🌌📚✨ Celebrating Octavia E. Butler — Sci-Fi Visionary & Literary Legend ✨📚🌌

This month, we honor the incredible life and legacy of Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006), a groundbreaking author whose imagination reshaped the world of science ...fiction forever. 🚀🖋️

Octavia Butler wasn’t just a writer—she was a trailblazer. Raised in Pasadena, California, she found comfort and inspiration in the library as a shy child, escaping into fantasy worlds and creating her own stories. 📖💫

🌟 Butler went on to win major awards including the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus, and in 1995 became the first science fiction writer ever to receive a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship (“genius grant”). 🏆✨

Her stories explored powerful themes of race, identity, humanity, and survival—leaving an unforgettable impact on literature and culture. 🌍🔥

📍 Stop by the library this Black History Month to discover Octavia Butler’s works and celebrate voices that changed the future through storytelling.

#OctaviaButler #BlackHistoryMonth #SciFiLegend #SpeculativeFiction #LibraryInspiration #WomenWriters #MacArthurFellow #ReadMoreBooks #RPLReads #CelebrateBlackAuthors

📚✨ Preserving History, Honoring Community ✨📚

The Rapides Parish Library is proud to host a book talk and signing with Rev. Larry Douglas Smith featuring his powerful work, “The Rise and Fall of Lee Street: Stories History Forgot”.

📍 King Branch
📅 Saturday, ...February 28
⏰ 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM

This moving book reconstructs the vibrant Lee Street community, its people, culture, faith, and legacy—through personal memories, oral histories, and historical records. Rev. Smith shines a light on stories nearly erased, honoring a neighborhood that helped shape our city and reflecting on the experiences of Black communities across the South whose contributions deserve to be remembered.

📖 Meet the author
✍️ Book talk & signing
🖤 History, memory, and preservation brought to life

Join us for an important conversation about why preserving these stories matters—for today and for future generations.

📞 For more information, call 318-445-3912

#AuthorTalk #BookSigning #LocalHistory #PreservingOurStories #BlackHistory #KingBranch #RapidesParishLibrary #CommunityVoices #HistoryMatters 📚✨

❤️📚 It’s American Heart Month! ❤️📚

February is all about caring for your heart—and Rapides Parish Library is here to help! 💙✨

Stop by any RPL location to check out a FREE blood pressure kit and stay on top of your heart health from the comfort of home. ...🩺📈

Taking small steps now can make a big difference later—let the library be part of your wellness journey! 🌟

#AmericanHeartMonth #HeartHealth #RapidesLibrary #RPLCares #BloodPressureAwareness #HealthyLiving #LibraryResources #WellnessAtTheLibrary ❤️🩺📚

🏆✨ Honoring Excellence: 2026 AACHC Honorees ✨🏆

We are proud to recognize the outstanding individuals selected as the 2026 African American Cultural Heritage Center (AACHC) Honorees—leaders whose dedication, service, and impact continue to uplift and inspire our community. ...🖤🌟

👏 Please join us in celebrating:
• General Owen MonConduit
• Major Freddie Price Sr.
• Mr. Randy Holly Jr.
• Mr. Levator Boyd
• Mr. John Allen
• Mr. Herbert Dixon
• Mr. Israel “Bo” Curtis

These honorees represent excellence, leadership, and a lasting commitment to making a difference. We look forward to celebrating their achievements and honoring their legacy. 💫

#AACHC2026 #BlackHistoryMonth #CommunityLeaders #HonoringExcellence #CelebrateLegacy #RPL #AfricanAmericanHistory #LocalHeroes 🏆🖤✨

📚✨ Author Spotlight at Rapides Parish Library! ✨📚

We are honored to welcome Alexandria native Jamar L. Gailes for a special book talk and signing featuring his inspiring work,
💙 "Loving 42: A Mother’s Prayer, A Son’s Journey, A Father’s Strength" 💙
...
Join us for one—or all—of three powerful opportunities to hear directly from the author as he shares the story behind his book, reflecting on faith, family, perseverance, and purpose. Attendees will have the chance to meet Jamar Gailes, engage in meaningful conversation, and get their books signed. ✍🏽📖

🌟Beyond his impressive personal and professional accomplishments, Gailes is deeply committed to serving the community and is actively involved with numerous nonprofit, civic, and social organizations. This program promises meaningful conversation, inspiration, and connection—an event not to be missed.

📅 Author Appearances:
📍 Martin Library — Saturday, February 7, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 King Branch — Saturday, February 14, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
📍 Westside Regional Library — Thursday, February 19, 2026 | 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Come be inspired, make connections, and celebrate a powerful local voice with us!

#AuthorTalk #BookSigning #RapidesParishLibrary #LocalAuthor #FaithFamilyPurpose #CommunityVoices #LibraryEvents #RPL