Musician and author Michelle Zauner discusses her music career and her beloved bestseller Crying in H Mart on May 18 in Colona, Illinois. Her memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity was a New York Times notable book of the year. Best known as a singer and guitarist who creates indie pop under the name Japanese Breakfast, Grammy Award-nominated Zauner has won acclaim from major music outlets around the world. In conversation with Jessica Hopper, Chicago-based music critic, producer, and author. Zoom Event Attendee Registration Link: https://bit.ly/May18_MichelleZauner This... Read More

Join the Colona Library as they present An Evening with Chef Kwame Onwuachi on June 22. Top Chef contestant and award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi will discuss his cookbook My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef. His cookbook celebrates the cuisine of the African diaspora, “the world’s wisest food.” Onwuachi will share stories behind his family’s recipes, and the importance of the connections between cuisine, place, and culture. A James Beard award-winning chef, Onwuachi was also named Food & Wine’s best new chef in 2019 and Esquire’s chef of the year in 2019. He has opened... Read More

The Rock Island and Colona Public Libraries will each explore major events in US history this November with two separate presentations by speaker Jim Gibbons. First, the Colona Public Library observes the 53rd anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s untimely death with a program on Tuesday, Nov. 22. In the 6:30 pm program on “The Kennedy Assassination,” Gibbons considers the events of that fateful day in Dallas. As Gibbon states on his website, “If you were alive at that time you may remember where you were and what you were doing that fateful day in Dallas. If not, you will... Read More