It began in 1692, over an exceptionally raw Massachusetts winter, when a minister's daughter began to scream and convulse. It ended less than a year later, but not before 19 men and women had been hanged and a 75-year-old man crushed to death.

The panic spread quickly, involving the most educated men and prominent politicians in the colony. Neighbors accused neighbors, parents and children each other. Aside from suffrage, the Salem Witch Trials represent the only moment when women played the central role in American history. In curious ways, the trials would shape the future republic.

Join us as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff discusses the Witch Trials and her acclaimed book The Witches: Salem, 1692, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by Time, USA Today, NPR, The Washington Post, and several other publications.

As psychologically thrilling as it is historically seminal, "The Witches" is the enduring American mystery unveiled fully by one of our most acclaimed historians. This event, scheduled just in time for Halloween, includes a book signing and books will be for sale, courtesy of Nicola’s Books.

Stacy Schiff is the author of the #1 bestseller Cleopatra: A Life, which won the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for biography; Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), winner of the Pulitzer Prize; "Saint-Exupéry," a Pulitzer Prize finalist; and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, winner of the George Washington Book Prize.

Much of military science is necessarily preoccupied with the study of violence, the development of strategy, of weapons and armaments, of warfare. But not all the battles of war involve drone technology and Bradley Personnel Vehicle. On a daily basis, soldiers also fight more esoteric battles against less considered adversaries—for example, exhaustion, shock, panic, disease, extreme heat, cataclysmic noise, gastrointestinal distress, and assorted waterfowl.

In Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War, America’s favorite science writer, Mary Roach explores those aspects of war that no one makes movies about—not the killing but the keeping alive. This event includes a book signing and books will be on sale.

"Grunt" salutes the scientists and surgeons running along in the wake of combat, lab coats flapping, and celebrates the courage of people like Navy flight surgeon Angus Rupert, who flew blindfolded and upside down to test a vibrating suit designed to help pilots fly by feel should they become blinded or disoriented, and Captain Herschel Flowers of the Army Medical Research Laboratory, who injected himself with cobra venom to test the possibility of building immunity.

With her characteristic sense of humor, her indefatigable enthusiasm, and her sharp eye for telling detail, Roach, as always, proves to be the ideal tour guide. When it comes to military history, not all heroes carry guns, and not all heroism happens in a burst of cinematic glory. In "Grunt," the heroes engage in dizzying flights of unorthodox thinking. They experiment with flame-resistant textiles, zippers, earplugs, shark repellent, and erectile tissue. If necessary, they lob chickens at airplanes.

Mary Roach is the New York Times best-selling author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, Packing For Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, and Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. She lives in Oakland, California.

Join us for an evening with author Tom Stanton as he discusses his New York Times-bestseller Terror in the City of Champions: Murder, Baseball, and the Secret Society that Shocked Depression-Era Detroit. The evening includes a book signing and books will be for sale, courtesy of Nicola's Books.

Award-winning author Tom Stanton weaves a stunning tale of history, crime, and sports. Richly portraying 1930s America, "Terror in the City of Champions" features a pageant of colorful figures: iconic athletes, sanctimonious criminals, scheming industrial titans, a bigoted radio priest, a love-smitten celebrity couple, J. Edgar Hoover, and two future presidents, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. It is a rollicking true story set at the confluence of hard luck, hope, victory, and violence.

Detroit, mid-1930s: In a city abuzz over its unrivaled sports success, gun-loving baseball fan Dayton Dean became ensnared in the nefarious and deadly Black Legion. The secretive, Klan-like group was executing a wicked plan of terror, murdering enemies, flogging associates, and contemplating armed rebellion. The Legion boasted tens of thousands of members across the Midwest, among them politicians and prominent citizens—even, possibly, a beloved athlete.

The book opens with the arrival of Mickey Cochrane, a fiery baseball star who roused the Great Depression’s hardest-hit city by leading the Tigers to the 1934 pennant. A year later he guided the team to its first championship. Within seven months the Lions and Red Wings follow in football and hockey—all while Joe Louis chased boxing’s heavyweight crown.

Amidst such glory, the Legion’s dreadful toll grew unchecked: staged “suicides,” bodies dumped along roadsides, high-profile assassination plots. Talkative Dayton Dean’s involvement would deepen as heroic Mickey Cochrane’s reputation would rise. But the ballplayer had his own demons, including a close friendship with Harry Bennett, Henry Ford’s brutal union buster.

Tom Stanton’s other books include the critically acclaimed Tiger Stadium memoir "The Final Season" and the Quill Award finalist Ty and The Babe. A professor of journalism at the University of Detroit Mercy, he is a former Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan.

