This year’s FOLSOI Annual Meeting and Southport Book Festival: “Authors We Adore by the Shore,” was a success in anyone’s book! We filled the Southport Community Center with attendees intrigued to hear from award-winning local authors Teri M. Brown, John Graves, Jean Heller and Jeff Siebold.

Our charismatic host Randy Aldridge (former WWAY anchor) kept the panel discussion on track while ensuring that everyone had a chance to ask questions. Book sales after the meeting were brisk for all four authors as attendees lined up eager to buy autographed books and discover new favorite writers. Unlike the “dark and stormy afternoon” we experienced during last year’s annual meeting, even the weather cooperated with the sun sparkling on the waters of the Cape Fear River. 

All of that would have been quite enough for a successful meeting, but this was also a well-deserved celebration for the FOLSOI Board members, Friends, donors, and volunteers who exceeded expectations once again this year. 

FOLSOI President Carol Brolley noted that many of the recommendations from last year’s “Voice of the Customer” Focus Groups have already been implemented. None of that would have been possible without the vision and leadership of our Board members engaging the community to better serve the County’s needs in the years ahead. 

If you’re already one of our 230 Friends (including 55 lifetime members), we thank you and hope that you will continue your membership. If you’re a donor helping us bolster our library collections, we appreciate your generosity! If you’re one of our 107 volunteers who put in over 6,000 hours collectively, you are truly “the wind beneath our wings” making FOLSOI the envy of local nonprofits. 

Finally, if you are an author, we look forward to hosting you at one of our upcoming “Meet the Author” events. Southport and Oak Island are filled with readers searching for their next unforgettable book!