Your local public library has so much more than just books. That's why we bring you "Beyond Books," a monthly conversation with the Ann Arbor District Library about all the activities and services they offer.
89.1 WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with Library Communications and Marketing Manager Rich Retyi and Erin Helmrich about the library's book publishing program, and Rich talks about all the different activities the library has for the local community.
Fifth Avenue Press is the library's own book publishing imprint, helping authors complete their projects and manuscripts by providing editing, fact checking, graphic design, and layout services. Authors own all the rights to their works and in exchange for the service, AADL retains the digital rights to distribute the books to cardholders in perpetuity.
Think of Fifth Avenue Press as book doulas, helping deliver books into the world for their moms and dads who made them. Fifth Avenue Press published its first class of authors in the fall of 2017, with a second batch of books in the spring of 2018 and now a third group of books and authors which will launch their works on May 5, 2019 at the Downtown Library.
Among the new releases are:
- What Justice Looks Like—a non-fiction account of two high stakes criminal cases by attorney Samuel Damren
- Who We Are Now—the thrilling sequel to 2018's Fifth Avenue Press release We Thought We Knew You by Linda Cotton Jeffries
- Almost Lost: Detroit Kids Discover Holocaust Secrets and Family Survivors—a historical memoir by Pauline Loewenhardt about family, Detroit, and secrets in the Netherlands. The book is full of photographs, powerful storytelling, and primary sources from the Holocaust
- Dark Rhythm—a sci-fi thriller from Charles Taylor. Set in San Francisco about a young woman whose unusual ability brings attention that endangers her life and those of everyone around her
- Corked: Tales of Advantage in Competitive Sport—U-M Engineering Professor Brian Love and U-M Anesthesiology doctor Michael Burns have written a book for sports aficionados and novices alike ... a collection of 26 essays covering a variety of sports from baseball and football to cricket and jai alai with surprising stats and interesting facts.
Facts About Fifth Avenue Press:
- Fifth Avenue Press is open to residents of Washtenaw County
- Fifth Avenue Press will publish books across a wide genre—from short stories to poetry, children's books, picture books, mystery, humor, travel, fantasy, etc.
- Fifth Avenue Press doesn't own the rights to any manuscripts they help complete. Authors retain full rights and can sell and distribute their works however they see fit. The library won't help authors sell their work in bookstores or on Amazon.
Past Fifth Avenue Press Releases:
In 2018, Fifth Avenue Press published five books:
- Paint the Night a picture book by Tracy Gallup
- We Thought We Knew You - realistic, adult fiction by Linda Jeffries
- Akeina the Crocodile a picture book by Brad and Kristin Northrop
- Snail, I Love You a picture book by Tevah Platt, Willa Thiel and Becky Grover
- Setting the Record Straight a Middle Grade/Teen novel by V.W. Shurtliff.
In 2017, Fifth Avenue Press published eight books:
- The Book of Ann Arbor: an Extremely Serious History Book by Rich Retyi
- Takedown a murder mystery by Jeff Kass
- Michigan Moon a photo picture book by Meg Gower
- A Monster on Main Street a picture book by Emily Siwek
- Light From the Cage: 25 Years in a Prison Classroom a memoir by Judy Wenzel
- Tales From the Dork Side witty essays by R.J. Fox
- Ginger Stands Her Ground a memoir by Virginia Ford
- Technical Solace: Poemsby Rebeca Biber
- Plus the comic Chad Agamemnon: a New Home in Ann Arborby Carolyn Nowak.
AADL's Festival Season began on April 13 with Record Store Day at the Downtown Library.
Upcoming events include:
- VISIONS 2019: What's New in Technology for the Blind, Visually Impaired, and Physically Disabled—Wednesday May 15
- Gardening & DIY Fest—Saturday, May 18
- AACME (Ann Arbor Creativity and Making Expo)—Sunday, May 19
- A2CAF (Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival)—Saturday and Sunday, June 15-16
- The Summer Game—Friday, June 14 to Saturday, August 31
- Plus, Lobbytorium V, featuring, French Macarons with Keegan Rodgers, authors Morgan Parker, Elizabeth George, Cecile Richards, and Floyd Crown Senior—a relative of Crazy Horse, and more!
Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU todayto keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu
