Please join the Carnegie Library and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation as award-winning biographer Kathryn Smith gives a presentation on Roosevelt’s time in Warm Springs and how he led the fight to vanquish polio. Kathryn is the biographer of Roosevelt’s secretary Marguerite “Missy” LeHand, who accompanied him to Warm Springs on most of his visits and helped him establish the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation there.

**Registrants are invited to bring their own lunch to the event. Doors open at 11:30 am. Program begins at 12 noon sharp and ends at 1:00 pm.

***Registration is with Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/998553429187 .

Please join the Carnegie Library and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation as we beat the heat with photographer and world traveler Gordon Kilgore as he shares about his “cool” journeys to the North Pole! Gordon was asked to photograph for the Russian expedition company, Poseidon Voyages, and he made two trips to the North Pole on the nuclear icebreaker, Yamal. Gordon has been a serious photographer for about 50 years, and has traveled to all of the states, all of the continents, and well over a hundred countries! Registration is required on Eventbrite.

**Registrants are invited to bring their own lunch to the event. Doors open at 11:30 am. Program begins at 12 noon sharp and ends at 1:00 pm.

***Registration is with Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/935859038577 .

Please join us and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation as we welcome guest speaker Jedwin Smith, who has been nominated twice for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for his war coverage in the Middle East. His work and experience includes his service with the Marine Corps, traveling, and living in Abu Ghosh for 100 days — compiling extensive interviews with Arabs, Israelis, and Christians — to produce his ground-breaking, award-winning historical volume, I AM ISRAEL — Lions and Lambs of the Land. This talk and presentation, says Mr. Smith, “will explain why this is not a war about land or colonialism.”

**Registrants are invited to bring their own lunch to the event. Doors open at 11:30 am. Program begins at 12 noon sharp and ends at 1:00 pm.

***Registration is with Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/880948740397 .

Please join us and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation as we welcome Dr. Hendry Miller, the Collections Manager at the Georgia Archives in Morrow. In this multi-media presentation, he will examine some of Georgia’s history with Native peoples—from the establishment of the Georgia Colony through the first few decades of the 1800s. He will also introduce attendees to the records available at the Georgia Archives. Even if you know the history of our state well, you will learn a great deal that will enrich your understanding of our state’s Native Americans.

**Registrants are invited to bring their own lunch to the event. Doors open at 11:30 am. Program begins at 12 noon sharp and ends at 1:00 pm.

***Registration is with Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/824380001777 .

The Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation is proud to present the return of the Edgar B. Hollis Distinguished Author Series! Check out the incredible line-up we will be having this year. Registration is requested on Eventbrite.

Please join the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation as we welcome bestselling author Katherine Reay to Newnan. Inspired by the true women serving in the CIA’s Venona Project - Katherine Reay’s The Berlin Letters takes readers on an exhilarating journey through the Cold War era while delivering a mesmerizing tale of espionage, family, and the enduring human spirit…a must read for lovers of historical fiction and suspense! Doors open at 10:30 am for meet & greet, coffee, and book signing!

The Edgar B. Hollis Distinguished Authors Series began at the Carnegie in 2012. A native of Newnan, Georgia, Edgar Baldwin Hollis left a generous bequest to benefit Newnan’s citizens in the hopes that many lives in the hometown he loved so much would be touched by his gift. Mr. Hollis grew up in Newnan, graduated from Newnan High School and received a bachelor’s degree in History and a master of Humanities from Emory University. He spent most of his professional career in Washington, D.C., working for the National Security Agency's Inter-Library Loan Division but would often return to his family home in the historic downtown area of the city. The Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation is honored to be selected to commemorate his legacy through an annual series of distinguished lectures to be held each year at the Carnegie Auditorium a place he would have been so familiar with during his life. Edgar B. Hollis passed away at his home in Newnan on June 17, 2006.

We are proud to bring these notable authors to Newnan and Coweta County.

Register on Eventbrite by clicking here!

The Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation is proud to present the return of the Edgar B. Hollis Distinguished Author Series! Check out the incredible line-up we will be having this year. Registration is requested on Eventbrite.