Inspired by the landscape and animals of the north woods, Michigan author Gayle Boss writes with the heart of a poet in her new collection of Advent reflections All Creation Waits.

Twenty-five portraits meditate on how wild animals adapt to winter's darkness and cold, inspiring us with the ancient wisdom that darkness is not the end, but the way to a new beginning. Each reflection is accompanied by a striking and sensitive woodcut in deep blacks and brilliant whites by artist David G. Klein.

Be inspired with the beauty of winter and the natural world as Gayle Boss discusses how this unique volume came to be. She will also take a closer look at the gorgeous woodcut illustrations in large-scale.

This event will be held at AADL's Pittsfield location, overlooking the wetlands where many of the animals that inspired this volume find a home. This event will also include a book signing, and books will be for sale.

Come with questions, a work in progress, or an empty notebook. All writers are welcome in this casual, supportive environment. Authors Bethany Neal and Alex Kourvo will be on hand to answer questions and give encouragement. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your fellow Ann Arbor writers as well as get feedback from published authors.

This is a monthly meet-up that welcomes all writers to ask questions, connect with other writers, or simply have a dedicated time and place to work on their projects.

Do you have a completed manuscript? Consider submitting it to the library’s new imprint, Fifth Avenue Press: fifthavenue.press.

Writing is a solitary activity, but sooner or later, an author has to talk to other people. Whether meeting readers in a bookstore or a conference, or hanging out with fans (or potential fans) on social media, its important for writers to make a good impression. In this workshop, Alex Kourvo and Bethany Neal will share some memorable interactions with other authors, admit their own mistakes, and show you the best practices for navigating the world of writers and readers.

This is part of the monthly Emerging Writers Workshops, which offer support, learning, and advice for local authors. Each month, two weeks after the workshop, there is a meet-up where the instructors will read samples of your work and offer advice and assistance in a casual, supportive atmosphere. Do you have a completed manuscript? Consider submitting it to the library's imprint Fifth Avenue Press: fifthavenue.press.

Come with questions, a work in progress, or an empty notebook. All writers are welcome in this casual, supportive environment. Authors Bethany Neal and Alex Kourvo will be on hand to answer questions and give encouragement. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your fellow Ann Arbor writers as well as get feedback from published authors.

This is a monthly meet-up that welcomes all writers to ask questions, connect with other writers, or simply have a dedicated time and place to work on their projects.

Do you have a completed manuscript? Bring your work to a meet-up to be in consideration for the library’s new imprint, Fifth Avenue Press: fifthavenue.press.

There’s a world of children’s books beyond picture books and easy stories. Kids also read nonfiction on every topic you can think of. In this workshop, Bethany Neal and Alex Kourvo will be joined by author Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan, who has published numerous children’s books on everything from extreme mountain biking to how to start a dog-walking business. Virginia will share tips and tricks for writing the things kids want to know.

Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan lives and works in San Diego, CA where she directs the Liberal Studies program at San Diego State University. She writes for the Ann Arbor-based children's non-fiction company Cherry Lake Publishing. The library also has a unique deal with Cherry Lake and our library card holders have access to digital PDF copies of their books.

This is part of the monthly Emerging Writers Workshops, which offer support, learning, and advice for local authors. Each month, two weeks after the workshop, there is a meet-up where the instructors will read samples of your work and offer advice and assistance in a casual, supportive atmosphere.

Do you have a completed manuscript? Consider submitting it to the Library's imprint, Fifth Avenue Press: fifthavenue.press.

In our fast-paced world, finding time and space to write isn’t easy. Nor is it easy to conquer writer’s block, self-doubt, and distractions. In this workshop, Bethany Neal and Alex Kourvo will show you how to set up a realistic writing schedule, smash through blocks, and kick self-defeating behaviors to the curb. No matter your obstacles, it is possible to have a balanced, fulfilling writer’s life!

This is part of the monthly Emerging Writers Workshops, which offer support, learning, and advice for local authors. Each month, two weeks after the workshop, there is a meet-up where the instructors will read samples of your work and offer advice and assistance in a casual, supportive atmosphere.

Do you have a completed manuscript? Consider submitting it to the Library's imprint Fifth Avenue Press fifthavenue.press.

Come with questions, a work in progress, or an empty notebook. All writers are welcome in this casual, supportive environment. Authors Bethany Neal and Alex Kourvo will be on hand to answer questions and give encouragement. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your fellow Ann Arbor writers as well as get feedback from published authors.

This is a monthly meet-up that welcomes all writers to ask questions, connect with other writers, or simply have a dedicated time and place to work on their projects.

Do you have a completed manuscript? Bring your work to a meet-up to be in consideration for the library’s new imprint, Fifth Avenue Press: fifthavenue.press.