Columbus Metropolitan Library is taking its popular author talks out of downtown and scattering them across Franklin County this fall, with more than 30 writers scheduled to appear at neighborhood branches from New Albany to the Hilltop between September and mid-November. The lineup includes James Beard Award winner Alexis Nikole Nelson, a sold-out October conversation between fantasy novelist V.E. Schwab and science fiction author John Scalzi, and a slate of family, teen, and adult programming spread across the system rather than concentrated at one location.
The expansion marks a deliberate shift for the series, which previously hosted up to six authors mostly at Main Library, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Columbus Metropolitan Library CEO Lauren Hagan said the goal of moving programming into neighborhood branches is to bring bestselling writers directly into local communities year-round, according to a Columbus Metropolitan Library announcement. Authors at the Library now connect readers with both established and up-and-coming writers through monthly talks, book sales, signings, and other activities, and the library plans to add even more authors to the series in 2027.
Free Talks From New Albany to the Hilltop
Nearly all of the fall events are free to attend, with registration recommended to reserve seats. The schedule kicks off September 3 with Nina Willner at Main Library's auditorium at 6 p.m., followed by Vanessa Miller at the New Albany Branch on September 5 at 10 a.m. and Phill Branch at the Martin Luther King Branch on September 9 at 6 p.m.
Casey Michel speaks at Main Library's auditorium on September 14 at 6 p.m., and Alexis Nikole Nelson — known online as @BlackForager and named to the Time100 Creators List, per 614NOW — appears at Main Library's Reading Room on September 20 at 2 p.m. Nelson, an Ohio State University graduate with a social media following in the millions, is releasing her foraging handbook and cookbook, "Happy Snacking, Don't Die!", this September. Andrew Welsh-Huggins follows at the Dublin Branch on September 21 at 6 p.m.
October Brings the Series' Only Ticketed Event
October opens with Susan Beckham Zurenda at the Marion-Franklin Branch on October 2 at 4 p.m., timed to Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Her presentation on a novel addressing child marriage and domestic abuse will feature local social service organization LSS CHOICES on-site offering community support resources alongside the literary discussion, per the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
Katherine Reay speaks at the Gahanna Branch on October 10 at 3:30 p.m., and a family event with Grace Lin takes place at Main Library's Children's Area on October 6 at 6 p.m. The marquee date is October 13, when V.E. Schwab and Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi sit down together at Main Library's Reading Room — the only ticketed engagement on the fall calendar, with allocations having already sold out. Anna North appears at the Whetstone Branch on October 29 at 6 p.m., and a teen event with Kristy Boyce closes out the month at the Hilliard Branch on October 26 at 6 p.m.
November Wraps the Season, More Authors Coming in 2027
Tara Pringle Jefferson speaks at the Barnett Branch on November 7 at 2 p.m., Meg Anderson appears at the Hilltop Branch on November 14 at 2 p.m., and Thao Thai closes the fall season at Main Library's auditorium on November 15 at 2 p.m. No library card is required to attend any of the events, and RSVP and event details are available at columbuslibrary.org/authors-at-the-library.
The branch expansion lands as Columbus Metropolitan Library navigates a significant internal shift. In July, roughly 600 CML employees — including librarians, youth engagement specialists, and customer service staff — voted 86% in favor of unionizing as CML United with the Ohio Federation of Teachers, according to 10TV. Hoodline previously covered the staff's overwhelming union vote, which involves many of the same librarians and customer service staff who help run branch programming like this author series.
A System Built for Scale
Founded in 1873, Columbus Metropolitan Library operates 23 locations — its historic downtown Main Library plus 22 neighborhood branches across Franklin County — circulating between 13 million and 17 million items annually, according to Wikipedia. That scale underpins the library's ability to spread programming across the county rather than centralizing it downtown, and it dovetails with other community partnerships, including a special-edition library card launched with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets in October 2025 that supports after-school School Help Centers, and a June 2026 collaboration with Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew offering free game tickets to cardholders through the library's Culture Pass program.
Youth and teen programming within the author series is funded in part through a gift from science and technology research organization Battelle to the Columbus Metropolitan Library Foundation, which pays for free book giveaways at youth events. The corporate support echoes the library's flagship summer event, the Columbus Book Festival, which Hoodline reported packed Main Library with 200 authors in July. That festival launched in 2023 as a one-time gift for CML's 150th anniversary before becoming an annual tradition drawing crowds to both Main Library and Topiary Park.
