The Friends of the Gilmer County Library (FOGL) will welcome a best-selling novelist to speak at its upcoming annual meeting.
The group of local library boosters only meets once a year, and those meetings are always open to the public, confirmed Nan Flickinger, FOGL president.
The 2024 meeting will be held Tuesday, April 16, starting at 5 p.m. in the lower level of the library located at 268 Calvin Jackson Drive.
Cassandra King Conroy will be the event’s guest speaker. She is the author of such novels as “The Same Sweet Girls,” “The Sunday Wife,” “Making Waves,” “Moonrise” and “Queen of Broken Hearts.”
A native of Alabama (her bio states that she originally hails from L.A. - Lower Alabama) and a longtime resident of South Carolina, her work has also been published in “Coastal Living” and “Southern Living” magazines. Many of King Conroy’s books are set in the American south, noted Flickinger.
“She is an award-winning author of five novels, a book of nonfiction, numerous short stories, magazine articles and essays. Her books have been very well received,” Flickinger added.
For 18 years, King Conroy was married to another best-selling novelist, Pat Conroy. Several of Conroy’s novels were made into movies, including “The Prince of Tides,” “The Great Santini,” “The Lords of Discipline” and “The Water is Wide.” He passed away in 2016 after battling pancreatic cancer. King Conroy’s memoir, “Tell Me a Story,” details their life together.
“She has friends in this area and agreed to come be our guest speaker. We’re really excited that she has agreed to do this,” said Flickinger.
FOGL’s main purpose is to raise money for the Gilmer library, but the group has experienced a drop in volunteers since the COVID pandemic, during which the entire regional library system’s in-person programming was on hold for some time.
They’re always eager to expand the membership base, confirmed Flickinger. Right now, the group’s active membership is around 90, and there are several different FOGL membership levels available, starting at $20 a year for individuals and $15 yearly for seniors, she noted.
“We are still kind of recovering from the pandemic. We don’t really have a big membership drive each year, but we are trying to get the word out that The Bookshelf is there and trying to increase our membership, as always,” Flickinger said.
Sales from The Bookshelf, a used book shop at the library, benefit some of the educational programs and activities offered there. The shop’s volunteer staff is largely comprised of Friends of the Library. The most expensive books are only $2, but the library friends also sell rare copies and collectable books on Amazon as an additional fundraiser.
“Our Amazon (book) sales are going really well, and we’ve had some donations that have really helped beef that up. The more we bring in, the more we can give the library for materials and programs,” Flickinger said.
The upcoming meeting and lecture will also include a fundraising silent auction, naming of officers for the new year and and a brief update of the past year’s fundraising efforts. The silent auction and refreshments will begin at 5 p.m, followed by the annual business and King Conroy’s lecture.
“You don’t have to be a member of the Friends of the Library to attend,” confirmed Flickinger.