kcpl - may special events

T H E K A N S A S C I T Y P U B L I C L I B R A R Y

MAY 2009

SPECIALEVENTS

TobiasWolff

The award-winning author of Old School discusses

his literary career see p. 5 for details.

PRoGRaMs bY DaTEpp. 30-31

PRoGRaM DEsCRiPTioNspp. 2-29

2 May2009•SPECIAL EVENTS AT THE KANSAS CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Selected Highlights for MAY

LOCAL HISTORY

Gov. lilburn boggs

The Mormon Passage through Missouri. In 1838, Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs issued the “Order of Extermination” that ordered the killing or removal of Mormons residing in Missouri – initiating an exodus of Latter-day Saints. Though there seems to be no historical evidence that Missouri carried out these threats, the order spurred Mormons to leave the state in search of friendlier territory.

Over time, the Order of Extermination has become a symbol of violence and discrimination against Mormons, resulting in a distortion of what historical evidence suggests actually happened: emigration and eventual prosperity, not mass extermination, from 1838 to 1869.

fred E. Woods sheds new light on this 30-year period of Mormon history on sunday, May 17, at 2 p.m. at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St. His presentation will reveal that Mormons used Missouri as an outfitting post to travel west by wagon to their promised land – in spite of the Order of Extermination – until the arrival of the transcontinental railroad.

Woods is associate professor of church history and doctrine at brigham Young University, where he currently holds the Richard L. Evans Chair for Religious Understanding.

This presentation is part of the Missouri Valley speakers series, a program of the Missouri Valley special Collections at the Central Library. The series is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage located at 10th and Baltimore.

SPECIAL EVENTS AT THE KANSAS CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY • MAY 2009 3

SIGNATURE EVENTSleonard Mlodinow:The Drunkard’s Walk.The Kansas City Public Library welcomes leonard Mlodinow for a presentation based on his book The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives on Thursday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

The Drunkard’s Walk presents a compelling case for the predominant influence of chance in our daily lives – explaining away the success of a favorite actor or sports super-star as dependent on happy accidents while undermining the value of wine ratings, political polls, and even high school GPAs. Along the way, the author offers highly readable insights into Bayesian statistics and the Monty Hall problem as well as short biographies of theorists like Blaise Pascal, Carl Friedrich Gauss, and Pierre-Simon de Laplace.

Mlodinow proposes a radically different but statistically probable perspective on life, which he describes as an unexpected journey that is as predictable as the steps of a stumbling man fresh from a night at the bar.

Mlodinow is a CalTech physicist whose other works include A Briefer History of Time (co-authored with Stephen Hawking), Euclid’s Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace, and Feynman’s Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics and Life. He has also written television screenplays for Star Trek: The Next Generation and MacGyver.

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore.

leonard Mlodinow


SIGNATURE EVENTS CoNTiNUED

Nathaniel fick: The afghanistan inheritance.On Monday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza branch, 4801 Main St., bestselling author Nathaniel fick presents The afghanistan inheritance.

As violence mounts in Afghanistan, confidence in the Karzai government wanes, and Taliban influence spreads, the Obama administration has committed to pouring 17,000 additional troops into the country. Fick, who served in Afghanistan both as a Marine and as a civilian contractor, offers insights while attempting

to answer critical questions: What has gone wrong? What are America’s interests in Afghanistan and Pakistan? What’s achievable there?

Fick is currently the chief operating officer of the Center for a New American Security, a centrist national security and foreign policy think tank in Washington. Prior to joining the Center, he served as a Marine Corps infantry and reconnaissance officer, including operational assignments in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. In 2007, Fick was a civilian instructor at the Afghanistan Counterinsurgency Academy in Kabul, and has made several additional trips there.

In addition to his bestselling autobiography One Bullet Away, Fick’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today, among other publications. He is a frequent contributor to CNN, NPR, and the BBC. Fick is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute of Strategic Studies, and serves as a Director of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation and the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at Dartmouth College.

Fick’s presentation is co-sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman foundation. Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP.

Nathaniel fick


Tobias Wolff

a Conversation with Tobias Wolff. The Kansas City Public Library hosts a Conversation with Tobias Wolff, author of the Kansas City big Read selection Old School, on Tuesday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza branch, 4801 Main St.

Wolff will be interviewed by New Letters on the Air host angela Elam, who will record the conversation for later broadcast.

Wolff will discuss Old School and his literary career – including his new short fiction compilation Our Story Begins, which earned The Story Prize in March 2009.

One of the few contemporary writers with an assured spot in American literary history, Wolff won the PEN/Faulkner Award for his novel The Barracks Thief as well as three O. Henry Awards for his short fiction; he is also a two-time finalist for the National Book Award. His pioneering memoir This Boy’s Life was made into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.

Wolff leads a graduate-level fiction workshop at Stanford University. His work regularly appears in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Harper’s as well as various literary journals.

