Join us for a special edition of Writing to Heal with the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System with author Catherine Simone Gray. Free copies of Proud Flesh will be available while supplies last.

Proud Flesh is a searing portrait of a mother’s body—a resurrection and reclamation of pleasure after abuse, a study of intergenerational trauma, and a love letter to the bodies of women: as alive and unbound as the teeming Mississippi wilds that bear witness.

Catherine Simone Gray is a writer and educator whose writings on her blog Unsilenced Woman have captivated audiences globally of up to 2.5 million. She is the recipient of an Artist Fellowship by the Mississippi Arts Commission and has been published in The Bitter Southerner. Her writings on motherhood has been shared by respected organizations for new mothers, such as La Leche League, International Cesarean Awareness Network, and ImprovingBirth. She lives in Jackson, Mississippi with her husband and their two children.

Book giveaway sponsored by the Friendly City Books Community Connection, a special project of the CREATE Foundation.

Welcome back Rev. Anne Marie Harris, the former rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, as she returns to Columbus to catch up with old friends and celebrate the successful release of her first novel Bound by an Oath.

It is 462AD, and the monk, Fra Paulos, is reminiscing on his long life. Sent to find the Pope's brother, who had stayed in the land of the Britons after ‎the last Romans had left, Paulos braves the sea journey and meets Aethelreda, Queen of the Cantii, who changes his life forever.

Anne Harris was born in New Zealand but has resided in ‎the USA since the mid-1980s. She has ‎had several different careers along the way, including ‎banking and teaching, culminating in ordination to the ‎Episcopal priesthood in 2008. Along the way she has ‎written hundreds of thousands of words, in one form or ‎another.

The Muses is a monthly book club for anyone who loves fantasy, romantasy, and mythology by women writers. Our pick for March is Babylonia by Costanza Casati.

From the author of the bestselling Clytemnestra comes another intoxicating excursion into ancient history, painting the brutal and captivating empire of gods and men, and the one queen destined to rule them all.

Costanza Casati was born in Texas and grew up in a village in Northern Italy, where she studied Ancient Greek. Babylonia, her second novel, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller.

The Muses is a collaboration between Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System and Friendly City Books and meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7 pm at Friendly City Books. See you there!

All are invited to a guest lecture and Q&A by Melanie R. Anderson as part of Fant Library’s Meet the Author series. Free copies of her book Monster, She Wrote will be available while supplies last.

Meet the women writers who defied convention to craft some of literature’s strangest tales, from Frankenstein to The Haunting of Hill House and beyond in Monster, She Wrote, the 2019 Bram Stoker Award(R) Winner for Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction.

Melanie R. Anderson is an assistant professor of English at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. She researches and writes about American Gothic and supernatural fiction.

Book giveaway sponsored by the Friendly City Books Community Connection, a special project of the CREATE Foundation.

Calling all high schoolers! Teen Book Club is meeting at Friendly City Books on Saturday, March 22, at 1 p.m. Come join us and get free copies of our next book Maybe an Artist by Liz Montague.

When Liz Montague was a senior in college, she wrote to the New Yorker, asking them why they didn't publish more inclusive comics. The New Yorker wrote back asking if she could recommend any. She responded: yes, me.

Those initial cartoons in the New Yorker led to this memoir of Liz's youth, from the age of five through college — how she navigated life in her predominantly white New Jersey town, overcame severe dyslexia through art, and found the confidence to pursue her passion.

This brilliant, laugh-out-loud graphic memoir offers a fresh perspective on life and social issues and proves that you don't need to be a dead white man to find success in art.

The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library and Friendly City Books are bringing together teens every month on the 2nd Saturday (at CLPL) and the 4th Saturday (at FCB) for:
✅ A FREE novel & graphic novel to read
✅ Thoughtful discussions in a judgment-free zone
✅ Snacks & fun activities to enjoy with friends!
Come connect, read, and discover new stories in a welcoming space! See you there!

Book giveaway sponsored by the Friendly City Books Community Connection, a special project of the CREATE Foundation.

Our Community Read author Alejandra Campoverdi is coming to Columbus! Bring your copy of First Gen to get it signed after her talk — or pick up a free book at the event if you don’t have one already.

First Gen is an unflinching memoir about navigating social mobility as a first generation Latina — offering both a riveting personal story and an examination of the unacknowledged emotional tolls of being a trailblazer. With candor and heart, Alejandra retraces her trajectory as a Mexican American woman raised by an immigrant single mother in Los Angeles. In this timely and revealing reflection, Alejandra draws from her own experiences to name and frame the challenges First and Onlys often face, illuminating a road to truth, healing, and change in the process.

Alejandra Campoverdi produced and appeared in the celebrated PBS documentary Inheritance, founded the Latinos & BRCA awareness initiative in partnership with Penn Medicine's Basser Center, and served as the first White House deputy director of Hispanic media.

Book giveaway sponsored by the Friendly City Books Community Connection, a special project of the CREATE Foundation. This program is financially assisted by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the Mississippi Humanities Council. The Community Read is a partnership of Mississippi University for Women, the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System, Friendly City Books, the City of Columbus, and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science.

Join us for our new horror book club Cursed Books! We’re reading The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, the new book by the author of Tender Is the Flesh.

Cursed Books will meet on the third Tuesday of every month at 7 pm at Friendly City Books. See you there!

Can’t wait for Sunrise on the Reaping?? Neither can we! Join us for a release day party on March 18 from 4-6 pm.

Let’s Taco ‘Bout It — the Hunger Games universe, that is! — with free food from our friends at Taco Amigo.

This event is free with your preorder or purchase of Sunrise on the Reaping from Friendly City Books, or chip in $10 to partake.

