Search results

Subscribe to an always-updated RSS feed.

Meet the Writers & Hear Their Voices!: On January 21, 2017, millions of women (and men) across America--opposing a president-elect many considered a misogynist--marched in protest. Millions more around the world joined them in the first mass action of a new women's political resistance movement. This collection of essays and interviews presents 36 voices in this emerging movement discussing a range of topics--activism, healthcare, education, LGBTQIA issues, the environment, and other concerns that affect the political and cultural environment now and in the future. Several of the featured women will join in a panel discussion about the book, the movement, and the country’s future. Beaverdale Books will have copies available for purchase and signing.
Located in Archive / 2018 / June
Meet the Author Donald Morrill: Beaut "The monster called my cell phone this morning, demanding money." So begins Jill Lundgrove, the unforgettable protagonist of Beaut. Secluded in a cheap apartment on a ring road of Des Moines after a fire has destroyed her house—a blaze "the Monster," her drug-addicted, adult son might have caused—she confronts her precarious circumstances. "I'm in great need of reckoning," she writes, partly to herself and to another initially unnamed. What of that fire, the Monster's criminal companions, and the surprising prospect of a love affair after years of widowhood? And what of her three other children, who have variously sought to protect her, flee her, dominate her? The haunting story that follow vividly illuminates the discordant accords of marriage and madness, the ambivalence in motherhood, and the mysteries of inheritance—and bestows a strange, unexpected gift on those closest to her. About the Author... Donald Morrill is the author of the nonfiction volumes Impetuous Sleeper, The Untouched Minutes (River Teeth Nonfiction Prize), Sounding for Cool, and A Stranger's Neighborhood, as well as three collections of poetry (among them Awaiting Your Impossibilities, a 2015 Florida Book Award recipient). He has been the Bedell Visiting Writer in the Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa and writer-in-residence at the Poetry Center at Smith. Currently he teaches in the Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program at the University of Tampa.
Located in Archive / 2018 / July
Meet the Author Grant Faulkner: Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo Every writer knows that as rewarding as the creative process is, it can often be a bumpy road. Have hope and keep at it! Designed to kick-start creativity, this handsome handbook from the executive director of National Novel Writing Month gathers a wide range of insights and advice for writers at any stage of their career. From tips about how to finally start that story to helpful ideas about what to do when the words just aren't quite coming out right, Pep Talks for Writers provides motivation, encouragement, and helpful exercises for writers of all stripes. About the Author... Grant Faulkner is the executive director of National Novel Writing Month and the cofounder of 100 Word Story. His essays on creativity have been published in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer. His stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines, including Tin House, The Southwest Review, and Puerto del Sol. He recently published a collection of one hundred 100-word stories, Fissures.
Located in Archive / 2018 / July
Book Launch for Dr. Jean Wolf: Billy Love’s Forsaken Children It is 1945, and Germany has surrendered to the American allies. Adolf Hitler had come close to his goal of annihilating the entire European Jewish population. Germany is devastated after the war—its families are torn apart, its children, orphaned. Billy Love, her cousin Katerina, and her Aunt Elisabetha, once again become united, as changing the plight of homeless children becomes their mission. Four orphans, Renata and Ursula, sisters in Munich. Ruthie, found in an orphanage in the Bronx. And Wolfgang, a young boy living in Frankenstein’s Castle. What will be their fate and how can the women help them? This historical novel is a story of people working together—"linked in, informed, and educated, bringing peace and prosperity to a forsaken planet”— Isabelle Allende. For the precious children. About the Author... Dr. Jean Wolf grew up in a small town in Iowa, where she experienced a childhood filled with adventures. She made a yearly trek to Okoboji, where she stayed in a cottage with her grandparents, and cavorted with some of her “Wolf” cousins. Her parents, grandparents, and cousins’ personalities and quirks influenced some of the characters in the novel. Her grandfather was a column writer for a small publication in Lytton, Iowa. He was a prolific story teller, frequently gathering the grandchildren around him, spinning tales of his life. The decade in which the book is set, 1928-1938, was inspired by his adult experiences. The story line in the book was prompted by the author’s research into her German roots. She discovered many generations of Wolfs lived in Darmstadt, prior to her great-great grandfather immigrating to the United States. Jean has a Master of Arts in Nursing from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. In Higher Education from Iowa State University. She spent over 30 years as a nurse educator at Grand View University, where she used storytelling to teach the art of nursing practice. Billy Love’s Forsaken Children is her second novel.
