What Is Fifth Avenue Press? An Introduction to AADL's Publishing Imprint

The library debuted our publishing imprint, Fifth Avenue Press, in 2017. With the release of nine new books in 2023, the press has now published 50 titles for all ages! If you are curious about Fifth Avenue Press and how it works, or if you're considering submitting a manuscript, join us to get answers to all of your questions! Authors published by the press will also be on hand to talk about the process from their perspective.

Transgender Day of Visibility '24 Zine Project

Transgender Day of Visibility is on March 31st, and we are making a zine full of art and writing to celebrate! Come to the library to make art and/or writing to submit for the AADL TDoV '24 Zine. We'll supply the paper and tools, and will have art from previous years' zines projected on a screen in case you need an idea of what to do. You don't have to make art at this event to submit a piece to the zine, but if you don't have the art supplies to make what you want - come to the library!

The Art of Keeping a Pocket Notebook

Pocket notebooks are a great distraction-free tool to capture things you want to remember. They can contain everything from to-do lists to travelogues to creative projects. Learn about the whys and hows of keeping a pocket notebook and leave with tools and inspiration to start on your journey. Stationery nerds: feel free to bring your notebooks, stickers, stamps, and other accessories to show off or swap!

You’ve Got a Book in You: How to Go From Idea to Author

Join writer and publishing expert Brandi Larsen to understand the ins and outs of book publishing, from how books go from ideas to manuscripts to bestsellers and how your work can fit into the publishing process. Talk will focus on adult books from the biggest publishing companies and some aspects of self-publishing. If your friends and family have said, "That's a book!", this entertaining and inspiring talk is for you.

Bringing Words to Life

As writers, we need to find words that do lots of work. We need language that carries meaning, image, feeling, movement, and all kinds of important things. Sometimes, we need words to come alive! Bringing words to life. That’s what we’re going to play with in this workshop. We will listen to language that feels alive. We will make words real and shape what we hear into Sculpey sculptures. And we will write and share!

Create Your Query Letter with Brandi Larsen

The key to a winning query letter is understanding and articulating your book and its audience. In this generative workshop, writer and publishing expert Brandi Larsen will give an introduction of how to create a query letter, focusing on your book's pitch.

Attendees will partner with each other to create, share, and receive feedback on their book's one sentence hook.

Join UNCULTURED: A Memoir co-writer and publishing expert Brandi Larsen for this special event!

Middle-Grade Short Story Workshop: Finding Your Spark! with Mimi Olson

Get ready for AADL's 32nd It's All Write! teen writing contest with this workshop with local Author Mimi Olson!

Middle-grade author Mimi Olson’s storytelling workshop will help middle school students find inspiration and identify the stories that are all around them. In addition to covering many elements of drafting a short story, participants will learn where and how to start their own pieces. She will also read an excerpt from her novel Middle School is No Place for Magic.

Discovering Your Writing Process (And Finishing a Novel!) with Author Claire Winn

Whether or not you've finished your first draft, the key to crafting a novel is building a writing routine that works for you. Author Claire Winn will discuss overcoming hurdles in your drafting process, where writer's block comes from, and how to revise your story into the one you've envisioned.