The Wilson Deception - David O. Stewart
Tuesday, October 27, 2015 | 6:30 p.m. | Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.
Lawyer-turned-author David O. Stewart discusses the actual events behind his latest alternative-history novel, The Wilson Deception, which revolves around 28th President Woodrow Wilson and deviousness at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.
Wilson was one of the conference's Big Four participants with British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, and Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando. Stewart's book, blending history and fiction, also works in Winston Churchill, T.E. Lawrence, and other real-life notables and returns the two fictional protagonists from his earlier The Lincoln Deception.
Stewart has spoken at the Library on four previous occasions, most recently about The Lincoln Deceptionin February 2014 and his biography of James Madison, Madison's Gift, in March 2015.
JazzAlice: An Adventure in Musical Wonderland - Angela Hagenbach
Wednesday, October 28, 2015 | 6:30 p.m. | Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.
Monday, November 2, 2015 | 6:30 p.m. | Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.
Kansas City jazz star Angela Hagenbach leads a diverse cast in a unique retelling of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Written and produced by Hagenbach, it pairs the music of John Coltrane with original lyrics inspired by Lewis Carroll's classic novel. Hagenbach sets the story in the free-spirited 1960s and makes Alice a student of jazz studies.
Due to heavy demand, a second performance at the Plaza Branch has been added. The Mid-Continent Public Library hosts a third performance Tuesday, November 10, at the Pavilion at John Knox Village in Lee's Summit, Missouri. The musical event is part of the libraries' two-month Great City | Great Read celebration of Alice's Adventures.
For the October 28 event only, general admission seating is at capacity but a limited number of VIP tickets remain available. VIP packages are $25 — $20 for Friends of the Library members — if purchased before October 24 or $30 after that date, and include a reserved seat in the first six rows of the Truman Forum Auditorium and admission to a post-event reception hosted by the Friends of the Kansas City Public Library. Proceeds benefit the Books for Babies initiative, which presents a first book to all babies born in the Kansas City area and trains nurses in the importance of early childhood literacy.
Free, general admission seating remains available for two subsequent presentations.
Co-presented by the Kansas City Public Library and Mid-Continent Public Library and made possible by a generous contribution from Polsinelli and its National Real Estate Practice, with additional support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
History of America in 101 Objects - Richard Kurin
Thursday, October 29, 2015 | 6:30 p.m. | Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.
Richard Kurin, the Smithsonian Institution's under secretary for art, history, and culture, discusses the treasures selected from the Smithsonian's vast collection for inclusion in the book History of America in 101 Objects.
Ranging from George Washington's sword and Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hat to Enola Gay bomber and space shuttle Discovery, the objects convey the richness and vitality of the American spirit. Kurin looks at their significance to the nation's history and explains how they made their way into the Smithsonian.
Co-presented by the W.T. Kemper Foundation — Commerce Bank, Trustee.
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.