This presentation is a bradbury speaker series event, established in honor of retired Library Director Daniel J. Bradbury with the support of the friends of the Kansas City Public library and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. free parking is also available.



brian Kelly: Re-inventing the Weekly Newsmagazine.For much of the 20th century, the weekly newsmagazine was an essential habit for many households. It was often a step up from the daily newspaper in depth and sophistication, weaving a coherent narrative out of the chaos of global events. The magazines’ covers validated news events and newsmakers.

Those days are gone. Along with newspapers and many other magazines, the business model that supported weekly news-magazines is broken. While there are still plenty of readers who like to get information in print, the cost of providing it in that form no longer makes sense – a fact that has been exacerbated by the current severe recession.

U.S. News and World Report editor brian Kelly discusses the challenges facing print journalism and offers suggestions for how the industry might reinvent itself on Wednesday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

The program inaugurates the Library’s figuring out the future of Print Journalism series.

U.S. News & World Report, founded 76 years ago, has been one of the most aggressive media companies when it comes to changing its business model yet trying to stick to its core values. The company now publishes a print monthly, a digital weekly, and a website daily. In a given week, U.S. News & World Report publishes

far more information than ever before, and reaches more readers. The website alone is used by almost 9 million people a month, and it is still growing.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore.

brian Kelly


Catherine Clinton: Mrs. Lincoln.Author and historian Catherine Clinton discusses her new book Mrs. Lincoln on Thursday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza branch, 4801 Main St.

Mrs. Lincoln is a biography of Mary Todd lincoln, wife of President Abraham Lincoln.

The 16th president of the United States has had tens of thousands of pages written about him, but his wife has long remained an historical enigma. Clinton draws on important new research to illuminate the remarkable life of Mary Lincoln.

The Lincolns endured many personal setbacks – including the death of a child and defeats in two United States Senate races – along the road to the White House. Mrs. Lincoln herself suffered scorching press attacks, but despite her southern roots remained faithful to the Union and her wartime husband. She was also the first presidential wife to be known as the “First Lady,” and it was in this role that she gained her lasting fame. The assassination of her husband haunted her for the rest of her life. Her disintegrating downward spiral resulted in a brief but traumatizing involuntary incarceration in an asylum and exile in Europe during her later years.

Clinton is a professor of U.S. history at Queen’s University Belfast. She has previously taught at Union College, Brandeis University, and Harvard University.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event.

Catherine Clinton


susan Reverby: The infamous Tuskegee syphilis study. susan Reverby, the Marion Butler McLean professor in the history of ideas and professor of women’s studies at Wellesley College, presents The infamous Tuskegee syphilis study: What More should We Know? on Thursday, May 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza branch, 4801 Main St.

As Wellesley’s first faculty hire in women’s studies, Reverby has taught at the college since 1982. She currently focuses her research on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932-1972), the longest running non-therapeutic research study in America’s history that involved the United States Public Health Service and nearly 600

African-American men in the counties surrounding Tuskegee, Alabama. The men thought they were being “treated,” not studied, for what they thought of as “bad blood.” The study has become a central metaphor for distrust of the health care system and the key example of unethical research.

Reverby was a member of the Legacy Committee on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study that successfully lobbied President Bill Clinton to offer a public apology to the surviving men and their heirs in 1997.

Reverby’s presentation is co-sponsored by the KU Endowment and the Department of the History and Philosophy of Medicine at the University of Kansas school of Medicine.

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP.


susan Reverby


Production for the Meet the Past television series continues in May with two programs filmed before a live audience at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St. Additional episodes will be filmed in June and July. The series will air during prime-time on KCPT (channel 19) in fall 2009.

Meet the Past features Library Director Crosby Kemper III interviewing prominent historical figures (as portrayed by veteran Chautauqua performers) with Kansas City-area connections.

Major funding for Meet the Past has been provided by a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman foundation.

Admission to all Meet the Past programs is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes each event. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore.

Walt Disney.On Tuesday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m., Dr. bill Worley portrays Walt Disney, whose early years as a professional artist can be traced to Kansas City.

Disney stands as the 20th century’s foremost creator of fairy tales. He is respon-sible for several iconic cartoon characters, including Mickey Mouse. From 1919-23, Disney worked for the Pesmen-Rubin Commercial Art Studio and the Kansas City Slide (later the Kansas City Ad) Company before striking out on his own as an animator and founder of Laugh-O-Gram Films, Inc., located at 1127 E. 31st St. in Kansas City.

Though the studio went bankrupt after being locked into a distribution controversy, it introduced many of Disney’s classic characters to the world.

MEET THE PAST

Walt Disney


Worley is an instructor in history at the Metropolitan Community Colleges of Kansas City – Blue River and a long-time Kansas City historian. He is the author of J.C. Nichols and the Shaping of Kansas City. He has performed as Disney count-less times and has earned several honors for his portrayals of Disney, President Harry S. Truman, basketball inventor James Naismith, and others. Worley portrayed Tom Pendergast in the first Meet the Past event.

