February 9, 2012
Black History Special Event
"Lift Evr'y Voice and Sing"
with Daryl Harris,
Assistant Professor Department of Theatre & Dance
Northern Kentucky University
For African Americans throughout Kentucky and the country, spirituals were the soundtracks upon which the Underground Railroad movement rolled. Freedom songs later helped pave the way toward true liberation. Because of its particular geographical and political positioning, Kentucky gave birth to its own unique musical expressions. Not all African Americans in Kentucky were enslaved; therefore the reservoir of folk culture from which they drew their characteristic forms of expression was rich and deep - often without fixed boudaries between the sacred and the secular. In this talk, Harris takes the audience on a musical history tour through hurt, healing and happiness.
Presented by the McCracken County Public Library
Co-sponsored by The Kentucky Humanities Council
February 9, 2012
7:00 pm
In the Library meeting room
All programs are free and open to the public in the upstairs community room.
Connecting People, Cultures & Ideas
For more information, contact Bobbie Wrinkle by telephone at 270-442-2510 ext. 119 (Toll-free 866-829-7532) or email at bwrinkle@mclib.net
March 15, 2012
Telling Kentucky's Story
Mary Settles, The Last Shaker at Pleasant Hill 1836-1923
Portrayed by
Janet Scott
Frank and Mary Settles were planning to move from Louisville to Missouri, where they would purchase a farm and have a large family to help work the land. Following the birth of their second child, the midwife told Mary she would die if she became pregnant again. With their plans derailed, Frank took Mary and the children to Pleasant Hill, leaving them with the Shakers, and headed to Missouri alone. With no rights to their money or land, Mary had no place to go and no means to care for her children.
The Shakers believed in the equality of the sexes, celibacy, simple living, perfecting themselves, and seeking salvation: They lived communally, and shared all of their profits. They welcomed Mary and the children with open arms.
As the Civil War raged around them, the Shakers remained true to their pacifist beliefs. Soldiers from both sides overran their village. The Shakers lived in constant fear, doing what they could to help. The sisters made thousands of meals for the soldiers and carried baskets of food and medical supplies into battle to tend the injured.
In time, the armies moved on, but life at Pleasant Hill was never the same. Mary began teaching again, and for twenty-seven years gave the best of her heart and mind to the young women of Pleasant Hill. Sister Mary Settles was the last member of The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing to live at Pleasant Hill.
Civil War Bicentennial Event
Presented by the
Friends of the Library
Co-sponsored by the Kentucky Humanities Council
March 15, 2012
7:00 pm
In the Library meeting room
All programs are free and open to the public in the upstairs community room.
Connecting People, Cultures & Ideas
For more information, contact Bobbie Wrinkle by telephone at 270-442-2510 ext. 119 (Toll-free 866-829-7532) or email at bwrinkle@mclib.net
April 26, 2012
Nature's Bounty as Interpreted in Quilts & Textiles
presented by Sandra Staebell,
Western Kentucky University
From the earliest days, Kentuckians have brought the natural world into their homes through quilts, coverlets, blankets, rugs and other textiles. Pieced, appliquéd, embroidered, or woven, handcrafted textiles often reflected nature with flowers a perennial favorite theme. Many animals, particularly birds, have also inspired blocks, motifs, and embroidered details. In some the pattern was conceived realistically while in others the design was rendered abstractly. Whatever the intent of the maker, these textiles, be they functional or decorative, brought beauty into Americans’ lives.
Sandra Staebell is the Registrar/Collections Curator of the Kentucky Library & Museum and an Assistant Professor at Western Kentucky University.
Presented by the McCracken County Public Library
Co-sponsored by The Kentucky Humanities Council
April 26, 2012
7:00 pm
In the Library meeting room
All programs are free and open to the public in the upstairs community room.
Connecting People, Cultures & Ideas
For more information, contact Bobbie Wrinkle by telephone at 270-442-2510 ext. 119 (Toll-free 866-829-7532) or email at bwrinkle@mclib.net
May 24, 2012
How Long Must We Suffer: Bereavement and Mourning in the Civil War
presented by Susan B. Hawkins,
National Park Ranger
Fort Donelson National Battlefield
In commemoration of the battle's 150th anniversary, Park Ranger Susan Hawkins will share stories from the people who witnessed the battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862. The information will focus primarily on the civilian relief efforts at the site. Ranger Hawkins will also explore the way that we remember the battle and how we can share these stories with our children. Susan Hawkins has been a National Park Ranger since 1992. She is a graduate of the Public History Program at Murray State University and is currently completing her MA in teaching.
Sponsored by the McCracken County Public Library
May 24, 2012
7:00 pm
In the Library meeting room
All programs are free and open to the public in the upstairs community room.
