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An unexpected award arrived in the mail for FAL recently. Each year Girls Inc. of the Island City selects Alameda organizations and individuals who have gone above and beyond to support the empowerment of girls and to inspire them to be strong, smart, and bold. This year the Friends of
Community Events
On July 20th, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library was joined by Alia Volz, a San Francisco native and author of the memoir Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020), winner of the Golden Poppy Award for Nonfiction from the California
FAL Happenings
The ARTSFUND grants program was established to assist nonprofit arts organizations throughout the county of Alameda and is managed by the Office of the Alameda County Arts Commission under the leadership of Melissa Wilk, Alameda County Auditor-Controller/Clerk-Recorder and the members of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. These funds
Community Events
On June 14th, the Friends were joined by art docent Avril Angevine for a presentation on the work of Dorothea Lange, who produced an astonishing body of photographic work in a career that lasted from the 1920s, when she ran the most successful portrait studio in San Francisco, to her
Community Events
On June 9th, George Takei - a social justice activist, social media superstar, Grammy-nominated recording artist, New York Times bestselling author, and pioneering actor whose career has spanned six decades - joined the Friends of the Alameda Free Library to discuss They Called Us Enemy, his firsthand account of the
Community Events
On May 26, 2021, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library was joined by Francesca Lia Block, MFA, who has authored more than twenty-five books of fiction, non-fiction, short stories, and poetry and has written screenplay adaptations of her work. Ms. Block’s talk centered on her writing process, how
News
Registration for the 2021 Summer Reading Program is now open and everyone, from birth to adults, can join in the fun. Participants may register online at alamedafree.beanstack.org. Registrants can participate from home, on a mobile device, or while on vacation. This year prizes include ice cream cones from
News
President Biden has proposed massive legislation to rebuild our infrastructure and reshape the economy. Unfortunately, the legislation ignores the critical need for funding to build and modernize public libraries. A new bill, Build America’s Libraries Act, does just that. It has bipartisan support and would provide funding to construct
Community Events
On May 19, 2021, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library was joined by award-winning artist and best-selling author Paul Madonna, who gave a presentation of his electrifying mystery novel Come to Light. Full of unexpected plot twists, lively characters and over 100 lush drawings in Madonna’s inimitable style,
Friends @ Home
On April 29 the Mystery Writers of America announced the winners of the 2020 Edgar Alan Poe Awards. Two of the Edgars went to authors who have appeared in our Friends @ Home series of virtual author talks. Deepa Anappara’s Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line won Best Novel, and
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Our spring campaign benefits the annual fund, which is the cornerstone of FAL’s fundraising efforts. What does it do? So much! The annual fund allows us to continue our ongoing support of the Alameda Free Library for the many programs and services you have come to love. We use
Community Events
On May 5, 2021, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library was joined by author Caroline Kim, whose work explores what it means to be human through the Korean diaspora. With humor, insight, and curiosity, Kim’s wide-ranging stories explore themes of culture, communication, travel, and family. Her talk is