Richland Library Main
Meet the Author: Lindy West
Friday, May 15, 2026 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Lindy West will discuss her recent works as part of Richland Library's Broader Bookshelf program. The author talk will be followed by a reception, book sale, and book signing.
The Broader Bookshelf Reading Challenge encourages readers to expand their bookshelves and seek out new authors and challenging subjects. Ms. West will talk primarily about her book Shrill, which responds to the 2026 Broader Bookshelf prompt "Read a book that celebrates body positivity," and touch on her other works including Shit, Actually, The Witches Are Coming, and her newest book Adult Braces. The author talk will be moderated by Larry Hembree.
This is an after-hours event and registration is not required. The library will close as usual at 6:00 p.m. and will reopen at 6:30 p.m. for attendees of Meet the Author: Lindy West.
For those that might not be able to join the event in person, this event will be live-streamed on the Richland Library YouTube channel.
About the Author:
Lindy West is the author of Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema (Hachette, 2020), named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR; The Witches Are Coming (Hachette, 2019), an Esquire Best Book of 2019; and Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman (Hachette, 2016), a New York Times Bestseller that was adapted into a successful Hulu television series. Her new book, Adult Braces. She also co-wrote and produced the independent feature film Thin Skin.
She is the co-host of the comedy podcast Text Me Back and the author of the e-mail newsletter Butt News, widely agreed to be the best and most important e-mail newsletter of all time. Lindy is a former contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and her work has appeared in This American Life, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, GQ, Vulture, Jezebel, and others. She is the co-founder of the reproductive rights de-stigmatization campaign #ShoutYourAbortion.
She lives on the Olympic Peninsula.
About the Moderator:
Larry Hembree is a theatre artist and non-profit arts administrator having worked with Arts Center of Kershaw County, Nickelodeon Theatre, Trustus, SC Ballet and SC Arts Commission and other organizations. He is the founder of Inclusive Theatre Company of South Carolina, which provides performance opportunities for youth of all abilities and families. Passionate about creating new theatre, he is currently working on two original theatre productions – Struggle Bus, to be produced this summer in Columbia and Shock, to be produced in Camden SC in October. He is currently on an adventure to read all Pulitzer Prize fiction winners, a task that he hopes will make him more empathetic.
Broader Bookshelf programs are funded through the Richland Library Friends and Foundation and Central Carolina Community Foundation.
We value inclusion and access for all of our customers including those that may need Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations. Please complete this ADA accommodation request form at least two weeks prior to the event to make a reasonable accommodation request.
Have questions about the program? Please reach out to a staff member at the hosting location for additional information.