Claire McMillan, author of The Necklace, visited us last week and discussed:
Edward McClelland, the author of How to Speak Midwestern, visited our library earlier this month.
If you missed his talk, you can still watch our interview with him. McClelland:
For years, we’ve partnered with James A. Garfield National Historic Site—our neighbors down the street—for a monthly program about the U.S. Civil War.
Their experts have discussed Civil War art, the Gettysburg Address, the role of female spies during the war, forgotten addresses at Gettysburg, and more.
Now, you can watch these talks even if you can’t make it to the library. We’re recording and sharing these informative programs in their entirety.
This month, Dr. Todd Arrington, the site manager for JAG National Historic Site, talked about the Grand Army of the Republic. For those who don’t know, the Grand Army is one of the most important veterans groups in our country’s history, and it was formed by Union veterans of the Civil War.
Its membership included five American presidents, one of whom used to live in Mentor.
By the way, our Civil War series continues at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 9. Former Judge Paul Mitrovich, and also the author of Justice Delayed, will discuss slavery, the reconstruction, and the Civil Rights movement.
As always, the talk is free and open to all.
Our Major Leaders of World War II series continued with a program about Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the longest-serving president in the country’s history.
Our speaker, John Foster—who, in addition to being a librarian, also has a doctorate degree in history—discussed:
• how his Roosevelt’s father’s illness contributed to his personality
• why someone tried to assassinate Roosevelt shortly after he was elected president
• his troubled marriage with Eleanor Roosevelt
• how he interacted with other world leaders like Churchill and Stalin
• the two biggest mistakes he made while in office.
If you enjoy history, the next talk in our WWII series will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17, at our Main Branch. The subject will be Joseph Stalin.
Other historical talks by Foster can be watched on our YouTube page, including:
When he was 13, Dan Chaon—the author of bestseller Ill Will and National Book Award finalist Among the Missing—corresponded with Ray Bradbury. (Yes, that Ray Bradbury.)
When Chaon visited in May, he shared with us two pieces of writing advice that Bradbury gave him, which he now shares with his students at Oberlin.
In the span of our interview, Chaon also: