On June 14th, the Friends were joined by art docent Avril Angevine for a presentation on the work of Dorothea Lange, who produced an astonishing body of photographic work in a career that lasted from the 1920s, when she ran the most successful portrait studio in San Francisco, to her
On June 9th, George Takei - a social justice activist, social media superstar, Grammy-nominated recording artist, New York Times bestselling author, and pioneering actor whose career has spanned six decades - joined the Friends of the Alameda Free Library to discuss They Called Us Enemy, his firsthand account of the
Community Events
On May 26, 2021, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library was joined by Francesca Lia Block, MFA, who has authored more than twenty-five books of fiction, non-fiction, short stories, and poetry and has written screenplay adaptations of her work. Ms. Block’s talk centered on her writing process, how
News
Registration for the 2021 Summer Reading Program is now open and everyone, from birth to adults, can join in the fun. Participants may register online at alamedafree.beanstack.org. Registrants can participate from home, on a mobile device, or while on vacation. This year prizes include ice cream cones from
News
President Biden has proposed massive legislation to rebuild our infrastructure and reshape the economy. Unfortunately, the legislation ignores the critical need for funding to build and modernize public libraries. A new bill, Build America’s Libraries Act, does just that. It has bipartisan support and would provide funding to construct
Community Events
On May 19, 2021, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library was joined by award-winning artist and best-selling author Paul Madonna, who gave a presentation of his electrifying mystery novel Come to Light. Full of unexpected plot twists, lively characters and over 100 lush drawings in Madonna’s inimitable style,
Friends @ Home
On April 29 the Mystery Writers of America announced the winners of the 2020 Edgar Alan Poe Awards. Two of the Edgars went to authors who have appeared in our Friends @ Home series of virtual author talks. Deepa Anappara’s Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line won Best Novel, and
Our spring campaign benefits the annual fund, which is the cornerstone of FAL’s fundraising efforts. What does it do? So much! The annual fund allows us to continue our ongoing support of the Alameda Free Library for the many programs and services you have come to love. We use
On May 5, 2021, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library was joined by author Caroline Kim, whose work explores what it means to be human through the Korean diaspora. With humor, insight, and curiosity, Kim’s wide-ranging stories explore themes of culture, communication, travel, and family. Her talk is
May is another amazing programming month for Friends @ Home featuring three authors and one docent event. A big thank you to the Docent Council of the Museum of Fine Arts for its ongoing support of our programs. All of the docents from the Council have been extremely knowledgeable and have
On April 28, 2021, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library was joined by author Susan Cox, whose first novel, The Man on the Washing Machine, won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition. Her second novel, The Man in the Microwave Oven, was published last
Community Events
On April 10, 2021, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library was joined by author Deepa Anappara, whose debut novel Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line has been nominated by The Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar© Award as the Best Novel of 2020. Her talk is available to