Previous Special Events

In the third season of the Script-in-Hand series of stage performances, the Kansas City Public Library and Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre present Law & Literature, a collection of the most memorable legal dramas ever written.

The second play in the series, Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley, is scheduled for Sunday, February 1, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

On Thursday, January 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., Nancy Goldstein discusses her biography Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist.

Many observers contend that the off-shoring of research and development to China and India threatens the foundations of Western prosperity. But acclaimed business and economics scholar Amar Bhidé asserts the doomsayers are wrong. Author of The Venturesome Economy: How Innovation Sustains Prosperity in a More Connected World, Bhidé presents his thesis on Thursday, January 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Artist Billyo O’Donnell and author Karen Glines present an illustrated talk about the Painting Missouri Exhibit and their book Painting Missouri: The Counties en Plein Air on Wednesday, January 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Pierre Laszlo discusses Citrus: A History on Tuesday, January 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

On Sunday, January 25, at 2 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St., local author Martha McCarty will discuss her book Five Island Diaries: Stories of Love Lost and Found.

Painting Missouri, a collection of landscapes by award-winning artist Billyo O’Donnell that depicts all 114 Missouri counties plus the city of St. Louis, will be on display starting Saturday, January 24, 2009 at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

On Friday, January 23, at 7 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St., Mad Science of Kansas City will present the first in a three-part, monthly series of programs geared to spark imaginative learning through unique, engaging, and educational activities.

Tom Bloch, author of Stand for the Best and co-founder of Kansas City’s University Academy, and the school partner with the Kansas City Public Library to host a series of thought-provoking presentations by national experts titled What Works in Urban Education.

The first talk in this series features Eric Hanushek, the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a leading expert on educational policy specializing in the economics and finance of schools. The presentation takes place on Thursday, January 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Longtime local sports writer and current KCChiefs.com columnist Jonathan Rand discusses his new book The Year That Changed the Game on Wednesday, January 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Many sports historians believe that the emergence of professional football as America’s premier sport was the result of a slow and steady evolution that began with the 1920 formation of a 14-team circuit that became the National Football League.