Previous Special Events

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.

Nearly 150 years after she went to Washington, Mary Todd Lincoln remains one of our most controversial First Ladies. She was vivacious, flirtacious, and prone to fits of temper yet charming and ambitious. Join Westport and Fashion Historian, Bonnie Hansen, as we take a look at Mary Todd Lincoln's life, her love for Lincoln, and the fashions of the day through the use of Historical Photos and Period Clothing.

On Saturday, June 13, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., the magic of Gene Hernandez of Imagine! Magic Productions is sure to amaze in a program full of tricks and audience participation.

On Friday, June 12, at 7 p.m., children’s musician Thaddeus Rex will Read Like a Rock Star at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

A PBS veteran and award-winning songwriter, Thaddeus Rex’s unique brand of high octane music and contagious enthusiasm has been hailed by the Washington Post as “part Monty Python, part Dr. Seuss” and by the Los Angeles Times as “a sincere celebration of reading.”

The University of Missouri-Kansas City English Department welcomes Hilda Raz and Hadara Bar-Nadav for reading and a discussion of their poetry. Hilda Raz is a professor of English and women’s and gender studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her books include Trans and The Best from Prairie Schooner: Fiction and Poetry. Hadara Bar-Nadaz’s book of poetry, A Glass of Milk to Kiss Goodnight, won the Margie book prize in 2007.

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.