Percival Everett shares his thoughts on his latest novel, James, published in March 2024 to great critical acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Everett’s novel is not just a reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the enslaved Jim’s point of view; it offers deeper insights into American culture over three centuries.

This presentation will be livestreamed on YouTube and will be available to view for 14 days after the event.

Winning is Bijan's favorite thing, and he always wins. But could it be that some things, like friendship, aren't a contest? Kansas City-based author Adib Khorram reads his new picture book, the 2025 Great Reads from Great Places children’s selection from Missouri, about what you risk losing when all you care about is victory.

Start your longform writing project with The Story Center program manager and author Melanie Pierce. Dive into creative inspiration; learn to maneuver the building blocks of story, like character development and world building; and discover tools to set realistic goals. Come prepared to put pen to paper!

Learn about how KCPL purchases eBooks and e-audiobooks with librarian Diana Platt! Cover the processes for standard purchasing, how to suggest purchases to the Library, what libraries can and cannot buy, and why the Library pays so much more than you do for that bestseller on your Kindle.

Spoken word poetry is designed to be heard, not read. This poetic performance art provides unique opportunities to be expressive through body language and to experiment with volume, sound, and delivery. Watch videos of spoken word poets such as Gil Scott-Heron, Darius Simpson, Scout Bostley, and others. This workshop is led by Eva Schneider.

Social media has radically changed book marketing and sales in recent years. And influencers in online spaces, such as BookTok and Bookstagram, have played an outsized role in reaching new audiences. Kansas City book influencers discuss their passion for books and the joy of sharing it with others.

Moderator: Laken Horton

Panelists

Allissa Patton, @shebereadinthembooks
Rachel Pierce, @bookbowlchallenge
Subha Schneweis, @astoldbysubha
Shanna Smith, @cozygreylibrary

Tantalize your reading tastes by treating yourself to a library book! Participants of all ages are invited to experience this fun way to discover new books, try different genres, and ignite a sense of wonder and curiosity. Choose the menu and sample up to three titles. KCPL librarians Gabby Miller and Hannah Hyde bring your selections, and after sampling the book, you are encouraged to add it to your reading list.

Children’s book author Derrick Barnes discusses his new middle grade novel with Rob Love. The book features Henson Blayze, a 13-year-old Black football player with extraordinary talent who faces prejudice in a predominantly white town in the Mississippi Delta. The novel, spanning from the 1800s to today, details how much – and how little – things have changed. 

This presentation will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Monsters in the shadows. Creepy tales around a campfire. Nothing is as delicious as the thrill of a scare. How do authors invent such hair-raising creations? In this session, we examine the nuts and bolts of shivery stories. Using old and new examples of the supernatural, Brandon Allen will help you get under the hood of horror and create your own scary fiction.

Ever wanted to start a book journal but didn’t know where to begin? This workshop with Shanna Smith is for you! Chat about fun, low-pressure ways to track your reads and get creative with whatever supplies you’ve got. No perfection needed, just a love for books and maybe some glue.

Explore the surprising potential of Dungeons & Dragons to ignite creative writing skills with MCPL’s Lex Lower. Beyond a game, D&D offers a rich framework for character development, plot, world-building, and dialogue. This session explores practical ways to leverage D&D mechanics to spark imagination, conquer writer's block, and deepen your understanding of storytelling. Do a short activity to get your ideas flowing!

Historical fiction once had a bad rap as lightweight romantic or adventure stories. But today, this genre is everywhere — on college campuses, TV and movies, and bestseller lists. There’s a wide range of options, from serious literature to guilty pleasures. Learn how authors combine fact and fiction to help readers develop empathy and connect with characters over time.      

Moderator: Bryn Greenwood

Panelists

Shawntelle Madison (The Fallen Fruit)
Tiffany L. Warren (The Unexpected Diva)
Alice Winn (In Memoriam)

In this freeform, drop-in style collage lab, patrons explore the power of visual poetry through juxtaposing found images. KCPL exhibitions coordinator Craig Auge offers a variety of collage strategies and creative inspiration. Optional collaborative exercises available. All materials provided. No experience necessary. All ages.

