Previous Special Events

The Kansas City Public Library will host A Conversation on Immigrants and Civil Rights on Monday, February 23, at 6 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Civil rights attorney Bill Raney and immigration attorney Angela Ferguson will discuss several aspects of the immigration issue in America. The audience will be asked to participate in the discussion.

Compiled by film critic Shawn Edwards, this film series offers several perspectives on the portrayal of African American sports figures as heroes who face injustice while overcoming racist clichés and stereotypes. Throughout February 2009, Our Heroes showcases some of the most important black sports movies every Monday at 6:30 p.m. and every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the Stanley H. Durwood Film Vault at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

The Kansas City Public Library presents a look at the Legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers on Sunday, February 22, at 3 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Michelle Boisseau will present her newest book of poetry A Sunday in God-Years on Sunday, February 22, at 1:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

On Friday, February 20, at 7 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St., Mad Science of Greater Kansas City presents the Fire and Ice Show.

Mad Science delivers unforgettable experiences with highly interactive educational programs. Focused on chemical reactions, the Fire and Ice Show will create foggy dry-ice storms, flashy reactions, and beach balls floating in mid air.

Frankie Muse Freeman discusses her memoir A Song of Faith and Hope: The Life of Frankie Muse Freeman on Friday, February 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Author Sam Lipsyte presents the February talk in the Library’s Writers at Work series on Thursday, February 19, at 7 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

The 2008-09 Writers at Work series features writers who will discuss their own work as well as the art of teaching the craft.

In part two of the What Works in Urban Education series presented by Tom Bloch and the University Academy, Jay Mathews of The Washington Post discusses his book Work Hard, Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created America’s Best Schools.

The presentation takes place Thursday, February 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Improvisational comedy troupe TANTRUM is Talking Out of Turn with its unique style of long-form improv performance on Wednesday, February 18, at 7 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Jennifer Weber, an assistant professor of history at the University of Kansas, discusses her new book Copperheads: The Rise and Fall of Lincoln’s Opponents in the North on Wednesday, February 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.