Starting April 4th, the Ross Pendergraft Library & Technology Center kicks off several events and lectures celebrating books, culture, history, diversity, and understanding both close to home and from the other side of the world.
Tuesday, April 4th at 6:00 P.M. in RPL 300AB
Award-winning author and Russellville native, Eli Cranor, hosted a special event debuting his latest novel, Ozark Dogs. Publisher Soho Crime describes Ozark Dogs as a Southern thriller in which “two families grapple with the aftermath of a murder in their small Arkansas town.”
His first novel, Don’t Know Tough, won the Peter Lovesey First Crime Novel contest and was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel, the Lefty Award for best debut Mystery Novel, and was a finalist for the 2022 Dashiell Hammett Award. He writes to a monthly column in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette called “Where I’m Writing From,” and his work has been featured in Missouri Review, Oxford American, Ellery Queen, The Strand and other notable journals. You can find his first thriller, Don’t Know Tough, available in our book collection.
Monday, April 10th at 7:00 P.M. in RPL 300B
The Library will host John Kutko as part of its Second Monday Author Series to talk about his children’s book, The Tiger & the Painted Bunting. The book is about a Shanti, a tiger cub who is captured from the wild and sold by poachers to a rich man. When the tiger inevitably grows too big, she is sent to a zoo where she makes friends with a painted bunting named Al. Kutko, a retired school teacher from Clarksville School District, developed the story which his granddaughter, Abbriel Harrison, who wrote and illustrated the book. There will be a drawing for a free signed copy of his book at the event, along with additional copies available for purchase.
Thursday, April 13th at 2:30 P.M. in RPL 300AB
The Arkansas Tech University Black Faculty & Staff Organization will host Ronnie Williams as part of the Diversity Speaks Lecture Series. He is the author of Markham Street: The Haunting Truth Behind the Murder of My Brother Marvin Leonard Williams, which shares the story of his brother, his murder, subsequent fight for justice, and what life was like for Black families in the South during the 1960’s.
A native of Menifee, Arkansas, Ronnie Williams recently retired as Vice President for Student Services and Institutional Diversity at the University of Central Arkansas. During his three decades of service, he served as assistant dean of students, director of Minority Affairs, Assistant to the President, and Chief Diversity Office. He is the former chair of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission, and the first person of color to chair the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and the Conway Development Corporation Board. A small reception of light refreshments, provided by the Ross Pendergraft Library & Technology Center, will be available after the lecture. For more information about Ronnie Williams or his book, visit his webpage at: https://www.ronniewilliamsauthor.com/
Friday, April 14th from 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. in RPL 300B
The Human Library is back at the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center featuring people volunteering to tell their own stories about in a non-judgemental, personal conversation-style setting. As part of a project in the Social Movements and Social Change class in the Behavioral Sciences department, students have been recruiting volunteers to act as “books” that can be read by an individual in a one-on-one setting. These “books” tell their personal stories of struggle and success in overcoming challenges in life like discrimination, poverty, disability, immigration, abuse, judgement, or oppression. You can ‘check-out’ a book just by listening to their story face-to-face to gain a broader perspective for the path they have walked.
The Human Library Event has been taking place at ATU for several years and is part of a larger, national organization to promote dialogue and understanding with groups in our society that are often subjected to prejudice, stigmatization or discrimination because of their lifestyle, diagnosis, belief, disability, social status, ethnic origin, etc. All are welcome to this event.
Monday, April 17th at 6:00 P.M. in RPL 300B
The final lecture of the spring semester from the popular “Manga Talk Series” from Dr. Hashimoto is titled: “Jujutsu Kaisen: History of Curse in Japan” will take place on April 17th. Dr. Hashimoto, visiting lecturer of Japanese, will discuss the popular manga and anime series and how it relates to Japanese culture, language, and history. Frequent attendees of the lecture series often report samples of Japanese candies and treats present at such events. You can get started on the English-language version of the manga series with v.0 “Blinding Darkness” currently located in the New Books collection of the ATU Library.
For more information about these and other events in the library, contact our Special Events Coordinator and Second Monday Author Series wrangler, Luke Heffley. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for up-to-date information on all the happenings happening at RPL.
The annual library survey is now live and listening:
*Actual survey comment from 2022
