Cuyahoga County librarian Bill Kelly '91 crossed paths with James Patterson during a book tour, and everything changed.
BW graduate Bill Kelly (right) interviews author James Patterson (left) in 2022. Photo by Kabir Bhatia, Cuyahoga County Public Library
Being a curious person and an avid reader does not always change the trajectory of a life, but it did for Bill Kelly '91.
Growing up in Northeast Ohio, Kelly was always a voracious reader, and his love for a liberal arts education led him to Baldwin Wallace University, where he studied communications and English literature.
After starting his career in a record store as a manager-in-training, he saw a job posting for an assistant at the Cuyahoga County Library a few years later and jumped at the opportunity.
When reading the job description, Kelly thought, "Something tells me I'm exactly who they're looking for."
However, what Kelly believes pushed him over the edge and into the front door was sharing his "passion for lifelong learning and helping people" during the interviewing process.
He's been with the library since then, now serving as adult programming manager who believes "the library is really positioned to be the center of community life."
In that role, Kelly has met his fair share of authors. But when the renowned and prolific James Patterson's tour for "The Stories of My Life" came to Cleveland in 2022, Kelly received an unexpected opportunity to moderate the onstage conversation.
Although it was nerve-wracking, Kelly says the experience was exciting. "It turned out we had a great time," Kelly said, as the duo had their fair share of laughter.
Afterward, Patterson invited Kelly to be part of his next project, "The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians."
A little intimidated at first, long conversations with Patterson and co-author Matt Eversmann helped to shape a chapter on Kelly's passion for connecting people and great books.
"I was honored," Kelly shared. "It's important to have the best-selling author to recognize the value that librarians and booksellers bring to the community and life in general," Kelly added.
Kelly has found many ways to share his literary passion with others throughout his career, leading him to co-found Cleveland Book Week, which later partnered with the annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards.
The ninth annual Cleveland Book Week will be hosted in late September with author events and a writing conference, in addition to the Anisfield-Wolf awards ceremony.
Kelly's love for literature fuels a drive to make Cleveland a literary hotspot in the country.
"I want to bring the world's greatest authors to Northeast Ohio. I want to get great books in people's hands," he said.
Kelly aims to create and foster a community that celebrates lifelong learning and brings people together.
As his chapter in the Patterson book comes to a close, he is quoted as saying, "Libraries level the playing field. They're free and open to the public. All are welcome. Our doors are open. Come in and learn to become your best self. Follow your dreams and reach your true potential."
Kelly certainly seems to have found his.
