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Author Talk with Bryan Bliss
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Dragonfly Books invites everyone to a free author talk and book signing with young adult author Bryan Bliss. Recently long-listed for the National Book Award, Bliss’s new novel We’ll Fly Away expertly unravels the series of events that landed a teenager in jail. Bliss will talk about We’ll Fly Away, share his stories, and sign copies of his books on Thursday, November 8 at 7:00 pm at Dragonfly Books.
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2018
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November
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Book Signing with James A. Autry
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Meet Author James A. Autry at Mainframe Studios’ First Friday Open House
Autry fans are invited to stop by and see James A. Autry as his most recent books are featured during the Mainframe Studios’ First Friday Open House on November 2 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. A former Fortune 500 executive, Autry is the author of fourteen books, plus a poet and a consultant whose work has had a significant influence on leadership thinking. Although retired, Autry continues to write and speak on a variety of topics.
His recently released first novel, The Cold Warrior: When Flying Was Dangerous and Sex Was Safe, was inspired by his military service as a jet fighter pilot in Europe during the cold war flying the F-86F and F-100D fighters with the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing in Chaumont, France. Autry later rose to the rank of Major in the Iowa Air National Guard.
Looking for a great gift Idea? Autry’s newly released, Mississippi Memories, features 77 poems that harken back to his early days of growing up in the south. For young readers, check out Autry’s recent book for children, co-authored with his son, Rick. Everyday Virtues, is a collection of stories gleaned from the world's folk tale traditions intended to give parents, grandparents, and other caregivers a valuable tool in luring kids, even for a short while, away from their digital obsessions.
James A. Autry has written the introductions to several books, and his writings have appeared in many anthologies and magazines. In 1991 the Kentucky Poetry Review published a special James A. Autry issue. Before taking early retirement in 1991 Autry was Senior Vice President and President of the Meredith Group, at the time a 500 million dollar magazine publishing operation with over 900 employees. Autry lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with his wife Sally Pederson, the former Lieutenant Governor of Iowa.
The event is free and open to the public. Mainframe Studios are located at 900 Keosauqua Way. Beaverdale Books will have all three titles available for purchase.
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2018
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November
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Book Talk with Historian Louise Gately
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Pursuit of a Dream: James Jordan, His Life and His Legacy
Artisan Gallery 218 proudly presents a fascinating book talk by local historian and author Louise Gately. Anyone interested in the history of West Des Moines will want to read this groundbreaking book written about early pioneer, James Jordan. Pursuit of a Dream details the important role Jordan played in making Des Moines the capital city of Iowa, while shaping early Iowa business and politics and aiding fugitive slaves as they escaped through the Underground Railroad.
The book reveals the story of the Jordan family’s decision to settle in Iowa and the many changes undergone during the Victorian era. Full of fascinating history about the greater Des Moines area, the book is filled with little-known facts and stories readers are sure to enjoy.
M. Louise Gately earned a B.A. in History and Social Science and an M.S.E. in Higher Education Administration/Development from Drake University. She served on the board of the West Des Moines Historical Society for twenty-five years and is the Jordan Historian in West Des Moines. Her home overlooks Jordan Creek where she resides with her husband, Gary Gately.
The event is free and open to the public. Artisan Gallery 218 is located at 218 Fifth Street in West Des Moines’ Valley Junction. Beaverdale Books will have books available for purchase and signing.
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2018
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November
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Author Talk with Allen Eskens: THE SHADOWS WE HIDE
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Dragonfly Books is thrilled to host Minnesota author Allen Eskens with his new novel The Shadows We Hide. Eskens will share his stories, talk about The Shadows We Hide, and sign books on Monday, November 26 at 7:00 pm at Dragonfly Books.
A follow up to Eskens’ USA Today bestselling novel The Life We Bury, The Shadows We Hide (Mulholland Books 2018) is the riveting and insightful story of one man’s investigation into the murder of the father he never knew.
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2018
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November
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The Mukluk Ball at Walnut Street Gallery
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The bears have been hibernating in their den. But they want to wake up to dance and sing with you! Join Alicia Schwab, illustrator of THE MUKLUK BALL who will read the book, and lead the kids to dance and sing with the bears.
This is a family event hosted by Plot Twist Jr. and Walnut Street Gallery. Books are available for purchase and signing at the event.
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2018
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November
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Book Launch: Tsugigami: gathering the pieces with local authors Connie Meester and Valorie Broadhurst
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DES MOINES, Iowa -- In 1994, Connie R Meester, Des Moines, and Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff, Dubuque, met on the first night of a college-level haiku writing class at Loras College in Dubuque. The two became friends and began writing a collaborative form of linked haiku called rengay. The form was new at the time and one of their first efforts earned them First Place in the Haiku Poets of Northern California Inaugural International Rengay Contest in 1995. They have continued to write both solo and in partnership ever since, with 20 of their collaborative pieces having been published by literary journals here and abroad.
Red Moon Press, of Winchester, Virginia, recently announced that they have published a collection of the writers’ work entitled Tsugigami: gathering the pieces. The volume is a selection of their linked verse spanning the remarkable 24-year partnership. Considered pioneers in this unique poetic form, Meester and Woerdehoff explore a range in their work from the mundane to the majestic. Grounded in a sense of place and mindful of the human relationship to nature, together they explore love, loss, family and transitions; from childhood memories and current events, to ghosts and dreams.