William allen White. On Tuesday, May 19, at 6:30 p.m., fred Krebs portrays William Allen White, the famous newspaper editor who gained political prominence after writing an editorial in 1896 titled “What’s the Matter With Kansas?”

White was a close friend of President Theodore Roosevelt, and the two were instrumental in forming the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party in 1912 after Roosevelt lost the Republican nomination to William Howard Taft. The Progressive Party’s platform promoted efforts “to destroy this invisible Government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics ….”

White – whose family still runs the Emporia Gazette in Emporia, Kansas – won a Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for an editorial titled “To an Anxious Friend,” which illustrated the importance of free speech even during “times of stress.” He made an unsuccessful run for Kansas Governor in 1924. His autobiography was published posthumously and won the 1946 Pulitzer Prize.

Krebs teaches history at Johnson County Community College. He has taught American history, Kansas history, and many courses in the humanities and social sciences. He is a veteran Chautauqua performer, having portrayed White and other historical figures in 20 different states. He has been portraying William Allen White since 1985.

MEET THE PAST CoNTiNUED

William allen White


Chicago.In the third season of the script-in-Hand series of stage performances, the Kansas City Public Library and Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre present the John Kander and fred Ebb classic, Chicago.

The fourth play in the law & literature series is scheduled for sunday, May 3, at 2 p.m. in the Truman forum at the Plaza branch, 4801 Main St.

In 1920s Chicago, murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart both covet fame. When the two find themselves on death row, Hart’s celebrity rises after hiring slick lawyer Billy Flynn, much to the dismay of Kelly.

In its exploration of murder, greed, and corruption, the Kander and Ebb musical is a clever and timely satire of the justice system.

The Script-in-Hand series is sponsored by The friends of the Kansas City Public library with additional funding provided by the Richard J. stern foundation for the arts.

Remaining plays in the series include Antigone (June 7) at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St., and The Devil and Daniel Webster (June 26) at the Plaza branch, 4801 Main St.

Admission to all performances is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP.

SCRIPT-IN-HAND

LiteratureLaw &


AUTHOR EVENTSandrea Warren: Under Siege!On friday, May 1, at 7 p.m. at the Plaza branch, 4801 Main St., local author andrea Warren presents her recently released non-fiction book for young adults Under Siege! Three Children at the Civil War Battle for Vicksburg.

Warren’s period piece, described as “a unique perspective on a pivotal Civil War campaign,” follows the 1863 siege of Vicksburg through the eyes of three young people from December 1862 through the aftermath of the surrender on July 4, 1863. The narrative uses the points of view of 10-year-old Lucy McRae, the

daughter of a successful Vicksburg businessman, as well as 11-year-old Willie Lord, the son of a Vicksburg minister, and Fred Grant, the 12-year-old son of then-General Ulysses S. Grant.

Those interested in military campaigns will find Grant’s observations of battlefields as well as his father’s command center fascinating, while others will be intrigued by the stories of families living in dug-out caves and eventually facing starvation while cannonballs and artillery shells rained down.

Warren’s writing has earned her several awards including the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the American Library Association Notable Book Award, and Booklist: Top 10 Biographies for 2001 for her book We Rode the Orphan Trains.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. Warren’s books will be sold courtesy of Reading Reptile bookstore and the author will sign copies following the presentation.

andrea Warren


Matthew algeo: Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure. Matthew algeo discusses his new book Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip on Wednesday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m. in the Truman forum at the Plaza branch, 4801 Main St. In 1953, ex-president Harry Truman and his wife Bess packed their Chrysler New Yorker and headed out for a road trip, thinking that they could drive from Missouri to the east coast without Secret Service protec-tion – and without being recognized. Unlike today’s ex-presidents, Truman had no lavish retirement package or paid staff. He thought that he could return to the ranks of ordinary Americans. As Algeo recounts, Truman was wrong, often with hilarious results. He was recognized by everyone from bellhops to cabbies, pedestrians to the press, including the day that he accidentally walked into a sidewalk shot for the Today show. In Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure, Algeo retraces the Trumans’ travels, visiting the same hotels and diners that catered to Harry and Bess. His book gives the reader a view of America in the midst of change – the aftermath of World War II, the rise of global communications, and the transformation of the presidency from a public service role to an executive position that’s never out of the public eye. Matthew Algeo is a journalist and author. His first book, Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles – “The Steagles” – Saved Pro Football During World War II was published in 2006.

Admission is free. Refreshments will be available prior to the event. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP.

Matthew algeo


AUTHOR EVENTS CoNTiNUED

leonard Zeskind: Blood and Politics.leonard Zeskind discusses his new book Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream on Wednesday, May 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza branch, 4801 Main St.

