Upcoming Events at Friendly City Books
Frequent Flyer Day
Our monthly sale for Frequent Flyers. 20% off books in-store, plus other great goodies!
Rooted Book Club
An unexpected family photograph leads Dionne Ford to uncover the stories of her enslaved female ancestors, reclaim their power, and begin to heal.
Frequent Flyer Day
Our monthly sale for Frequent Flyers. 20% off books in-store, plus other great goodies!
Frequent Flyer Day
Our monthly sale for Frequent Flyers. 20% off books in-store, plus other great goodies!
Frequent Flyer Day
Our monthly sale for Frequent Flyers. 20% off books in-store, plus other great goodies!
SAVE THE DATE
We have big plans for this day, but we’re not yet ready to share the details.
Frequent Flyer Day
Our monthly sale for Frequent Flyers. 20% off books in-store, plus other great goodies!
Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium
Each year writers and poets from across the South descend on Columbus, Mississippi to attend the Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium. In the past, the event has hosted Pulitzer Prize winners, Poet Laureates, and international bestsellers. The event has established itself as a showcase of new talent in Southern Literature. The Symposium is hosted by Mississippi University for Women and is free and open to the public. Books will be available in store at Friendly City Books and at friendlycitybooks.com/shop.
Frequent Flyer Day
Our monthly sale for Frequent Flyers. 20% off books in-store, plus other great goodies!
Aimee Nezhukumatathil
We’re thrilled to host Mississippi Author Aimee Nezhukumatathil on May 11 at 1:00 p.m. on the lawn of the Lowndes County Courthouse to celebrate her latest book of essays, Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees.
Independent Bookstore Day!
Friendly City Books is happy to announce our participation in the 11th Anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day!
MUW I.D.E.A. Book Talk
Fant Memorial Library, on the Mississippi University for Women campus, will hose a series of Book Talks during the Spring 2024 Semester. The I.D.E.A. committee has selected Jesmyn Ward’s Let us Descend as the focus of the spring series. The group meets the last Wednesday of the month in the Gunter Multipurpose Room of Fant Library. The Book Talks are free and Open to the Public.
Frequent Flyer Day
Our monthly sale for Frequent Flyers. 20% off books in-store, plus other great goodies!
STELLA! Shouting Contest
Join us in Downtown Columbus for an afternoon of spirited fun at the Stella Shouting Contest, held in honor of the great Tennessee Williams, who was born right here in Columbus. This event celebrates the iconic scene from A Streetcar Named Desire and invites participants to channel their best Stanley or Stella.
Book Talk: Kate Medley
Join photojournalist and author Kate Medley as she shares stories and images from her book Thank Your Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South on Thursday, April 4th at 4:00 p.m. in the Omnova Theater of the Columbus Arts Council.
Joseph Thompson: Cold War Country Book Launch
Friendly City Books celebrates the publication of COLD WAR COUNTRY, an exciting history of country music by Mississippi State University assistant professor of history Joseph Thompson. Join us April 2nd at 6:00 p.m. for a reading and country music trivia at Munson & Brothers Trading Post in Columbus.
MUW I.D.E.A. Book Talk
Fant Memorial Library, on the Mississippi University for Women campus, will hose a series of Book Talks during the Spring 2024 Semester. The I.D.E.A. committee has selected Jesmyn Ward’s Let us Descend as the focus of the spring series. The group meets the last Wednesday of the month in the Gunter Multipurpose Room of Fant Library. The Book Talks are free and Open to the Public.
Rooted Book Club: The Weeds by Katy Simpson Smith
Join Rooted Magazine editor Lauren Rhodes for a live discussion of the Book Club selection for March: The Weeds, by Katy Simpson Smith. The Rooted Book Club meets on Zoom at the each month to discuss a book from a Mississippi author.
Frequent Flyer Day
Our monthly sale for Frequent Flyers. 20% off books in-store, plus other great goodies!
Gerry Wilson with Ellen Ann Fentress: That Pinson Girl
In an exciting event for literature lovers, Gerry Wilson, a distinguished voice in Mississippi’s literary scene, will delve into her captivating first novel, That Pinson Girl, in a special appearance at the Columbus Lowndes Public Library. Wilson will be in conversation with fellow Mississippi author Ellen Ann Fentress on March 11 at Noon, at the Downtown branch of the Columbus Lowndes Public Library.
Writer-in-Residence Public Reading with Kwame Dawes
Writer-in-Residence Kwame Dawes will give a public reading, answer questions, and sign books in this free event open to everyone.
Jodi Skipper: Behind the Big House
The Forum Series hosted by Gordy Honors College welcomes Dr. Jodi Skipper to Mississippi University for Women to discuss her book Behind the Big House: Representing Slavery in Mississippi. This event will be held on Thursday, February 29, at 6 p.m. at Nissan Auditorium and is free and open to the public.
Virtual Writing Workshop with MSU Writer-in-Residence Kwame Dawes
Mississippi State University Institute for the Humanities hosts Writer-in-Residence Kwame Dawes for a virtual writing workshop.
MUW I.D.E.A. Book Talk
Fant Memorial Library, on the Mississippi University for Women campus, will hose a series of Book Talks during the Spring 2024 Semester. The I.D.E.A. committee has selected Jesmyn Ward’s Let us Descend as the focus of the spring series. The group meets the last Wednesday of the month in the Gunter Multipurpose Room of Fant Library. The Book Talks are free and Open to the Public.
