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A Slice of Literary Orange

A Slice of Literary Orange Logo
Literary Orange Logo

 

A Slice of Literary Orange is a series featuring keynote speakers throughout the year at various venues across the county, with no cost for attendees. These events take place at library locations or with the support of community partners.

We continue to celebrate literacy and promote books and reading!  

Click here to view previous year's authors. 

Upcoming Events

Marie Benedict: Headshot photo of author Marie Benedict next to photo of book cover titled Daughter of Egypt depicting image of pyramids and large plant in foreground behind the title and author.

Author 
Marie Benedict

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 12:30pm

Marie Benedict is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Queens of Crime, The Mitford Affair, Her Hidden Genius, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, The Only Woman in the Room, Lady Clementine, Carnegie’s Maid, The Other Einstein, and the novella, Agent 355. Her books have been translated into thirty languages, and selected for the Barnes & Noble Book Club, Target Book Club, Costco Book Club, Indie Next List, and Library Reads List.

Limited complimentary books available, while supplies last. Books available for purchase, courtesy of Mysterious Galaxy. Admission does not guarantee a free copy. No registration required. Early arrival suggested.

Norma Hertzog Community Center
1845 Park Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92627

For more information, call (714) 566-3072 or email ocpl.programs@occr.ocgov.com

Headshot photo of author Emma Straub next to photo of book cover titled "American Fantasy" depicting illustration of clouds and mountains

Author 
Emma Straub

in conversation with Priyanka Mattoo
Monday, April 13, 2026 at 6:30pm

Emma Straub is a Guggenheim fellow and the New York Times bestselling author of seven books for adults, including American Fantasy, This Time Tomorrow, All Adults Here, Modern Lovers and The Vacationers. She and her husband own Books Are Magic, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York.

Limited complimentary books available, while supplies last. Admission does not guarantee a free copy. No registration required. Early arrival suggested.

Clifton C. Miller Community Center
300 Centennial Way
Tustin, CA 92780

For more information, call (714) 566-3072 or email ocpl.programs@occr.ocgov.com

Headshot photo of author Sally Hepworth next to photo of book cover titled "Mad Mabel" depicting illustration of a young woman's head and shoulders, but it's cut off by the edge of the book

Author 
Sally Hepworth

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 6:30pm

Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, most recently Mad Mabel. Sally's novels have been called "darkly charming" and praised by authors Emily Giffin and Liane Moriarty as "totally absorbing" and "fiction at its finest." Sally's novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into over 30 languages.

Limited complimentary books available, while supplies last. Admission does not guarantee a free copy. No registration required. Early arrival suggested.

Curtis Theatre
1 Civic Center Circle
Brea, CA 92821

For more information, call (714) 566-3072 or email ocpl.programs@occr.ocgov.com

Photo of author Brad Taylor next to photo of book cover titled "Shadow Strike" featuring a helicopter flying over a house in a forest next to a lake

Author 
Brad Taylor

in conversation with Jimmy Camp
Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 6:30pm

Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), is a twenty-one-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, including eight years with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment—Delta, popularly known as Delta Force. Taylor retired after serving more than two decades and participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as classified operations around the globe. His final military post was as assistant professor of military science at The Citadel. He is a New York Times bestselling author of eighteen Pike Logan thrillers.

Limited complimentary books available, while supplies last. Admission does not guarantee a free copy. No registration required. Early arrival suggested.

Clifton C. Miller Community Center
300 Centennial Way
Tustin, CA 92780

For more information, call (714) 566-3072 or email ocpl.programs@occr.ocgov.com

Past Events

photo of author Lisa Unger next to a photo of book cover titled "Served Him Right." Between the two photos, a smaller photo of author Gregg Hurwitz

Author 
Lisa Unger

in conversation with Gregg Hurwitz
Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 6:30pm

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty-three novels, including her upcoming release SERVED HIM RIGHT. With books published in thirty-three languages and millions of copies sold worldwide, she is regarded as a master of suspense. Unger's critically acclaimed novels have been featured on "Best Book" lists from the Today Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, People, Amazon, Goodreads and many others.

Limited complimentary books available, while supplies last. Books available for purchase courtesy of Mysterious Galaxy. No registration required. Early arrival suggested.

Laguna Hills Community Center
25555 Alicia Pkwy
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

For more information, call (714) 566-3072 or email ocpl.programs@occr.ocgov.com

Photo of author Markus Zusak next to photo of book cover titled "The Book Thief"

Author 
Markus Zusak

Friday, March 13, 2026 at 6:30pm

Markus Zusak is the author of six novels, including The Messenger, Bridge of Clay and The Book Thief – an international and New York Times bestseller across the last two decades. His work is translated into more than fifty languages and has been awarded numerous honors around the world, ranging from literary prizes to bookseller and readers’ choice awards. His books have also been adapted into film, television and theatre.