The most thorough account to date of white supremacy in America, Blood and Politics traces the political strategies that have propelled neo-Nazi skinheads, Holocaust deniers, militias and other factions into a normative social movement that includes prominent citizens among its leaders. Since the end of the Cold War, Zeskind contends a new white nationalism – most evident among anti-immigrant groups – is inspiring recruitment through predictions that whites will lose their majority status, becoming one minority among many.

Zeskind is a civil-rights activist and lifetime member of the NAACP who currently serves as president of the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights. He received a so-called “Genius Grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1998 for his work over three decades to curb the influence of racism, anti-Semitism, and white supremacist groups. He lives in Kansas City.

Blood and Politics will be available for sale, and the author will sign copies purchased at the event.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP.

Leonard Zeskind


fred strebeigh: Equal.Author fred strebeigh discusses his new book Equal: Women Reshape American Law on Thursday, May 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

As late as 1967, men outnumbered women twenty to one in American law schools. During the Vietnam War, more law schools admitted women to avoid plummeting enrollments. As women entered, the law resisted. Judges would not hire women. Law firms asserted a right to discriminate against women. Judges permitted discrimination against pregnant women. Courts viewed sexual harassment as, one judge said, “a game played by the male supervisors.”

Against the odds, women fought to reshape the law. Fred Strebeigh has interviewed litigators, plaintiffs, and judges, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Catharine MacKinnon, and researched in their private archives as well as those of other attorneys who took cases to the Supreme Court to make the law equal and just for all.

Strebeigh has written for The Atlantic, Smithsonian, and The New York Times Magazine. He teaches nonfiction writing at Yale University.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore.


EXHIBITS AT CENTRALDon’t fence Me in: Contemporary Quilts.The American West and quilts have always gone together -- but never quite like this. The Library presents the exhibit Don’t fence Me in: Contemporary Quilts beginning saturday, May 9, at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

The 57 quilts in this exhibit take a decidedly modern look at the icons of the West with each one telling a different story. The quilts are either two feet square or two feet by three feet and pack a great deal into a small space. Some explore themes of abandonment, like Carol Watkins’ “Times Past: Rocking Chair,” which shows a rocking chair against the backdrop

of a vacant house. Others explore newer themes, like Jaime Bolane’s “Horse Zen,” a haunting combination of Japanese calligraphy and split rail fences.

Other artists seem to delight in wordplay. The “Cow Pie” dessert of Gay Lasher and titles like “Amarillo Armadillo” and “Da Fence Rests” assure that these quilters will never be accused of taking the West too seriously.

The artists are just as creative in technique as they are in concept and theme. Embellishments added to the quilts include digital photos, mirror shards, rusty bolts, agate arrowheads, bottle caps, and hardware cloth. Hand dyeing, silk screening, appliqué, and embroidery are almost commonplace among the quilts.

The exhibit remains on display at Central Library through June 21. The quilts are on loan from two Colorado quilters’ groups, the Piecemakers and the Quilt Explorations. The Library will host exhibit organizer, Judith Trager, on sunday, June 14, to discuss her interpretation of contemporary quilt design.

ABOVECowboy Dreamsby Marta amundson

BELOWBlacksmith Shopby Carol Ray Watkins


Dichos: Words to live, love and laugh by in latin america. The exhibit Dichos: Words to live, love and laugh by in latin america will be on display starting saturday, May 16, in the East Mezzanine of the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

Truck and bus drivers in many parts of Latin America take great delight in inscribing dichos, a saying, proverb, or amusing expression, on the bumpers and other surfaces of their vehicles as a way of convey-ing their personal feelings and worldviews to a broad audience. Dichos, hand painted by amateurs or professionals in an endless variety of graphic styles and colors, address subjects ranging from religion and love, to puns and earthy humor. The lively quality of the lettering and bright colors, combined with the messages themselves, present a wonderful form of folk art. Unfortunately, with the emergence of corporate trucking, this vibrant tradition is gradually disappearing.

In Dichos, The Museum of international folk art (MOIFA) offers an engaging look at this endangered tradition. The exhibit draws from the private collection of Grant La Farge of Santa Fe, New Mexico. For more than a decade, La Farge braved encounters with suspicious drivers at truck stops across Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Guatamala, and Panama to document the many variations of the dichos tradition.

The story of dichos is told through color photographs accompanied by select miniature dichos-laden vehicles. This exhibition is a colorful exploration of a Latin American folk art that was meant to be seen and read on the road.

The exhibit remains on display through June 21. It is a program of Exhibits Usa, a national division of Mid-america arts alliance, with the Missouri arts Council and the National Endowment for the arts.


DOWNTOWN REVITALIzATIONDowntown area Plan Public Meeting. On Monday, May 18, at 5:30 p.m. at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St., the voices of citizens will be heard in the Greater Downtown Area Plan Public Meeting.

