2026 EVPL SPEAK Authors, Theme Announced Today

Evansville, IN – Today, EVPL is announcing the author lineup for SPEAK 2026: Sarah Adams, Patrick Griffin, Candace Fleming, and Toni Tipton-Martin.  Sponsored by the EVPL Foundation, SPEAK events are free and open to all.

“The theme of SPEAK 2026 and EVPL’s Annual Reading Challenge is ‘spark a love of reading with EVPL’.  The authors selected for SPEAK 2026 will help ignite—or reignite—participants’ love of reading, books, and their library,” said Erika Qualls Barnett, Director of Programming & Outreach, EVPL. “Through these authors’ works, readers can discover the beauty of family and true love in a romance novel, explore our nation’s past, nurture a child’s imagination in a picture book, or find culinary inspiration in a cookbook.”

The first author in the series, Sarah Adams, will speak on Thursday, April 23, at 7 p.m. at Old National Events Plaza in downtown Evansville. Adams is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of 13 contemporary romantic comedy novels, including the Rome, Kentucky series and the Los Angeles Sharks duology. Her top-selling books include The Cheat Sheet and Practice Makes Perfect. The Rome, Kentucky series concluded in December 2025 with the publication of In Your Dreams; the third book in this series features a main male character who lives in Evansville before moving to Rome.

On Tuesday, July 21, at 7 p.m., Notre Dame Professor Dr. Patrick Griffin will present “The Revolutionary War in Three Paintings” in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This event will be held at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, co-hosts of the event.  Griffin is the author of five books including The Age of Atlantic Revolution: The Fall and Rise of a Connected World, America’s Revolution, and American Leviathan: Empire, Nation, and Revolutionary Frontier. As America observes this year’s historic milestone, Griffin’s insights will illuminate the history of peoples and cultures spanning the Atlantic Ocean.

Candace Fleming, award-winning author of more than 50 books for children and young adults, will speak on Thursday, September 17, at 7 p.m. at EVPL Central.  Some of her recent works include Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera, The Enigma Girls and Narwhal, Unicorn of the Arctic. She also writes historical biographies, many of which feature prominent American figures from the nation’s history, including Ben Franklin’s Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman’s Life; Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s Remarkable Life; The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh; The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham; Mary; The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum; and Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart.

The series will conclude on Thursday, October 22, at 7 p.m. with Toni Tipton-Martin, an award-winning food and nutrition journalist. Urban Seeds is a program partner for this event, which will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Evansville. Tipton-Martin is the Editor in Chief of Cook’s Country Magazine and its PBS television show and is the author of several highly acclaimed books that celebrate America’s Black and female cooks. She is the recipient of the Julia Child Foundation Award, which is given to an individual (or team) who has made a profound and significant difference in the way America cooks, eats and drinks; is a three-time James Beard Book Award winner; and she has earned the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Trailblazer Award, its Book of the Year Award, and Member of the Year Award.

Additional information about these authors, their works, and the SPEAK 2026 series is available at www.evpl.org/SPEAK2026.

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SPEAK: An Explorative Lecture Series, an evolution of One Book, One Community, is a lecture and discussion series that brings authors and thought leaders to Evansville. Through SPEAK,  EVPL hopes to further our vision of communities united through shared exploration and understanding by supporting and encouraging conversation. 

The Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization established to support EVPL. Foundation Board Members are engaged and activated community members. Working in partnership with Library Leadership and Library Trustees, Foundation Board Members support EVPL through fundraising, volunteering, and advocacy. More information about the Foundation and supporting SPEAK is available at evpl.org/foundation.