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September 26, 2026
Special guest appearance with author Ericka Spradley
Saturday, September 26, 2026, 10:00 AM
Title: Unwilling: Refusing to Play a Game that Isn’t Mine
Author Ericka Spradley will be in store beginning at 10:00 AM to visit with customers and sign books.
About the Book: In Unwilling: Refusing to Play a Game That Isn’t Mine, LinkedIn Top Career Development Voice and Global Career Strategist Ericka Spradley tells the truth many women feel but rarely live or say out loud: many of the rules you followed were never designed to reward you.
Through personal stories spanning childhood, relationships, and the workplace, Ericka reveals how “being a good girl” quietly conditions women to accept less—less pay, less power, less rest—while giving more than is ever returned. What begins as praise turns into pressure. What appears to be an opportunity can become exploitation. And what feels like loyalty slowly becomes self-betrayal.
This is not a book about fixing yourself.
It’s about recognizing the system—and choosing differently.
About the Author: Recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Career Development Voice, Ericka Spradley, is the Founder of Confident
Career Woman and Ericka GPT, her AI Career Coaching Agent. She is a 5x author, Career Management
Strategist, and Coach who is deeply committed to supporting women in their pursuit of success by
offering mentorship, guidance, and expertise that helps them navigate the challenges they face in the
workplace. Not only does she equip women to excel at work and know their worth, but she also aims to
provide a powerful platform that fosters: career advancement, leadership, growth, confidence, work-life
balance, and self-advocacy for all employees across the organization.
Ericka brings 10+ years of experience as a leader, entrepreneur, and coach, with published content on
Forbes.com, Black Enterprise.com, and Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global platform. In addition, Ericka
partners with employers via their Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Business Resource Groups
(BRGs) to help them better develop, promote, and retain employees.
Nia Imani at The Bookhouse
100 Things to do in Winston-Salem Before You Die
Jeffrey L. Smith received a BA degree in Public Administration from Elon University. In 1986 he returned to
Paul is a Winston-Salem native, a graduate of R.J. Reynolds High School and Wake Forest University, where he got his first taste of the media as an announcer for the student-run station, WAKE Radio. He has earned advanced degrees in liberal arts and journalism/mass communications from Johns Hopkins University and UNC-Chapel Hill. Paul has worked as a journalist for 30 years. Locally he has worked for The High Point Enterprise, the News & Record of Greensboro and the Winston-Salem Journal. Paul has been affiliated with 88.5 FM WFDD, public radio for the Piedmont and High Country, for the last 10 years. He also currently serves as an adjunct professor of the practice in Journalism at Wake Forest University.