Event has passed

atCentral: Joanna Ho & Caroline Kusin Pritchard

When:
Thursday,
October
23,
2025 |
6 p.m.
Where:
Austin Central Library

Join all-star authors Joanna Ho (Eyes that Kiss in the Corners) and Caroline Kusin Pritchard (The Keeper of Stories) as they launch The Day the Books Disappeared, illustrated by Dan Santat, a timely story about a boy who is delighted to discover that he can make all the books in his classroom vanish…. only to realize he has created a complete disaster! Can Arnold figure out how to bring the books back before it’s too late?

Joanna and Caroline will be in conversation with award-winning author Liz Garton Scanlon, a member of Authors Against Book Bans, and Dr. Frank Strong, co-director of Texas Freedom to Read Project.

Please join us in this lively panel discussion geared towards adults that spotlights Joanna and Caroline’s new book, celebrates the importance of reading freely, and explores ways to fight back against book bans.

Book sale provided by Reverie Books.

Joanna Ho is passionate about anti-bias/anti-racism, equity and inclusion in books and education. She has a Master’s in Educational Leadership from UC Berkeley and has worn many hats in education including: English teacher, dean, and a teacher professional development mastermind. She is currently the vice principal of a high school in the San Francisco Bay Area.Joanna Ho is passionate about anti-bias/anti-racism, equity and inclusion in books and education. She has a Master’s in Educational Leadership from UC Berkeley and has worn many hats in education including: English teacher, dean, and a teacher professional development mastermind. She is currently the vice principal of a high school in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Caroline Kusin Pritchard

Caroline Kusin Pritchard is the author of many books for children including Gitty and Kvetch, The Day the Books Disappeared, and The Keeper of Stories, which is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and received three starred reviews. She also cohosts the Kidlit Happy Hour podcast alongside author Joanna Ho. Caroline has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in northern Virginia with her husband and their four kiddos.

Jena Stude

Interim Treasurer

Jena Stude is Vice President of Development at Good + West Residential. Prior to joining Good + West in 2021, Jena was an Investment Manager at Blueprint Local, a real estate private equity firm, overseeing direct real estate investments in Texas. Before Blueprint Local, Jena was an Associate Director at the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) from 2013-2019. Jena previously held similar positions at Ascension Health, a large non-profit hospital system based in St. Louis, Missouri and the University of Arizona Investment Office. Jena holds a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.S. in Finance from the University of Arizona.

Frank Livaudais

Board Vice President

Frank Livaudais is also Vice President of Enterprise Engineering for Cloudflare, an internet security company in downtown Austin. An avid runner and reader, he has run more than 250 marathons (including races in all 50 U.S. states, six countries, and four continents). Frank tries to read 100+ books a year. He lives in Austin with his wife Shelley, son Christopher and one fairly naughty vizsla.

Tom Oney

Board President

Tom Oney is Chief People Officer and Executive Vice President of External Affairs for the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). He oversees LCRA’s Human Resources team and all of LCRA’s public-facing and advocacy functions, including Communications, Community Resources, Environmental Affairs, Public Affairs, and Regulatory Affairs. Tom also advocates before the Texas Legislature on behalf of LCRA and led LCRA’s public policy team during the 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 Texas legislative sessions.

Tom was born and raised in Waco, Texas, and received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from Baylor University in 1996. He received his Juris Doctor cum laude from Tulane University School of Law in 1999. Tom currently represents LCRA on the board of directors of the Association of Electric Companies of Texas and serves as president of the board of directors of both the Austin Library Foundation and Green Doors, an award-winning non-profit benefiting homeless people in Central Texas.