Football, ‘SNL’ and History Headline 2027 Author Series
Friends of the Collier County Library’s popular breakfast series returns to Hilton Naples
This winter’s Nonfiction Author Series has a New York Times best-selling book for everyone, from one that highlights football’s greatest moments to another that traces the 50-year saga of “Saturday Night Live,” and from one that uncovers Nazi spies in Hawaii before the Pearl Harbor attack to another book that examines the mysterious murder of James Cook, the 18th century’s most-acclaimed ocean-going explorer.
Hosted by the nonprofit Friends of the Library of Collier County at the Hilton Naples, the Nonfiction Author Series consists of four separate author presentations — each including a hot/cold buffet breakfast and a book signing by the author. The series is a fundraiser for the Collier County Library, which has 10 branches.
Because the series has sold out in recent years, early ticket purchases for the 2027 series are advised. (See the info box for details and how to buy tickets.)
The 2027 authors are
Joe Posnanski, author of Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments, on Monday, January 18. In a follow-up to his best-selling Why We Love Baseball, Emmy-winner Posnanski describes 100 iconic moments in college and professional football, ranging from the hilarious to the heartbreaking.
Hampton Sides, author of The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, on Monday, February 8. This thrilling tale starts with Cook, Britain’s premier explorer, sailing from England in 1776 to search for the fabled Northwest Passage linking the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Two-and-a-half years later, Cook — known for his indulgent attitude toward indigenous populations — is brutally murdered by natives on the island of Hawaii.
Christine Kuehn, Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor, on Thursday, March 4. The author’s memoir unveils a dark family secret: in the late 1930s, her grandparents and her father’s stepsister, who was half-Jewish, were shipped by Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, to Hawaii rather than to a concentration camp. There, they had a sinister mission: collect information on the American fleet in Pearl Harbor to be passed on to the Nazis and the Japanese military.
Susan Morrison, Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live, on Monday, March 15. Morrison, the longtime articles editor of The New Yorker magazine, has written a penetrating biography of Lorne Michaels, the man who founded and then produced Saturday Night Live for more than 50 years. With 100-plus Emmys, Michaels and his SNL cast have changed the face of late-night TV and created an iconic presence in the nation’s social fabric.
The 2027 sponsors of the Nonfiction Author Series are
Platinum — Books-A-Million, The Club at Olde Cypress, Hilton Naples, Stock Development
Gold — Fidelity Investments, John R. Wood Properties
Silver — BrickTop’s Restaurant, Cornerstone Builders of Southwest Florida, J. Alexander’s Restaurant, The Capital Grille Restaurant, Vicki Tracy, Wynn’s Market
Nonfiction Author Series
What: Four separate author presentations with a full breakfast buffet and a book signing to raise funds for the Collier County Library
Where: Hilton Naples, 5111 Tamiami Trail N
When: Breakfast is served at 8:30 a.m.; the authors speak shortly after 9:15 a.m., followed by a book signing
Author lineup
Joe Posnanski, Monday, January 18
Hampton Sides, Monday, February 8
Christine Kuehn, Thursday, March 4
Susan Morrison, Monday, March 15
Cost: Series tickets are $375 for all four events for members of the Friends of the Library of Collier County, and $420 for nonmembers. A determination will be made later whether to sell individual tickets for each author event. Friends’ memberships begin at $50/year and provide access and discounts to the Nonfiction Author Series as well as many other library programs. Tickets can be purchased through the Friends website: collier-friends.org. Tickets also can be purchased by calling the Friends office 239.262.8135 or by emailing Marlene Haywood, the Friends’ Operations and Events Manager: mhaywood@collier-friends.org.
A portion of the ticket purchase can be
tax-deductible.
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