There are three online signature presentations, in addition to the many other offerings by community organizations. Registration is required. For more details and to register go to https://bit.ly/BigReadSangamonCounty —- March 2, 10-11 a.m. Kickoff Keynote by Kathryn Harris, “Reading Science, Reading Together” Hosted by the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Lincoln Land Community College. Kathryn […]
Books
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How to get a free copy of Lab Girl
Over 1,000 copies of Lab Girl will be available for free and distributed through curbside events and local libraries. For up-to-date information, go to https://bit.ly/BigReadSangamonCounty Curbside pickup: • Feb. 27, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 2941 S. Koke Mill Rd., Springfield • March 1, 4 p.m.-6 p.m., Union Baptist Church, 1405 E Monroe […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A sampling of program offerings
In the months of March and April, no one will be able to say, “There’s nothing to do in Springfield.” The following programs and offerings are just a small sample of Big Read offerings to whet your appetite. Go to https://bit.ly/BigReadSangamonCounty for more details and registration information. Search events by date or by theme – […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Love and communism
Richard Gilman-Opalsky is a radical on the prairie. He came to teach at University of Illinois Springfield from New York City, where he earned a Ph.D. from The New School. He said upon graduating, he realized most universities were not keen on hiring political theorists and philosophers, and were “even less interested” in hiring ones […]
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Growing from the inside
Springfield native Martha Miller, a retired composition instructor who taught at Lincoln Land, is a versatile writer. She has written several novels, as well as reviews, articles and a column about her life. Her book of short stories, Tales from the Levee, explores the gay and lesbian community in Springfield from the mid-1960s into the […]
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New fiction with true stories of true friends
Over several decades of living in the same legal community, fellow Springfield attorney George Heroux and I did not have very much professional contact. During my legal and judicial career, George was involved in legal education at the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Before coming to Springfield, he had a varied career as an […]
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A book of birds teaching words
Cinda Ackerman Klickna has seen a lot of bad grammar. She saw it as an English teacher. She sees it on social media. Hearing bad grammar is especially bothersome to Klickna – like fingernails on a chalkboard for those old enough to understand what that means. Klickna, of Rochester, writes for Illinois Times, wrote a […]
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The rise and fall of the Mormons’ new Zion
Prophets who offer a path to peace in this world and redemption in the next have never been rare in the U.S. They were never less rare than in the 1830s and 40s. The direction and pace of social change left many people uneasy in this world and yearning to find a better one with […]
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Governors after office
Sadly, when one thinks about Illinois’ former governors, legal problems and prison terms come to mind. In fact, however, quite a number of former governors continued to be useful and productive (and legal) after their terms in office. Few biographers have given any of their post-gubernatorial careers much attention though. Robert Hartley wanted to change […]
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After Lincoln left Springfield
On Feb. 11, 1861, when Abraham Lincoln stepped onto the train in Springfield for what would be a 13-day journey to the nation’s capital, America was “on the verge of a precipice,” as a French visitor observed. Ted Widmer tells the story of the grueling and dangerous journey in his masterful book, Lincoln on the […]
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The problem is policing
Vitale, Alex S. (2017). The end of policing. New York and London: Verso. Alex S. Vitale is professor of sociology at the City University of New York Brooklyn College and coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project there. Like George Floyd, he is a native of Houston. The End of Policing, published in 2017, […]
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Turow’s new court novel puts him back on top
The Last Trial, by Scott Turow. Grand Central Publishing, May 2020. Every reader has a guilty pleasure. For me it has always been courtroom fiction. Granted, this led me to frustration because I would read many courtroom novels only to become irritated over the author’s inaccuracies compared to the real-life courtrooms where I worked. This […]
