Eighteen years ago, Roswell resident Ann Siebert approached city hall to explore the idea of her hometown hosting a One City-One Read program to promote reading, literacy and community. With the support of the cultural arts department, the Roswell Library and Friends of the Roswell Library, Roswell Reads was formed to get everyone in the city reading and discussing the same book at the same time.
“Until about 2018, Roswell Reads did pretty much the same thing every year,” said Roswell Reads Communications Chair Kathy Des Jardins Cioffi. “They selected a book, announced it, then planned a luncheon where there would be 150 to 250 people in attendance.”
Each event included a book discussion, book signing and writing workshop conducted by the author.
In 2018, the steering committee shifted their focus slightly to authors currently touring to promote their latest work which led them to schedule Rick Bragg, author of “All Over but the Shoutin” to join them in March 2019.
Just before the event, Bragg became ill and was unable to travel. Instead of canceling the event, and with a nudge from Cioffi, he encouraged Roswell Reads to send volunteers to video his program.
“We came back and turned the footage into something like a little movie,” she said. “We offered people a refund if they wanted it, but we were able to show the movie and people loved it. Here he was larger than life on a screen. Rick Bragg was so generous to offer that option.”
Fortuitously, videotaping Bragg set the group up well for the pandemic years to follow. That same year, Roswell Reads added a fall edition of the program with Delia Owens, author of “Where the Crawdads Sing.”
“At that time her book had been number one for weeks and months, maybe a whole year,” said Cioffi. “Delia Owens was the book equivalent to Taylor Swift.”
Having sold out their 250 luncheon tickets for Rick Bragg, they knew they would need a much larger venue.
“The Roswell Cultural Arts Center was available to us,” added the Roswell Reads Chair. “We announced Delia Owens and in no time, I’m talking maybe a day or two, we had sold out the 600 seats of the center.”
Through a new cooperative agreement with the city and the Cultural Arts Center, Roswell Reads continues holding author-by-author ticketed events at the CAC.
“Roswell Reads is a program of Friends of the Roswell Library and in partnership with the Roswell Cultural Arts Center and Bookmiser,” notes Cioffi.
At the end of September, the group hosted William Kent Krueger in person to discuss his “The River We Remember.” His reading, discussion and writing workshop were also filmed.
Once a year the group offers a weekend opportunity to view all the videos (including writing workshops) they’ve recorded called Roswell Reads Rewind.
The literary group’s momentum is building with a big announcement for 2024 just weeks away.
In the meantime, Roswell Reads will host a free virtual discussion of Krueger’s novel at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Learn more and sign up for their newsletter at www.roswellreads.com.
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