| Contact:
Jeff Morgan, Jeff.Morgan@iowa.gov,
(515) 281-3858
(DES
MOINES) – The State Historical Library
today announced it has created a
new book club featuring material with Iowa connections.
“Book Discovery” kicks off 11:45 a.m.-1
p.m. July 25 at the State Historical Building, 3rd
Floor, Classroom A, with a discussion about Phil Stong’s
popular 1932 novel State Fair. The State Historical
Building is at 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines’
Historic East Village. Pre-registration is recommended,
but not required, by visiting www.iowahistory.org.
More information is available at 515-281-6897 or by
email at susan.jellinger@iowa.com.
“This program offers history and literary enthusiasts
an opportunity to get together and discuss books that
define, reflect or capture the spirit and history
of Iowa,” said Cyndi Pederson, director of the
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. The State Historical
Library is operated by the State Historical Society
of Iowa, which is a division of DCA.
“Book Discovery” will meet 11:45 a.m.-1
p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Following
is the 2007-2008 Book Discovery schedule:
July 25, 2007
State Fair by Phil Stong
State Fair recounts the adventures of the
Frake family at the Iowa State Fair in the late 1920s.
Stong’s universal morality tale has much to
reveal to anyone willing to read between the lines.
September 26, 2007
Splendid Solutions by Jeffrey Kluger
Many Iowans remember the fears around polio. This
“All Iowa Reads” selection details Jonas
Salk’s drive to find a vaccine and make it available
to the public.
November 28, 2007
A Rural Community short story by Ruth Suckow
Suckow’s short story of an orphan who returns
to his small, rural town.
January 23, 2008
In No Time At All by Carl Hamilton
Hamilton recalls the familiar trappings of country
life between two world wars with a tinge of regret,
commemorating their passing.
March 26, 2008
A Son of the Middle Border by Hamlin Garland
An autobiographical memoir, Garland recounts events
of his Midwest upbringing, including his time in Iowa.
May 28, 2008
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Call of the Wild is a featured title
of the National Endowment for the Arts’ “The
Big Read” program. London’s Iowa connection
is two-fold: he marched across Iowa with Kelly’s
Army and honeymooned in Newton.
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible
for developing the state’s interest in the areas
of the arts, history and other cultural matters with
the advice and assistance from its two divisions:
the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa
Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets
and promotes an awareness and understanding of local,
state and regional history and stimulates and encourages
the study and presentation of the performing and fine
arts and public interest and participation in them.
It implements tourism-related art and history projects
as directed by the General Assembly and designs a
comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the
assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the
arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available
at www.culturalaffairs.org.
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