Mansfield Public Library to Host Evening with Author Amanda Eyre Ward, 4/29

The Friends of the Mansfield Public Library are bringing critically acclaimed author and novelist Amanda Eyre Ward to the Mansfield Public Library as part of the group's Mansfield Reads! program on April 29, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The event, known as Evening With The Author, marks the culmination of Reads!, which encourages everyone in the Mansfield community to read the same book at the same time. This year's Reads! selection was Ward's novel, The Same Sky, a beautiful and heart-wrenching piece of fiction about motherhood, resilience and faith.

Ward, a former librarian and current Austin resident, is a critically acclaimed author of five novels, including the bestseller How to Be Lost. She spent 2014 visiting shelters in Texas and California, meeting immigrant children and hearing their stories, which inspired The Same Sky.

The Evening With The Author, a free event, will follow this schedule:

•6 p.m. - Hors d'oeuvres catered by Ben Barber High School's Savvy's Bistro.
•7 p.m. - The Friends welcome Ward for an interview-style discussion about her novel followed by time for the audience to ask questions
•8 p.m. - Book signing and coffee & desserts

Barnes & Noble will offer all of Ward's books for sale at the event. Through the retailer's Book Fair program, a percentage of the sales proceeds will go the Friends. If readers can't attend, they can also use book fair code 11831484 at bn.com April 29 through May 8 to support the group.

The event is free to all, even those not in the Mansfield community; however the Friends are requesting people RSVP at mansfieldlibraryfriends.org by April 22 in order to have the appropriate amount of food on hand.

The Friends are also asking those attending to bring used books to donate to their bookstore, which is one of their key fundraising sources.

The Same Sky highlights a ripped-from-the-headlines story of two families on each side of the U.S.-Mexico border. The book alternates between the journeys of Carla, an eleven-year-old girl from Honduras who decides to make the dangerous trip north to find her mother in Texas, and Alice, a wife in Austin with a thriving business and loving marriage who feels something is missing, lying just beyond reach.

Those with questions should contact the Friends at mansfieldlibraryfriends@gmail.com.

About Friends of the Mansfield Public Library: Founded in 1965, the Friends group is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the library through fundraising, promotion and advocacy. Friends use the money they raise to purchase things for the library that otherwise wouldn't be possible, as well as fund the annual, citywide Mansfield Reads! program. To contribute a tax-deductible donation or learn more, visit mansfieldlibraryfriends.org.

About Mansfield Reads!: Since 2004 the Friends of the Mansfield Public Library host this annual program throughout the month of April. With the tagline "One City, One Book," the Friends promote the library and foster a sense of community by encouraging everyone to read the same book at the same time. The organization and the library, with the help of sponsors, host activities and programs to facilitate discussion and engagement, which culminates with An Evening With The Author. Past Reads! authors include Fannie Flagg, Sandra Brown, Taylor Stevens, Jeff Guinn and Buzz Bissinger. For more information, visit mansfieldlibraryfriends.org/reads.

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