Join the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation as Lawrence Reed presents From Tyranny to Freedom: The Polish Experience. Mr. Reed will explain Poland’s history of courage and character as well as the events that led the Polish government to recognize him with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. He will share stories of his time with the Polish underground that led to his arrest and expulsion by the communist government in 1986. The talk will include profiles of some Polish heroes whose lives continue to inspire people everywhere. Book signing to follow talk.

The Edgar B. Hollis Distinguished Authors Series began at the Carnegie in 2012. A native of Newnan, Georgia, Edgar Baldwin Hollis left a generous bequest to benefit Newnan’s citizens in the hopes that many lives in the hometown he loved so much would be touched by his gift. Mr. Hollis grew up in Newnan, graduated from Newnan High School and received a bachelor’s degree in History and a master of Humanities from Emory University. He spent most of his professional career in Washington, D.C., working for the National Security Agency's Inter-Library Loan Division but would often return to his family home in the historic downtown area of the city. The Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation is honored to be selected to commemorate his legacy through an annual series of distinguished lectures to be held each year at the Carnegie Auditorium a place he would have been so familiar with during his life. Edgar B. Hollis passed away at his home in Newnan on June 17, 2006.

We are proud to bring these notable authors to Newnan and Coweta County.

Register on Eventbrite by clicking here!

The Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation is proud to present the return of the Edgar B. Hollis Distinguished Author Series! Check out the incredible line-up we will be having this year. Registration is requested on Eventbrite.

Please join the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation as national best-selling and award winning author Deborah Royce presents “Reef Road” a mystery thriller based on the true story of a missing husband, unsolved murder, and the puzzles of identity during the 2020 pandemic *Deborah is also famous for her starring role as Erica’s evil sister, Silver Kane in “All My Children” Doors open at 10:30am for meet & greet, book signing, coffee, and King Cake!

The Edgar B. Hollis Distinguished Authors Series began at the Carnegie in 2012. A native of Newnan, Georgia, Edgar Baldwin Hollis left a generous bequest to benefit Newnan’s citizens in the hopes that many lives in the hometown he loved so much would be touched by his gift. Mr. Hollis grew up in Newnan, graduated from Newnan High School and received a bachelor’s degree in History and a master of Humanities from Emory University. He spent most of his professional career in Washington, D.C., working for the National Security Agency's Inter-Library Loan Division but would often return to his family home in the historic downtown area of the city. The Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation is honored to be selected to commemorate his legacy through an annual series of distinguished lectures to be held each year at the Carnegie Auditorium a place he would have been so familiar with during his life. Edgar B. Hollis passed away at his home in Newnan on June 17, 2006.

We are proud to bring these notable authors to Newnan and Coweta County.

Register on Eventbrite by clicking here!

*Please note this event will be held at the Wadsworth Auditorium at 25 Jefferson St. Newnan, GA 30263. Registration is required on Eventbrite.

Join the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation as they present an Edgar B. Hollis Distinguished Author Series book talk by best selling thriller author Brad Taylor for his newest release Dead Man's Hand. See below to pre-order your signed copy.

New York Times bestselling author and former special forces officer Brad Taylor is back with a propulsive and topical edge-of-your-seat thriller featuring Pike Logan as he goes head-to-head with Putin’s henchmen.

To finally end the war between their nations, a rogue band of Ukranian partisans known as the Wolves teams up with members of Russia’s military intelligence to assassinate Vladimir Putin.

But Putin is aware of the traitors in his midst and assigns the loyal commander of the Russian National Guard to root them out. It’s a mission Victor Petrov is expected to undertake after he prevents Sweden from joining NATO—by assassinating a deputy minister of foreign affairs.

After receiving intelligence about the threat in Sweden, the United States sends Pike Logan to identify Petrov’s target—only for him to get caught in the crossfire between Putin’s agents and the Wolves. When the smoke clears, Pike makes no effort to stop the Wolves on their ultimate mission, believing it just, until he discovers that their operation has unimaginable consequences.

For Putin is preparing a devastating endgame: activating the Dead Man’s Hand nuclear response that will launch Russia’s missiles in the event of his death. . .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), is a twenty-one-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, includ­ing eight years with Delta Force. He has conducted operations in support of US national interests in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other classified locations.

His final assignment was as the Assistant Professor of Military Science at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. He holds a Master’s of Science in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School, with a concentration in Irregular Warfare.

