you everything that can and can't be learned about your deceased from a skeleton. Both programs will invite vigorous questioning from the audience.

Mitchell Graham - Murder Goes South

2 days and counting -

Mitchell Graham was born in New York City. He attended college at Ohio State University on a fencing scholarship and later went on to earn a law degree. After practicing for twenty years he went back to school to study neuropsychology. He has represented the United States in international fencing competitions and has won or placed in the finals of 83 tournaments.

The Fifth Ring was his first novel and received rave reviews. His mystery novels include Majestic Descending, Dead Docket and Circle of Lies, which was released in November. Mitchell currently lives in Miami.

Visit his website at http://www.mitchellgraham.net/.

Williams Rawlings, Jr. - Murder Goes South

WOW! Only four days until the best Mystery program in Georgia starts.

William Rawlings Jr. is one of our featured writers. Like generations of his family before him, William Rawlings, Jr., was born in Sandersville, Georgia where he still lives on the family farm with his wife and two children. He was educated at Emory University and Tulane where he earned a Master's Degree and his Doctorate in Medicine. He did his post-graduate medical training in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital after which he returned to Sandersville to practice medicine. Late in his successful medical career he began writing about the real South, a passion easily recognizable in his literary work.

His first novel The Lazarus Legacy was published in 2003 followed in the next three by The Rutherford Cipher, The Tate Revenge, and Crossword. William's latest novel, The Mile High Club, was published in 2009. He is currently working on two projects, a suspense novel set in Savannah and a non-fiction history of an infamous 1926 murder.

Check out his website at: http://pascuamanagement.web.officelive.com/default.aspx

Cathy Pickens at Murder Goes South

Cathy Pickens has been, under different names, a lawyer, a business professor, an university provost, a clog-dancing coach, a church organist/choir director, typist and successful mystery writer.

The most profound influences on her life have been her family, her faith, Nancy Drew, and Perry Mason. She grew up in a small town and was forced to move to big cities to support herself first as an attorney and then as a professor. Cathy found the only way to get out of the cities comfortably was by moving "Avery Andrews" back home and chronicling her exploits. Her novels include Southern Fried, Done Gone Wrong, Hog Wild, Hush My Mouth and Can't Never Tell.

You won't want to miss her amusing take on Southern mysteries. Find out more at http://www.cathypickens.com/

Lee Lofland - Police Procedure and Investigation

Lee Lofland is a veteran police investigator who began working as an officer in Virginia's prison system. He later became a sheriff's deputy, a patrol officer and finally received his gold shield as a detective.

During Lee's career he solved cases involving narcotics, homicide, rape, murder for hire, and occult crimes. He worked undercover for several jurisdictions and received advanced certifications from several law enforcement organization. It is thrilling to hear Lee describe his career. He's a born raconteur, able to explain the gamut of police work from boring routine to piercing moments of terror.

Lee's book Police Procedure and Investigation is a Writers Digest Howdunit Guide that provides direct insight into the world of police investigations. It's the next best thing to having a police officer by your side to explain what happening.

Check him out at Murder Goes South January 29th.