Support the Des Moines Public Library and enjoy an evening celebrating literacy and Iowa authors. The memorable event includes dinner, the recitation of the Library Bill of Rights, and remarks by three outstanding Iowa authors:

• Lyz Lenz, New York Times bestselling author whose writing has appeared in The Washington Post, the Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times, and other publications. Her latest book, This American Ex-Wife, published this year, was an instant New York Times best seller. She hosts the This American Ex-Wife Podcast.
• Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey, is an author, performer, and producer. He has published two books, Look, Black Boy, and Heart Notes, released two albums, and produced a short film. He is the winner of several slams across the United States, and curates a community of spoken word in Iowa City through his high school program, IC Speaks,  and producing events like the Mic Check Poetry Fest.
• Carol Roh Spaulding is a writer and professor living in central Iowa. A California native and granddaughter of Korean immigrants, she has taught at Drake University since 1996, where she offers courses in writing and American literature. Since 2014, she has directed the Drake Community Press. In 2022, she received the Flannery O’Conner Award for the Short Story from University of Georgia Press, selected by Lori Ostlund.
• The event will also celebrate Tim Hickman and Frank Vaia as the 2024 “Friend of Literacy” recipients. We will end the evening with a “Raise the Paddle” campaign to raise funds for our library

Iowa Author Awards Dinner 2024 (ticketspice.com)  Tickets are $200.

Contact Executive Director Kelly Shrock at 515-412-0180 or executivedirector@dmplfoundation.org for ticket and sponsor information.