Gwinnett County Public Library Adult Programs

Learn how your experiences and life lessons can entertain and inspire others in this three-part writing workshop.

• Have you always wanted to write the stories of your life, but never had any idea how to get started?

• Are your children or grandchildren bugging you to write your stories?

• Have you started writing those stories, but don't know how to organize them?

• Do you feel nobody cares about your stories?

If you can answer Yes to any of these questions, the upcoming three-session memoirs class will help you gain confidence as you begin to write the stories of your life. When people write the stories of their lives, they learn to value their lives and to appreciate the lessons they've learned through all the stories they've lived. Someday, the people who come after you may use your stories as a survival guide. Your stories will make a difference in the world.

When you write your stories, you will delve deeper into the reasons you're alive, the differences you've made in the lives of others, and the ways you've been impacted by the conscious or unconscious actions of others.

These three sessions feature interactive writing exercises and a host of examples about how you can craft your stories to reflect who you really are.

• Participants are encouraged to attend all three sessions: October 9, October 16, and October 23.

Join YA award-winning author Ibi Zoboi as she discusses her novel Pride, a vibrant reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, about cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the magic of first love.

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.
When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.

Books will be available for sale and signing.

Grab your favorite fall candle and travel back in time to 1997 as USA Today bestselling author Julia Olivia discusses her newest romance novel, "If It Makes You Happy," set in the autumn glow of small-town Vermont.

Single dad, friends to lovers, small town autumn 1997
My new next-door neighbor seems to have everything figured out. Small town golden boy? Check. Single dad extraordinaire? Check. Hot baker forearms? I didn’t notice them, I swear.
I, on the other hand, don’t–at all–have anything figured out.
Trust me, I didn’t think taking over my mom’s dream bed and breakfast in Copper Run Vermont was going to be easy. It should be a good place to heal after my divorce. But apparently my scones belong in the garbage with my small talk skills. As pointed out by none other than Cliff.
Cliff is inescapable. He knows exactly what people need–always. His charm, the way he wears flannel, and even his pastries, make not wanting to be friends with Cliff and his daughters pretty hard.
Friends? I can make friends. That’s safe.
Except I’m leaving in three months to pass the inn off to my little sister and get the promotion in Seattle I’ve been working towards.
So ask me why I’m thinking about kissing my hot neighbor.

• Books will be available for sale and signing from Read It Again Books.

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Julie Olivia writes cozy love stories filled with humor, spice, and close friend groups that feel like a warm hug. She is a roller coaster fan, avid romance reader, and rainy day enthusiast. Before writing romance novels, Julie moonlighted as an illustrator and worked in Human Resources, in which she still maintains a SHRM-CP certification. However, she decided writing about office romances where they break all the policies was far more enjoyable than enforcing them. Julie lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and their very opinionated pets.
Moderator Jocelyn Robinson discovered the romance genre in 2020 and never looked back. In 2022, she became a book content creator, sharing reviews, recommendations, and behind-the-scenes bookish fun. Since then, Jocelyn has had the opportunity to read and promote advanced copies of books and audiobooks, helping shine a spotlight on the authors and stories she adores. She shares her bookish passion and shouts about the stories she loves on Instagram and TikTok at @jsbookishnook