Limited complimentary books available, while supplies last. Admission does not guarantee a free copy. No registration required. Early arrival suggested.

Laguna Hills Community Center
25555 Alicia Pkwy
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

For more information, call (714) 566-3072 or email ocpl.programs@occr.ocgov.com

photo of author Sonali Dev next to photo of book cover titled "There's Something About Mira"

Author 
Sonali Dev

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 6:30pm

Sonali Dev is a USA Today bestselling author who writes hilarious and heartwarming stories about families without boundaries. Her novels have been named Best Books of the Year by Library Journal, NPR, the Washington Post, and Kirkus. She has won the American Library Association's award for best in genre, the RT Reviewer Choice Award, multiple RT Seals of Excellence, has been a RITA® finalist, and has been listed for the Dublin Literary Award. Shelf Awareness calls her "Not only one of the best but one of the bravest romance novelists working today."

Books available for purchase, courtesy of Lido Village Books. No registration required, all ages welcome. Early arrival suggested.

Laguna Hills Community Center
25555 Alicia Pkwy
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

For more information, call (714) 566-3072 or email ocpl.programs@occr.ocgov.com

This project is funded in part through a grant from the California Department of Aging and administered locally by the Orange County Office on Aging.

photo of author Jason Reynolds and a smaller photo of author Nic Stone, next to photo of book cover titled "Long Way Down"

Author 
Jason Reynolds

in conversation with Nic Stone
Monday, February 23, 2026 at 6:30pm

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and MacArthur Fellow, honored with numerous awards including the Newbery, Printz, Coretta Scott King, NAACP Image, and Kirkus Awards. Some of his acclaimed works include Look Both Ways, Ain’t Burned All the Bright, the Track series, Miles Morales Suspended, Stamped, Twenty-Four Seconds from Now..., and Long Way Down.

Nic Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and the only thing she loves more than an adventure is a good story about one. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the US to write full-time. Growing up with a wide range of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, Stone strives to bring these diverse voices and stories to her work.

Limited complimentary books available, while supplies last. Admission does not guarantee a free copy. No registration required. Early arrival suggested.

Clifton C. Miller Community Center
300 Centennial Way
Tustin, CA 92780

For more information, call (714) 566-3072 or email ocpl.programs@occr.ocgov.com

This project is funded in part through a grant from the California Department of Aging and administered locally by the Orange County Office on Aging.

photo of author Paula McLain next to book cover titled Skylark

Author 
Paula McLain

Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at 6:30pm

Paula McLain is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun, and Love and Ruin, as well as two collections of poetry and a memoir. Her work has been published in over thirty-five countries, and featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, Town & Country, and Real Simple.

Limited complimentary books available, while supplies last. Admission does not guarantee a free copy. No registration required. Early arrival suggested.

Laguna Hills Community Center
25555 Alicia Pkwy
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

For more information, call (714) 566-3072 or email ocpl.programs@occr.ocgov.com

small photo of Laurie Ochoa holding plants in a circular frame. Behind that, a larger photo of Ruth Reichl sitting on a fluffy chair next to a photo of book cover titled "The Paris Novel"

Author 
Ruth Reichl

in Conversation with Laurie Ochoa

Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 6:30pm

Ruth Reichl is recognized as one of the most discerning voices in the food world, with accolades as a bestselling author, revered restaurant critic, and culinary industry influencer. Her icon status stems from groundbreaking roles in food journalism, including lead restaurant critic at the New York Times and Editor-in-Chief at Gourmet magazine. She is the New York Times bestselling author of five memoirs, the cookbook My Kitchen Year, and two novels including The Paris Novel. She has been honored with six James Beard awards. In 2024, she received the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award.

Laurie Ochoa is the general manager of food coverage at the Los Angeles Times and previously served as the paper’s arts and entertainment editor. She worked with Ruth Reichl as executive editor of Gourmet magazine and was editor in chief of LA Weekly during a period when the publication won more national journalism awards than any alternative newspaper in the country, including the Pulitzer Prize awarded to her late husband, Jonathan Gold. She is the co-founder of the literary journalism magazine Slake: Los Angeles, a two-time James Beard Foundation Journalism Award winner, and co-author of Nancy Silverton’s Breads from La Brea Bakery. 

Books available for purchase, courtesy of Lido Village Books. No registration required, all ages welcome. Early arrival suggested.

Laguna Hills Community Center
25555 Alicia Pkwy
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

For more information, call (714) 566-3072 or email ocpl.programs@occr.ocgov.com

This project is funded in part through a grant from the California Department of Aging and administered locally by the Orange County Office on Aging.