Rooted Book Club: We Are A Haunting by Tyriek White
Our next book club pick is Tyriek White’s We Are a Haunting, a stunning, lyrical debut novel, and the winner of The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. We will be talking with Tyriek on Tuesday February 27 at 7 p.m. CST.
Berkley Hudson: Photographing Trouble & Resilience
The City of Columbus welcomes author Berkley Hudson to discuss the history of Black Columbus residents as photographed by O.N. Pruitt. This event will be held February 26, at 4:00 p.m. in the Columbus City Hall Reception Room. Berkley Hudson, an emeritus associate professor of media history and the author of “O. N. Pruitt's Possum Town,” which highlights images capturing the essence of life in Columbus, Mississippi, throughout the mid-20th Century.
Grace Elizabeth Hale with Ralph Eubanks: In the Pines
Grace Elizabeth Hale, author of In The Pines, joins Ralph Eubanks for a discussion on her award winning book. The event is sponsored by the Friendly City Books Community Connection, a special project of the CREATE Foundation, the Columbus Arts Council, and the Mississippi State University Department of History.
Steven Cox at Columbus Lowndes Public Library
Historian and author Steven Cox will present “John T. Wilder: Union General, Southern Industrialist” on Thursday, February 22 at 12 noon in the Meeting Room of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System (CLPLS).
Frequent Flyer Day
Our monthly sale for Frequent Flyers. 20% off books in-store, plus other great goodies!
Virtual Reading: Hannah Warren: Slaughterhouse for Old Wives' Tales
Mississippi Poet Hannah V Warren is hosting a virtual reading from her debut collection Slaughterhouse for Old Wives’ Tales.
MUW I.D.E.A. Book Talk
Fant Memorial Library, on the Mississippi University for Women campus, will hose a series of Book Talks during the Spring 2024 Semester. The I.D.E.A. committee has selected Jesmyn Ward’s Let us Descend as the focus of the spring series. The group meets the last Wednesday of the month in the Gunter Multipurpose Room of Fant Library. The Book Talks are free and Open to the Public.
Crescent City 3 Midnight Release Party
Join us at Friendly City Books for our Midnight Release Party for House of Flame and Shadow! We know y’all can’t wait to get your hands on the third book in Sarah J. Maas’ Crescent City series, so we’re giving you the chance to get them the second we can give them out. There will be a SJM universe presentation party, a friendship bracelet making station, and plenty of snacks! Click here to RSVP.
Rooted Book Club: The Steps We Take
The Rooted Book Club will be a celebration of Southern writers and readers. A partnership between Rooted, the Mississippi Book Festival, Lemuria Books, and Friendly City Books, we’ll be reading works of fiction and nonfiction about the South and/or by an author with a deep connection to the South.
Columbus Reads Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail"
Join us on January 15th at Columbus City Hall for a historic and reflective public reading of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail." This event, organized by Mayor Keith Gaskin, The City of Columbus, and the Friendly City Books Community Connection, promises to be a moving tribute to the legacy of Dr. King and his enduring impact on civil rights and social justice.
Iron Flame Midnight Release Party
This night is for the girlies! We'll have snacks, drinks, and all the slumber party essentials. Wear your comfiest pajamas and get ready for a night of Fourth Wing fun as we wait for the midnight release of Iron Flame!
To attend, you must preorder a copy of Iron Flame or the special edition of Fourth Wing from Friendly City Books in store or online.
MUW Honors Forum Series with Author Margaret Renkl
Please join us to welcome author Margaret Renkl to Columbus for a discussion of her new book The Comfort of Crows on Thursday, October 26, at 6 pm at Nissan Auditorium on the Mississippi University for Women campus. Purchase a copy from Friendly City Books in store or online and we’ll get it signed for you!
Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium
Each year writers and poets from across the South descend on Columbus, Mississippi to attend the Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium. In the past, the event has hosted Pulitzer Prize winners, Poet Laureates, and international bestsellers. The event has established itself as a showcase of new talent in Southern Literature. The Symposium is hosted by Mississippi University for Women and is free and open to the public. Books are available in store at Friendly City Books and at friendlycitybooks.com/shop.
Thursday, October 9, 7:30 am-9 pm
Katy Simpson Smith — The Weeds (Keynote Speaker)
Friday, October 10, 9 am-1 pm
K. Iver — Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco
De’Shawn Charles Winslow — Decent People
Lee Durkee — Stalking Shakespeare
Maurice Carlos Ruffin — The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You
Friday, October 10, 1:30 pm-4 pm
Ann Fisher-Wirth — Paradise is Jagged
Halle Hill — Good Women
Claude Wilkinson — Soon Done with the Crosses
Saturday, October 11, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
Exodus Oktavia Brownlow — I’m Afraid That I Know Too Much About Myself Now …
Christie Collins — The Art of Coming Undone
Ellen Ann Fentress — The Steps We Take
DC Pop Up Event with Authors Ellen Ann Fentress, Emily Liner, and Nyani Nkrumah
Please join us for a special event in Washington, DC! Friendly City Books is going to the Capitol City on Tuesday, September 19, at 6:00 pm with authors Ellen Ann Fentress (The Steps We Take), Emily Liner (Stretch Like Scarlet), and Nyani Nkrumah (Wade in the Water) at Shaw’s Tavern. Books will be available!