Bikers on John Nolen for Ride the Drive.
City of Madison

25th Anniversary Book Club Café Event to Feature Bestselling Author Christina Clancy at Madison Public Library

posted 
Book Club Café 2025
Christina Clancy will headline the 25th Anniversary Book Club Café event at Madison Public Library. Tickets are on sale now!

MADISON, WI -- Bestselling author Christina Clancy will headline the 25th Anniversary Book Club Café fundraiser hosted by the Friends of Madison Public Library on Monday, May 19 at Central Library where she’ll share her thoughts on writing, libraries, reading and book clubs. 

Clancy is the author of three novels–The Snowbirds, Shoulder Season and The Second Home–and her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Sun Magazine, and in various literary journals. Local booksellers Mystery to Me will be on-site with copies of Clancy’s work available for purchase, and the author will sign copies during the event. 

Tickets for Book Club Café are $25 and attendees receive:

One of the popular returning features of the Book Club Café is the complimentary Book Club Favorites booklet that each attendee receives. 

“This booklet contains titles submitted by book club members, so it’s full of great reads, and serves as an invaluable guide when looking for inspiration for what to check out next from the library,” said lead organizer and Chair of the Monroe Street Library League Carol “Orange” Schroeder.

This year, book club members and individuals can also submit their top titles for the Book Club Favorites booklet online at madpl.org/bookclubcafe up until Monday, May 5. 

Now in its 25th year, the Book Club Café is an opportunity for Dane County book club members and individual reading enthusiasts to show their support for the library system. The fundraiser will take place alongside other events happening in Madison Public Libraries throughout May to mark the 150th Anniversary of libraries in Madison. 

“This year’s Book Club Café is special for several reasons,” said Liz Boyd, Digital Services and Marketing Manager at Madison Public Library. “Not only is it the 150th Anniversary of our libraries, but Madison Public Library is also building a tenth library this year with the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park. Organizations like the Friends and the Madison Public Library Foundation are more important than ever as an avenue for locals to show their support for books, authors, and the entire library system in a fun, grassroots way.” 

Members from each Madison Public Library location’s Friends group help plan the event and contribute books for a book gift bag raffle. At the event, raffle tickets will be available and attendees can win mystery bags of books and donated Book Club Kits (thanks to the Central Library Friends of Madison Public Library) as prizes, with all proceeds going to benefit Madison Public Library.

The Book Club Café this year will feature open seating. Tickets are on sale now, and pre-registration is required. The event takes place from 7-9pm. Registration is available online at madpl.org/bookclubcafe.

About Madison Public Library

Madison Public Library’s tradition of promoting education, literacy and community involvement has enriched the City of Madison for 150 years.  Visit the library online at www.madisonpubliclibrary.org or follow us on social media @madisonpubliclibrary on Facebook and Instagram.

About Christina Clancy

Christina Clancy is the bestselling author of The Snowbirds, Shoulder Season and The Second Home. Her novels have been featured in People Magazine, Good Morning America, CNN, Travel & Leisure, Buzzfeed, Pop Sugar, and Shelf Awareness. The Second Home has been optioned for television and film and was selected by independent booksellers as an Indies Introduce and Indie Next pick. Her short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Sun Magazine, and in various literary journals.

She was born in Denver and raised in Milwaukee. She graduated from the University of Minnesota and worked at IBM before returning to school to earn a PhD in creative writing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After graduating, she taught English at Beloit College before turning to writing full time. 

She lives in Madison with her very tall husband in their 1916 prairie-style house when she isn’t “snowbirding” in Palm Springs. She has two grown children who live in Chicago and New York City, and she has a little white dog named Bunny who loves everyone. Christi loves to practice yoga and barre, swim, travel, write, teach, visit book clubs, and join other writers in conversation.

About The Snowbirds

Kim and Grant are at a turning point. A couple for thirty years, their "separate but together" partnership is running up against the realities of late middle age: Grant’s mother has died, the college where he taught philosophy was shuttered, and their twin girls are grown and gone. Escaping the bitter cold of a Midwestern winter for the hot desert sun of Palm Springs seems as good a solution as any to the more intractable problems they face.

Departments:
Was this page helpful to you?