You can see what other local cemetery and genealogy resources we have in our online catalog or visit us in person here at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library  to look at titles like Cemetery Records of burials, 1859-1880 Topeka Cemetery, Topeka, Kansas and Shawnee County Cemeteries Vol 1-4, Topeka Genealogical Society

Pamela Dawes-Tambornino is a member of the Cheokee Nation (Wolf Clan) and teaches English at the oldest tribal university in the United States.  She holds a BA in English, MLA, and MA in English and has taught at five universities.  Her first book is Maggie’s Story which reflects teachings of her grandmother, who was a tribal healer in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.  Her second book will be published in 2012.

Books available for purchase and a book signing will follow the author talk.  For more information please call the Topeka Room at 785-580-4510.

*Book and Biographical information supplied by the author.

Duane Herrmann’s work has been published since 1969 and is now in a dozen countries in four languages.  It has won several state & national awards.

Robert Lawson is a retired Professor of English at Washburn University where he taught for over 30 years and served as the general editor of The Woodley Press from 1980-2000.  His academic background includes study in the areas of Philosophy, English and Oriental Studies with degrees in each from the University of Kansas.  He has written and published poetry, fiction and plays.

Books will be available for purchase and a book signing will follow talk.  For more information please call the Topeka Room at 785-580-4510.

In Me and Aunt Izzy, eleven-year old Jefferson Davis Johnson has been sentenced to a summer of “moral rehabilitation” under the watchful eye of his great aunt, Queen Isabella of Spain Johnson.  A relic of the “roaring twenties,” this stern matriarch may have her own ideas about what a boy should learn.  Will three-years perfect attendance in his Presbyterian Sunday School be enough to protect Jeffie from the evils of drink, a warpathing aborigine, and the bright-eyed tomboy, Pauline Potts?  And, for Pete’s sake, does any other boy have a relative who cohabits with the ghost of Jesse James?  The setting for this tale is Southeast Kansas, called “the Little Balkans,” an area known for its coal mines and ethnic diversity. 

Author Max Yoho has established himself as a witty writer from the nation’s Heartland.  A growing list of fans enjoy his off-beat sense of humor and mind boggling leaps of logic – often leaving readers laughing out loud.  Max is a life-long Kansas.  He was born in Colony, Kansas, in 1934, and became a writer after 38 years as a machinist.  Yoho’s writing is humanly honest in the tradition of Mark Twain, and echoes the nostalgic coming-of-age humor of Jean Shepherd.

Books available for purchase and a book signing will follow the author talk.  For more information please call the Topeka Room at 785-580-4510.

*Book and Biographical information supplied by the author.

The Adventures of Alana Marie McClaire: Book 1: The Early Years! is an historical fiction novel about the days and times of the American wild west era in Kansas. The story follows Alana Marie McClaire (Ali) from her birth in 1855 through her young adult years. While she was born in Wamego, KS, her parents immigrated from Ireland. Ali was born with the special gifts of horse whispering and the sight. Her adventures will continue in book 2 due out later in 2012.

Jennifer Marie Brayton is a Kansas native. She was born in Wamego, moved to Paxico at age 7 and is a graduate of Wabaunsee High School in Alma. She is a student in the Bachelor of Integrated Studies program at Washburn University and now lives in Topeka.

A book signing will follow the author talk. For more information please call the Topeka Room at 785-580-4510.

Guardians of Havenshire

For a thousand years, the Guardians protected Havenshire from all evil. Now, the Dark One comes. After an epic battle, the king and most of the Guardians lie dead. The few surviving Guardians with the young Prince Roman flee to Riverway. From Riverway, the Guardians frantically search for the fabled city of Haven. They believe Have holds the key to finally defeating the Dark One. Now, the Dark One nears Riverway. The People of Riverway rush to build defenses. The Guardians race to Haven hoping to save Riverway. Will Riverway withstand the Dark One’s onslaught? Can the Guardians reach Haven in time? Or will the fall of Riverway mark the end of the Guardians and all Havenshire?

George Feliu moved to Kansas in 2000 when he married his wife, Sarah. They then spent five years in New York before returning to Kansas. He participated in NaNoWriMo here at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library and wrote his first novel. Guardians of Havenshire is his second novel and was published in May, 2011. Additional novels are set to be published in 2012.