Calling all high schoolers! Teen Book Club is meeting at Friendly City Books on Saturday, March 8, at 1 p.m. Come join us and get free copies of our next book Things the Eye Can’t See by Penny Joelson.

The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library and Friendly City Books are bringing together teens every month on the 2nd Saturday (at CLPL) and the 4th Saturday (at FCB) for:
✅ A FREE novel & graphic novel to read
✅ Thoughtful discussions in a judgment-free zone
✅ Snacks & fun activities to enjoy with friends!
Come connect, read, and discover new stories in a welcoming space! See you there!

Calling all high schoolers! Teen Book Club is meeting at Friendly City Books on Saturday, March 1, at 1 p.m. Come join us and get free copies of our first two books The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris and Long Way Down (the graphic novel) by Jason Reynolds.

The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library and Friendly City Books are bringing together teens every month on the 2nd Saturday (at CLPL) and the 4th Saturday (at FCB) for:
✅ A FREE novel & graphic novel to read
✅ Thoughtful discussions in a judgment-free zone
✅ Snacks & fun activities to enjoy with friends!
Come connect, read, and discover new stories in a welcoming space! See you there!

The Muses is a monthly book club for anyone who loves fantasy, romantasy, and mythology. Our pick for February is Shallow Waters, a collaboration between Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System and Friendly City Books.

The Muses meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7 pm at Friendly City Books. See you there!

Join us for our new horror book club Cursed Books! We’re reading Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix.

Cursed Books will meet on the third Tuesday of every month at 7 pm at Friendly City Books. See you there!

Calling all high schoolers! Join the Teen Book Club hosted by the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library & Friendly City Books! We’re bringing together teens every month on the 2nd Saturday (at CLPL) and the 4th Saturday (at FCB) for:
✅ A FREE novel & graphic novel to read
✅ Thoughtful discussions in a judgment-free zone
✅ Snacks & fun activities to enjoy with friends!
Come connect, read, and discover new stories in a welcoming space! See you there!

Are you a visual artist, musician, literary artist, theatre artist, folk artist, or dancer? Are you an arts organization, a municipal organization, school, or nonprofit that would like to use the arts to further its impact? Have you ever thought about applying for a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission to help fund your art or arts project? Here’s your opportunity to learn about their offerings and ask all of your questions live and in person.

There will be two sessions at the Columbus Arts Council on Thursday, January 23 at 12:00 pm and 5:30 pm. RSVP on Facebook!

Join us for the first meeting of our new horror book club Cursed Books! We’re reading Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman.

From Vulture's “master of horror” Clay McLeod Chapman, a relentless and emotionally charged social horror novel about a family on the run from a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through media, for fans of The Last of Us and Where Evil Lurks.

Can’t wait for Onyx Storm?? Neither can we! Join us for a release day party on January 21 at 4 pm. Let’s Taco ‘Bout It — the Rebecca Yarros universe, that is! — with free snacks from our favorite food truck Taco Amigo. This event is free with your preorder or purchase of Onyx Storm from Friendly City Books, or chip in $10 to partake.

The City of Columbus’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on January 20, 2025, will include a Freedom Walk from the Municipal Complex at 1501 Main Street to City Hall at 523 Main Street, followed by a Prayer Breakfast and a community reading of Letter from a Birmingham Jail. All are welcome!

We’re back! Join us for the grand reopening of Friendly City Books in our new location at 423 Main Street in downtown Columbus.

We're celebrating the release of MUW alum Beth Kander's new book with a special event where you can meet the author and make your own golem! Purchase your ticket in advance via Eventbrite.

Join us on Saturday, October 26, at 9:30 am at Poindexter Hall on the MUW campus for the annual Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium with authors Todd Osborne (Gatherer), Kemeshia Randle Swanson (Maverick Feminist), Christian J. Collier (Greater Ghost), and Steve Yates (The Lakes of Southern Hollow).

The Symposium is hosted by Mississippi University for Women and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit muw.edu/welty.

Join us on Friday, October 25, at 7 pm for the annual Welty Gala supporting the MUW Scholarship Fund at Mississippi University for Women featuring keynote speaker Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle and Hang the Moon. Tickets should be purchased in advance at muw.edu/welty/gala.

Join us on Thursday, October 24, at 1:30 pm at Poindexter Hall on the MUW campus for the annual Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium with authors Minrose Gwin (Beautiful Dreamers), James E. Cherry (Between Chance and Mercy), and Gerry Wilson (That Pinson Girl), along with the winners of the Ephemera Prize for student writers.

The Symposium is hosted by Mississippi University for Women and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit muw.edu/welty.

Join us on Thursday, October 24, at 9:00 am at Poindexter Hall on the MUW campus for the annual Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium with authors Brooke Champagne (Nola Face), Hannah V. Warren (Slaughterhouse for Old Wives’ Tales), T. J. Anderson III (t/here it is), and Pauline Kaldas (The Measure of Distance).

The Symposium is hosted by Mississippi University for Women and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit muw.edu/welty.

Join us on Thursday, October 24, at 7:30 pm at Poindexter Hall on the MUW campus for the opening session of the annual Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium with keynote speaker Maurice Carlos Ruffin, author of The American Daughters, and a book signing with all of the authors featured throughout the three-day program.

Each year writers and poets from across the South descend on Columbus, Mississippi to attend the Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium. Over its history, the event has hosted Pulitzer Prize winners, Poets Laureates, international bestsellers, and notable emerging talent.

The Symposium is hosted by Mississippi University for Women and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit muw.edu/welty.

Join us for the first ever Downtown Boo Bash! Shop from local businesses, trick-or-treat, wear your cutest or spookiest costumes and enjoy fun activities throughout downtown!