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Meet the 2023 Writers Conference Presenter: Dennis Etzel, Jr

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Dennis Etzel, Jr is a Senior Lecturer of English at Washburn University, where he has been teaching since 2007. He is a neuroqueer poet and Topeka native, where he lives with his wife and sons. Poetry and inclusion are near and dear to Dennis’s heart, as you can see in his poetic memoir My Secret Wars of 1984 which was selected by The Kansas City Star as Best Poetry Book in 2015. His collection of poetry, Fast-Food Sonnets, was a 2017 Kansas Notable Book. 

Dennis has been described as an encouraging and enthusiastic teacher who intentionally provides a safe space for all, no matter if someone is an undergrad student or a veteran workshop attendee. His understanding of the important relationship between creativity and connection is another reason we are so excited to have Dennis at the conference this year. In past interviews he has said that he hopes his writing sparks conversation, and that is exactly what we hope to do at the Writers Conference: provide a space for inspiration and conversation for local writers. 

You can catch up with Dennis on his website here.

You can register for the Writers Conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, November 3rd and 4th. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, November 2nd.

Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Dennis a few questions to get to know him better:

 1. What's in your TBR pile?

Top three on my stack: Valkyrie Poetics by Swanee Astrid, Valley of the Many-Colored Grasses by Ronald Johnson, and A Sand Book by Ariana Reines

 2. What are you reading right now? 

I am currently reading The Book of Stolen Images by Laura Lee Washburn

3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend? 

So many favorite books, but AMANDA PARADISE: Resurrect Extinct Vibration by CA Conrad is one I recommend this year.

4. Do you have a favorite bookstore? 

My favorite bookstore is Round Table Bookstore which can be found in the NOTO Arts District in Topeka. A family of four run the store and they sell new and used books. It is so amazing--a visit as part of a perfect evening spent in NOTO

5. Answer the question you wish we had asked.

I am currently writing a hybrid non-fiction book titled At the Movies for health and Healing which collages memoir, research on film theory, and mythology as those stories that represent reality--that films give us a contemporary mythos to inform our lives and heal through experiencing.

 

 
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This Week at the Library

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Library OnDemand – Available anytime you like.

Healthy Heart Nutrition Seminar – Tuesday, Aug. 29, noon – 1 p.m.

Community health workers from Johnson County Department of Health & Environment will be onsite in Conference Room 20 to provide healthy heart nutrition guidance.

In Conversation: Diana Goetsch & Ryan Bernstein, Moderated by Stuart Hinds – Friday, Sept. 1, All Day 

In This Body I Wore, Diana Goetsch recounts her late-in-life gender transition. Ryan Bernsten’s 50 States of Mind chronicles the author's journey through America, with an aim to discover if it really is divided. Stuart Hinds, Curator of Special Collections & Archives, and Co-founder of the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, will moderate a discussion, exploring how Goetsch and Bernsten approached writing about personal stories and explorations of democracy. Available in Library OnDemand Friday, September 1.

This Body I Wore with Diana Goetsch – Friday, Sept. 1, All Day

Poet and essayist Diana Goetsch presents her acclaimed memoir, a 2023 ALA Notable Book, hailed as “achingly beautiful” by The New York Times Book Review. This Body I Wore chronicles the budding trans communities of the late 20th century, and sheds light on today’s struggle for trans equality. The book is also a love letter to New York City and a meditation on subjects ranging from education to Buddhism, to becoming an artist and surviving child abuse. Available in Library OnDemand Friday, September 1.

Walk and Read at Antioch Park – Saturday, Sept. 1 – Sept. 10, All Day

Family and friends of all ages are invited to join Johnson County Library for a walk in at Antioch Park! Walk and Read creates a reading opportunity for all, in various parks throughout Johnson County. Those who participate will read two stories posted around a path, one going each direction. When you finish one story, you can turn around to the other side of the sign and begin the next story, which will lead you back around the path. The stories are Old Friends by Margaret Aitken and Kitty by Rebecca Jordan-Glum.

 The Walk and Read program encourages physical activity, literacy and family time. The paths are stroller and wheelchair friendly, allowing for all to join in the fun! Dates are subject to adjustment due to inclement weather conditions. Sponsored by Shawnee Mission Parents as Teachers. 

