Home > Event Audio

Event Audio

To listen to an audio recording of a previous Library special event, click the icon. The audio file will launch the media player on your computer.

The most recent recording displays at the top. The Library offers recordings only with the permission of the presenter. Please allow 7-10 days for the recording to be posted.

  • The best-selling author of The Time Traveler’s Wife discusses her latest novel, Her Fearful Symmetry.
    Audrey Niffenegger: Her Fearful Symmetry
    Wednesday, July 14, 2010
    Plaza Branch

    Audrey Niffenegger, author of the bestselling The Time Traveler's Wife, discusses her new novel, Her Fearful Symmetry, a story about the complications of love, identity, and sibling rivalry.

    When Elspeth Noblin dies, she leaves her apartment to her American twin nieces, Julia and Valentina.

    Read more
  • Harry S. Truman Book Award winner Steven Casey explains how the Truman and Eisenhower administrations shaped public opinion and influenced the media during the Korean War.
    Steven Casey: Selling the Korean War
    Tuesday, July 13, 2010
    Plaza Branch

    Steven Casey discusses his new book Selling the Korean War: Propaganda, Politics, and Public Opinion in the United States on Tuesday, July 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

    The book, which won the 2010 Harry S. Truman Book Award, explains how the Truman and Eisenhower administrations shaped public discourse about the Korean War, influenced media, and gained political and public support.

    Read more
  • Exhibit creator Joseph Opala draws on his 30 years of research to discuss Bunce Island’s history and ties to the American slave trade.
    Joseph Opala: Bunce Island
    Thursday, July 8, 2010
    Central Library

    Joseph Opala, the exhibit creator for Bunce Island: A British Slave Castle in Sierra Leone, draws on his 30 years of research to discuss Bunce Island’s history and ties to the American slave trade. From this site off the coast of West Africa, slave traders sent nearly 30,000 African captives to the Americas from 1670 to 1807. Many were shipped to South Carolina and Georgia. The Gullah who live in this region today are descendants of these slaves.

    Read more
  • Just in time for Independence Day, William Hogeland discusses his new book that reveals how the American Revolution really began.
    William Hogeland: Declaration, The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent
    Thursday, July 1, 2010
    Central Library

    Just in time for Independence Day, William Hogeland presents new research and top-notch scholarship to reveal how the American Revolution really began.

    Read more
  • In-depth discussions of five sacred structures that inspire those within and without.
    Historic Churches of Kansas City
    Sunday, June 27, 2010
    Plaza Branch

    Architect Paul Helmer examines the classical design of Central Presbyterian Church and Grand Avenue Temple United Methodist Church, which share similar histories and architectural designs.

    Read more
  • The Festival Internacional de Música Española y Latinoamericana (FIMEL) presents the second annual International Festival of Spanish and Latin American Music.
    International Festival of Spanish and Latin American Music
    Thursday, June 24, 2010
    Plaza Branch

    With a mission to bring together master musicians, dancers, and young artists from across the world to "share the beauty and artistry of Spanish and Latin American music through study, collaboration, and performance," the Festival Internacional de Música Española y Latinoamericana (FIMEL) presents the second annual International Festival of Spanish and Latin American Music.

    Read more
  • Joelouis Mattox discusses his series in The Kansas City Call about the NAACP and the history of African-American activism.
    Joelouis Mattox: The NAACP, Bound for the "Promised Land"
    Sunday, June 20, 2010
    Central Library

     Joelouis Mattox discusses his series of articles in the Kansas City Call about the NAACP and the history of African-American activism on Sunday, June 20, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

    Mattox will share information about Roy Wilkins, a former managing editor of The Call and longtime executive director of the NAACP; the history of the NAACP Kansas City branch, The Branch on the Vine; and President Truman’s support for civil rights. 

    Read more
  • After a volcanic cloud over much of Europe postponed his presentation in April, Matthew Bishop, U.S. business editor for The Economist, will be in Kansas City to share his thoughts on the economy and capitalism’s future.
    Matthew Bishop: The Road from Ruin
    Thursday, June 17, 2010
    Central Library

    Matthew Bishop discusses his new book, The Road from Ruin: How to Revive Capitalism and Put America Back on Top, and shares his thoughts on the economy and capitalism’s future.  His scheduled visit in April was postponed when Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull halted travel.

    Bishop, the U.S. business editor for The Economist, says we should learn from past financial crises to map the way to a reformed 21st century capitalism.

    Read more
  • Reporter and urban planning policy expert Anthony Flint discusses his new book Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took on New York’s Master Builder and Transformed the American City.
    Anthony Flint: Wrestling with Moses
    Wednesday, June 16, 2010
    Central Library

    Reporter and urban planning policy expert Anthony Flint discusses his new book Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took on New York’s Master Builder and Transformed the American City on Wednesday, June 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

    Read more
  • Robin Stone discusses the life of her late husband Gerald Boyd, including his rise to become the first black managing editor of The New York Times and his devastating fall in the wake of the Jayson Blair scandal.
    Robin Stone: My Times in Black and White
    Thursday, June 10, 2010
    Central Library

    Robin Stone, who wrote the afterward for her late husband Gerald Boyd’s memoir, discusses the book and Boyd’s life, including his rise to become the first black managing editor of The New York Times and his devastating fall on Thursday, June 10, at 6:30 p.m.. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

    Read more