Downtown Kansas City is undergoing a transformation, experiencing an eruption of economic development in excess of $4.5 billion. This rebirth has been impressive, but more can be done. Many neighborhoods adjacent to the downtown loop are experiencing diverse challenges such as increasing development pressures without adequate plans, economic distress, and inadequacies in housing and infrastructure.

The Greater Downtown Area Plan will create policies designed to solve these challenges while continuing development and addressing the needs of all neighborhoods in the downtown area. The community will have the opportunity to review and comment on the draft plan. Once finalized, the document will guide decisions in the downtown area for years to come.

Members of the City Planning and Development Department will be available to answer questions. Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage located at 10th and Baltimore.

Downtown Kansas City Walking Tour.The Historic Kansas City foundation and Dr. bill Worley host a walking tour of downtown Kansas City on Wednesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m., originating at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

Included will be the library District and the newly constructed Power and light District featuring the Mainstreet and Historic Midland Theaters. This tour is designed to enhance the public’s awareness and appreciation of Kansas City’s historic and architectural legacy.

Downtown Kansas City


Power & light District

Since its founding in 1974, the Historic Kansas City Foundation (HKCF) has been the only Greater Kansas City non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation of the area’s architec-tural heritage. HKCF is a major advocate for, and participant in, the thoughtful and meaningful preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings, landscapes, and neigh-borhoods. Through advocacy, public policy, outreach and educational programming, HKCF demonstrates the proven economic and cultural benefits of historic preservation.

The Midland and Mainstreet TheatresReconstruction. On Wednesday, May 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St., Jay Tomlinson, a partner at Helix Architecture + Design, discusses the renovation and reuse of the Midland and Mainstreet Theatres as part of the vibrant new Power and Light District.

The Midland, constructed in 1927 and now called The Midland by AMC has received enhancements that include state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and amenities. The theatre features flexible seating configurations, with live show capacity ranging from 1300-3000. The Mainstreet, built in 1921 and originally called the Empire, underwent a renovation in 2008 that included converting the venue into a six-screen movie theatre using the lat-est digital technology.

Tomlinson’s presentation is co-sponsored by the Historic Kansas City foundation. Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage located at 10th and Baltimore.

Midland Theatre


Miles of smiles Magic. In continuing the popular friday Night family fun series, the Kid Corner plays host to Miles of smiles Magic presented by Happy faces Entertainment on friday, May 15, at 7 p.m. at the Plaza branch, 4801 Main St.

Through the use of magic and comedy, Happy Faces Entertainment provides a show of fun and education. Emphasizing the importance of uniqueness, self-respect, and learning, the Miles of Smiles Magic Show keeps children and adults laughing.


The Three little Pigs. As part of the Library’s saturdays at Central series, the lyric opera Express presents The Three Little Pigs on saturday, May 23, at 2 p.m. at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

The Three Little Pigs is an adaptation by Joseph and Paula Winans and is based on the classic children’s fairy tale with a special humorous twist with references to The Wizard of Oz. The opera uses musical themes from great operas, including Puccini’s La Bohème, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Verdi’s La Traviata, and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage located at 10th and Baltimore.

CHILDREN

Miles of smiles

a scene from the story of The Three little Pigs


William Everett

Rudolf friml

an Evening with Rudolf friml. The Kansas City Public Library offers a musical retrospective of the works of celebrated Czech composer Rudolf friml during a program led by music historian William Everett on Monday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

A pioneer of the operetta during the 1920s, Friml composed works that earned international acclaim and would be adapted for the screen in the 1930s. As a piano student in Prague, he studied under Antonin Dvorak before establishing himself in New York City on Broadway with The Firefly (1912) and later Rose Marie (1924) and The Three Musketeers (1928).

In addition to Everett’s comments on the life and work of the great composer, this program features vocal solos and duets taken from Friml’s most important works as performed by students from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance.

Everett is an associate professor of musicology at the Conservatory and is author of a new biography on Friml, the first book-length study of his multifaceted musical legacy. This program features contributions from fellow Conservatory faculty members Dale Morehouse and anthony Humrichouser.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore.

This presentation is co-sponsored by the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance.

MUSIC


MUSIC CoNTiNUED

sylvia stoner: swan songs.On Thursday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St., the sylvia stoner Ensemble presents swan songs.

The program explores famous last words in songs, specifically the last musical statement, finished or unfinished, of composers. Dr. Paul Laird narrates the program as Stoner and soprano Jennifer White, mezzo Holly White, baritone Lane Johnson, and pianist Ellen Bottorff translate the works of Richard Strauss, Franz Schubert, and Giacchino Rossini. Additionally, the ensem-ble will perform songs of farewell including the popular American folksong “He’s Gone Away” and a duet by Stephen Foster with text from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. free parking is available in the Library District parking garage located at 10th and Baltimore.

sylvia stoner’s events always draw large crowds.

sylvia stoner


allison Miller

The art of improvisation. Musicians Mark southerland and Jeff Harshbarger present The art of improvisation, featuring allison Miller, on friday, May 29, at 8:30 p.m. on the Rooftop Terrace of the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

The Art of Improvisation is a live outdoor concert and free-form experiment featuring a cast of top-notch local musicians as they blend genres and instrumental dialects into a new musical language. Rooted in improvisation from the first note to the last, this performance yields a one-of-a-kind experience for the audience.

