Our things literary.
Larry I. Palmer, the author of Scholarship Boy: Meditations on Family and Race (Paul Dry Books, 2020), will be in conversation with Library Director Shari Henry on October 13, 2020. Palmer, who eventually became a law school professor and higher education administrator, attended Phillips Exeter Academy at 14, boarding at the prestigious school, worlds away… Continue reading ★ SCHOLARSHIP BOY author Larry Palmer at RoCo Library 10/13
Joy Harjo, the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States and the first Native American to hold the title, will speak in the Hollins University Theatre on Monday, February 10, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harjo is a member of the Mvskoke Nation and belongs… Continue reading ★ Poet Laureate Joy Harjo at Hollins
The exploration of Identity and Action continues with Writer Jeanne Larsen. With the poet, novelist, and essayist we explore how the written word shapes our sense of self and how we put that into work in the world around us. "You need to find the words that put who you are as you perceive yourself out… Continue reading ★ On writing and the word constructs we are, with Jeanne Larsen, writer (Podcast Episode 1.10)
Identity and Action: We continue our exploration of how the written word shapes our sense of self and how we put that into work in the world around us with a conversation with City of Roanoke Vice Mayor Joe Cobb. In this episode Joe discusses three books that weave through his way of being. We… Continue reading ★ Creating the space for ourselves and others with Vice Mayor Joe Cobb (Podcast Episode 1.9)
How do we talk with each other about important issues? We're happy to announce that the New Connections Book Club now enjoys the support of a great partner: Roanoke County Public Library. New Connections: Let's Talk is an ongoing discussion series. We read and watch books to understand the issues and language that connect us so that… Continue reading ★ Roanoke County Library to host New Connections Book Club: Let’s Talk
A conversation with the thoughtful and prolific Cathryn Hankla adds to our collective thinking around Identity and Action. In this season in the podcast, we're taking a look at our engagement with the written word—how it shapes our sense of self and how we put that into action in the world around us. Cathryn Hankla… Continue reading ★ Cathryn Hankla on roaming with the self through books and LOST PLACES (Podcast Episode 1.5)
Every summer, friendly seeming faces pop up on the Hollins campus. Some are those of returning students in the Children’s Literature and Children's Book Illustration Program. (The first program of its kind hosts writers, illustrators, teachers and lovers of children’s literature in a corner of the bucolic campus every summer.) As Tinker Creek tinkles… Continue reading ★ Familiar characters visit Hollins campus
BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke is an ongoing exploration of equity and engagement at the intersection of books and place, with a central organizing question: How can our love of literature, our commitment to literacy, and a focus on the written word foster greater equity and a more engaged community?* Book conversations are an important part of… Continue reading ★ Tips for welcoming & inclusive book conversations – or – How to not be a giraffe
Congratulations are in order for Roanoke author Mary Carter Bishop. The paperback edition of Don’t You Ever: My Mother and Her Secret Son, comes out July 30th from Harper Paperbacks. The book will have a new epilogue, and to mark the release, Mary will be speaking at several events around Virginia in the coming months. So if… Continue reading ★ Bishop marks paperback release July 30
Join New Connections Book Club for a discussion of Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. The group will meet twice to discuss the book, which Claudia Rankin says, "brings language to the emotional structures that make true discussions about racial attitudes difficult." The group, which is… Continue reading ★ WHITE FRAGILITY next title for New Connections Book Club – July 25
BOOK CITY ★ Roanoke 