Taylor retired in 2010 after serving more than two decades and participating in Oper­ation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has written seventeen New York Times bestsellers and is a security consultant on asymmetric threats for various agencies. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife and two daughters.

For more information about Brad, see his website and social media: www.bradtaylorbooks.com

Instagram: @bradtaylorbooks

X: @BradTaylorBooks

Facebook: Brad Taylor

Copies of Dead Man's Hand will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Reserve your signed copy and guarantee availability by pre-ordering today here. Pre-orders of signed copies can be picked up beginning at 10:00am.

Unable to attend the event? Purchase a signed copy to be shipped directly to you by clicking here.

The Edgar B. Hollis Distinguished Authors Series began at the Carnegie in 2012. A native of Newnan, Georgia, Edgar Baldwin Hollis left a generous bequest to benefit Newnan’s citizens in the hopes that many lives in the hometown he loved so much would be touched by his gift. Mr. Hollis grew up in Newnan, graduated from Newnan High School and received a bachelor’s degree in History and a master of Humanities from Emory University. He spent most of his professional career in Washington, D.C., working for the National Security Agency's Inter-Library Loan Division but would often return to his family home in the historic downtown area of the city. The Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation is honored to be selected to commemorate his legacy through an annual series of distinguished lectures to be held each year at the Carnegie Auditorium a place he would have been so familiar with during his life. Edgar B. Hollis passed away at his home in Newnan on June 17, 2006.

We are proud to bring these notable authors to Newnan and Coweta County.

Register on Eventbrite by clicking here!

The Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation is proud to present the return of the Edgar B. Hollis Distinguished Author Series! Our first author of 2024 will be former NFL player, Frank D. Murphy who will discuss his life story and his book, The Man Behind the Helmet: A Story of Second Chances. Book signing to follow. Registration is requested on Eventbrite.

Frank D. Murphy is a formerly incarcerated youth and NFL player who founded Mentoring With Purpose Charity to pour into at-risk youth and athletes—especially those who have been deemed too far gone and unreachable.Frank’s life story, as told in his book, The Man Behind the Helmet: A Story of Second Chances forwarded by Superbowl Winning Coach Tony Dungy journeys from childhood to adulthood as Frank overcame the struggles of growing up in an economically disadvantaged inner-city neighborhood. From running the streets with guns to selling drugs to jail. Frank has made every mistake a young person could, stacking the odds against himself as he faced the reality of spending life behind bars. After being given a second chance through NFL coach, Tony Dungy, Frank instantly pivots from a self-destructive path to a star athlete, successful NFL player, and upstanding role model. While in the NFL, Frank witnessed the need for character development and mentorship for youth and athletes, leading him to build a digital life skills curriculum program. Concluding a successful football career receiving countless awards such as:

◦ NJCAA All-American
◦ Jr. College Heisman Trophy
• Jr. College Hall Of Fame Inducted
◦ JTEP Hero
◦ NHL Tampa Bay Lighting Community Hero Award
◦ Key to the City of Callahan, FL
◦ 2017 President Barack Obama’s Lifetime Achievement
◦ 2022 Joe Biden / Kamala Harris Lifetime Achievement
◦ Most Valuable Philanthropist in Sports
◦ Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humanitarianism

Today, Frank is a National motivational speaker, a life coach, and a mentor to over 100,000 youth, churches, detention centers, Fortune 500 companies, and professional athletes.Frank also leads the way in adopting community centers, jails, detention centers, and prisons around the nation to empower future leaders with his programs.Since 2001, Frank has provided hope, empowerment, life skills, and NFL camps to his and other communities to break the cycle of poverty and violence.

The Edgar B. Hollis Distinguished Authors Series began at the Carnegie in 2012. A native of Newnan, Georgia, Edgar Baldwin Hollis left a generous bequest to benefit Newnan’s citizens in the hopes that many lives in the hometown he loved so much would be touched by his gift. Mr. Hollis grew up in Newnan, graduated from Newnan High School and received a bachelor’s degree in History and a master of Humanities from Emory University. He spent most of his professional career in Washington, D.C., working for the National Security Agency's Inter-Library Loan Division but would often return to his family home in the historic downtown area of the city. The Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation is honored to be selected to commemorate his legacy through an annual series of distinguished lectures to be held each year at the Carnegie Auditorium a place he would have been so familiar with during his life. Edgar B. Hollis passed away at his home in Newnan on June 17, 2006.

