Explore Abandoned Arkansas on Monday, February 10th

Posted on February 5, 2020 Written by

Poster for the Abandoned Arkansas announcing times and locaitonJoin the Ross Pendergraft Library on Monday, Feb. 10th at 7:00 P.M. in RPL 300A as we take a trip through the state’s forgotten places with authors Ginger Beck and Michael Schwarz who will discuss their book, Abandoned Arkansas: An Echo From the Past. As part of the Library’s Second Monday Author series, we are featuring two local authors who will share their adventures and photographs of once popular destinations which now lie in ruins throughout the state.

Book cover for featured book, Abandoned ArkansasExplore the forgotten history of the Natural State, from the Majestic Hotel in Hot Springs to Dogpatch near Jasper in Newton County. Abandoned Arkansas weaves historical background and photographs from the past alongside their heartbreaking pictures of ruin from the present.  Through historic documentation, these photographers hope to immortalize the stories of the places they visit beyond the building’s finite lifespan, and to preserve an echo from the past.

For more information on their work, as well as photographs of more than 150 locations they have visited, see their website, Abandoned Arkansas, at https://abandonedar.com/

For more information about this event or the Second Monday Author series, contact Luke Heffley at (479) 964-0546 or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to stay in the loop on all Library events.

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Warning: Graphic Material To Be Shown at the Library

Posted on October 9, 2019 Written by

"Warning: may contain graphic material". Dr. Donna R. White, Monday October 14, 7PM in RPL 300AJoin us on Monday, October 14th at 7:00 PM in RPL 300A for the next installment of the 2nd Monday Author Series.  This month will feature Dr. Donna White who will discuss how comics have grown-up and transformed from a ten-cent plague to Pulitzer Prize winners.

Photo of Dr. Donna WhiteDr. White is professor of English at ATU, and has served on the faculty since 2001. An alumna of Arkansas Tech, White also holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Texas and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Minnesota.  Her interests range from children’s and young adult literature, science fiction, fantasy, and graphic novels to Celtic literature, Edwardian literature, and Jane Austen. She is on the editorial board of Mythlore and is a consulting editor for the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, The Lion and the Unicorn, and Children’s Literature.

She is also a co-editor and contributor to Posthumanism in Young Adult Fiction: Finding Humanity in a Posthuman World, published in 2018.

This talk is free and open to the public.  All are welcome!  For more information, contact us at (479) 964-0546 or email lheffley@atu.edu.

If graphic novels and comics draw you into reading, the Ross Pendergraft Library has made some recent additions you might want to check out:

book jacket cover of They Called Us Enemy featuring little boy holding a suitcaseThey Called Us Enemy by George Takei; illustrated by Harmony Becker –  A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei’s childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps, located in Rohwer, Arkansas, during World War II.

book cover of Animal Farm featuring farmyard animalsAnimal Farm : the Graphic Novel by George Orwell; illustrated by Odyr – Old Major, Napoleon, Squealer, Snowball, Boxer, and all the animals of Animal Farm come to life in this newly envisaged classic.

book jacket of "Speak" featuring a tree with a face in itSpeak : the Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson; illustrated by Emily Carroll – A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda’s freshman year in high school.

Cover of Watchmen, featuring comic book villians type folksWatchmen by Alan Moore; illustrated by Dave Gibbons – As former members of a disbanded group of superheroes called the Crimebusters start turning up dead, the remaining members of the group try to discover the identity of the murderer before they, too, are killed.

Cover for Monstress featuring scary woman in black leather and a giant humanoid shape made out of a dark liquid and eyeballsHaven (Monstress v.3) by Marjorie M. Liu; illustrated by Sana Takeda – n this third volume of MONSTRESS, collecting issues 13-18, Maika’s journey takes her to the neutral city of Pontus, where she hopes to find temporary refuge from her pursuers.

To find more graphic novels, comics, manga, and more at the library, search our database of books and other materials, Find It.  Use keywords like “graphic novel” or “Comics” or “Manga.”  You can also come visit us at the library to browse our Popular Reading, Young Adult, and general Book collections by call number 741.5.  Take a much deserved fall break with a graphic novel or a comic book during our open hours.  See you Monday!

