26th Annual Book Club Café to Feature Bestselling Author Paula McLain at Madison Public Library

MADISON, WI -- Bestselling author Paula McLain will headline the 26th Annual Book Club Café fundraiser hosted by the Friends of Madison Public Library on Tuesday, June 9 at Central Library where she'll share her thoughts on writing, libraries, reading and book clubs.

McLain is the bestselling author of six novels, including The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun, and Love and Ruin, as well as two collections of poetry and a memoir. Her latest novel Skylark, debuted in January and was Good Morning America's January book club pick. Her work has been published in over thirty-five countries, and featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, Town & Country, Real Simple, and elsewhere. Copies of Skylark and Paula's other novels will be available for purchase thanks to Mystery to Me Books.

Tickets for Book Club Café are $25 and attendees receive:

• Coffee, tea and pastries from Blue Plate Catering
• A free copy of the Book Club Favorites booklet
• A copy of Reading Group Choices, a print publication that recommends titles to book groups

One of the popular returning features of the Book Club Café is the complimentary Book Club Favorites booklet that each attendee receives.

"Local book clubs, Madison Public Library staff, and others recommend their favorite titles and we compile them into the Book Club Favorites piece. It's full of great reads to enjoy on your own or spark conversation during your next book club. Plus, it's great inspiration for what to check out next from the library," said lead organizer and Chair of the Monroe Street Library League Carol "Orange" Schroeder.

This year, book club members and individuals can also submit their top titles for the Book Club Favorites booklet online at madpl.org/bookclubcafe up until Monday, May 25.

Now in its 26th year, the Book Club Café is an opportunity for Dane County book club members and individual reading enthusiasts to show their support for the library system.

"The Book Club Café is a great way for local readers to share their favorite books, champion their favorite authors, and connect in-person with book clubs around the city," said Liz Boyd, Digital Services and Marketing Manager at Madison Public Library.

Members from each Madison Public Library location's Friends group help plan the event and contribute books for a book gift bag raffle. At the event, raffle tickets will be available and attendees can win mystery bags of books and donated Book Club Kits (thanks to the Central Library Friends of Madison Public Library) as prizes, with all proceeds going to benefit Madison Public Library.

The Book Club Café this year will feature open seating. Tickets are on sale now, and pre-registration is required by Wednesday, June 3. The event takes place from 7-9pm at Central Library. Registration is available online at madpl.org/bookclubcafe.

About Madison Public Library

Madison Public Library's tradition of promoting education, literacy and community involvement has enriched the City of Madison for 150 years. Visit the library online at www.madisonpubliclibrary.org or follow us on social media @madisonpubliclibrary on Facebook and Instagram.

About Paula McLain

McLain was born in Fresno, California in 1965. After being abandoned by both parents, she and her two sisters became wards of the California Court System, moving in and out of various foster homes for the next fourteen years.

When she aged out of the system, she supported herself by working as a nurse's aid in a convalescent hospital, a pizza delivery girl, an auto-plant worker, a cocktail waitress-before discovering she could (and very much wanted to) write.

She received her MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan in 1996, and is the author of two collections of poetry, a memoir, Like Family: Growing Up in Other People's Houses, and the debut novel, A Ticket to Ride. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, Huffington Post, the Guardian and elsewhere.