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"I am completely smitten with the Lunch with Books patrons...who welcomed me like a long-lost cousin. It takes two to have a successful reading: an enthusiastic presenter and an engaged audience, and boy did the stars align for us." -Marie Manilla, Still Life with Plums

"Lunch With Books is an outstanding program -- one of the best in the country." -NPR Journalist Matthew Algeo, The President is a Sick Man


"With a new book in hand, I’ve visited a lot of libraries lately, and I think the Ohio County Public Library is my all-time favorite. People are kind and welcoming, and deeply appreciate a visiting writer." -Jaimy Gordon, Lord of Misrule (National Book Award)

“I wanted the book launch to be at Lunch With Books because it is the best library book program in West Virginia and because Wheeling and the Wheeling area was centrally involved in so many of the firsts in West Virginia sports.” –Bob Barnett, Hillside Fields: A History of Sports in West Virginia

This blog is being discontinued.

This blog is being discontinued.
Please visit: www.ohiocountylibrary.org/calendar

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Next Thursday Evening, June 5, 6:30 pm

James Alexander Thom and Dark Rain Thom

James Alexander Thom, the national bestselling author of Follow the River and Saint Patrick's Battalion will appear at a special Thursday evening edition of LWB on June 5, 2008 at 6:30 pm. Mr. Thom will be accompanied by his wife, Dark Rain Thom, Clan Mother of the East of the River Shawnee, and the co-author of Warrior Woman: The Exceptional Life Story of Nonhelema, Shawnee Indian Woman Chief, and the author of The Shawnee: Kohkumthena's Grandchildren.A meticulously researched novel of historical fiction, Follow the River is a very popular book locally and in the entire state of West Virginia as it deals with events in the history of both the Kanawha and Ohio River Valleys. Over the years it has been read and discussed by several book discussion groups at the Ohio County Public Library and by many local high school students. In addition, the West Virginia Library Commission used the book for its inaugural One Book, One West Virginia Reading Project in 2005.

A Biography of James Alexander Thom from His Website

James Alexander Thom is Indiana's best selling author. His seven novels have sold more than 2 million copies. His bestselling novel Follow the River is now in its 37th printing and still sells 30,000-40,000 copies a year. James Alexander Thom lives with his wife, Dark Rain, a Shawnee in a 130-year-old cabin he moved and reconstructed.

In the early days, James Thom was a reporter and columnist at the Indianapolis Star. "Even then I knew that my heart and mind were in the things I wanted to say in books," says Thom.He began a journey that took him back to his native Owen County, where he built a his log cabin home with his own hands. The journey also took him through swamps and forests to research , a novel about Revolutionary War, Long Knife.

One thing that sets Thom apart is his commitment to research, something he takes very seriously. He believes that in order to talk or write about something accurately you have to experience it. Therefore, one can find him hiking old Indian trails and canoeing Mid-western rivers recreating the experience of travel.He traveled the entire route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition while writing From Sea to Shining Sea. To convey the experience of the frontier soldiers in Long Knife, his first historical novel, he mastered the use of eighteehth-century tools and weapons and waded the icy waters of the wabash. During his research for Follow the River he traced Mary Ingles' 1000 mile escape from the Shawnee Indians. He traveled the Ohio, Kanawha and New Rivers and lived off the land to accurately recreate her story.

James Thom is also often at work as an environmental spokesman. Dark Rain is always at his side in this work.

Dark Rain is the Water Panther Clan Mother of the East of the River Shawnee of Ohio.Dark Rain is a voting member of Council and is a teacher, respected by her people, in the ancient Shawnee oral and historical traditions. She has given traditional presentations on behalf of her people for over twenty-five years.Much of her family's history came from Dark Rain's grandmother, who was a healer and midwife in her community, and Dark Rain's father who was also knowledgeable in many of the Great Laws and other traditional teachings. An aunt who was related on both sides of her family was her traditional teacher.

Comments From Other Authors About JA Thom's Work

"James Alexander Thom is one of the finest historical novelist writing today....he cares passionately about getting it right, and has a gift for illuminating those forgotten but fascinating corners of the American past...." ----John Sugden Author of Tecumseh, A Life

"He puts flesh and blood on forgotten names and breathes life into the stale past. He is probably, the most important author of American historic novels written today because he helps to interpret the distant past for the mind and interest of the modern reader." -----Jack Weatherford Author of Indian Givers

Sign Talker, is a fictional account of George Drouillard, the french-Shawnee hunter and scout who led the Lewis and Clark expedition.

"Anyone who thinks there's nothing left to be said about the Lewis and Clark expedition should read this book." ----John Sugdon Author of Tecumseh, A Life

Tuesday, June 3 at NOON


June 3—Peggy Hanna, Patriotism, Peace, & VietnamPeggy Hanna, author of Patriotism, Peace, & Vietnam, will appear at the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books program on Tuesday, June 3, 2008. Peggy Hanna’s Vietnam story comes from a unique angle – that of a Midwestern Catholic homemaker and “hawk” turned peace activist. Hanna gives a fascinating inside look at just how far the outposts of the peace movement stretched. Join Ms. Hanna for a discussion of the book Phil Donahue called a “beautifully rendered story…Peggy Hanna probably didn’t plan it this way, but the timing of this brutally honest memoir is better than even she could have imagined."

