By Zoe Elrod, Internal Communications Coordinator 

For more than two decades, Literary Voices® has brought nationally recognized authors to Oklahoma City while raising vital support for the Metropolitan Library System. Presented by the Library Endowment Trust, the annual dinner celebrates literature while investing in our community’s future. 

Erin Cowan, a Literary Voices committee member and teacher, has seen firsthand the impact of public libraries and values working alongside others who share that commitment. 

“After attending Literary Voices a few times as a patron, I honestly fell in love with the event,” she said. “When I later joined the Library Endowment Trust board, I knew I wanted to focus on this event. It brings together so much of what I care about: literature, community and support for our library system.” 

This year’s event takes place April 9 at 7 p.m. at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club and will feature novelist and essayist Jonathan Franzen, promising thoughtful conversation and insight into the creative process. 

“Honestly, I just love being in a room full of people who care about the literary future of our city,” Cowan said. “I always leave feeling energized.” 

Literary Voices® supports programs, services and collections at Metro Library. Proceeds will strengthen childhood literacy initiatives, outreach for older adults, staff education scholarships and community programming. 

“I feel really honored to be able to help support childhood literacy causes,” Cowan said. “Literacy is a key indicator of success for children, and every dollar raised for the children within the Metropolitan Library System is an investment in our future.” 

A major focus is expanding Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Oklahoma County with the Friends of the Library. The program mails free, age-appropriate books each month to children from birth to age five, helping families build home libraries and early reading habits. 

“Childhood literacy is the foundation of good community work,” said Tara Golden, a librarian at Belle Isle Library who leads the successful children’s program Wiggly Wednesdays. “Reading doesn’t just set us up for academic success. It sets us up for life success.” 

Yet many children still lack access to books at home; an equity gap that Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library helps address. To learn more, visit supportmls.org/dolly. 

“Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has some really exciting data about the emerging literacy skills of the children enrolled in the program, and I'm thrilled that our children have access to not only this program, but every Metro Library literacy initiative,” Cowan said. 

Across the county, Metro Library supports early learning through storytimes, music programs, movement activities and welcoming spaces for families. 

The evening also includes the Lee B. Brawner Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to libraries and literacy in Oklahoma. 

“Libraries count on the dedication of so many generous people, and I love being able to celebrate that,” she said. 

Since 1986, the Library Endowment Trust has helped MLS grow and thrive. Literary Voices®, the largest fundraiser for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library locally, offers a meaningful way to turn a love of reading into lasting community impact. 

Learn more, buy tickets here! 

About Jonathan Franzen: Award-Winning Novelist and Essayist 

Jonathan Franzen is among the most influential literary voices of his generation. After early success in nonfiction, his 2001 novel “The Corrections” became an international bestseller, won the National Book Award for Fiction and, in 2024, ranked number two on The New York Times Book Review’s list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. 

Later novels continued that acclaim. “Freedom” debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list, and “Purity” and “Crossroads” (the first volume of “A Key to All Mythologies”) were also national bestsellers, with “Crossroads” earning numerous Book of the Year honors. 

In addition to six novels, Franzen has written four nonfiction works, and his essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian and National Geographic. He is also a longtime advocate for bird conservation. 

The evening will be moderated by Professor Rob Roensch of Oklahoma City University. 

“Jonathan Franzen has been one of my favorite contemporary writers for years, so I’m genuinely excited to hear him speak,” Cowan said. “I think it’s going to be especially fun to hear him in conversation with Oklahoma author and OCU professor Rob Roensch.” 

Cowan first read “The Corrections” when it was published. 

“It made a huge impact on me,” she said. “I actually reread it recently to see if it still resonates, and it absolutely does. It’s such a thoughtful look at family dynamics and the complicated motivations that shape our lives.” 

About Franzen’s work, Roensch said, “I think he’s a great American novelist, and he’s the sort of writer who, when you read his books, you feel like the characters are real and fully human.”  

Mark your calendar for a conversation with Jonathan Franzen April 9. For details and tickets, visit literaryvoices.org.