LEWISTON — The Lewiston Public Library will host a spring series of five author talks featuring both fiction and nonfiction titles on subjects ranging from boxing to Somalia. All of the talks will be held in LPL’s Callahan Hall and are free and open to the public.

Leading off the series on Thursday, March 24 at 6 p.m. is Kate Braestrup with a reading from her new book, “Anchor & flares: a memoir of motherhood, hope & service.” The work focuses on her son’s decision to join the Marines and her need to balance her role as protector with that of celebrating his newfound independence.

Braestrup is a chaplain with the Maine Warden’s Service. Her first book was the national bestseller, “Here if You Need Me.”

Journalist Rob Sneddon will be presenting on Thursday, March 31 at 6 p.m. with a talk on his new title, “The Phantom Punch.” This book is an in-depth look at the second heavyweight boxing championship match between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, a bout which took place right here in Lewiston.

Sneddon covers all angles of the May 1965 fight which ended in chaos following a first-round knockout punch from the right hand of Ali. The author is a contributing editor at Down East magazine and a respected sports historian.

On Wednesday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m. novelist Morgan Callan Rogers will be presenting on her latest work of fiction, “Written on My Heart.” The newly-published book is a story of intrigue and romance set in fishing village on the coast of Maine.

Rogers grew up in Bath and has been lauded by critics for her realistic portrayals of coastal life. Her new book is a sequel to her 2012 novel, “Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea.”

Colby College Anthropology Professor Catherine Besteman will be at the library on Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. to talk about her new book, “Making Refuge: Somali Bantu refugees and Lewiston, Maine.” The program will also feature a conversation about the work with two leaders from the local Somali community, Muhidin Libah and Rilwan Osman.

In 1987-88 Besteman conducted research in Bantu communities in southern Somalia. Her new publication follows the lives of Bantus from their homes in Somalia prior to the onset of the 1991 civil war, through the Kenyan refugee camps, and on to the United States with many finally settling in Lewiston.

The spring 2016 series will conclude on Tuesday, May 3 at 6:30 p.m. with a reading and talk by Monica Wood. She will be speaking about her new novel, “The One-in-a-Million Boy.”

Wood has published three works of fiction and the best-selling memoir, “When We Were the Kennedys.” Her first play, “Papermaker,” recently finished a successful five-week run at Portland Stage Company.

All of the LPL author talks will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a book sale and signing. For further information contact the LPL Adult and Teen Services Department at 513-3135 or [email protected].