Why are none of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Author Events free anymore?

I launched my novel Housemates as part of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Author Events series at the Parkway Central Library last May surrounded by friends and bookish strangers from all walks of life. More than being about any author or book, the night, which was free to attend, was a celebration of Philadelphia’s literary community.

But just six days later, all four staff members who made the series possible submitted their resignations before being dismissed. When the Author Events series returned, writers and readers shared their concerns about participating in the series in its new form.

“I’d worked with the Author Events staff for years,” wrote Jennifer Weiner in a social media post about why she declined to schedule an event with the series for her newest book. “They had always done an outstanding job. After they were fired, showing up as if it was business as usual didn’t feel right.”

When the spring 2025 lineup was announced, it was clear a few major changes had taken place: all series events were now sponsored by Comcast, and all were now ticketed, most at $5.

Though $5 may seem cheap, a ticket price for all events and the need to register with a credit card creates an unnecessary barrier to entry for one of the library’s most popular and influential programs.

“I was really heartened by how many people shared that they were attending their first-ever Free Library event,” said novelist Sara Nović, author of last year’s One Book, One Philadelphia pick, True Biz. “To add a cost feels like a big step backward.”

Daniel Blank, hired in October to direct the revamped Author Events series, said the new ticket costs are an attempt to decrease registration attrition and “create a more standardized and equitable pricing structure,” noting that the other half of Author Events were previously ticketed at an average price of $17.50.

He added that his staff are “actively exploring ways to make these events even more accessible” via initiatives such as “chartering buses to bring people to our events” and offering free blocks of tickets.

When asked where the new revenue would go, Blank responded that it “goes toward covering a small fraction of the many costs associated with running a program like this, including everything from staffing to equipment, program supplies, travel, and so forth.”

It’s also worth pointing out that neither the featured authors nor the event moderators are paid for their appearances, and that the library also takes a cut — roughly a third — of book sales, which are provided by Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books. Further, the Author Events series, as well as the Field Family Teen Author Series (which so far has not returned under the new leadership), is endowed by several major donors in perpetuity.

“Endowment dollars cover less than 30% of the expenses for Author Events,” said Blank.

“To add a cost feels like a big step backward.”

Yet, there is perhaps a broader fracture between the Free Library Foundation and the public that has yet to be addressed — a divide caused by the circumstances surrounding the former Author Events team’s resignation last year, and an apparent philosophical shift since then in the kind of writers who are featured in the series, from highlighting authors of literary fiction and memoir across levels of notoriety, to hosting mostly television personalities, pundits, politicians, and celebrities.

The events team said they left because of a “heartbreaking” workplace culture.

Monique Moore Pryor, who assumed her role as the Free Library Foundation’s executive director in 2023, told me by email that concerns over event pricing and other matters “resulted in conflicting opinions as to the direction, objective, and evolution of the Author Events series. The inability to achieve consensus led the Author Events team to simultaneously submit their resignations.”

Former library employees rebut that contention.

“There was a lack of leadership and communication from the foundation and the library that had the impact at times, if not the intent, of cruelty,” said Terence Washington, who worked closely with the previous Author Events team and directed the One Book, One Philadelphia initiative until leaving last year. “The story so far in the newspaper has been about that team and the foundation’s director. I would ask that people look at the board, too, which seems to have made of the director a useful shield for themselves.”

“My friends and I attended a lot of FLP events for our favorite novelists over the years, and we all followed what happened with the staffers closely,” said Katy Stankevitz, a local reader with a popular Instagram account focusing on literary fiction. “I was disappointed to never get a better explanation from the library about what happened, and no real communication about the major shift in their programming. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

When asked how he would respond to authors and readers declining to participate in events in the newly revamped series due to concerns over pricing and programming, Blank emphasized that recent library event ticket sales have been robust, and said, “Aside from a few vocal outliers, we haven’t heard from authors or readers who have taken that position.”

He notes that at the end of this season, they will collect community feedback on the new pricing structure.

“What I desire as an author and community member is actual accountability for what the FLP should be — a place where everyone is welcome and free to learn,” said Candice Iloh, a local author and National Book Award finalist who recently declined to participate in an FLP event.

“Without that, being involved with this organization gives me a lot of pause.”

While financial times are tough for library systems, other cities have found solutions to securing more funding aside from charging for author events. In New York, Denver, Seattle, and Boston, their premiere author events series all remain completely free, and they have implemented first-come, first-serve ticketing systems to avoid audience attrition.

Ultimately, the main issue is that the FLP series is one of the few widely known spaces Center City has for the free exchange of complex ideas about literature and current events, a thing I’d argue matters more than ever.

“With fascism on the rise,” said Christopher Rogers, a professor at Haverford College and co-coordinator of the Friends of the Tanner House, “the last thing we should be doing is creating new barriers to access for everyday folks to engage what’s happening in the world around them.”

Emma Copley Eisenberg is the author of “Housemates” and “The Third Rainbow Girl.” She is also a cofounder of Blue Stoop, a hub for Philadelphia’s literary community.