The Central Arkansas Library System announced its 2015 events Thursday, including an Arkansas Literary Festival lineup that will feature John Waters, maker of the movie Hairspray.
The four-day festival in April will feature more than 80 presenters.
Some of them include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rick Bragg; New York Times best-selling author Rebecca Wells, who wrote the Ya-Ya Sisterhood book series; Cheryl and Griff Day of Day Bakery in Savannah, Ga., authors of the Back In The Day Bakery Cookbook; Issa Rae, author of the workplace-comedy series Awkward Black Girl.
Waters will headline an event on the Saturday of the festival, which runs April 23-26.
"It's really going to be a stellar year," said festival coordinator Brad Mooy.
Presenters come from 25 states and include a presidential medal of freedom winner, an author who has received eight Coretta Scott King awards, a director who has written and directed more than 16 films, and the founder of a $1.5 billion company, Mooy said.
There will be a "tiny ninja" workshop for children and a play based on "Chicken Little" and "The Little Red Hen."
Library officials also announced other programs Thursday that will take place throughout the year.
Its 2015 film series will have three categories: classics, rewinds and children movies. The first movie, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, was shown Thursday. Anastasia is scheduled to run Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Ron Robinson Theater downtown in the River Market.
Arkansas Sounds monthly music concerts will start Feb. 13 with Charley Sandage and Harmony. The event is free at 7:30 p.m. at the Ron Robinson Theater.
Also in February, the library will sponsor a "Share the Wonder(ful)" contest in honor of Library Lover's Month. Patrons will earn an entry into the contest for every five items they check out that month. A winner will receive a Kindle Fire.
The system also is pushing a 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program that encourages parents to read one book to their children each night, which would total more than 1,000 by time they are kindergarten age. The official kick-off for this campaign is Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library and Learning Center on 10th Street.
"Reading to children does more for them than make them sleepy before bed time -- not that there's anything wrong with that," said Youth Services Coordinator Lisa Donovan.
Reading to a child helps build knowledge that eventually leads to success in reading, she said.
Parents who log the books they've read to their children will get a sticker for their child after every 100 books and those who make it to 1,000 books will get a free book at the end of the program.
"When people talk about public libraries, they always think of checking out books and helping people find information," library director Bobby Roberts said. "That's what public libraries have done ever since they were founded and we still do that ... but if you look at what's been a fast growing part of the library over the last four to five years, it's been programming.
"I suspect this library does more different things than any library in the country in terms of programming, circulation and all the services we provide in the community."
Metro on 01/23/2015