In a city steeped in jazz history, Southerland and Harshbarger contend that reinventing jazz through its core principle of improvisation is more true to the art form than reliving it by recreating the sounds of the past.

Dubbed a “rising star” by Down Beat, Allison Miller is a New York City-based drummer who has recorded with artists like Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, Marty Ehrlich, and Doctor Lonnie Smith. The Kennedy Center and the U.S. Department of State selected her as an international jazz ambassador in 2003.

Southerland is a multi-instrumental jazz musician who received a 2008 Generative Performing Artist award from the Charlotte Street Foundation; his keen interest in the visual aspect of performance is demonstrated by his use of bastardized horns and wearable horn sculptures that are his own creation. Harshbarger is a renowned bass player as well as founder of Tzigane Music – an artist-led collective and record label – and curator of the Alternative Jazz series at the recordBar.


The Art of Improvisation is made possible by an Inspiration Grant awarded by the arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City.


black Health Care Coalition. On saturday, May 2, at 2 p.m. at the l.H. bluford branch, 3050 Prospect Ave., the Library and the black Health Care Coalition screen two parts of the documentary series, Unnatural Causes. Boxed lunches will be pro-vided between screenings of In Sickness and in Wealth and Place Matters.

The filmmakers crossed the country, investigating the stories and findings that are shaking up conventional notions about what makes people healthy or sick. The documentary also sheds light on mounting evidence of how lack of access to power and resources can get

under the skin and disrupt human biology as surely as germs and viruses.

The Black Health Care Coalition, a non-profit organization since 1989, is comprised of lay individuals and health professionals. Its mission is to decrease the disparity of health status between the majority and minority communities through health advocacy, education, screenings, and promotion. Additionally, the BHCC is striving to build a cohesive health referral network while encouraging minority youth to become knowledgeable consumers of health care and pursue careers in the industry.

The event is co-sponsored by the Kansas City, Mo. Health Department and the Kansas City, Mo. Health Commission. Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP.

HEALTH

shaun Hayes, director of health and wellness services at the black Health Care Coalition


searching the Psyche through Cinema. The Kansas City Public Library concludes searching the Psyche through Cinema with a screening of Lolita (1962) followed by an expert film discussion on sunday, May 17, at 1 p.m. in the Truman forum at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Co-sponsored by the Greater Kansas City and Topeka Psychoanalytic Center with the University of Missouri - Kansas City, this unique film series takes as its theme Love & Obsession – an exploration of how celluloid gets under our skin and into our psyche that includes a post- discussion, pairing cinema and psychoanalytic experts.

Based on Vladimir Nabokov’s scandalous novel of sexual obsession, director stanley Kubrick brilliantly navigates the early 1960s censorship code with a screenplay adapted by Nabokov. James Mason, shelly Winters, sue lyon and Peter sellers are all in top form in this subversive and funny look at American culture, morals, and hypocrisy. Not rated. (152 min.)

The post-discussion will be led by professional screenwriter Mitch brian and psychoanalyst Joanne Hindman, Ph.D.


FILMS


The New Cult Canon. The Kansas City Public Library welcomes film critic scott Tobias for a presentation called The New Cult Canon on Wednesday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

With the New Cult Canon, Tobias offers a new perspective on long-buried and overlooked films that have won a loyal audience based on word of mouth. He defines cult films as “obscurities kept alive by a small cadre of followers, popular movies with special replay value, flawed gems, or movies deliberately tailored to the obsessive weirdos who love

them.” His central thesis is that cult movies remain relevant in an artistic sense.

For more than a year, Tobias has explored his New Cult Canon series in articles published for The a.V. Club, the arts and entertainment section for The Onion, a nationally distributed weekly publication with a satiric bent. Among those films on his list are: Near Dark (1987), They Live (1988), and Donnie Darko (2001).

Tobias is film editor for The A.V. Club, which has spawned a vibrant and interactive online presence in addition to its print version.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore.

This illustrated presentation kicks off the 2009 off-the-Wall film series, which takes the New Cult Canon as its theme.

a scene from Donnie Darko starring Jake and Maggie Gyllenhal

FILMS CoNTiNUED


They Live.The Kansas City Public Library screens cult films with broad appeal as the annual off-the-Wall film series draws inspiration from The a.V. Club, the arts and entertainment section for the satiric publication The Onion.

