A Remarkably Bright Evening

Submitted by Sarah Brubaker

Forsyth County celebrated a remarkably bright evening of book-loving fun on Tuesday! Ticket holders started lining up at the doors at 5:00 p.m., and by the time doors opened at 6:00 p.m., over three hundred people were waiting to get in. Our new Eventbrite ticketing system proved to be a great success; with nine staff members using tablets to scan attendee tickets, the initial line was able to get admitted in a matter of minutes. Attendees were then able to get Book Signing tickets at the doors to the auditorium. 245 book signing tickets were picked up by the time the event started! Read It Again Books also sold 130 copies of Remarkably Bright Creatures.

At the beginning of the event, Derek Brooks of the Forsyth County Arts Alliance (FCAA) presented Christy Winters with a check for $10,550. Adrianne Junius introduced our author as one of the greatest literary minds of the decade, and Shelby was tickled pink when she took the stage. "Next time my kids misbehave, I'll remind them they're talking to one of the greatest writers of the century!"

Shelby Van Pelt spoke for 40 minutes about her process of writing Remarkably Bright Creatures, starting with her discovery of continuing education courses and YouTube videos on naughty octopuses. She then discussed the process of developing each of her main characters in the book, her coincidental debut alongside My Octopus Teacher, and her publishing journey. She finished her prepared speech with praise for book clubs—and when she asked how many audience members were in a book club, almost everyone raised their hands! After her prepared remarks, we had time for some Q&A, and audience members asked about everything from her future writing plans to the movie that is currently in the process of filming.

After the presentation, attendees were called by groups to join the signing line. Many of them joined with their whole book club, so Shelby was surrounded by adoring fans at all times. Notably, one woman brought a 4-foot plush octopus to get one of its tentacles signed and another presented Shelby with an octopus ring! As attendees left the venue, they showered library staff with praise and gratitude for the event.

This event was made possible by our fantastic staff. Thank you to everyone who made this a night to remember!