PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Officials at the Free Library of Philadelphia say the institution has no plans to cancel its popular Author Events speaker series, despite emails and social media posts claiming all upcoming events have been canceled.
In response to what the library called “misinformation,” a former Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation employee said on Facebook that “there are no plans to cancel any upcoming events.”
“We understand that misinformation can cause confusion and concern among our team, stakeholders and the public. Please be assured that all planned events will go ahead as planned, and any changes or updates will be communicated quickly and reliably through our official channels,” the spokesperson said. message continued.
The confusion started Monday evening when an email with the subject line “All Summer Author Events Canceled” was sent from the Author Events Agency.
The message, signed by Author Events staffers Andy Kahan, Laura Kovacs, Jason Freeman and Nell Mittelstead, said: “the entire slate of scheduled author events has been canceled. The Author Events team no longer works at the Free Library Foundation.”
The same message was also posted to the Free Library Author Events Facebook page minutes after the email was sent.
About 90 minutes later, a second email signed by Free Library Director Monique Moore Pryor explained that Author Events had not been canceled.
“We regret to inform you that the Author Events Team – Andy Kahan, Jason Freeman, Laura Lovacs and Nell Mittlestead – have resigned with immediate effect. While we respect their decision and thank them for their years of dedication, we would like to to assure you that we are taking steps to ensure a smooth transition and continuation of our Author Events.”
Author Events at the Free Library of Philadelphia is an ongoing series that engages writers, illustrators, and literary voices for presentations, Q&As, and book signings. Many events are free or invite attendees to pay what they want.
As of Tuesday, June 4, the author events calendar is still filled with 20 events scheduled from June through the end of the year.
CBS News Philadelphia has contacted the Free Library of Philadelphia for further comment.
