Who says fitness can’t be fun? Try this workshop on hula hooping

Learn how to incorporate hula hooping into your workout at Norman Mayer Library on July 10 with Hey Now Hooping. In this beginner-friendly workshop, attendees will learn how to keep the hoop spinning on their waists and other ways to move the hoop using their hands to build core strength, and improve flexibility and balance.

The hourlong class starts at 5:30 p.m. The library is at 3001 Gentilly Blvd.

AUTHOR TALK: Author Joseyln Takacs will discuss her new book “Pearce Oysters,” at Milton H. Latter Memorial Library, 5120 St. Charles Ave., on July 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This family drama set on the Louisiana coastline during the historic 2010 oil spill follows the Pearces, local oyster farmers whose business, family, and livelihood are on the brink of collapse.

Diving deeply into the bonds of family, culture, class, and industry, “Pearce Oysters” elevates the voices of its sympathetic characters: Jordan, the reluctant head of his family’s storied oyster company; May, his distressed, widowed mother; and Benny, his beatnik musician brother, who returns from New Orleans in their time of crisis.

Now based in California, Takacs lived in New Orleans at the time of the spill, and in 2015, received a grant to record the oral histories of Louisiana oyster farmers in the wake of the environmental disaster.

PHOTO WALK: Local photographer Natasha Sanchez will lead a neighborhood photo walk on July 17 starting at 10:30 a.m. at Cita Dennis Hubbell Library, 725 Pelican Ave.

Participants will explore the Algiers Point neighborhood while Sanchez highlights photography and composition basics. Participants will learn different ways to photograph and see the world around them.

Spots are limited; visit events.nolalibrary.org to sign up.

AUTHOR TALK: Veteran educator Pat Austin will visit the Nix Library on July 17 to read from her memoir “Tales from a Teaching Life — Vignettes in Verse.” Published by the University of New Orleans Press, the book shares anecdotes of a decadeslong career ranging from elementary to university to online teaching.

Austin’s writing conveys the emotion, accomplishment, and meaning of a lifelong dedication to reading and teaching.

Afterward, Austin will answer questions about everything you’ve ever wanted to know of the life of an educator but were afraid to, or haven’t had the opportunity to ask. Her talk starts at 5:30 p.m.

The library is at 1401 S. Carrollton Ave.

BUSINESS DATABASE: Small or new businesses are invited to Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center on July 16 to learn about Data Axle, a business database provided to library cardholders for free.

Data Axel can help target specific groups of businesses or individuals who may be interested in products or services. The resource can assist in identifying the ideal geography of potential new customers, learn key contacts, research businesses and their competitors, and how to build a business plan.

The library, 4300 S. Broad St., is hosting two Data Axle workshops on July 16, the first from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and the second from noon to 1:20 p.m.

Space is limited; visit events.nolalibrary.org to register.

Jane LeGros is the director of marketing and communications for the Orleans Parish Library.