Stillwater Reads

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Stillwater Reads is the Stillwater Public Library's eleventh community-wide reading series. The programs are designed to foster a sense of community through a shared reading experience. This is the second series that includes a reading selection for kids. Click here to download a printable flyer and event schedule (PDF).

Free Books & Discussions

Adults who sign up to attend a small group book discussion will receive a free copy of Listen by Sheldon Russell. Registration is open. Kids can also pick up a free copy of Nowhere Better Than Here, but they do not need to register for any programs to participate. However, we do highly encourage youth participants to sign up to attend Guillory's author visit. 

Dates, times, and locations of book discussions include:

DATEDAYTIMEDISCUSSION LEADERLOCATION
8/26Tuesday7 p.m.Kathryn RossPrairie Arts Center (1001 S. Duck) + Bring a Craft 
8/28Thursday6:30 p.m.Cheryl DedricksonStillwater Public Library
9/3 (FULL)Wednesday5 p.m.Mike WoodsStonecloud (917 S. Husband)
9/6Saturday12:30 p.m.Donna SinnesOSU Museum of Art (720 S. Husband) + View Exhibit
9/8Monday2 p.m.Karen NeurohrStillwater Armory (315 E. 9th - WPA building constructed in 1936)
9/12Friday12 p.m.Stacy DeLanoStillwater Public Library with 2nd Friday Book Club
9/12 (FULL)Friday1 p.m.Lisa O'DonnellStillwater Public Library + Tea Party
9/14Sunday3 p.m.Jordan StineFreddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers (1015 N. Boomer)
9/16Tuesday3:30 p.m.Stacy DeLanoStillwater History Museum at the Sheerar (702 S. Duncan)
9/18Thursday11:30 a.m.Lisa O'DonnellStillwater Public Library with Mrs. Red's Book Club
9/19 Friday10 a.m.Robin CornwellStillwater Public Library
9/22 (FULL)Monday5:30 p.m.Emily StatesZannotti's (113 W. 7th)
9/23Tuesday10 a.m.Susan RossBalanced Coffee (120 E. 9th)
9/24Wednesday5:30 p.m.Brenna GilchristStillwater Public Library
9/25Thursday6 p.m.Emily States & Lisa O'DonnellStillwater Public Library + 1930s Potluck with Cookbook Club

About the Books & Authors

Listen Book CoverFor Adults

Listen by Sheldon Russell is an Oklahoma Book Award-winning work of fiction that tells the story of Liam, an educated and ambitious young man who takes a job with the Federal Writers' Project and gets assigned to collect stories of rural life for the Library of Congress in a hot, poverty-stricken Dust Bowl town in northwest Oklahoma. The fictional town, Atlas, bears a striking resemblance to Alva, Oklahoma, down to the "Castle on the Hill."

Russell, a former Oklahoma public school English teacher, grew up on a cattle ranch in the Gloss Mountains of Oklahoma. He currently resides on a ranch outside of Waynoka, Oklahoma, with his wife Nancy.  

Nowhere Better Than Here CoverFor Youth (grades 4-7)

Nowhere Better Than Here by Sarah Guillory follows 13-year-old Jillian, who holds three things as sacred: bayou sunsets, her grandmother's stories, and the coastal town she calls home. When a terrible flood hits her community, Jillian works to unite her community through the power of storytelling. This book is best suited for grades 4-7. Nowhere Better Than Here was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and earned four starred reviews.

Guillory is a high school English teacher and author of the middle-grade book Gus and Glory. She loves walking her dogs, sitting under a tree with a book, or running countless miles before the sun has even come up. She resides in Louisiana with her husband and dogs.

  1. Upcoming Events
  2. Past Events

On view throughout the main library building from August 18-September 3
A traveling exhibit featuring images, quotations, and memories about the Dust Bowl, including content from the Oklahoma State University library's Women of the Dust Bowl oral histories.

Oklahoma-Swing-400x400Community Picnic Finale

  • Writing Club (Wednesdays in Sept. 4-5 p.m.) Writing Club for 4th-6th graders. Limited Space, registration is required. Sign up here.
  • Oklahoma History Storytimes (Friday 9/5 & Saturday 9/6 at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.) No registration required.
  • Oral History Project (More info TBD) The children's librarian is partnering with the OSU Library and Stillwater elementary schools to teach kids about oral history and give them some hands-on practice.

Stillwater Reads is funded by the Friends of the Stillwater Public Library. Books are provided courtesy of the Amazon Think Big program. Additional support is provided by the Oklahoma State University Library, the Oklahoma Historical Society, Block 34, Meridian Technology Center, and Stillwater Public Schools.