To find out more about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) check out www.nanowrimo.org.

A book signing will follow the author talk. For more information please call the Topeka Room at 785-580-4510.

*Book description provided by the author.

The true story of the life of Russell Scott Osborn, Civil War soldier, stonemason, Congregational minister, and Populist Party leader who was elected Kansas Secretary of State, therefore becoming an integral part of the Legislative War of 1893.  Compiled from his own diaries and writings, Captain Osborn’s Legacy is that rare account that captures a period of Kansas and Western history largely overlooked until now.

A 2005 family reunion led Osborn’s great-great-granddaughter Patsy L. Redden to become not only aware of the accomplishments of her ancestor but also of the available primary material with which his story could be properly told.

“I have been discovering them [Russell and Sabrina Osborn] as real people who had needs, faults, and values, linking them to all other humans. They faced the common human dilemma in a world where dreams and goals do not always have the desired end results. While Russell and Sabrina were living their lives filled with adventure, hardships, successes, and even failures . . . they did not realize what a legacy they would be leaving.” – From the Introduction by Patsy L. Redden.

Valuable as a social and historical record, Captain Osborn’s Legacy is excellent scholarly writing presented in a personable style.

A book signing will follow the author talk.

(Note:  background & book information provided by the publisher)

The Red Thread recounts events and circumstances that shaped and determined the course of Eleanor’s life. Her childhood in a loving family, church, schooling, scouting, camping, and friendships were all important. Her marriage to a Chinese man in 1950 was unusual in the South. Their work, studies, family, trips with anecdotes of people and places are included. Descriptions of China since 1973 recount the many changes she has witnessed and give a unique perspective.

The red string of fate or the red thread of destiny is an East Asian belief originating in Chinese legend. According to this myth, the gods tie an invisible red string around the ankles of those who are destined to marry each other. The deity in charge of “the red thread” is believed to be Yue Xia Lao ( 月下老 ), the old lunar matchmaker god in charge of marriages. The two connected are destined lovers, regardless of time, place or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break.

Eleanor Liu has also authored a travel guide, Off the Beaten Path in Beijing and another children’s book.

A book signing will follow the author talk.  For more information please call the Topeka Room at 785-580-4510.

From battle stories, honoring lost loved ones and recalling funny observations to dreams of peace and protesting the horrors of war, over 300 people responded. Some chose to write on post-it notes which came from another interactive part of the exhibit.

The originals have been archived here at the Library in Special Collections. If you would like to participate, call 580-4510 for information.

Click to view the slideshow on Flicker >>

If you have trouble reading these, click the image and you’ll be taken to a different screen. At the top right, select “original” from the horizontal menu (farthest to the right). The image will enlarge dramatically.

Why? The Greatest Generation tells the stories of veterans and civilians during World War II – real experiences by real people, not necessarily “war heroes” – although some of them certainly were. Tom Brokaw interviewed Kansas senator Bob Dole, Hawaii senator Daniel Inouye, Andy Rooney, and many other people about what happened during the war.

Brokaw calls these people The Greatest Generation. Would we have a similar response if we were attacked again? I don’t know. Americans’ expectations are different now, and we’ve had the experiences of other wars (Korea, VietNam, a very unpopular war, First Gulf War, Iraq war, Afghanistan.)

What interested me about the book was the consistency of people’s experiences. That they did what they had to do, and moved on. The veterans wanted to forget the war experience, even though they consistently said that it had formed them, and changed their lives completely…“But I wouldn’t want to do it again.” Brokaw talks about the connection that the husbands and wives have to each other – how they cherish being together, because they were apart in such a terrifying way, for so long. The divorce rate is much lower with these couples than the rest of the population. The casualty rates of World War II were very high, and everyone knew someone who was in the service. Death was always too close a possibility.

People did what they needed to do – that was their patriotic duty, what it meant to be a citizen. There was national support for the war effort. The United States had been attacked. Not going to war wasn’t an option. This is a different experience from today. The United States has been fighting in Afghanistan for more than ten years – twice as long as World War II – but there is no rationing, no requests to buy war bonds, no scrap drives, no draft. The closest thing my generation had was the attack on World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. For a time, we felt a sense of national unity. We were nice to each other. We made an effort to be supportive. But World War II, that effort went on for 5 years continuously. It’s an amazing story, this story of real people.