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tuesday, May 27: Appalachian Dialects

May 27: Dr. Kirk Hazen, WVU English Professor, Dialects in West Virginia: Fact and Fiction and How to Learn from Both.

Are you interested in West Virginia and Appalachian dialects? West Virginia University English professor, Dr. Kirk Hazen will appear at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, May 27 at noon to present a program entitled, “Dialects in West Virginia: Fact and Fiction and How to Learn from Both.” Dr. Hazen will lead this interactive presentation on the myths and realities of West Virginia dialects, present findings from recent research on dialects in West Virginia, and answer a wide range of questions about English in Appalachia. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

May 20th: Tom Lipinski


TOM LIPINSKI, a mystery writer and the creator of the Carroll Dorsey series, set in Pittsburgh, will appear at the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books program on Tuesday, May 20th at noon. Lipinski will discuss his books, including, THE FALL-DOWN ARTIST, A PICTURE OF HER TOMBSTONE, STEEL CITY CONFESSIONS, and DEATH IN THE STEEL CITY. Lipinski is the chair of the English and Creative Writing Department at Edinboro University. He was featured as the "L" in the WQED documentary, Pittsburgh A to Z. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Tuesday, May 13th at Noon: Dr. Bonnie Thurston

POETRY OF CELTIC LANDS & PEOPLE

Dr. Bonnie Thurston will appear at the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books program on Tuesday, May 13th at noon. Thurston will present "Poetry of Celtic Lands and People." Her first book of poetry, The Heart's Lands, featured Celtic saints. The poems she will be reading at Lunch With Books are a new sequence based on the Isle of Iona, a root place of Celtic Christianity. It is the home of St. Columba and probably the place of origin of the Book of Kells. Dr. Thurston’s newest book, The Spiritual Landscape of Mark, will be released by Liturgical Press in October, 2008.

A native of West Virginia, Bonnie Thurston currently lives in solitude near Wheeling, having resigned the William F. Orr Professorship in New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2002. She earned a B.A. in English from Bethany College, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Virginia. The subject of her dissertation was Thomas Merton. She has done post-doctoral work in New Testament at Harvard Divinity School; Eberhard Karls University in Tuebingen, Germany; and the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem. Bonnie has written eleven theological books and over 100 articles, has contributed to reference works in New Testament, and taught at the university level for 30 years. Her scholarly interests in New Testament include the gospels of Mark and John and the Deutero-Pauline canon and, more generally, the history of Christian Spirituality and prayer. Her church affiliations include the Episcopal Church and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She was ordained in 1984 and has served as co-pastor, pastor, or interim of five churches and twice in overseas ministries. She is a spiritual director and retreat speaker. Her poetry frequently appears in religious periodicals, and she has authored two volumes of verse.

Bonnie is a widow, an avid reader, gardener and cook, enjoys classical music (especially the opera and liturgical music) and loves the West Virginia hills.

Bonnie wrote her doctoral dissertation on Thomas Merton and is particularly interested in his poetry and inter-religious thought. She was a founding member of the International Thomas Merton Society and served as its third president. She has written more than 20 scholarly articles on Merton, given retreats, and lectured on Merton widely in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Europe. She is the editor of Thomas Merton And Buddhism (Fons Vitae Press, 2007).

Lunch with books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch, and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Top Ten Lunch With Books Programs

Program; Presenter; Attendance; Date

1. SAENGERFEST; Eintracht German Singing Society; 200; 07-17-10

2. A Lucky Child; Auschwitz Survivor Judge Thomas Buergenthal; 198; 03-04-11

3. Fashion Show; Civil War 150; 194; 11-20-11

4. Ruanaidh; Art Rooney, Jr. and Jim O'Brien; 168; 06-15-10

5. Follow the River; James Alexander Thom; 160; 06-05-08

6. Warwood Memories; 157; 12-18-12

7. The Quiet Man Pub Reading; 150; 08-30-12

8. Wheeling Then and Now; Sean Duffy; 146; 09-07-10

9. Bloch Brother Tobacco; Stuart Bloch; 131; 04-27-10

10. Reasons to Believe; Dr. Scott Hahn; 126; 08-21-07

Book Discussion Groups

The Ohio County Public Library facilitates book discussion groups for both young adults and adults. Currently, the OCPL offers two adult groups, which meet on the first Monday and third Thursday of each month.

In addition to its own growing collection, the OCPL has access to the book discussion collection of the West Virginia Library Commission.

To join or form a book discussion group, or for more information, please call 304-232-0244.

Meeting of the Minds Philosophy Group

The Meeting of the Minds Philosophic Inquiry Forum is facilitated by David Weimer. The group meets virtually every Tuesday at 6 PM. Call the library for meeting room locations.

For more information, visit www.firstknowthyself.org/m&mphilosophy.htm or contact group organizer, David Weimer, at 740 526-0985 or by email at dwwweimer@comcast.net..