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Meet the 2023 Writers Conference Presenter: Elle Jackson
Elle Jackson is a champion of the powerful impact of writing and reading fiction, and she knows fictional stories can be excellent tools to chip away at inequities and destroy barriers. You might remember her interview for The Pitch in 2021, where she shared her experience as the first Black author to be published in Harlequin Historical’s line of romance novels.
Jackson primarily writes romance with a historical bent. Her novel A Blues Singer to Redeem Him is set in Kansas City and is the first book in Harlequin Historical’s line of romance novels to be written by a Black author. The novel is set in the 1920s during the prohibition era in Kansas City, and the main character is a Black female blue singer who survived the Tulsa Massacre.
Elle was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. She has a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Baker University, an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Pittsburg State University. Teaching excellence and having a positive impact in her community are both paramount to Jackson, and she is currently a principal in her hometown of Kansas City. While Elle Jackson fulfills many roles (educator, writer, real estate professional) her most important roles are wife and mom to her two kiddos.
You can find more about Elle and her books on her website here.
We are thrilled to have Elle on our conference faculty this year! She will be presenting two sessions: “Romancing History” and “Writing Atmospheric Stories.” You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.
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 Elle a few questions to get to know her better:
1. What's in your TBR pile?
The Coven by Harper Woods;
The Never King Series by Nikki St. Crowe
2. What are you reading right now?
The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith
3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend?
The Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland and Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
4. Do you have a favorite bookstore?
5. Answer the question you wish we had asked
What book do you want to write next? I want to write a series that focuses on historical reimagining with a main character who is fearless but falls for someone and finally allows someone to take care of her.
Lenexa's Video Library
New JoCoHistory Blog Article
Lenexa’s Video Library: The Life and Times of Johnson County’s Largest Video Store
It all began in the early-to-mid 1980s. Holly DeNeff was in dental school, but had come to feel that dentistry wasn’t the right fit for her after all. She wanted to start her own business and started looking around for the right industry. At the time, there were two boom industries for budding entrepreneurs: tanning salons and video stores. Holly mulled both of them over, working briefly at both to learn the businesses from the ground up. She worked her way up to a store manager position at National Video (a national chain with several locations in the area) and thought that maybe she’d found her industry.
Meet the 2023 Writers Conference Presenter: Kelly Yarbrough
Kelly Yarbrough is an artist in Manhattan, KS who mainly works with mixed media drawing. The Great Plains and prairie ecosystems have a special place in her heart, and their inspiration is evident in her work. Kelly has an MFA from Kansas State University. She is a Regional Field Representative and Art & Environment specialist for the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, a facilitator for Artist INC, a trained Konza Prairie docent, and a 2021TEDx Austin College speaker.
Kelly loves meaningful conversations inspired by creativity and loves collaborating with other artists. We asked Kelly if she would be interested in collaborating with Traci Brimhall to illustrate the poetry walk that Traci is creating for the Library to coincide with the Writers Conference this year. The partnership between Kelly and Traci turned out to be a fascinating and dynamic relationship where both artists inspired each other in unique ways. We are really looking forward to not only seeing the poetry walk that Traci and Kelly have created, but we are also excited for their panel discussion about their collaboration at this year’s Writers Conference. The poetry walk will be available at Strang Park, located just behind the Central Resource Library, this upcoming November.
You can find more about Kelly and her artwork on her 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, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.
Stories About a Wicked Past
KC True Crime
"Like most cities during Prohibition, Kansas City had illegal alcohol, bootleggers, speakeasies, cops on the take, corrupt politicians and moralizing reformers. But by the time the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed, Kansas City had been singled out by one observer as one of the wettest cities, as well as the wickedest.“
~ Prohibition in Kansas City, Missouri: Highballs, Spooners & Crooked Dice by John Simonson
Your history-loving hosts, Charles "T-Bone" Hower and the "Jackalope"—AKA Dave "Curtains" Carson—spill the beans and sing like canaries to reveal the darkside of Kansas City history. It's Kansas City True Crime on the JoCoLibrary Uncovered Podcast.
Join us as we explain how a lawless culture that began before the Civil War evolved into political and criminal empires that ultimately drew the FBI's focus as they fought to put an end to decades of crime and violence. We bring in special guest Erik Stafford who is a historian, storyteller and a Kansas City History Tour Guide to shed some light on stories that have lived in the dark for too long.
KC True Crime Recommendations:
Booklist, websites and resources mentioned in the episode.
Meet the 2023 Writers Conference Presenter: Dennis Etzel, Jr
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.
This Week at the Library
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.
Candidate Meet and Greet
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.
- Saturday, Sept. 30, 10-11 a.m.
Meet and Greet Blue Valley Board of Education Candidates @ Blue Valley Library
- Saturday, Oct. 28, 10-11 a.m.
Meet and Greet Gardner Edgerton Board of Education Candidates @ Gardner Library
Free Period Products Coming to Library Restrooms
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.”