Garland’s Citywide Reading Program Returns With a Novel About Home and a Full Slate of Events
The One Book, One Garland 2026 program is underway this summer, and the selection — Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel — comes with a lineup of free, public events designed to pull readers out of their living rooms and into conversation with neighbors across the city.
The program’s core idea is straightforward: one book, read by as many Garland residents as possible, discussed together through a series of themed programs. This year’s events span Central Library on Austin Street and the North Garland Branch on North Garland Avenue, giving residents on different sides of the city a convenient entry point.
The Book and the Author Event
Dwelling is this year’s community read, and the anchor event is an evening at Central Library, 625 Austin St., where Emily Hunt Kivel will give a live reading from the novel, then take questions from the audience and sign copies. Barnes & Noble Firewheel will have copies available for purchase on-site, so arriving without the book is not a problem.
The Q&A format makes the evening more useful than a standard author appearance. Readers who have worked through the novel’s themes — and anyone curious enough to show up having read only part of it — will have direct access to Kivel to press on the ideas behind the work. These kinds of evenings at Central Library tend to draw a mix of book club regulars and first-timers, and the on-site bookselling removes the logistical friction of tracking down a copy before you go.
The city has not published a specific clock time for the author evening in confirmed materials, so check the program page or call Central Library directly before you plan your evening.
Fairy Tale Writing Workshop at North Garland Branch
The second major event under this year’s One Book, One Garland banner is a writing workshop for adults at North Garland Branch Library, 3845 N. Garland Ave. Children’s author Cindy J. Vanous leads the session, walking participants through the structural building blocks of fairy tales — the recurring devices, the archetypal shapes, the elements that make stories feel both ancient and immediate.
The workshop is pitched at adults and positioned as accessible to anyone who enjoys storytelling, not just people who already think of themselves as writers. If Dwelling sparks an interest in narrative craft, this is a practical follow-on: a few hours with a working author who can explain how those effects are constructed on the page.
Again, a confirmed clock time is not listed in current materials. The North Garland Branch number is worth a quick call to lock down the schedule before you block the afternoon.
Why This Program Matters in Garland Specifically
Garland is a city of roughly a dozen library branches serving a population that stretches from the older neighborhoods around Downtown Square to newer developments near Firewheel. One Book, One Garland is one of the few civic programs that runs simultaneously across that geography and asks residents from different parts of the city to engage with the same material at the same time.
The Garland Public Library system has made the program free and open to the public, which means there is no registration cost attached to either the author evening or the writing workshop. The only investment is the book itself — and again, Barnes & Noble Firewheel will be selling copies the night of the Central Library event if you prefer to pick one up there.
Logistics at a Glance
Author Evening with Emily Hunt Kivel
- Central Library, 625 Austin St., Garland, TX 75040
- Includes live reading, Q&A, and book signing
- Copies of Dwelling available for purchase on-site through Barnes & Noble Firewheel
- Confirm time at the One Book, One Garland page
Fairy Tale Writing Workshop with Cindy J. Vanous
- North Garland Branch Library, 3845 N. Garland Ave., Garland, TX 75040
- Designed for adults; no writing experience required
- Free and open to the public
- Confirm time by contacting the North Garland Branch directly
Both events are part of the broader summer programming calendar at Garland Public Libraries, which this season also includes the Club Curiosity children’s reading program running concurrently across all branches. If you are bringing kids to the library for dinosaur-themed science shows or dino digs, it is worth checking whether an adult One Book, One Garland session is scheduled the same day — the library system has stacked the summer calendar with enough variety that a single trip can cover multiple interests.