And much more happening this week … 
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Candidate Meet and Greet

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Are you interested in learning more about the school board candidates on your ballot? Join us for a Meet and Greet with the candidates. You'll have the opportunity to introduce yourself, ask questions and learn more about their stances on the issues impacting your local schools over coffee and donuts.
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Free Period Products Coming to Library Restrooms

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Johnson County Library now provides period/menstrual products, free of charge, in restrooms within all 14 branches, for the public’s convenience and comfort. 

On August 10, the Library Board approved an agreement with the Strawberry Week Society, a local nonprofit that collects and distributes free menstrual products to schools, hospitals, shelters and community organizations, to increase accessibility and combat period poverty.   

Youth Information Specialists Emma Fernhout and Heather Miller advocated for this service and said Strawberry Week has been a great partner. 

“My experience is, if I go to a gym or an airport and I see period products in the bathroom, especially if they are free, then I immediately feel like that organization cares,” Fernhout said. “I know the power that carries, and it just seemed in alignment with what the Library wants people to feel.” 

Strawberry Week Founder and CEO Micheala Miller donates these products (tampons and pads) throughout the metro area, and had already seen how successful this initiative was in the 10 Kansas City Public Library branches. She was delighted to collaborate with Johnson County Library as well. 

“They’ve been amazing to work with,” Michaela Miller said. Most community groups she works with help people for whom the cost of menstrual products is a hardship. But she notes that Libraries serve the broader public.  

“Items like these are so mandatory for half the population to use, it’s something that is appreciated,” she said. “We believe that like hand soap and paper towels, period products should be readily available in public restrooms. Through this partnership, we are able to accomplish that.” 

Strawberry Week will make its donations quarterly, for an annual total of about 10,000 pads and 6,000 tampons, saving Johnson County government more than $3,000 if it were to purchase the products. The Library will spend about $375 on containers.  

Library staff said this project enhances customer service, fosters a welcoming and healthy environment and safeguards patron privacy. 

Fernhout said the idea first came to her a few years ago and she put together a proposal to address the need.  

“I think a lot of us have experienced a patron asking for products, or we’ve been that patron whether it’s at the Library or at another business, and just realizing that there were no products available,” she said. “That seemed like a huge barrier to accessibility and feeling welcomed and safe.” 

Heather Miller eagerly joined Fernhout to explore a solution. 

“We talked to branch managers, we talked to operations and administration, and everyone was very supportive,” Heather Miller said. 

Serendipitously, Strawberry Week sent an email in early 2022 to Johnson County Library with information about its mission. Strawberry Week sponsors large collection drives and also gets grants to purchase products. Micheala Miller works in real estate professionally, but she devotes her volunteer time to combatting period poverty. 

“It’s fulfilling and a passion project for me,” she said. 

The email was passed along to Fernhout, and it felt like the answer to what she was seeking. Fernhout and Heather Miller met with Micheala Miller and Kansas City Public Library representatives, who were very encouraging. They reported that patrons didn’t take huge quantities of the products, but used them as needed, like paper towels or other hygiene items. 

“They (KCPL) gave us the drive to keep going, saying you can do it in a big branch system,” Heather Miller recalled.  

Fernhout said working with Strawberry Week on all the logistical details has been very rewarding. 

“They really just want to serve their community,” she said, “in the best way they can.” 
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JoCoHistory Blog: Meadowbrook Park

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New Blog Entry

Meadowbrook Park is a beautiful (and busy!) park in suburban Prairie Village today. But did you know that there were many different land uses in the area throughout history? Learn about the Indigenous populations, family farms, luxury estates, postwar suburbs, and “open membership” golf clubs that came before JCPRD’s public green space in a new #JoCoHistory Blog post from the Johnson County Museum.
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No Wait Wednesday

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Hello and welcome to #NoWaitWednesday, where we pick an item off the New Release shelf at one of our library branches that's available for a lucky reader to discover. There are always plenty of gems at the library to find that don't require a two-month wait on the hold lists, and the New Release shelves are always a great place to explore and find your next favorite read.

Medusa is a familiar figure in Greek mythology - a female monster with snakes for hair and a gaze that turns men to stone, usually presented as an antagonist to the hero Perseus, who then cuts off her head to use as a weapon. That's where her story usually ends, but there's plenty of background material that many casual mythology fans might not know: Medusa was one of three sisters - the Gorgons - along with Stheno and Euryale. Their story forms the basis of Lauren J. A. Bear's novel "Medusa's Sisters," which is today's #NoWaitWednesday selection. 
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