Located in Archive / 2018 / July
Meet the Author Teresa Holmgren: Country Boy, City Girl: Trials & Triumph During the Great Depression The Great Depression has important and urgent lessons for 21st century young people. This new fictionalized biography, Country Boy, City Girl: Trials & Triumph During the Great Depression is the story they need to read for the motivation some are sorely missing. This captivating book is also perfect for the older generation, bringing back memories and relatable stories of two teenagers who “want a better life” and who must struggle through enormous obstacles to achieve that goal. Country Boy, City Girl is told in alternating chapters, featuring the author’s 1936 Olympic-swimming mother and her farm-boy father, who rode the rails across America in the 1930s to earn money for college. House fires, family deaths, parental illness, and other trials challenge them, but in the end they both triumph, one with the help of a successful businessman and the other from an astounding encounter with the most famous athlete of the 20th century. There are 125 historical photographs. About the Author... Family has always been vital to Teresa Holmgren. She and her tall blonde husband raised their five children and still live on Iowa farmland that has been in her family since 1876. She is a retired behavior disability teacher and has told her favorite stories about that gig in her first book, Never A Dull Moment. She is a long-suffering lefty who also suffers from arachibutyrophobia, which has nothing to do with spiders.
Located in Archive / 2018 / July
Meet the Author Laura Lee: Oscar’s Ghost In all his life [Oscar] has never written me a letter that was unkind or at least unloving and to see anything terrible in his handwriting written directly to me would almost kill me. This was written by Lord Alfred Douglas in 1897, before the contents of Oscar Wilde’s long letter written in prison and addressed to Douglas, De Profundis, were revealed; in which Wilde indicted Lord Alfred’s vanity and blamed him for his downfall ‒ "appetite without distinction, desire without limit, and formless greed." Years after Oscar Wilde's death, two of his closest friends, Lord Alfred Douglas and his literary executor Robert Ross-- both had been Wilde's lovers--engaged in a bitter battle over Wilde's legacy and who was to blame for his downfall and early death. The centerpiece of the conflict was Ross's handling of Wilde's prison manuscript, De Profundis. Each man tried to use intimate secrets from their once close friendship against the other. The furious dispute led to stalking, witness tampering, prison and a series of dramatic lawsuits. The feud had long-lasting repercussions, not only for the two men, but also for how we remember Oscar Wilde today. About the Author... Metro Detroit native Laura Lee divides her time equally between writing and producing ballet educational tours with her partner, the artistic director of the Russian National Ballet Foundation. She is the author of 20 books. Her most recent tile is the history/biography Oscar’s Ghost. Her Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation has also been re-released this year in a completely updated edition. In addition to her non-fiction, she has written two novels and a children’s book (A Child’s Introduction to Ballet). She brings to her writing a unique background as a radio announcer, improvisational comic and one-time professional mime.
Located in Archive / 2018 / July
Book Discussion: We will be gathering around the fireplace to discuss the All Iowa Reads book The Boys in the Bunkhouse by Dan Barry.
Located in Archive / 2018 / November
All Iowa Reads book talk: We welcome everyone to join us in another interesting conversation. "The Boys in the Bunkhouse" This book takes place in our part of the state and one of our patrons had met several of the men at a restaurant where she was employed.
Located in Archive / 2018 / October
Author Talk with Ahmed Ismail Yusuf: The Lions' Binding Oath: Dragonfly Books is pleased to host Somali and Minnesota author Ahmed Ismail Yusuf with his new collection of short stories The Lion’s Binding Oath. Through stories spanning the years before and during Somalia’s civil war, Yusuf introduces readers to the people of Somalia and their struggles. Yusuf will share his stories and talk about The Lion’s Binding Oath on Tuesday, June 26 at 7:00 pm at Dragonfly Books. The Lion’s Binding Oath shares the human stories beneath Somalia’s recent history of war and displacement -- families, clans, lovers, neighbors, and friends all bound together through common cultural, religious, and historical ties. Everyone is invited to join Dragonfly Books for this free author talk. If you find that you can't make it to the event but would still like to purchase one of Yusuf’s books, just give Dragonfly Books a call at 563-382-4275. One of their staff will be glad to reserve a book and have it autographed for you.
Located in Archive / 2018 / June
Yellow Suit Club: A Book Club with a Twist Unwrap a New World Every Month 6:30-8:00 p.m. First Tuesdays at Plot Twist Bookstore Chad Michael Cox, leader
Located in Archive / … / 2017 / January

Next 10 items » 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... 115