With The A.V. Club film reviews called The New Cult Canon as its basis, this monthly series kicks off with They Live (1988) on friday, May 22, at 8:45 p.m. on the Rooftop Terrace at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

Amid an economic depression, a drifter named Nada (perhaps a subtle comment on the acting talent of wrestling star Roddy Piper) is searching for work – but stumbles upon a hive of upwardly mobile aliens with the help of a pair of magic sunglasses. Nada neatly blends class warfare and xenophobia as he shoots up the town, then recruits an ally named Frank (Keith David) after a sprawling back alley punch-fest. The two rebels infiltrate the alien headquarters, during which director John Carpenter delivers a cynical plot twist that questions the entire notion of resistance. Rated R. (93 min.)


The New Cult Canon film reviews are authored by A.V. Club film editor Scott Tobias, whose weekly articles focus on obscure films kept alive by devout followers, popular movies with special replay value, flawed gems, and movies fashioned for the obsessive weirdos who love them. Tobias describes They Live as “one last stink bomb in the toilet of Reagan’s America…[that] seems as relevant now as it did two decades ago.” The Off-the-Wall Film Series advances its New Cult Canon theme on the third Friday of every month through September. Upcoming films include Near Dark (1987) on June 19 and Fight Club (1999) on July 17. Film-goers are welcome to bring pillows and blankets or any preferred seating for this outdoor event. In case of inclement weather, screenings will be moved indoors to Helzberg Auditorium.


Hitting the Vault. The only thing better than a well-executed cinematic bank heist? Watching that cinematic bank heist inside a former bank vault.

The Kansas City Public Library screens a variety of films focusing on the bank (and its vault) as a target for crooks – sometimes sympathetic but always on the wrong side of the law – on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. and saturdays at 1:30 p.m. throughout May at the Central library, 14 W. 10th St.

Hitting the Vault commemorates the second anniversary of the stanley H. Durwood film Vault, which in fact served as a depository vault for the First National Bank – the original occupant of the Central Library building.

The film line-up on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. includes:

The Bank Dick (1940) on May 4. Comedic legend W.C. Fields stumbles drunkenly from one gag to the next in this film, written by his own hand. After he accidentally appre-hends a bank robber, Fields is hired as a bank detective – and from this position, plots a few crimes of his own. Not Rated. (72 min.)

American Madness (1932) on May 11. Frank Capra directs Walter Huston as a bank president struggling to keep his job, which is further jeopardized after his most trusted employee is accused of committing a $100,000 theft. One of the few cinematic examples of a bank president in the hero role. Not Rated. (76 min.)

small Time Crooks (2000) on May 18. Woody Allen is an ex-con married to Tracey Ullman in this crime film gone awry. While plotting a bank robbery, Allen rents a storefront as cover – but the cookie business run by his wife takes off even as the bank job fizzles. With Hugh Grant and Jon Lovitz. Rated PG. (94 min.)

FILMS CoNTiNUED


The film line-up on saturdays at 1:30 p.m. includes:

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) on May 2. Al Pacino plays the distraught Sonny, who attempts to solve his problems by robbing a bank. In this stunning recreation of a tragic comic episode taken from newspaper headlines, Sonny and a friend turn a simple bank robbery into a massive media event while negotiating for release of their hostages. Rated R. (125 min.)

Point Break (1991) on May 9. Director Kathryn Bigelow crafts a superb film for adrenaline junkies. Keanu Reeves is an undercover FBI agent who immerses himself in surfing culture in order to catch a notorious gang of bank robbers. With Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, and Lori Petty. Rated R. (120 min.)

Heat (1995) on May 16. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro lead a star-studded cast in this crime thriller. De Niro is a master criminal whose ruthless gang consistently foils the LAPD detective played by Pacino – until the crooks execute a $12 million bank heist. Also starring Val Kilmer, Jon Voigt, and Natalie Portman. Rated R. (171 min.)

Out of Sight (1998) on May 23. The first of many film col-laborations featuring George Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh. During a prison break, a bank robber (Clooney) inadvertently kidnaps a U.S. Marshal (Jennifer Lopez) – who later gives chase, perhaps with romantic motivation. With Ving Rhames and Steve Zahn. Based on the Elmore Leonard novel. Rated R. (123 min.)

Set It Off (1996) on May 30. Four women from the projects plot a string of bank robberies in order to escape poverty and avenge wrongs. Starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise with Dr. Dre. Rated R. (123 min.)


Special Events by DateDaTE TIME LOCATION DESCRIPTION

Friday, May 1 7 p.m.Plaza Branch

andrea Warren: Under Siege!

