At the Library: A note from Washington Public Library board of trustees President

I was born and raised in Des Moines. I attended Gran View College and received my B.A. and M.A. from the University of Northern Iowa and Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Colombia. I taught English, Speech and Drama at Washington High School from 1968-1984 and was a professor of theater at Culver Stockton College from 1984-2002.

I wrote several books for Mark Twain Media including How to Give a Speech (1996), Theater Through the Ages (1996), Mayan, Inca & Aztec Civilizations (1996), Pirates and Treasures (1998), Heroes-World Heroes Since World War II (1998), Rivers of the U.S. (1999), The United States (2000) and a series of several booklets, one on each of the continents. I am also the author of two books for the Iowa Magazine books division: The Governors of Iowa and The Schaffner Players. Most recently I wrote Images of Washington for Arcadia Publishing. My articles have appeared in Iowa History Illustrated, The Palimpsest, Old West Magazine, Missouri Magazine, and Theater History Studies.

I have enjoyed going to the library since I was in kindergarten. One of my fondest memories as a child going to the Des Moines Public Library while my father fished from the Locust Street bridge. Through the years I have used various libraries for my research on many projects. When visiting a new town, I often make a visit to the local library to get a sense of the community.

Libraries are not only important but are vital parts of any successful community. They are no longer just homes to book collections, but serve as centers for a multitude of services. I became a trustee in 2013 and am currently President of the board of trustees. Through this I have learned much about a surprising number of things that are important to running a library. We are most fortunate to have a well-established, fairly new library with a pleasant, helpful and knowledgeable staff.

New Materials at the Library

Adult Fiction

The Weight of a Piano by Chris Cander

Ducks, Newburypart by Lucy Ellmann

Wonderland by Jennifer Cody Epstein

The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye

Death of a New American by Mariah Fredericks

When You See Me by Lisa Gardner

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman

Lanny by Max Porter

Golden in Death by J.D. Robb

Sarah Jane by James Sallis

Adult non-fiction

The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte

The Birth of Loud by Leo Fender

Atlas Obscura by Joshua Foer

Down by the Feed Mill by David Hanks

Indian (-ish) by Prija Krishna

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

Why Religion? by Elaine Pagels

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

Young Adult Fiction

The War Outside by Monica Hesse

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac

You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

Easy Children's

Pig the Tourist by Aaron Blabey

The Boy and the Bear by Tracey Corderoy

The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi

There Are No Bears in this Bakery by Julia Sarcone-Roach

A Day For Skating by Sarah Sullivan