Let Us Imagine Lost Love - Robert Day
Tuesday, December 8, 2015 | 6:30 p.m. | Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.
Kansas-reared Robert Day, author of the modern western classic The Last Cattle Drive, sits down with Library Director Crosby Kemper III for a wide-ranging conversation in conjunction with the launch of his new novel, Let Us Imagine Lost Love. Day sets this story largely on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza and revolves it around a book designer reminiscing about youthful misunderstandings and secret longings for women, about experiences both beautiful and ugly, as he tries to make sense of his life.
Raised in Merriam, Kansas, Day earned bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Kansas and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arkansas. He taught initially at Fort Hays State University and then for 35 years at Washington College.
He has established the Robert and Kathryn Day Endowment for the Literary Arts to benefit the Library.
Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat - Jen Mann
Wednesday, December 9, 2015 | 6:30 p.m. | Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.
As Jen Mann notes, her nationally popular blog is called "People I Want to Punch in the Throat" and not "Rainbows and Unicorns." So it's no surprise that her take on Christmas isn't all warm and sugary.
It's simply drop-dead hilarious.
The suburban Johnson County, Kansas, wife, mother, and best-selling writer gives the holiday season her inimitable spin in a discussion of her new book Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Yuletide Yahoos, Ho-Ho-Humblebraggers and Other Seasonal Scourges. On her naughty list: mothers who go way overboard with their Elf on the Shelf, overzealous carolers, and people who write their Christmas cards in the third person (Joyce is enjoying Bunko. Yeah, Joyce, we know you wrote this letter.).
Readers' Scene: Holiday Gift Ideas
Thursday, December 10, 2015 | 6:30 p.m. | Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.
In a first-of-its-kind event, Library Director of Readers' Services Kaite Stover hosts librarians from across the Kansas City area in a discussion of great reads that make great holiday gifts.
The program features experts in popular genres ranging from fantasy and young adult to crime fiction, classics and nonfiction. Whether attendees are looking for book ideas for themselves or to give as Christmas gifts, they can enlist the help of librarians who are trained to make recommendations based solely on readers' tastes.
Participants from the Kansas City Public Library include Amanda Barnhart, Bernard Norcott-Mahany, and Diana Platt. From the Mid-Continent Public Library: Naphtali Faris and Andie Paloutzian. From the Johnson County Library: Gregg Winsor. And from the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library: Louisa Whitfield-Smith.
A reception after the presentation features wine, dessert, and a chance to talk one-on-one with the librarians. The program is part of the Kansas City Public Library's Community of Readers initiative.
Frozen in Time: Images of Wounded Knee and Pine Ridge, 1890-91
Exhibit on display Saturday, December 12, 2015, to March 13, 2016 | Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.
This new exhibit features more than 60 photos of the aftermath of the controversial Wounded Knee massacre, which played out 125 years ago in South Dakota, and of leaders on both sides.
The incident on December 29, 1890, left some 200 Lakota men, women, and children dead at the hands of the U.S. Army. Government officials saw it as an act of war. Lakota survivors, their descendants, and American Indian advocates considered it premeditated murder.
The violent episode became a national news event, and scenes from the site and images of both army and Lakota principals became sought-after subjects for photographers. Those photographs became the best known primary documents available in the study of the massacre.
Images in the exhibit are drawn from the Library of Congress, Denver Public Library, Nebraska State Historical Society, and other repositories as well as from the Library's Missouri Valley Special Collections.
Programming is free at the Kansas City Public Library and free parking is available at all Library locations. Event attendees can RSVP at kclibrary.org or at 816.701.3407.