Extend the Romance this February! RIPL and Illinois Libraries Present: Romance & Regency With Bridgerton’s Julia Quinn

Romance & Regency with Bridgerton’s Julia Quinn takes place via Zoom at 7 PM on Tuesday, February 20. To join the talk with Quinn and submit questions of your own, register via the Rock Island Public Library event calendar. The participation link will be emailed. The event is presented by Illinois Libraries Present, a collaborative effort with 200 libraries across the state featuring virtual events with bestselling authors and esteemed speakers.

#1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning romance author Julia Quinn has written nearly 40 novels, including her popular series about the Bridgerton family. The TV series premiered on Netflix in 2020. Her newest novel, Queen Charlotte, is co-written with television pioneer Shonda Rhimes. It’s a powerful and romantic novel of Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte and King George III’s great love story and how it sparked a societal shift. 

Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don’t read (or write) romance, and if you watch reruns of the game show The Weakest Link you might just catch her winning the $79,000 jackpot. Quinn has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame and was recently named the national ambassador for EveryLibrary, an organization that helps libraries fight censorship. Quinn’s novels have been translated into 41 languages and have appeared on The New York Times bestseller list 19 times.

Julia Quinn will be joined in conversation with Sarah MacLean, bestselling historical romance author and romance columnist for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Bustle. MacLean is also the co-host of the weekly romance podcast Fated Mates. In addition to her novels, she is a leading advocate for the romance genre, speaking widely on its place as a feminist text and a cultural bellwether.

By joining Illinois Libraries Present, Rock Island Library is able to host speakers that wouldn’t be possible due to budget constraints or staff resources. Season 3 of Illinois Libraries Present will continue in March with an event with Ruth E. Carter, the two-time Academy Award-winning American film costume designer, and first African-American woman to win the costume category. The event will take place via Zoom at 7 PM on Wednesday, March 20.

The event with Julia Quinn is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. Romance & Regency with Bridgerton’s Julia Quinn will begin at 7 PM on Tuesday, February 20. The event is free and open to the public, and registration is required. For more information or to register, please visit the library website, or call the library Reference Desk at 309-732-7341. 

Illinois Libraries Present is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). Illinois Libraries Present is committed to inclusion and accessibility.