Connecting People, Cultures & Ideas
For more information, contact Bobbie Wrinkle by telephone at 270-442-2510 ext. 119 (Toll-free 866-829-7532) or email at bwrinkle@mclib.net
June 14, 2012
Poetry Readings From Kentucky's Poet Laureate
"The Role of Place in Poetry"
presented by Kentucky Poet Laureate
Maureen Morehead
It is generally known that Southern writers anchor their work in place. Though she is not a native of Kentucky, having spent her childhood in central Illinois, Maureen Morehead's longtime residency in the Commonwealth has resulted in poetry that is filled with the images and stories of her adopted state. As a Kentucky writer, she is part of a large, strong literary tradition that has always celebrated the state's natural beauty and looked out for its best interests. In this talk, Morehead will discuss how living in and learning about Kentucky has influenced and shaped her poems. She will read from her work to illustrate that influence.
Maureen Morehead has published three collections of poetry: "In a Yellow Room" (Sulgrave Press, 1990), "A Sense of Time Left" (Larkspur Press, 2003) and "The Melancholy Teacher" (Larkspur Press, 2010). A fourth book, "Our Brothers' War" (Sulgrave Press, 1993) with Pat Carr is a collection of poems by Morehead and stories by Carr based on the lives of Kentucky women during the Civil War. A fifth book, "Late August Blues: The Daylily Poems", is forthcoming from Larkspur.
In addition to the collections, individual poems have appeared in magazines including America, The American Poetry Review, The American Voice, The Black Warrior Review, California Quarterly, The Greensboro Review, The Iowa Review, The Kansas Quarterly, The Louisville Review, The Southern Poetry Review, Poet and Critic, and Poetry Magazine.
Morehead's work is featured in "The Kentucky Anthology: Two Hundred Years of Writing in the Bluegrass State (University of Kentucky Press, 2005), "Conversations with Kentucky Writers II" (University of Kentucky Press, 1999) and "Kentucky Voices: A Bicentennial Celebration of Kentucky Writing" (Kentucky Arts Councel, 1992). Her writings also appeared in "Place Gives Rise to Spirit: Writers on Louisville" (Publishers Printers, 2000) and "Savory Memories" (University of Kentucky Press, 1998).
She has won fellowships for her poetry from the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Foundation for Women. She has given numerous readings of her work and continues to do so in her position as a poetry faculty member in Spalding University's brief-residency MFA Program in Writing.
Presented by the Friends of the Library
Co-sponsored by The Kentucky Humanities Council
June 14, 2012
7:00 pm
In the Library meeting room
All programs are free and open to the public in the upstairs community room.
Connecting People, Cultures & Ideas
For more information, contact Bobbie Wrinkle by telephone at 270-442-2510 ext. 119 (Toll-free 866-829-7532) or email at bwrinkle@mclib.net
July 19, 2012
"Vice President Alben W. Barkley: In His Own Words"
presented by Judge Christopher Shea Nickell,
Kentucky Court of Appeals
Sponsored by the McCracken County Public Library
July 19, 2012
7:00 pm
In the Library meeting room
All programs are free and open to the public in the upstairs community room.
Connecting People, Cultures & Ideas
For more information, contact Bobbie Wrinkle by telephone at 270-442-2510 ext. 119 (Toll-free 866-829-7532) or email at bwrinkle@mclib.net
August 23, 2012
Jack Johnston will provide a fascinating history of the organization that started out as the Civil Defense Auxiliary Fire Department which has now evolved into the Disaster Emergency Service Rescue Squad, a unit of Emergency Management. In his presentation, he will show photos and discuss some of the more unusual and interesting calls the organization has made in its, approximately, 70 year history. Johnston was recently recognized for his 59 years of emergency/rescue service to the community.
Additional program information will be added as received.
In the Library meeting room
All programs are free and open to the public in the upstairs community room.
Connecting People, Cultures & Ideas
For more information, contact Bobbie Wrinkle by telephone at 270-442-2510 ext. 119 (Toll-free 866-829-7532) or email at bwrinkle@mclib.net
September 27, 2012
Spark the Imagination, Nourish the Spirit & Expand the Mind
"The Titantic Disaster in American Culture"
presented by Allen Share, professor,
Division of Humanities
University of Louisville
On the night of April 14-15, 1912, the reputedly "unsinkable" luxury liner Titanic sank on its maiden voyage. As we approach the 100th anniversary of this landmark event this talk will assess the impact of the Titanic disaster on American culture, which it has affected in myriad ways for the past century.
2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's maiden voyage.
Presented by the McCracken County Public Library
Co-sponsored by The Kentucky Humanities Council
September 27, 2012
7:00 pm
In the Library meeting room
All programs are free and open to the public in the upstairs community room.
Connecting People, Cultures & Ideas
For more information, contact Bobbie Wrinkle by telephone at 270-442-2510 ext. 119 (Toll-free 866-829-7532) or email at bwrinkle@mclib.net
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