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UNESCO City of Literature names Pilak its first executive director
The board of directors of the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature has named Jeanette Pilak as the first executive director of the organization. Pilak was most recently director of the University of California Santa Cruz Arts & Lecture Series. She will start April 1. Christopher Merrill, director of the University of Iowa International Writing Program and president of the City of Literature Board, said Pilak quickly rose to the top tier of candidates because she has demonstrated at every stage of her career an uncanny ability to bring new ways of thinking to an organization.
Joice library looking for 15 authors for fundraiser
The Joice Public Library is looking for 15 authors from Iowa for its 8th annual Omelet Breakfast Fundraiser and Author Invitational from 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 13 at the Joice Bethany Lutheran Church. The fundraiser typically brings in 200 people. Authors will have a table, can sell their books and visit with library patrons.
Iowa breaks record for LAL entries with 1811!
The national reading/writing contest for grades four through twelve - "Letters About Literature" - deadline was December 12th with trainloads of letters sent to the Library of Congress' Center for the Book.
All Iowa Reads Announces 2010 Book - "Driftless" by David Rhodes
When David Rhodes’ first three novels were published in the mid-seventies, he was acclaimed as “one of the best eyes in recent fiction” (John Gardner), and compared favorably to Sherwood Anderson. In 1976, a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed from the waist down, and unpublished for the subsequent three decades.
pRhyme Time on the Prairie
Enjoy a weekend with guest speakers, poetry readings, workshops and more in Akron, Ia., Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18th. The event, sponsored by the Akron Public Library, will be held in the Hole in the Wall Lodge, 14396 Diamond Ave., Akron.
Books You May Have Missed: "Parsnips in the Snow: Talks with Mid-Western Gardeners"
by Jane Anne Straw and Mary Swander. Last February I found myself on the way to the airport with no book to read. In the backseat ofmy car was a pile of books a friend gave me to take to the library book sale. I grabbed "Parsnips in the Snow," a Bur Oak Original published in 1990 by the University of
Books You May Have Missed: "The Final Solution: The Story of Detection"
My children know and my grandchildren at least have a faint inkling that the step between my buying them a book as a gift and wrapping it is reading it. Not that I read every book I give them as a gift. Sometimes I run out of time before the Christmas presents have to be shipped. And I would never give a Christmas present late because I still had six chapters to read. I don’t feel I need to treat birthdays as strictly. And I am always careful not to spill tea as I am reading these presents.
Iowa Wild Rose Award to be given to authors/illustrators of books for children and young adults
The Iowa Wild Rose Award, established in 2009, will honor an author/illustrator of books for children/young adults. The first award will be given in 2010. Nominations are now being sought for the 2010 Iowa Wild Rose Award. This literary award will be announced on January 15, 2010 and will honor an author/illustrator of books for children/young adults. Libraries, publishers, and readers of all types are eligible to nominate an author/illustrator.
Books You May Have Missed: "The Uncommon Reader"
This is the first of what will be an irregularly scheduled series about books that you may have missed and may want to consider reading. The following book recommendation is by Marvin Bergman, editor of The Annals of Iowa and a member of the Iowa Center for the Book Advisory Committee and the All Iowa Reads Committee.
State Historical Library Announces 2008-09 Book Group Schedule
The State Historical Library’s Book Discovery Discussions kicks off its 2008-2009 schedule Oct. 15, 2008, with "In for the Long Haul: The Life of John Ruan" by William Friedricks. The author will talk about the book and his process researching and documenting this prominent Iowa businessman and philanthropist. “Book Discovery Discussions” explores literature that defines, reflects or captures the history of Iowa. Meetings are free and open to the public at the State Historical Building, 3rd Floor, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. Participants are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch or take-out is available at several area restaurants, including Baratta’s on 3W of the Historical Building.
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