Dorothy Lazard’s celebrated 2023 memoir What You Don’t Know Will Make a Whole New World traced the beloved Oakland librarian’s coming of age through books. Now she’s back to tell more of her story, relating her experiences over two decades at the Oakland Public Library. Along the way, she makes a powerful case for the essential role of the public library as a pillar of democratic ideals, and she crafts a tribute to the library workers who have devoted their careers to supporting intellectual freedom as well as to the countless Oaklanders whom she had the privilege of serving.

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Lazard will be joined in conversation by Pendarvis Harshaw, community engagement reporter at KQED. Doors at 1:30pm.

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About the Speakers

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Dorothy Lazard worked as a librarian for nearly forty years. In 2000 she joined the staff at the Oakland Main Library where she provided reference services and programming for Oakland's diverse community. From 2009 until her retirement in 2021, she was the head librarian of OPL's Oakland History Center where she encouraged people of all ages and backgrounds to explore local history. Lazard was the Book Club of California's 2023 recipient of the Oscar Lewis Award for outstanding contributions in the field of Western history. Her first book, What You Don't Know Will Make a Whole New World: a memoir, was published by Heyday in 2023 and was shortlisted for a Northern California Book Award and a Foreword Indies Award. Her latest book, Behind the Desk at the Main: a Librarian's Memoir, explores the joys and challenges of being a public librarian.

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Pendarvis Harshaw is a journalist from Oakland, covering arts and culture in the Bay Area for KQED.

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Litquake Festival 2026 runs from 10/8 - 10/24 with 140+ events taking place all over the Bay Area and featuring 500+ authors and performers. The full schedule is available at litquake.org.