Library unveils Club Ink events open to public, participants

Geauga County Public Library has unveiled Club Ink, a series of events and workshops celebrating culture and the written and spoken word.

The library is bringing a lineup of writers to Geauga County this year and into 2018. The lineup includes several workshops with Club Ink as well as presentations that feature authors addressing wider audiences. All events are open to the public as well as Club Ink participants.

• Rachele Alpine visits the Club Ink Writing Workshop at the Chardon Branch at 7 p.m., July 5. Alpine is a middle-grade and young adult author. Her works include “You Throw Like a Girl,” “A Void the Size of the World,” and others.

There is limited seating so registration is required.

• Thrity Umrigar visits the Geauga West Branch at 7 p.m., Aug. 2. She is the best-selling author of seven adult books including “If Today Be Sweet,” “Bombay Time,” and “The Story Hour”; she has also published a picture book entitled “When I Carried You in My Belly.” Tickets cost $10. • Keith Manos visits the Club Ink Writing Workshop at 7 p.m., Sept. 6. This author and editor has been published in multiple magazines including Scholastic Coach and Athletic

Director, Teacher Magazine, and Ohio ASCD Journal. His works include “Wrestling Coaches Survival Guide,” “Writing Smarter,” and “My Last Year of Life (in School).”

• Lindsay Ward comes to the Chardon Branch at 10:30 a.m., Sept. 9, to host a children’s storytime before the Local Author Fair. Ward is a children’s author and illustrator whose works include “Brobarians” and “Rosco vs. The Baby.”

• Johnny Ray Miller visits GCPL on three different occasions: Middlefield Branch, 2 p.m., Sept. 9; Chardon Branch, 7 p.m., Oct. 11; and Bainbridge Branch, 2 p.m., Nov. 12. Miller is the author of the book “When We’re Singin’: The Partridge Family and Their Music.” He is also an actor, director, and producer who has worked on shows such as Desperate Housewives and E.R.

• Michael Hingson visits GCPL at the Newbury Auditorium, Sept. 16. Not only will attendees learn the inspirational story of how Hingson, who is blind, escaped from the Twin Towers on 9/11 with his seeingeye dog Roselle, they’ll also get to meet his new seeingeye dog, Africa, who happily signs “pawtographs.”

Rescue Village will be on site, along with GCPL’s Fun Bus Bookmobile. Hingson’s book about his escape, “Thunder Dog,” is a New York Times bestseller and will be available for purchase after the event.

• Dan Chaon leads the Club Ink Writing Workshop at the Chardon Branch on Oct. 4. Chaon is a national bestselling author of novels and short stories. His works include “Ill Will,” “Await Your Reply,” “Among the Missing,” and others.

• Mindy McGinnis visits the Geauga West Branch at 7 p.m., Nov. 16. McGinnis is a young adult author, blogger, and librarian. Her works include “In a Handful of Dust,” “A Madness So Discreet,” and “The Female of the Species.”

• Jim Sulecki will get attendees in the Super Bowl spirit at the Geauga West Branch Jan. 24. Sulecki is currently a business journalist and author of “The Cleveland Rams: The NFL Champs Who Left Too Soon, 1936 - 1945.”

In addition to these events, Club Ink also features its annual Local Author Fair which takes place 1 to 3 p.m., Sept. 9, at the Chardon Branch and features many local authors selling and signing their books.

The Club Ink Writing Workshop takes place the first Wednesday of every month at the Chardon Branch. This is a casual gathering of writers of all genres interested in sharing experiences, critiques, and ideas. Both aspiring authors and seasoned veterans are encouraged to attend. No registration required.