We are proud to bring these notable authors to Newnan and Coweta County.

Register on Eventbrite by clicking here!

Please join us at the Newnan Carnegie Library for a holiday Cookie Swap! We will have a fun afternoon socializing, swapping recipes, enjoying refreshments, and sharing holiday stories. Please bring at least a dozen of your favorite cookies to share and swap.

**Registration is with Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/770413145457 .

Please join us as we have Tim Hurt and Sharissa Manwaring co-lead the High School Chamber Group at Trinity Christian School in Sharpsburg. This group of students is a combined band and orchestra, performing custom arrangements tailored specifically for these students and instrumentation. Kylie Beckman, Anna Manwaring and Isaiah Ware are all seniors at Trinity, some of the highest level of performers Trinity has to offer. Performing Arts at Trinity is growing each year, with students continuing their music education on into both college and career. This program promises to be a highlight of the Christmas 2023 season in Newnan so enjoy!

**Registrants are invited to bring their own lunch to the event. Doors open at 11:30 am. Program begins at 12 noon sharp and ends at 1:00 pm.

***Registration is with Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/755786697357 .

Please join the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation and guest speaker Chris Joyner, an investigative reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as he talks about his journey unearthing the trials of Carrollton sharecropper Clarence Henderson and its generational impact on a family and community. It's a mix of true crime and courtroom drama with a deep look at America in the decade following World War II when massive social change, political division, and deep paranoia threatened to tear the nation apart. Joyner will discuss how our shared history echoes in the present and the opportunities it presents for healing and reconciliation.

Registrants are invited to bring their own lunch to the event. Doors open at 11:30 am. Program begins at 12 noon sharp and ends at 1:00 pm.

**Registration with Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/632790452277

Register by clicking here!

Historical novelist Mike Brown, local author and President of Hometown Novel Writers Association, will discuss the motivational background for his writing, publishing opportunities, challenges today, the value of leaving a lasting legacy, and his forthcoming new book, The Last Laird of Sapelo. Please join us to hear what promises to be a fascinating talk by an award-winning author!

**Registration with Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/593623803777

Join Santa as he tells stories about the holidays and the North Pole. Photos will follow the program. All ages are welcome. Space is limited. Sponsored by the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation and Coweta Kiwanis. Registration is required and can be made through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/449529142767

Join the Newnan Carnegie Library and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation for a series of Author Talks throughout the fall! We are proud to recognize these authors for their outstanding work.

John Pruitt retired from his anchor chair at WSB at the end of 2010 after a career spanning 46 years of covering news in Georgia. John continues to work on special projects and political commentaries for WSB, and in 2014, he marked his 50th year in television journalism. He began his television news career as a reporter and cameraman, covering major civil rights stories around the South. John has a history degree from Davidson College and has received many awards for his anchoring and reporting. He has won 10 Emmys, including Best Male Anchor and Best Documentary. John has been inducted into the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. They have a great love of animals and have owned multiple dogs, but currently they have only one, Toby, a diabetic golden retriever they rescued in 2013.

Register here!

Join the Newnan Carnegie Library and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation for the Main Street Newnan Munchkin Masquerade! The Carnegie will be passing out candy and the NCLF will have a book for each child. We can't wait to see you!

Join the Newnan Carnegie Library and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation for a series of Author Talks throughout the fall! We are proud to recognize these authors for their outstanding work.

Wanda is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Crime Writers of Color. A corporate attorney, Wanda has worked in the legal departments of some of America’s top Fortune 100 companies. She is an accomplished presenter and leader. As a former President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, she established a signature female empowerment program known as the Women’s Initiative. She is married, the mother of three and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. All Her Little Secrets is her debut novel.

Register here!

Join the Newnan Carnegie Library and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation for another free lunchtime program. Bring a lunch with you as we discuss the divisions in our nation and some of the topics that we disagree about. Special guest speakers include Republican strategist, Brian Robinson, and Democrat Strategist, Theran Johnson. Please note this will be a respectful discussion and we ask patrons to abide by this rule if attending. The doors open promptly at 12:30pm, and the program starts at 1:00pm.

