Dear VA-Histers: I apologize if this is a double post. My fingers were faster than my brain! Also, please note the correct date below for this week's talk. I would like to invite you to the next in the Library of Virginia’s noontime lecture series. On Thursday, February 26, 2004, at noon, author Henry Wiencek will present a talk on his 2003 book An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America, published by Farrar Straus & Giroux. After his talk he will sign copies of his book in the lobby. Mr. Wiencek, a nationally prominent historian and writer, is the author of several books, including, most recently, The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1999. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was recently appointed to the board of the Library of Virginia. An Imperfect God explores Washington's engagement with slavery at every stage of his life -- as Virginia planter, soldier, politician, president, and statesman. Wiencek's book documents for the first time the moral transformation culminating in Washington's determination to emancipate his slaves. I have also appended a list of other noontime book talks to be held here at the Library of Virginia in the coming months. We have a full and interesting line-up of talks and lectures this spring and you can access the full schedule of events for the Library by clicking on “Calendar of Events” at: http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whoweare/events/index.htm Gregg Kimball Director of Publications and Educational Services _________________________________________________________ Upcoming Noontime Events Thursday, March 04, 2004 Writing Fiction: A Conversation With David L. Robbins Time: Noon Place: Conference Rooms FREE EVENT David L. Robbins teaches Novel Writing in the MFA Program at Virginia Commonwealth University and is the author of five novels. Robbins will read from his own work as well as look at writing samples from the audience to craft advice on drafting solid, clean prose for fiction. He will sign copies of his latest novel, The Last Citadel, at the conclusion of the talk. Tuesday, April 13, 2004 Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival Time: Noon Place: Conference Rooms FREE EVENT Dean King, an authority on nautical literature and history, is the author of nine books, including the much-admired biography Patrick O'Brian: A Life. Skeletons on the Zahara is the story of the adventures of the captain and crew of a Connecticut-based merchant ship, the Commerce, shipwrecked off the coast of North Africa in 1815. The captain and his crew of 12 sailors were attacked and enslaved by the Sawhari, one of the most primitive, warrior tribes of the Sahara. Some of the sailors would meet death in the desert. Some would be ransomed. All would suffer beyond imagination from thirst, hunger and exposure to the sand and sun as they made an 800-mile trek across the desert in search of freedom, and only seven would survive thanks to their brave captain who negotiated their freedom. A book signing will follow the talk. Thursday, April 29, 2004 In the Presence of Mine Enemies: War in the Heart of America, 1859-1863 Time: Noon Place: Conference Rooms FREE EVENT Edward L. Ayers, Hugh Kelly Professor of History and dean at the University of Virginia, gives a different view of the Civil War, built on an intimate scale. He will chart the descent into war of two communities in the Shenandoah Valley spanning Pennsylvania and Virginia. Connected by strong ties of every kind, including slavery, the people of this borderland sought alternatives to secession and war. When none remained, they took up the war with a startling intensity. Ayers's Civil War emerges from the lives of everyday people as well as those who helped shape history—John Brown and Frederick Douglass, Lincoln, Jackson and Lee. His story ends with the valley ravaged, Lincoln's support fragmenting, and Confederate forces massing for a battle at Gettysburg. A book signing will follow the talk. Friday, April 30, 2004 Harriet Tubman: The Road To Freedom Time: Noon Place: Conference Rooms FREE EVENT Catherine Clinton, Visiting Professor of History at Wesleyan College, is the author of more than a dozen historical works for children and adults. She has taught African American Studies at Brandeis University, Brown University and at Harvard University. In Harriet Tubman, "the first full- scale biography" of Tubman (1825-1913) Clinton, presents a portrait of a complicated woman with deep religious convictions, incredible courage and a passion for freedom. Clinton brings life to the legendary woman known as "Moses" for her work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, spiriting slaves to freedom. A book signing will follow the talk. To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html