Last night I had the pleasure of speaking and reading from Eve’s Garden at the Carnegie Library of Steuben County in Angola, IN. I was keenly interested in the library’s preservation, having long admired both the origin stories and the architecture of other Carnegie libraries where I’ve spoken. (There are several Carnegie libraries in the Chicago area.)

A Carnegie library is one built through the generosity of the Scottish-American industrialist, Andrew Carnegie, around the turn of the nineteenth century to the twentieth. The libraries are of various architectural styles, including Beaux Artes, Italian Renaissance, and Baroque. Every one I’ve seen has been gorgeous, with extraordinary details, but, most importantly, they’ve been seen by their communities as treasures to be protected and loved.The Steuben County library is no exception. It sits, fully protected and wholly enclosed, inside a more modern outer shell, with the newer parts of the building extraordinarily well-appointed to complement the original.

It was no surprise, then, to find that my audience for last night’s talk was equally well-prepared and wonderfully stimulating. Most had read the book or at least knew its general plot, and all had very perceptive questions. I mean, really, when is the last time any writer had an audience where every one had a carefully-thought-out question? They were a writer’s dream.

Many thanks to the library’s program manager, Dina Ferree, for her introduction and arrangements, and many thanks to my friend, Linda Mowry, for suggesting this program to the library. (Take note, friends; we can all ask for our favorite authors to be invited, and it just might happen.)

And thanks to my audience for their attention and questions. It was a joy! See for yourself: