Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of “The Only Good Indians” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper”.

Eureka Public Library joins more than 200 Illinois libraries participating in Season 3 of Illinois Libraries Present, a collaborative effort featuring virtual events with bestselling and award-winning authors and esteemed speakers. The season continues with Stephen Graham Jones, a New York Times bestselling author and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) fellowship recipient, and will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m.

Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of “The Only Good Indians” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper”. He was awarded an NEA fellowship and received several awards including the Ray Bradbury Award from the Los Angeles Times, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, and the Alex Award from the American Library Association. He is the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Becky Spratford, author of The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror, Third Edition [ALA Editions, 2021], joins Jones in conversation. She is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association and currently serves as the Association’s secretary and organizer of their annual Librarians’ Day.

Author events are often a cornerstone of library programming. Throughout the pandemic, these events continued virtually as libraries collaborated to host authors and speakers. This ensured that Illinois communities had access to events that may otherwise be unattainable for a single library due to budget or production constraints. Illinois Libraries Present brought together diverse communities, ensured access to patrons across the state, and expanded the speaker’s platform.

“We’re thrilled that Season 3 of Illinois Libraries Present continues with such an exciting author as Stephen Graham Jones and to be able to offer our patrons this event,” said library director Cindy O’Neill.

Season 3 of Illinois Libraries Present will continue later in October with “Food, Family, and Folktales: A Conversation with Grace Lin”. Lin is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author/illustrator of picture books, early readers, and middle-grade novels. The event will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.

The event with Stephen Graham Jones is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. Chills & Thrills with Stephen Graham Jones event is free and open to the public, but online registration is required. To register, visit https://bit.ly/ILP_StephenGrahamJones and choose Eureka Public Library District in the dropdown. For more information, visit https://www.eurekapl.org or call the library at 309-467-2922.

Illinois Libraries Present is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act. Illinois Libraries Present is committed to inclusion and accessibility.