Bill Pauly, Dubuque, author of Wind the Clock by Bittersweet retired Loras College faculty member, said of the volume, “Enter the pages of Tsugigami and you will join an encyclopedic tour lovingly guided through landscapes rich with real imagery and vivid imaginings, touches of tender friendship, occasional pathos and joy, mature insights, sensory and sensual episodes, skillful weavings of recurring motifs, and uplifting harmonies that seem to echo the music of the spheres. All in all, chances are you will be captivated . . .”
Claire Everett, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom, founder and editor of Skylark tanka, literary journal has described the collection in these terms, “The whole concept of the book is by turns exquisite and heart-rending ... By the end of Tsugigami I felt as much a part of the collage as the hands that so deftly crafted it.”
In describing Tsugigami, Jennifer Hambrick, Columbus, Ohio, author of Unscathed, said, “Grief observed as the lost way home. Rage expressed in pointillistic verbal shards. Sex suggested in the sensuality of music. The relentless return of unwanted pounds of flesh. The emotional fault lines (in every sense) of divorce. The angst of aging. These are some of the raw materials that layer the haiku-inspired linked poems in Tsugigami with deep, at times devastating, meaning distilled from the authors’ quarter-century-long friendship. You will want to spend some quality time with these poems — because they know you . . .”
The title of the 80-page book is drawn from a type of Japanese paper made using a collage process that was crafted for the writing of poetry beginning in the 9th century CE. Juxtaposed throughout the collection are photos of original art created by the poets on paper handmade by Meester.
Meester lived most of her adult life in Dubuque where she raised her family. She has been writing both long and short poems since the mid-‘80s. Her solo work is published in numerous journals and she has earned a dozen awards for rengay, haiku, senryu, and tanka. She now resides with her life partner, Jim Giles.
Woerdehoff has been writing long and short poetry, as well as essays, for nearly 40 years. Over 250 of her pieces have appeared in journals and anthologies. Her work is included in two outdoor haiku paths and has garnered awards in national and international competition. She lives with husband Tom Woerdehoff.
Haiku, originating in Japan, is a short poem that uses imagistic language to convey the essence of an experience of nature or the season intuitively linked to the human condition. Most haiku in English consist of three unrhymed lines of seventeen or fewer syllables. The most common technique is juxtaposing two images or ideas. Most haiku have no titles, and metaphors and similes are commonly avoided. Senryu is structurally similar to haiku, but highlights the foibles of human nature, often in a humorous or satiric way.
The short linked verse poems in this collection are written in a style that links haiku and/or senryu. The style, rengay, is a collaborative six-verse linked thematic poem written by two or three poets alternating three-line and two-line haiku/senryu stanzas in a pattern. California poet Garry Gay invented this linked verse alternative to a more traditional Japanese form in 1992.
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December
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Meet the Author Audrey Mackaman
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Cavall in Camelot: A Dog in King Arthur's Court
Follow Cavall as he embarks on a quest that will put the unbreakable bond
between a dog and his person to the ultimate test.
When Cavall and his older brother, Glessic, leave the comfort of their simple
barn to join the lavish court of Camelot, Cavall wants nothing more than to
prove he’s a good dog to the great knights and dogs of the castle—especially to
King Arthur.
But Gless says only the best dogs are worthy of greatness, and Cavall has
never been as strong, brave, or fast as his brother.
Meanwhile, malevolent forces lurk in Camelot, and Cavall must figure out how
to protect his person. To make matters worse, Arthur’s mysterious nightmares
are threatening to shake his grip on reality and undermine his authority as
king.
To fight back against the dangers of the dream world, Cavall will need help
from some loyal hounds and the enchanting, sometimes frightening creatures
who call themselves the fay.
In this captivating debut from Audrey Mackaman, Cavall will have to prove not
only that he can be a good dog for his person, but that he is capable of a
greatness all his own.
About the Author...
Audrey Mackaman grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, reading fantasy novels and
hoping someday to write her own. Now she lives on Whidbey Island in
Washington, where she helps aspiring authors with their books while writing
the adventures of Cavall in Camelot. Audrey is an animal lover who volunteers
at animal shelters and dog sits whenever she can. Her clients’ pooches were
the inspiration for Cavall and the rest of the dogs at Camelot. Cavall in
Camelot is her debut novel.
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2018
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December
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Webber, Philip E.
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My primary research focus has been patterns of ethnicity and language use in Iowa communities.
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Iowa Authors
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Browse the Iowa Center for the Book Author List
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McElmeel, Sharron L.
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Browse the Iowa Center for the Book Author List
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Meet the Author Stacey Spangler
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Road to Revelation
Gabby Markson is a 17-year-old who is struggling to find herself.
Even though she is surrounded by friends and family, she feels alone.
Gabby deals with the typical teenage angst of finding self-worth, the
complexities of relationships, and the uncertainty of her faith; all while battling
demons from her past.
Although she’s not sure who she is, at least she knows what she wants to do
with her life: Gabby has everything planned out... until one major event
impacts the present and changes the future.
Not just for Gabby, but for all the people around her as well.
This is not a typical story of a girl falling in love with a boy; but of a girl
learning to love herself.
About the Author...
To start with the cliché author intro: Stacey Spangler loves reading and
writing. And coffee.
Being raised in small town in northern Iowa, she has a heart for community
and a love of sweet corn.
Her days are filled with plenty of material for her books, blogs, and prayers
simply by the experience of raising four kids.
Through her writings, Stacey catalogs her journey of faith and openly talks
about her spiritual highs and lows.
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2019
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January