By Abby Hardison
Rowan Public Library

The long and lazy days of summer are not just for kids to enjoy! For folks who like to get crafty, there is an adult take-home craft kit called “Show and Shell” which will provide supplies and instructions to create a keepsake frame and magnet. The popular Pinterest club has events at our East and West Branches, where they will be making acrylic ocean scenes and shell art. Another fun opportunity to get creative is at the Pinhole Camera Workshop on Saturday, July 9. Register online at bit.ly/PinholeCams and you can use a plastic toy camera to create a 2X2 inch photograph that will be developed onsite.

Do you like seafood? Do you also care not only about your wallet, but also the environment? Then come to one of two Sustainable Snacking programs! On Monday, June 13, at 6 p.m. at RPL South in China Grove, or on Monday, July 18, at 11:30 a.m. at RPL Headquarters in Salisbury, you can taste and learn all about sustainable and convenient seafood options and their health benefits, and maybe you will find your next favorite snack.

For the readers and writers in our community, we have not one, but two book club programs, and two N.C. Author Series events.  We will be talking to North Carolina authors popular in a variety of genres. Readers and writers will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn not only about stories and characters they have enjoyed reading, but also about the art of storytelling. First up on June 15, we are delighted to host Donna Everhart at 4 pm. Everhart has written and published five novels, all set in the South in time periods ranging from the 1930s through the 1960s. While Everhart’s stories often include the bleak harshness of lives which revolve around moonshine stills, cotton fields and turpentine camps, they also delve into the bonds of family and community with a unique authenticity. Her latest novel, “The Saints of Swallow Hill,” was published in February of 2022 by Kensington Publishing.

Also, on June 15, at 5 p.m., we are pleased as punch to chat once again with perennial favorite Ann B. Ross. The creator of the “Miss Julia” series will answer all those burning questions folks have about the characters and plots of her long-running series. What happened after the last installment ended? Where are the characters now? You may never find out unless you join us and ask! And for those who are interested in writing themselves, Ross will give her best advice on how to create characters and storylines that live in readers’ hearts long after the last page.

July 20 is the second NC Author Series: Virtual Q&A and we will be hosting popular sci-fi author Jay Posey and award-winning memoir author Jeremy B. Jones. Titles from each of these authors are available in our print and digital collections.

Register online at bit.ly/NCAuthors and you will receive the Zoom information needed to attend any of the sessions virtually from anywhere. Attendees who wish to attend in person are welcome to join us at any RPL Branch at the listed date and time. For more information about these events and all of our Summer Reading 2022 offerings, including how to register and log your reading hours, be sure to go to rowanpubliclibrary.org and click on the “Summer Reading” tab.

Abby Hardison is  adult services supervisor at Rowan Public Library.