Previous Special Events

To mark the grand opening of the H&R Block Business and Career Center at the Central Library, join us for a public conversation with Henry W. Bloch, co-founder and chairman emeritus of H&R Block. Conducted by Crosby Kemper III, director of the Kansas City Public Library, the program takes place on Thursday, June 11, at the Central Library at 6:30 p.m.

Author and historian David O. Stewart discusses his new book Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy on Wednesday, June 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

The Kansas City Public Library welcomes Michael Perry for a presentation based on his book Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting on Tuesday, June 9, at 7 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Production for the Meet the Past television series continues in June with two programs taped before a live audience at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. Additional episodes will be taped in upcoming months. The series will air during prime-time on KCPT (channel 19) during the 2009-10 season.

Nearly 20 years to the day that the Chinese government violently cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, author Diane Wei Liang discusses her memoir of the period, Lake With No Name: A True Story of Love and Conflict in Modern China, on Monday, June 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

On Mondays, June 8, 15, 22, and 29, at 1:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St., the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival presents The Merry Wives of Windsor: The Earliest Sitcom, a series of programs celebrating one of Shakespeare’s rollicking comedies.

The third season of the Script-in-Hand series of stage performances, presented by the Kansas City Public Library and Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, continues on Sunday, June 7, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., with Antigone.

The women architects who helped shape Kansas City neighborhoods and beyond are the subject of the second season of They Built Kansas City, a series examining the work of architects responsible for some of the city’s most recognizable structures.

All programs in the series begin at 2 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

On Saturday, June 6, at 11 a.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St., author Richard Jennings will present his book, Ghost Town. The event also serves as a workshop for aspiring young writers.

Jennings, the author of more than 50 essays, short stories, and articles, garnered acclaim for the 1980 book The Tragic Tale of the Dog Who Killed Himself. 

On the first Saturday of every month at 8 a.m. in the City Market, 400 Grand St., Kansas City, MO 64106, North Walkway next to the Steamboat Arabia, the Friends of the Library will hold a series of book sales. Book sales will continue through September.

Subject matters cover many genres and range in price from $0.50 to $10.00.