Fresno Famous

Fall is here, and the event season is getting into full swing. Here's one to put in your mind calendar (or whatever you use to keep track of such things) and not forget: 

The 23rd Annual Dinner in the Library: a Literary Repast, Nov. 4, at the Central Library Downtown. 

The idea for the event is pretty cool. You take your typical fundraiser dinner (round tables with catered food, great wine, some kinda low-key jazz music, a silent auction) put it in the library, surrounded by books, then add a bunch of super interesting Fresnans to play table hosts.

Now, think of that: A chance to have dinner with architect Art Dyson (he's pretty stinking famous) or Fresno Bee columnist and ex-radio man Bill McEwen. Plus, you get to support the Fresno County Library system. The event has generated more than $450,000 for the Friends of the Fresno County Library. That money goes directly to the Library Endowment Fund.

This year's list of table hosts is pretty impressive and any number of them would make for great dinner coversation. Full disclosure: I am hosting a table myself. I'll be doing an IRL (in real life) version of my KFSR radio show. I'm even putting together a mix tape for my guests. 

Reservations for the dinner are $75 for members of Friends of the Fresno County Library; $90 for non-members; $100 for everyone after Oct. 20. You've got one day.

There are also Bibliophile, and Literary Lion sponsorships. For reservations and information, email hilarymalveaux@gmail.com or call (559) 301-5793.

And here's a full list of the table hosts and topics:

• Armen Bacon - Griefland: An Intimate Portrait of Love, Loss and Unlikely Friendship
• James Collier - Let's Talk About Your Food
• Hazel Dixon-Cooper - Astrology and You
• Art Dyson - Frank Lloyd Wright: Architecture and Life
• Margarita Engle - Picture Books: An Endangered Species?
• Connie Hales - Walt Whitman and American Poetry
• Coke & Joell Hallowell - Take Me to the River
• Bonnie Hearn-Hill - Publishing in the Digital Age
• Sharon Hiigel - Tales from the Vaults: Fresno Historical Society
• Peter Hoss - Born in Yosemite
• Jim Kennedy - Fine Wines from Warm Climates
• Janet Lynch - Anything About the 1960s
• Bill McEwen - Things About Fresno That Make Me Shake My Head
• Donald Munro - The Local Arts Scene: Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
• Rosemary Nightingale - Recipes & Remedies
• Mike Osegueda - Learning to Love Fresno
• Laurel Prysiazny - Libraries in the 21st Century: Do We Really Need Them?
• Carol Robles - The Life of John Steinbeck
• Craig Scharton - A Solution for Downtown
• David Scheidt - Italian American Cellars and Fresno's "A" Street
• Joshua Tehee - Sounds of the City: A Mixtape
• Klaus Tenbergen - Food for Thoughts
• Peterangelo Vallis - New Trends in Wine Tastes