The 2018 Fox Cities Book Festival begins on Monday, October 8, and runs through Sunday, October 14.

The Elisha D. Smith Public Library is honored to host: 

Tuesday, October 9, at 6:30pm  read the book   listen to the audiobook
Neal Griffin (fiction, mystery)
Writing the dark and dangerous world of small town policing - The allure of the city is powerful, but remember: when a killer comes to small town America, the body is just as cold and the blood runs just as red.

Neal is a rabid fan of crime fiction, especially hard-boiled procedurals. Back in the 70’s he cut his literary teeth on Joe Wambaugh and Elmore Leonard.  These days his favorites include Mike Connelly, Don Winslow and Tami Hoag. All these writers set their tales in big cities like Los Angeles, New York City and Minneapolis. Understandable because that’s where the action is, right? But, most police departments in America are really quite small. In some ways, small town cops are the heart and soul of American law enforcement.

Small town cops are usually homegrown, patrolling the same streets where they once rode a Schwinn bicycle. They hold a personal connection with the community that can’t be taught in a police academy. These men and women stuck around and now protect and serve their own.

The allure of the city is hard to resist, but when a killer does come to small town America, the body is just as cold and the blood runs just as red.  Neal likes to take his readers on a ride along with a cop from the heartland. The towns may be small, but the cops can still come off as larger than life.

Others appearing at the Menasha library are:

Thursday, October 11, at 10:30am
L. R. Strasburg (workshop, forum, roundtable, young adults)
YA author workshop

Thursday, October 11, at 2:00pm  read the book
Michael Edmonds (nonfiction, birds, history, nature)
Taking flight: a history of birds and people in the heart of America

Thursday, October 11, at 6:30pm   read the book
Tasha Schuh (nonfiction, inspirational, transformative)
Enjoy your ride

Friday, October 12, at 10:00am   read the book
Jay Matz (family-friendly, kids, illustrations, picture books, storytelling)
Nicholas Northwoods: how to create your own books!

Friday, October 12, at 2:00pm   read the book
Joseph Rein (fiction, short stories, Wisconsin)
Roads without houses: writing Wisconsin-based fiction

Saturday, October 13, at 9:00am
B.J. Hollars (nonfiction, history, reading)
The road south: rediscovery the freedom riders on the road south

Saturday, October 13, at 11:00am   read the book
Scott Spoolman (nonfiction, history, nature)
Wisconsin state parks: stories of geology and natural history

Saturday, October 13, at 1:00pm   read the book
Lynne Diebel (nonfiction, history, nature, travel)
Crossing the driftless: some upstream paddling required

Saturday, October 13, at 3:00pm   read the book     listen to the audiobook     read the large print
Linda Castillo (headliner, mystery, on the craft of writing)
The fundamentals and essentials of writing the suspense novel

This information may change.
Follow the festival on Facebook.
Or check  Fox Cities Book Festival for news.

All programs at the Elisha D. Smith Public Library are free and for everyone.  Those with special needs are encouraged to call the library office at 920.967.3662 within 24 hours of an event to assure that specific needs with regards to parking, building and meeting room accessibility are met.  

Todos los programas de la Biblioteca Elisha D. Smith son gratuitos y para todos. Aquellos con necesidades especiales pueden llamar a la oficina de la biblioteca 920.967.3662 con 24 horas de anticipación a un evento para asegurar que las necesidades específicas  de parqueo, acceso al edificio o acceso a las salas de reunión puedan ser satisfechas.

The library’s main program room is equipped with a hearing loop, which will transmit to headphone receivers that are available upon request or to your own hearing device with a t-coil.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - 6:30pm
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