Friends of the COD Library author lunch in Palm Desert welcomes Kim Fay

Marge Dodge
·2 min read
Kim Fay addresses the crowd at the Friends of the College of the Desert Library’s 54th annual author luncheon on Dec. 2, 2023.
Kim Fay addresses the crowd at the Friends of the College of the Desert Library’s 54th annual author luncheon on Dec. 2, 2023.

Friends of the College of the Desert Library welcomed members and guests on Dec. 2 to the 54th annual author lunch with author Kim Fay. Attendees were greeted at Palm Valley Country Club and received a copy of Love & Saffron signed by the author. Invitees mingled and shopped at the silent auction tables with themed items matched to previously enjoyed books.

The mission of the Friends of the COD Library is to share enthusiasm for literature with Coachella Valley communities and to raise funds for the COD Library. The all-volunteer nonprofit was founded in 1970 and has continually raised funds for the COD Library by holding book sales, author lunches and other literary events.

Its mission was accomplished when the COD Library was presented a donation of $50,000 and accepted by Library Department Chair Jin An-Dunning, Library Specialist Roger Bell, COD Foundation Executive Director Catherine Abbott and COD Foundation Financial Officer Kirstien Renna.

Elena Moiseeva, Marge Dodge and Catherine Abbott attend the Friends of the College of the Desert Library’s 54th annual author luncheon on Dec. 2, 2023.
Elena Moiseeva, Marge Dodge and Catherine Abbott attend the Friends of the College of the Desert Library’s 54th annual author luncheon on Dec. 2, 2023.

Attendees were thanked for supporting literacy and education by attending the lunch, buying books at books ales, donating books, being members and volunteering.

Kim Fay was introduced and discussed her national bestseller Love and Saffron, a witty and tender novel that follows two women in 1960s America as they discover that food really does connect us all and that friendship and laughter are the best medicine. Fay reminded the audience that “food and friendship are the antidote to most any heartache, and that human connection will always be worth creating.” The book includes several recipes.

Fay has also written The Map of Lost Memories, an Edgar Award Finalist for best first novel and a food memoir, Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam where she lived for four years.

Laura Lee Marcarian and Kim Fay sign books at the Friends of the College of the Desert Library’s 54th annual author luncheon on Dec. 2, 2023.
Laura Lee Marcarian and Kim Fay sign books at the Friends of the College of the Desert Library’s 54th annual author luncheon on Dec. 2, 2023.

To learn more about volunteering, membership, book sales or donating books to the Friends, visit friendsofcodlibrary.org or call (760) 333-0733.

Marge Dodge serves on several local nonprofit boards supporting her passions of education, literacy and the arts.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Friends of the COD Library author lunch welcomes Kim Fay