New Ticket Prices, Big Names, and Big Audiences: Author Events at the Free Library Is Having a Standout Season

Jake Tapper now added to a Spring schedule that already includes Booker and Pulitzer prize winners, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Maria Shriver, Elie Mystal, Caro De Robertis, Jonathan Capehart, local journalist Mike Sielski, and many others

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation announces the addition of journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson to its Spring Author Events Series schedule. Tapper and Thompson will be at Parkway Central Library on May 29 to discuss their book Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover Up And His Disastrous Choice To Run Again. Tapper and Thompson join a line-up that already boasts Dr. Anthony Fauci, in conversation with WHYY’s Dave Davies, Senator Ron Wyden on stage with chef, restaurateur and writer, Michael Solomonov, and Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey talking with the New Yorker’s Katy Waldman.

On March 27, J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf is coming to the Author Events Series. Rolling Stone has called his Waiting On The Moon “the book everyone always hoped he would write.” New York Times bestselling author Omar Tyree is currently scheduled to close out the season, on June 5. The full list, and event details, is at: https://freelibraryfoundation.org/events/

Tickets prices have also been reduced for the Author Events Series. All tickets are now just $5, part of a pilot program launched at the start of this year that aims to make these events more consistently accessible and affordable. Previously, while some events were free of charge, the standard ticket price was $17.50.

Since introducing the new pricing model, the Author Events Series has sold an average of 174 tickets per event, and 25% of events, to date, have attracted capacity or near capacity attendance. For some events, publishers require the purchase of a book, which is added to the $5.

In tandem with lower ticket prices, Daniel and his team scheduled a diverse and influential selection of writers and thinkers, a mix that is proving popular with attendees.

“We took a big swing,” said Daniel Blank, managing director of public programs. “We’re a new team, this is our first full season of events, and as we were planning it we had messages coming in from people concerned for the program’s future. We also heard from attendees that the pricing model needed to change. It was a lot, but we were motivated by the fact that we were rebuilding a cherished and valued program. The way the Philadelphia community has responded has been wonderful.”

With almost half the season still to go, upcoming novelists include: New York Times bestselling author, Omar Tyree, Jennifer Haigh, Katie Kitamura, and Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey.

Also scheduled are Pulitzer Prize winning Irish poet Paul Muldoon, J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Rebecca Romney, Noliwe Rooks, Maria Shriver, Elie Mystal, and Caro De Robertis.

“It was important for us to create a great season,” said Monique Moore-Pryor, Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation President. “Both to thank the Philadelphia community for sticking with us and to show that, for the Author Events Series, its best days are ahead. We also wanted to show our colleagues and hosts at the Free Library, as well as our sponsors and benefactors, that the program was in good hands.”

This year, the program also introduced Comcast as its new presenting sponsor, along with new media partners The Philadelphia Citizen, and new sponsor partners The National Board of Medical Examiners. Uncle Bobbie’s remains the Author Events Series’ official bookseller.

About the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation:

The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation supports the Free Library of Philadelphia by providing resources and funding to enhance the library’s offerings and services. Through community engagement, donor support, and innovative initiatives, the Foundation works to create a vibrant, inclusive community dedicated to lifelong learning and cultural enrichment.