New Programs Described

The following programs have either been added recently or have not previously been described on the blog.

February 5: Booker T. Washington

On Tuesday, February 5th at noon, celebrate Black History Month at the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books program. The West Virginia Humanities Council’s History Alive Program will present a portrayal of black leader, author, educator and founder of the Tuskegee Institute, Dr. Booker T. Washington as portrayed by Joseph Bundy. Mr. Bundy will discuss Booker T. Washington’s books, including, Working With The Hands, My Life And Works, The Man Farthest Down, and the best selling autobiography, Up From Slavery. Mr. Bundy will also read two or three selections from his own book, Before 911. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

March 25th: Women Clergy Panel Discussion

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library will present a panel discussion about the experiences of women clergy. The distinguished panel will include Rev. Gail Bauzenberger of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Rabbi Beth Jacowitz Chottiner of Temple Shalom, and Rev. Maggie Sebastian of the First Christian Church, all located in Wheeling. A questions and answer session will follow the discussion. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own lunch. Free beverages will be provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

April 1st: WV Author Kevin Stewart
Kevin Stewart, a Princeton, West Virginia, native, will appear at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, April 1st at noon. The author will discuss his debut collection of stories, The Way Things Always Happen Here. The winner of state literary arts fellowships from West Virginia and Louisiana, Stewart was awarded the 1999 Texas Review Novella Prize for Margot. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals. Stewart is a professor of English and creative writing at Potomac State College, a branch campus of West Virginia University, and lives in Cumberland, Md.

April 29th: Jack Maynard, Historic Elm Grove: An Outstanding American Community

Local historian and author Jack Maynard will be at the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books program on Tuesday, April 15th at noon. Mr. Maynard will discuss the new book he penned with his wife Barbara, entitled, Historic Elm Grove: An Outstanding American Community. The Maynards have taken their research to new levels with this, their second book about Elm Grove. Featuring approximately 500 photos and a lot more information, the book focuses on the human side of the town, with information about families, business owners and general familiar faces around Elm Grove over the years. It's a perfect companion to the Maynard’s first book, Elm Grove: A History in Pictures…On the Road to Wheeling. Both books are published by Creative Impressions Studios, http://www.cre8m.com/, and will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch, and free beverages are provided. For more information, please call the library at 304-232-0244.

May 20: Pittsburgh Author Tom Lipinski, Death in the Steel City

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 book, 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. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

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.

June 17: Woodsdale Kids 1945-1960

On Tuesday, June 17 at noon, join Kate Quinn at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public library. Ms. Quinn will discuss her research about the myths and memories prevalent among the kids who called Woodsdale home during the 1950s and 1960s. Kate has researched the topic for over a year, interviewing over 60 people and collecting as many photographs as she could find. She hopes the program will attract today’s teenagers so they can see how different life was back then and how their grandparents and parents spent their youth. This light-hearted and nostalgic look back will feature stories any Ohio Valley audience can relate to. The program is sponsored by the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation.

January 29: Playwright Sean O'Leary

Lunch With Books to Welcome Playwright with Local Ties

Playwright Sean O’Leary will visit Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, January 29 at noon. Sean has written five plays, four of them produced professionally. VALU-MART, is the 2007 winner of The University of Alabama at Birmingham's Ruby Lloyd Apsey Award for plays confronting racial and ethnic issues. VALU-MART is also the winner of the 2007 Best Play award from the West Virginia Writers Conference and was a finalist in the National Arts Club's 2006 Playwrights First competition. BENEATH SHELTON LAUREL was commissioned by The Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre where it played for 20 consecutive sold-out performances and won a National Endowment for the Arts "Access to Artistic Excellence" grant. POUND, about the poet Ezra Pound, premiered at The Washington Stage Guild in Washington, DC and recently won the Ostrander Award as Best New Play of the 2006 – 2007 theatre season in Memphis. POUND has had five other productions. RAIN IN THE HOLLOWS received its professional premiere at Tri-State Actors Theater in New Jersey and has gone on to numerous productions as well. Between them POUND and RAIN have won or been finalists in more than a dozen national playwriting competitions. Sean's first play, WINE TO BLOOD was produced by Oglebay Institute's Towngate Theatre and selected by Brandeis University for its permanent collection of works inspired by the Spanish Civil War. Sean is a winner of the West Virginia Commission on The Arts Fellowship for Drama and is listed on The Literary Map of West Virginia. He is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America and the Playwrights Forum of Washington, DC. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Wheeling's Glass Industry

Book Review: Michael Owens and the Glass Industry

On Tuesday, January 22nd at noon join local historian Margaret Brennan for a review of Michael Owens and the Glass Industry by Quentin Skrabec. Michael Owens was a glass industry pioneer who honed his craft at J.H. Hobbs, Brockunier and Company in Wheeling, where he became a master glassblower. His innovations in automated glass bottle production helped eliminate the scourge of child labor in turn of the century glass factories. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Next Tuesday!

Jan 15th 2008, History Alive: Victoria Woodhull

Long before Hillary Clinton, there was Victoria Woodhull. Portrayed by Betty Leavengood, Woodhull was the first female candidate for president of the United States, and she will visit the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books Program on Tuesday, January 15th at noon. The History Alive program is sponsored by the West Virginia Humanities Council. Woodhull ran against Ulysses S. Grant in 1872 as the nominee of the Equal Rights Party. Woodhull was a staunch advocate for social reforms and equality for women, including the right to vote. Her views on marriage were seen by some as too radical and led to rivalries within the suffrage movement. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

John Billheimer Photos

Here are some photographs from John Billheimer's January 8 Lunch With Books appearance. Billheimer spoke to an audience of 45 about his new books, Stonewall Jackson's Elbow and Baseball and the Blame Game.

Author John Billheimer to Visit Library

Nationally known author John Billheimer, a native West Virginian, will appear at the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books program on Tuesday, January 8 at noon. The coalfields of his native state inspired his first novel, THE CONTRARY BLUES, the first book in a mystery series set in Appalachia. The second book in the series, HIGHWAY ROBBERY, explores West Virginia roadbuilding scandals, while the third, DISMAL MOUNTAIN, covers strip mining. The fourth, DRYBONE HOLLOW, deals with the false claims and scams that follow in the wake of a devastating flood, while the most recent, STONEWALL JACKSON’S ELBOW, tracks the aftermath of a bank fraud. Billheimer has also published a non-fiction book on baseball scapegoats called BASEBALL AND THE BLAME GAME. The author is currently teaching a series of courses on “The Modern Mystery in Film and Print” as part of Stanford University’s Continuing Studies Program. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.