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Shoot ’em With Biscuits, Monday Sept. 9th

Posted on September 4, 2019 Written by

Join us on September 9th in RPL 300B as we kick off this year’s Second Monday Author Series with Dr. Aaron McArthur, Assistant Professor of History and Public History Program Director at Arkansas Tech University, discussing his latest book, The Annals of the Southern Mission.

The evening begins with a reception at 6:00 PM before the main program at 7:00.  The event is free and open to the public.

Photo of Aaron McArthurDr. McArthur obtained his PhD in the History of the United States West from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he mainly focused on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) history during the last half of the nineteenth century.  His first book, St. Thomas, Nevada: A History Uncovered, told the story of the city of St. Thomas from its founding under the direction of Brigham Young to its inundation by Lake Mead.

Cover of the book featuring man reading another bookHis second book, The Annals of the Southern Mission: A Record of the History of the Settlement of Southern Utah, constitutes a transcribed and annotated version of the 2,266 loose, handwritten, and lined pages representing the early history of Southern Utah originally written by James G. Bleak.  Dr. McArthur, along with Reid Nielson, transcribed this important historical document, bringing to light details of early pioneer life during the period from 1849-1900 in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada.

This presentation is part of our Second Monday Author Series featuring the works of our local writers and researchers.  You can stay up to date on the series and all library events by following us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.   For more questions or information about the Second Monday Author Series, contact Luke Heffley at (479) 964-0546.

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Monday Night – The Rabbi and the Civil Rights Movement

Posted on March 6, 2019 Written by

Poster featuring Rabbi Ira Sanders advertising a talk by Dr. James Moses, "The Rabbi and the Civil Rights Movement"Join us Monday night, March 11th, at 7:00 P.M. in RPL 300B for a look back at the struggle for Civil Rights in Arkansas from professor of history and author, Dr. James Moses.  Dr. Moses’s latest book, Just and Righteous Causes: Rabbi Ira Sanders and the Fight for Racial and Social Justice in Arkansas, 1926-1963, focuses on the efforts of Rabbi Ira Sanders of Little Rock who fought for justice and equality for African Americans in the segregated south.  Dr. Moses will discuss Rabbi Ira Sanders as well as the role of Southern rabbis as change agents.  All are welcome to attend.

Photo of Dr. James Moses

Dr. Moses earned his Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University, a Master of Arts from the University of New Hampshire, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Tulane University.  He has been a professor at Arkansas Tech since 1999 and specializes in modern United States and cultural history.   His current research projects include the completion of his book on the career of Justice William O. Douglas, and a project tentatively entitled Before Brown: The Long Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1954, which focuses on the often-overlooked decade between the end of World War II and the Court’s landmark Brown decision. In his off time, he enjoys jazz, playing drums, and collecting comics.

Photo of book cover, "Just and Righteous Causes"His book, Just and Righteous Causes, was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In one review, Mark K. Bauman, editor of Southern Jewish History called it,  “. . a must read for anyone interested in Little Rock, Arkansas and southern history, the civil rights movement, and southern and American Jewish history.”  Read more about the book and Ira Sanders in Tablet Magazine’s article, “Tikkun Olam, Y’all: Rabbi Ira Sanders of Arkansas, little-known Civil Rights hero”.

Stay up to date on more library events, including our next second Monday Author, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  For questions or more information about the library, email your friendly neighborhood librarians at: askus@atu.libanswers.com.  We hope to see you this Monday!

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About Johnny Carrol Sain – Monday, Oct. 8th

Posted on October 3, 2018 Written by

Photo of Johnny Carrol SainThe Second Monday author series continues this Monday, October 8th, as we welcome Johnny Carrol Sain to the Ross Pendergraft Library for an in-depth look at the challenges of being a free-lance writer, editor, and photographer.  Join us at 7:00 P.M. in RPL 300 for a presentation from an award-winning writer and a force behind the local magazine, About the River Valley.

Johnny Carrol Sain is currently the managing editor of About the River Valley.  He has also been published in Arkansas Life, Hatch, Food & Environment Reporting Network, the Courier, and Field and Stream.  His work specializes in the outdoors, conservation, natural and rural heritage—particularly in Arkansas.

His writing has earned him a Diamond Journalism Award and an Excellence in Craft award from the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

This presentation is free and open to the public.  For more information about this presentation or the Ross Pendergraft Library contact us at 479-964-0546 or email Luke Heffley at lheffley@atu.edu.  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for more news and events in the library.  We hope to see you there!

Front covers of About the River Valley

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