Durham County Library and Durham Library Foundation to Host Third Annual Library Fest

Durham, NC — Beginning Monday, April 24 and ending Saturday, April 29, 2023, Durham County Library and the Durham Library Foundation will host Library Fest: The Storytelling Edition. Following last year’s Food Edition and the inaugural edition in 2021, the Library is excited to feature headliners including Terry McMillan, Jeghetto, Chef Sean Sherman, and Sheila Turnage. There are many ways to tell a story, and our various free Library Fest programs reflect that theme. All programs hosted for Library Fest are free and open to the public; some programs require registration via the Durham County Library events calendar.

Kicking off Library Fest: The Storytelling Edition will be a talk and a book signing by Terry McMillan, author of New York Times #1 Best-sellers «Waiting to Exhale» and «How Stella Got Her Groove Back.» Terry McMillan’s event will take place at the Carolina Theatre on Monday, April 24 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, April 26, the award-winning author Shelia Turnage will give a talk from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Children’s Programming Room at Main Library. On the final day of Library Fest, Saturday, April 29, chef and author of the James Beard-awarded «The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen,» Chef Sean Sherman, will hold a talk at the Nasher Museum of Art from 11 a.m. to noon. Performing throughout the week and at all library locations will be the internationally acclaimed master puppeteer Tarish «Jeghetto» Pipkins. Jeghetto has been featured in a Super Bowl ad, a Missy Elliot video, and much more!

Returning from last year’s Library Fest will be Eats & Treats. Restaurants, bars, and other local businesses will release limited-edition storytelling-themed items for the week of Library Fest. For the full list of participating businesses, please see the Library Fest website. Other programs taking place throughout the week include bilingual story times, oral history training, a jazz concert, and more! Please see event calendar for further details.

The Storytelling Edition will feature a logo from Durham County Library’s own Jessica Lundin, the winner of this year’s logo design contest. «I’m so excited my design won,» said Jessica. «I can’t wait to see the logo on all the Library Fest gear. Dragons should be on everything!»

Library Fest is supported by generous funding from the Durham Library Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization founded to develop and encourage the long-term financial health and growth of Durham County Library. Durham County Library encourages discovery, connects the community, and leads in literacy. As a department of Durham County Government, the library furthers Goal 1 of the county’s Strategic Plan by enhancing cultural, educational, and creative opportunities. For more information about the library, visit DurhamCountyLibrary.org.