Saturday, May 2 1:30 p.m.Central Library

Hitting the Vault: Dog Day Afternoon

Saturday, May 2 2 p.m.L.H. Bluford Branch

black Health Care Coalition

Sunday, May 3 2 p.m.Plaza Branch

script-in-Hand: Chicago

Monday, May 4 6:30 p.m.Central Library

an Evening with Rudolf friml


Hitting the Vault: The Bank Dick

Tuesday, May 5 6:30 p.m.Central Library

Meet the Past: Walt Disney

Wednesday, May 6 6:30 p.m.Central Library

The New Cult Canon

Wednesday, May 6 6:30 p.m.Plaza Branch

Matthew algeo: Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure

Thursday, May 7 6:30 p.m.Central Library

leonard Mlodinow: The Drunkard’s Walk


Hitting the Vault: Point Break


Hitting the Vault: American Madness

Monday, May 11 6:30 p.m.Plaza Branch

Nathaniel fick: The afghanistan inheritance

Tuesday, May 12 6:30 p.m.Plaza Branch

a Conversation with Tobias Wolff


brian Kelly: Re-inventing the Weekly Newsmagazine


sylvia stoner: swan songs

Thursday, May 14 6:30 p.m.Plaza Branch

Catherine Clinton: Mrs. Lincoln


DaTE TIME LOCATION DESCRIPTION

Friday, May 15 7 p.m.Plaza Branch

Miles of smiles Magic


Hitting the Vault: Heat

Sunday, May 17 1 p.m.Plaza Branch

searching the Psyche through Cinema: Lolita

Sunday, May 17 2 p.m.Central Library

The Mormon Passage through Missouri


Downtown area Plan Public Meeting


Hitting the Vault: Small Time Crooks

Tuesday, May 19 6:30 p.m.Central Library

Meet the Past: William allen White


Downtown Kansas City Walking Tour

Thursday, May 21 6:30 p.m.Plaza Branch

susan Reverby: The infamous Tuskegee syphilis study

Friday, May 22 8:45 p.m.Central Library

off-the-Wall films: They Live


Hitting the Vault: Out of Sight

Saturday, May 23 2 p.m.Central Library

The Three Little Pigs


The Midland and Mainstreet Theatres Reconstruction

Wednesday, May 27 6:30 p.m.Plaza Branch

leonard Zeskind: Blood and Politics


fred strebeigh: Equal

Friday, May 29 8:30 p.m.Central Library

The art of improvisation Concert


Hitting the Vault: Set It Off


Central 14 W. 10th St. 816.701.3400 Mon.-Wed. • 9 a.m.-9 p.m.Thursday • 9 a.m.-6 p.m.Friday • 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Saturday • 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday • 1-5 p.m.

l. H. bluford 3050 Prospect816.701.3482 Mon.-Thurs. • 10 a.m.-8 p.m.Fri.-Sat. • 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday • 1-5 p.m.

North-East 6000 Wilson Rd.816.701.3485 Mon.-Thurs. • 9 a.m.-8 p.m.Friday • 9 a.m.-6 p.m.Saturday • 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sunday • 1-5 p.m.

Plaza 4801 Main St.816.701.3481 Mon.-Fri. • 9 a.m.-9 p.m.Saturday • 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday • 1-6 p.m.

i. H. Ruiz2017 W. Pennway • 816.701.3487 Mon.-Thurs. • 10 a.m.-8 p.m.Fri.-Sat. • 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sunday • CLOSED

southeast 6242 Swope Pkwy. 816.701.3484 Mon.-Thurs. • 10 a.m.-8 p.m.Fri.-Sat. • 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sunday • 1-5 p.m.

sugar Creek102 S. Sterling • 816.701.3489 Mon.-Thurs. • Noon-7 p.m.

Fri.-Sun. • 1-5 p.m.

Trails West 11401 E. 23rd St. 816.701.3483 Mon.-Thurs. • 9 a.m.-8 p.m.Friday • 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Saturday • 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday • 1-5 p.m.

Waldo201 E. 75th St. 816.701.3486 Mon.-Thurs. • 9 a.m.-8 p.m.Friday • 9 a.m.-6 p.m.Saturday • 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday • 1-5 p.m.

Westport 118 Westport Rd.816.701.3488 Mon.-Thurs. • 10 a.m.-7 p.m.Fri.-Sat. • 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday • CLOSED

If you require ADA accommodation to utilize Library services or attend events, please notify the Library office at least 48 hours in advance at 816.701.3400 [TDD: 816.701.3403].

LIBRARY INFORMATION

kclibrary.org

Central Café 816.701.3451

Central Reference 816.701.3433

Children’s services 816.701.3441

looking for a Way to Volunteer Your Time?Learn about opportunities to become an event host, tutor or ambassador, or one of our many other volunteer opportunities. Call 816.701.3706 or e-mail [email protected].

Cultivate a love of learningYour donation or planned gift to the Library helps spark the imagination and instill a love of learning in our children and our community. Contact the Development Office at 816.701.3518 or [email protected].

Customer assistance 816.701.3442

Dial-a-story 816.701.3456

library outreach 816.701.3480

special Collections 816.701.3427

Job line 816.701.3421Volunteers816.701.3706

kcpl - may special events

Documents