As a precaution to help limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) as advised by public health officials, ALL NEWPORT BEACH LIBRARIES ARE CLOSED AND ALL LIBRARY PROGRAMS AND STORYTIMES ARE CANCELED OR POSTPONED THROUGH MAY 2020.  

This event will be rescheduled  - Follow us to receive updates.   In the meantime, the Library’s E-Branch is up and running 24/7/365 with a wide variety of online services. 

Sam Quinones’ book Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic (2015) won a National Book Critics Circle Award and was on a dozen Best Book of the Year lists. Why? The book struck a common chord. Quinones is a masterful storyteller and sought-after speaker who shares how the silent tragedy has impacted communities and families coast to coast. And what a tale . . . Dreamland is riveting. Quinones recounts how a pharmaceutical corporation promoted its legal opiate prescription painkiller as non-addictive and the rise of international drug trafficking. The collision of these two forces has led America into the deadliest drug scourge in modern times. Dreamland is now being adapted for a young adult audience, grades 8-12.

The Witte Lectures are for the curious, engaged and motivated. It presents serious topics for serious times. Join us for dynamic, informative, call-to-action conversations about the US Presidency, the impacts of income inequality, what to anticipate with rapid environmental change, and learn the societal price of addiction. Participate and be fortified. Understand the complexities of globally relevant issues. Come to the lectures and chat with our speakers at a tasty post-lecture supper on Friday night or coffee and cookies on Saturday afternoon. It’s all happening at the Library!