Register here!

Join the Newnan Carnegie Library and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation for another exciting free lunchtime program. Bring a lunch with you, and learn about the exciting world of the United States during the era of Prohibition and how the South fought against it.

We live in the Bible Belt, and as a result the South became “dry” before the rest of the country embraced Prohibition in 1920. In fact, a Newnan native, Congressman W.D. Upshaw, styled himself “the driest of the dry” and was the Prohibition Party candidate for president in 1932! However, thanks to rumrunners and moonshiners, illegal purveyors of alcohol kept not only the South wet but many other parts of the country as well. Learn about the ramifications of the “noble experiment” in the South, from visits with crime boss Al Capone to stock car racing, when Kathryn Smith speaks about her fascinating new book, Baptists and Bootleggers: A Prohibition Expedition Through the South...With Cocktail Recipes.

Award-winning biographer Kathryn Smith speaks widely on her various books about such historical figures as Missy LeHand (FDR’s assistant) and Gertrude Legendre, the American socialite who worked for the country’s spy agency during World War II. She and her husband reside in Anderson, South Carolina.

The doors open at 11:30am and the program begins promptly at 12:00pm.

Register here!

Join the Newnan Carnegie Library and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation for a series of Author Talks throughout the fall! We are proud to recognize these authors for their outstanding work.

Carolyn Curry is an award-winning author, historian, and non-profit founder and director of Women Alone Together®. She holds a BA from Agnes Scott College and a MA and PhD from Georgia State University. In 2014, she published Suffer and Grow Strong: The Life of Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas 1834-1907. In 2015, it was selected One of the Books all Georgians should read by the Georgia Center for the Book. In that same year, Curry received Georgia Author of the Year from the Georgia Writers Association.

Register here!

Join the Newnan Carnegie Library and the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation for a series of Author Talks throughout the fall! We are proud to recognize these authors for their outstanding work.

Will Leitch lives in Athens, Georgia with his family and is the author of five books, including the upcoming novel How Lucky, released by Harper in May 2021. He writes regularly for New York, MLB.com, Medium, The New York Times and the Washington Post. He is the founder of the late website Deadspin. He also writes a free weekly newsletter that you might enjoy at williamfleitch.substack.com.

Register here!

Michael Morgan who has been the organist for Columbia Theological Seminary and Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta has the largest private collection of noteworthy Bibles in the world. The exhibit will be housed in Central Baptist Church’s New Fellowship Hall.  Michael Morgan will talk about these Bibles for about 40 to 45 minutes.  There will be time for questions and for guests to actually see up close and handle with gloves these irreplaceable documents.  

A program of LIVE music will be included.

Southern Lit Fest Schedule

Check-in/Silent Auction/Bourbon On The Porch Kick-Off 

Guests arrive at the museum to check-in and peruse the silent auction items. Around 5:15 guests will gather in the back courtyard to hear an overview of the planned bourbon tasting. Ticket holders will also receive their etched bourbon glass, compliments of Josey, Young & Brady real estate. Guests will then cross into the College-Temple neighborhood for the event.

Once in the College-Temple neighborhood, guests can visit any of the three stops in the order they wish.

Trezevant Home - 42 College St. - First tasting and LIVE bluegrass entertainment.

Strain Home - 52 College St. - Live music provided by a classical guitarist and second bourbon tasting.

McWhorter Home - 27 Temple Ave. - Third tasting and live music provdided by country folk duo.

FINAL STOP - McRitchie-Hollis Museum- 74 Jackson St.- Bourbon ticket holders and non-bourbon event guests who hold tickets to the final ending party, enjoy the fourth and final tasting. BBQ, sides, dessert, iced tea and more on the front lawn of the museum. Dance and sway to summer tunes performed by the smooth entertainment dynamic vocal duo, Arnotti-Stephens.

Register here!

Investigative reporter and Atlanta native, Chris Joyner will be giving an author talk and book signing.

Southern Lit Fest Schedule

Popular columnist and writer, Sean Diedrich gives an author talk and book signing.

Southern Lit Fest Schedule