Maplewood Library Ideas Festival begins next week

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Now in its eighth year, the Maplewood Library Ideas Festival celebrates the talent and creativity of the SOMA community. This year’s festival will run from Monday, April 18, through Friday, April 29. All programs are free and open to the public.

For a listing of events and details, go to www.maplewoodlibrary.org/ideas-festival. Events are as follows:

“Theater Panel: Managing Creatively During the Pandemic” on Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m. at The Woodland, 60 Woodland Road in Maplewood. Sara Farrington, Becky Gulsvig and Sandy Rustin will talk about what kept their creativity and enthusiasm for their craft alive during the pandemic. The panelists will be in conversation with Amanda Eigen.
Emma Laperruque of Food52 in conversation with Hank Zona on Tuesday, April 19, at 7 p.m. virtually. Emma Laperruque, the food editor at Food52, is an award-winning columnist and the author of “Big Little Recipes.”
Dr. Joshua Sharfstein in conversation with Emily Witkowski on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m. at The Woodland. Sharfstein is a professor of the practice in health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he also serves as vice dean for public health practice and community engagement. He is the director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.
Ibi Zoboi will receive the eighth annual Maplewood Literary Award on Friday, April 22, at 7 p.m. at The Woodland. Zoboi is the New York Times bestselling author of “My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich,” as well as the young adult novels, “American Street” and “Pride,” and co-author of “Punching the Air” with prison reform activist Yusef Salaam. Her most recent book is “Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler.”
Christina Swarns in conversation with global communications leader Marie McGehee on Monday, April 25, at 7 p.m. at The Woodland. Swarns is the executive director of the Innocence Project, which works to free the innocent from incarceration, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate and equitable systems of justice for everyone.
“Tim Hwang: Silicon Valley and the Future of Innovation” on Tuesday, April 26, at 7 p.m. at The Woodland. Hwang is a tech policy researcher and writer, currently the general counsel at Substack, and author of “Subprime Attention Crisis,” a book about the online advertising bubble. Hwang will be in conversation with author Jon Gertner.
Nancy Solomon will receive the Carol Buchanan Award on Wednesday, April 27, at 7 p.m. at The Woodland. Begun in 2021 to honor Maplewood’s beloved resident, the 2022 Carol Buchanan Award for Outstanding Contribution to Civic and Intellectual Life will be presented to Solomon, senior reporter for WNYC and founding editor of New Jersey Public Radio. Solomon will be in conversation with producer and podcast host Deborah Goldstein.
“Mandy Gonzalez … Fearless! A Program for Kids & Teens” will be Friday, April 29, at 3:30 p.m. at Maplewood Town Hall, 574 Valley St. Meet the Broadway star and author of the “Fearless” books for middle grade readers. Children and teens will have a chance to win a copy of her latest book, “Boulevard of Dreams.” Gonzalez is currently starring in the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton.” She is best known for her emotional portrayal of Nina Rosario in the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical, “In the Heights,” and starred as Elphaba in “Wicked” on Broadway.