Saturday, August 24 / 1 p.m. | Mark Pleiss will sign April Warnings ($18.00). April Warnings is a collection of short stories that can be read together as one. The narratives are bound by the strange Midwestern ritual of going into an underground tornado shelter and a growing mythology about a particular plot of land on the railroad tracks of the Callahan Ranch in Baxter County. Farms, highways, and churches become the epicenter for truths, fictions, and myths rooted in larger ideas from the so-called "American Heartland," a place belonging to indigenous populations, immigration routes, and beliefs about worlds that exist beyond the prairie.
Joan Fogarty will sign Thomas Rogers Kimball – Nebraska Architect ($35.00). Kimball (1862-1934) was credited with pursuing 871 commissions, served as architectural adviser to commissions responsible for erection of Missouri and Nebraska state capitols, the Kansas City Liberty Memorial, and the Indiana state war memorial in Indianapolis, and was member of national council of fine arts established by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt to evaluate all plans for public buildings, monuments, and statutes. He designed many Omaha landmarks, including Burlington Station, the Fontenelle Hotel, the Omaha Public Library, and St. Cecilia Cathedral.
Sunday, September 8 / 1 p.m. | Kassandra Montag will sign After the Flood (Morrow, $27.99). A little more than a century from now, our world has been utterly transformed. After years of slowly overtaking the continent, rising floodwaters have obliterated America's great coastal cities and then its heartland, leaving nothing but an archipelago of mountaintop colonies surrounded by a deep expanse of open water.
Stubbornly independent Myra and her precocious seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, fish from their small boat, the Bird, visiting dry land only to trade for supplies and information in the few remaining outposts of civilization. For seven years, Myra has grieved the loss of her oldest daughter, Row, who was stolen by her father after a monstrous deluge overtook their home in Nebraska. Then, in a violent confrontation with a stranger, Myra suddenly discovers that Row was last seen in a far-off encampment near the Arctic Circle. Throwing aside her usual caution, Myra and Pearl embark on a perilous voyage into the icy northern seas, hoping against hope that Row will still be there.
On their journey, Myra and Pearl join forces with a larger ship and Myra finds herself bonding with her fellow seekers who hope to build a safe haven together in this dangerous new world. But secrets, lust, and betrayals threaten their dream, and after their fortunes take a shocking--and bloody--turn, Myra can no longer ignore the question of whether saving Row is worth endangering Pearl and her fellow travelers.
Wednesday, October 2 / 6 to 9 p.m. | Rainbow Rowell will discuss Wayward Son, the highly anticipated follow-up to Carry On, and take questions from the audience. A book signing with Rainbow will follow the presentation. The event will be at Westside Middle School, 8601 Arbor Street.
For admission to the event and more information go to Eventbright. There are two admission types, but each admission includes entry to the event: A $25.00 Signing Line admission includes a hardcover copy of Wayward Son (or other backlist title). A $5.00 General admission grants access to the venue to hear Rainbow Rowell's presentation but does not include a book or signing opportunity.
This will be a great event with our hometown favorite. We hope to see you there.
