(Kansas City, Missouri) - Annie Presley's life, including a quarter-century in the political arena, has been full: enduring a near-plane crash with Missouri Gov. John Ashcroft and Sen. Christopher Bond and sitting tight for an hour with Margaret Thatcher while a couple of armed protesters were hauled to jail, among other memorable episodes.

Part of living, too, is preparing for death. And Presley and co-author Christy Howard have written Read This … When I'm Dead: A Guide to Getting Your Stuff Together for Your Loved Ones, a fill-in-the-blank guide to organizing your key information, thoughts, and wishes for your heirs.

Presley, a native Missourian and accomplished fundraising and political consultant, discusses both her political career and her new book on planning for the end in a public conversation with University of Missouri-Kansas City professor and former U.S. ambassador to Portugal Allan Katz on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St. They are joined on stage by Howard.

The 6:30 p.m. event is co-presented by the Truman Library Institute.

From Kansas City to Jefferson City, Missouri, to Washington, D.C., Presley's political connections run deep. She served as finance director for Bond's senatorial re-election campaign in 1992, national deputy finance director for the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign in 2000, deputy finance director for the 2000 inaugural team, and as Missouri vice chair for the Bush-Cheney re-election team in 2004. She also has extensive experience in the corporate sector, including more than 16 years as principal and owner of McKellar Consulting in Kansas City.

Howard, an attorney, has worked with the law firm of Gage and Tucker, Hallmark Cards, and ACE Publishing and most recently served as director of corporate communications for Children International.

A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Admission is free. RSVP at kclibrary.org or call 816.701.3407.