FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2026

Library receives grant for Community Read Series

COLUMBUS, N. C., (July 30, 2026) Polk County Public Libraries is pleased to announce it has been awarded a grant for a Community Read Series from the Lillian E. and Earl A. Bettinger Charitable Fund at the Polk County Community Foundation. Over the coming year, the library will host four regional authors for special events throughout Polk County, with 50 copies of each featured title provided free to participants. In addition to author talks and book signings, the series will include book discussions held at Columbus Library, offering readers an opportunity to engage more deeply with each work and connect with fellow community members.

The first event features Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, whose novel Even As We Breathe was the first published by an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee. The book was a finalist for the Weatherford Award, winner of the 2021 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award, and named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020. This author talk and book signing will be held on Sunday, August 23rd, 2026, at 4pm at Sunnydale, located at 516 S Trade Street in Tryon, NC. Visit polklibrary.libcal.com/calendar/events/clapsaddle to register.

The discussion of Even As We Breathe will be on Thursday, October 8th at 4pm at Columbus Library. The next author event will be in November with Denise Kiernan, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Castle and The Girls of Atomic City. Denise will present Obstinate Daughters, a fascinating new account of the unsung women of the American Revolution.

Polk County Public Libraries has two libraries, Columbus Library and Saluda Library, with books, movies, music, audiobooks, and downloadable eBooks and audiobooks available for checkout, as well as public computers and wireless internet access. PCPL also offers regularly scheduled virtual and in-person programs for all ages. To learn more, visit www.polklibrary.org.