Steve Paul introduces participants to the joys and challenges of researching and writing biographical projects. Archival research will be emphasized, and AI tools will not. Also discussed are trends in the field, including the growing popularity of books that blend biography and memoir.

Award-winning novelist Nnedi Okorafor is best known for fiction she calls Africanfuturism — science fiction and fantasy comingling with her Nigerian heritage. Moderated by KCPL’s Kaite Stover, Nnedi talks about her latest book, a novel within a novel, which imagines the reshaping of a world that has come undone.

This presentation will be livestreamed on YouTube and will be available to view for 14 days after the event.

John Hare, who lives in Gladstone, shares the latest book in his Field Trip Adventure Series aboard a yellow time-travel bus. Take a trip to the Jurassic Period where volcanoes rumble, and massive dinosaurs munch on leaves. Find out what happens when the class gets a little too close.

Authors

Bryn Greenwood
Shawntelle Madison
Tiffany L. Warren
Alice Winn

Dayton Little goes over the foundational aspects of fantasy world-building. Every fantasy world has characteristics that drive the story forward. Learn about high vs. low fantasy, soft vs. hard magic systems, traditional vs. original fantasy races, and many other key decisions to make as you craft your fantasy world.

Design unique characters easily with a simple "generator" that anyone can recreate. This workshop, led by MCPL’s Aida Grace Larson, shows participants how to express emotion in characters and create simple but compelling designs they can take with them and apply to their own work.

Michael Pritchett teaches the fundamental structure and process for planning and drafting the major prose form in literature — the novel. The creation of a novel requires expertise in the structure of the form and an understanding of the relationships between form and content. We will examine the form from a historical perspective as it has been handed down to us by the world's great storytellers.

In this laugh-out-loud interactive picture book, readers must follow the rules — or risk encountering a monster named Dennis. Liberty-based author Brian Gehrlein invites you to get your sillies out before it’s time to focus, making it the perfect storytime for energetic kids. He’ll also give a sneak peek of This Is Not a Sleepy Bear Book, coming out in November. 

In the classic children’s game, “Mother, May I?” one person takes a turn as “mother,” telling others to take steps forward. Each player must first ask for permission or go back to the starting line. Panelists in this session explore what it means to give yourself permission to test new ideas and characters, address difficult topics, and sustain a writing practice. 

Moderator: Maryfrances Wagner

Panelists

Catherine Anderson (Afloat)
Hadara Bar-Nadav (The Singing Pills)
Frank Higgins (Black Pearl Sings)
Olivia Hill (Travel North Black Girl)

KCPL’s Tim Kelley offers a basic introduction to determining whether a book is a first edition. Subjects addressed include modern editions and their number lines, points of issue, individual publisher identification methods, as well as 19th century identifiers. A list of useful definitions and resources will also be provided.

Authors

Maryfrances Wagner
Catherine Anderson
Frank Higgins
Hadara Bar-Nadav
Olivia Hill

Did you know that a polar bear can swim for days without stopping? Or that a male polar bear weighs as much as 10 men? Kansas City-based Christine Taylor-Butler, the author of more than 95 fiction and nonfiction children’s books, discusses polar bear facts, including why they are endangered, and who is working to save them.

Overcome the barriers of creative expression with this drop-in workshop, led by MCPL’s Simaran Singh, for anyone curious about flexing their creative muscle. Use layers of writing and visuals to build the internal creative process. Recontextualize external resources through collage and blackout poetry to make your own unique statement.

History is an important lens for understanding how we got where we are today. But it can be overwhelming to sift through research to find a narrative. Mackenzie Martin provides tips for developing characters and constructing thrilling plot points and includes a beginner’s guide to popular historical archives to streamline your research.

Participants discuss the power of words and names, as well as how metaphors and similes can transform meaning. This workshop, led by Missouri Humanities’ Ashley Vogel and Nick Lopez, includes an analysis of poems as well as writing exercises. Participants gain an understanding of symbolism and walk away with ideas, poetic techniques, and perhaps the beginnings of new, original work.

Novelist Taylor Jenkins Reid explores iconic times and locations through complex characters with fascinating careers in film, music, and the arts. She and Kansas City-based author Adib Khorram discuss her latest novel, which transports readers to space in the 1980s.