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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

Thursday, April 26, 2012

UPCOMING PROGRAMS...

EVENING WITH THE ARTS

The next installment of the new Evening with the Arts program organized by the Wheeling Arts and Cultural Commission is scheduled for Monday, April 30 at 7:00 pm in the auditorium at the Ohio County Public Library.

The event will feature a reading of the play "CATCH & RELEASE" by Wheeling playwright, Jeremy Richter. Written (as a one act) in 2008, "CATCH AND RELEASE" won Best Play at the West Virginia Theatre Conference and was awarded Best Original Script at the Southeastern Theatre Conference. Now a full-length play that has never previously been read or produced, it was recently named a semi-finalist with the WordBridge Playwriting Laboratory in Baltimore.

"CATCH & RELEASE" is an honest play about perspective, choice and consequences, told through the interaction of four friends as they evolve from children to adults. Jacob, Jason, Rachel and Andrea learn to live and lose while facing crushes, divorce, parenthood, public speaking and a bright, orange balloon.

The Wheeling Arts & Cultural Commission promotes and develops artistic and cultural activities and initiatives that stimulate economic development and advance the quality of life and vibrancy of the greater Wheeling area. Evening with the Arts programs are free and open to the public. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

PEOPLE’S UNIVERSITY TO EXPLORE U.S. CONSTITUTIONALISM


The third installment of the People’s University Government on Tuesday May 1 at 7:00 pm, will feature instructor Grace Norton, a retired professor of sociology at West Virginia Northern Community College on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

May 1 Class 3: AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONALISM
American Constitutionalism: popular sovereignty, representative government and individual rights and liberties.Instructor: Grace Norton, Sociology, WVNCC, Retired.
All programs are free and open to the public. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 to RSVP or for more information.

CIVIL WAR BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP TO MEET ON MAY 21


The second meeting of the Making Sense of the American Civil War Book Discussion Group led by program scholar Dr. David Javersak is scheduled to meet at the Ohio County Public Library on Monday, May 21 at 7;00 pm. The discussion will focus on readings from the anthology, America’s War, compiled by national project organizer Edward L. Ayers. Readings range from a speech by Frederick Douglass to President Lincoln’s first inaugural address. A limited number of copies of America’s War are available for check out at the library’s reference desk. It is not necessary to attend all sessions. The program is free and open to the public. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 to RSVP or for more information.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

May 1: West Virginia's Historic Courthouses

Producer Deb Warmuth and writer/director Richard Warmuth of the Walkabout Company will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, May 1 at noon for a discussion of the company’s documentary about some of West Virginia's historic courthouses and an upcoming coffee table book on the same subject. Just announced: Dr. David Javersak, who was a consultant on the documentary, will add some commentary.

Dr. Javersak holds a Ph.D. in American History and is professor emeritus at West Liberty University. He has written numerous books on the histories of local communities. In addition to serving as a consultant on the Historic Courthouses production, he worked with Walkabout on both the National Road and Mount de Chantal productions. He is currently working with Walkabout on a book of the 55 county courthouses.

Richard Warmuth has served as the writer/director for all company media projects since 1987. He received an Emmy Nomination in Scriptwriting for The Historic National Road - The Road That Built the Nation. He served as the writer/director for the feature documentary, Living Monuments: Historic Courthouses, which received funding from the WV Humanities Council and was broadcast on WV PBS. He is currently the writer/director for three feature documentaries that will be aired via WV PBS in 2012; For Mind and Sprint: Mount de Chantal, The Civil War in the Mid-Ohio Valley, and the Midland Trail. Richard has been the recipient of the Videography, Hermes and Accolade awards for excellence in production.

Deb Warmuth has been a producer since 1992, when she oversaw the production of 2-weekly series for young people which aired on WV PBS. During 2011, she produced the feature documentary, Living Monuments: Historic Courthouses. She is currently the producer for three feature documentaries that will be aired via WV PBS in 2012; For Mind and Sprint: Mount de Chantal, The Civil War in the Mid-Ohio Valley, and the Midland Trail.

The company is in production of a book on the 55 county courthouses in partnership with the WV Association of Counties. They are also the producers on the new children's series Abracadabra, which is project of the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine and WV PBS. The series will debut in Summer 2012.

Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are served. Please call 304-232-0244 for more information.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

April 24: A History of Wheeling Steel

Dr. Raymond Boothe will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, April 24 at noon to discuss his book, Fire on the Water, a complete history of the Wheeling Steel Corporation. The book covers the nail and iron industry of Wheeling and Steubenville from the 1840's to today, with over 300 photographs, drawings, and maps, etc, that will delight steel and railroad historians and those interested in the history of the Ohio Valley. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are served. Please call 304-232-0244 for more information.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

April 17: Old Time Fiddle Music Inspires a Book

West Virginia author Sarah Sullivan will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, April 17 at noon to discuss fiddling legends Melvin Wine and Jake Krack, who inspired her book, Passing the Music Down, about a young boy who travels the hills to meet the old-time fiddle player he admires. Included: the process of creating a picture book from initial idea through final draft and illustration. Plus live fiddle music by Richard Pollack and Scott Black of Cabin Fever String Band. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are served. Please call 304-232-0244 for more information.


SARAH SULLIVAN AUTHOR VISIT

West Virginia children's book writer, Sarah Sullivan, will visit the Ohio County Public Library as part of its "Lunch With Books" series at noon on Tuesday, April 17th when she will present a power point program and share a reading of her latest book, Passing the Music Down. Also appearing will be Richard Pollack and Scott Black from the local Cabin Fever String Band who will play old time fiddle music.

Sullivan's book is based on the real-life story of celebrated West Virginia old-time fiddle players Melvin Wine and Jake Krack and is a nominee for the West Virginia Children's Choice Book Award, as well as being an NCTE 2012 Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts. Sullivan is also the author of 3 additional picture books including Once Upon a Baby Brother, illustrated by Tricia Tusa and included on the Bank Street College Best Children's Book list for 2011-12 (MacMillan 2010). and Dear Baby, Letters from Your Big Brother, an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award Winner (Candlewick 2005). Her poetry has been published in Cricket and her first novel for young people is forthcoming from Candlewick. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts where she won the Harcourt Post-Graduate Scholarship. She also is a recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship/Grant from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. Sullivan is a resident of Charleston, West Virginia where she lives with her husband.

You can learn more about Sullivan and her books by visiting her website at www.sarahsullivanbooks.com

PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY - GOVERNMENT

Register Today! (visit the Ref Desk or call 304-232-0244)

LIBRARY TO LAUNCH FIFTH INSTALLMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITYTHE PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY, SERIES 5: GOVERNMENT

Starting on Tuesday April 17 at 7:00 pm, the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling will offer a new series of the People's University focusing on Government.

Andrew Carnegie envisioned the public libraries he helped establish as sanctuaries of free learning for all people. In keeping with this vision, the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling created The People’s University, a free program for adults who wish to continue their education in the liberal arts. The People’s University features seven-eight week courses — taught by experts in each subject — that enable patrons to pursue their goal of lifelong learning in classic subjects such as history, music appreciation, philosophy, literature, and government.

The People's University, Government, will cover the basics from ancient Greece to the modern political spectrum.

Series 5 Schedule: Government
Classes meet on Tuesday evenings @ 7:00 PM

April 17 Class 1: ORIGINS
The philosophy and theories of Government from Ancient Greece and Rome to philosophers like Rousseau, Hobbes, and Locke. Instructor: Darin McGinnis, PhD, Philosophy, Wheeling Jesuit University.

April 24 Class 2: Who shall govern?
The evolution of self-government from divine right monarchies to parliamentary forms and the American and French Revolutions. Instructor: Donna Simpson, PhD, History, Wheeling Jesuit University

May 1 Class 3: AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONALISM
American Constitutionalism: popular sovereignty, representative government and individual rights and liberties. Instructor: TBA

May 8 Class 4: GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS
Government and Economics: Capitalism in all its forms vs Marxism in all its forms. Instructor: John Poffenbarger, PhD, Political Science, Wheeling Jesuit University

May 15 Class 5: AUTHORITARIANISM
From old-fashioned despots to 20th century totalitarianism, dictatorships and modern theocracies. Instructor: Jeffrey Rutherford, PhD, History, Wheeling Jesuit University

May 22 Class 6: COMPARATIVE POLITICAL SYSTEMS
Comparative Modern Political Systems – an overview. Instructor: John Poffenbarger, PhD, Political Science, Wheeling Jesuit University

May 29 Class 7: THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM
The Political Spectrum: What does it mean to be “Liberal” or “Centrist” or ”Conservative” or “Libertarian” or “Anarchist”?
Instructor: Grace Norton, Sociology, WVNCC, Retired

To register for the People's University Government series, please stop at the reference desk, call 304-232-0244 or email lunchwithbooks@yahoo.com.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

April 9-14 is National Library Week!



In celebration of National Library Week, April 9-14, 2012, the Ohio County Public Library is offering a FINE FREE WEEK!


You may return your overdue books without penalty.


National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

April 10: The TITANIC: 100 Years Later

Jeanne Finstein and Judi Hendrickson will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, April 10 at noon to help us remember the Titanic disaster on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. The talk will feature a look at some of the passengers and their stories. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are served. Please call 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..