Linn Area Reads

The annual community reading program known as Linn Area Reads will present The History of Firefighting on Saturday, February 27 at 2:00 pm. This is the first in a series of programs based around Population: 485, the book selected for Linn Area Reads 2010. Local historian Mark Hunter with the Carl and Mary Koehler History Center will give the presentation.

Population: 485 is subtitled Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time. The book features author Michael Perry’s adventures as a member of the volunteer fire and rescue department in New Auburn, Wis. It is filled with colorful characters, real emergencies and the quirkiness of a small Midwestern town.

Additional Linn Area Reads programs will feature conversations with local fire and rescue personnel on their experiences, a panel discussion on the vibrancy of small towns, and a session on fire safety. Perry will read from Population: 485, take questions and sign books on Saturday, May 15 at 2 pm at Theatre Cedar Rapids.

WHAT: Linn Area Reads presents The History of Firefighting

WHEN: Saturday, February 27, 2:00 pm

WHERE: Cedar Rapids Public Library Bridge Facility, Westdale Mall, 2600 Edgewood Rd. SW

For more information on this and other Linn Area Reads events, visit www.metrolibrarynetwork.org/linnareareads.

Linn Area Reads is supported by Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Cole Library, East Central Library Services, Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, Friends of the Hiawatha Public Library, Friends of the Marion Public Library, The Gazette, the Giacoletto Foundation, Hancher Auditorium, Linn County Library Consortium, Lisbon Public Library and the Metro Library Network.

The planning committee for the annual community reading program known as Linn Area Reads has selected Population: 485 by author and humorist Michael Perry for the 2010 edition of the program. Perry will read from the book on Saturday, May 15 at 2 p.m. at Theatre Cedar Rapids. The reading is one of several Linn Area Reads events scheduled between now and May.

The reading will also be part of this year’s edition of Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series. All Linn Area Reads and Out Loud! Author Series events are free and open to the public. Both are programs of the Metro Library Network, which is made up of the Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha Public Libraries.

“Last year’s collaboration between Linn Area Reads and Out Loud! was such a success that we wanted to keep that momentum going,” said Rob Cline, series coordinator for the Out Loud! Author Series and a member of the Linn Area Reads planning committee. “Michael Perry is a perfect fit for both programs.”

Population: 485 is subtitled Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time. The book features Perry’s adventures as a member of the volunteer fire and rescue department in New Auburn, Wis. It is filled with colorful characters, real emergencies, and the quirkiness of a small Midwestern town.

Perry will read from Population: 485, take questions from the audience, and sign books during his May 15 appearance.

Additional Linn Area Reads programs will feature conversations with local fire and rescue personnel on their experiences, a panel discussion on the vibrancy of small towns, a program on the history of firefighters and EMTs, and a session on fire safety.

In addition to Population: 485, Perry is the author of Truck: A Love Story and Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs and Parenting.

For more information about Michael Perry, visit his website.

Sandra Dallas, Linn Area Reads feature author, drew 150 people to Theatre Cedar Rapids-Lindale! She entertained the crowd with stories from her career and about the writing of Tallgrass, this year’s selection for Linn Area Reads. Following her talk, she graciously signed books for her many eager fans.

Sandra Dallas presents at Theatre Cedar Rapids on March 1

More photos here.

The planning committee for the annual community reading program known as Linn Area Reads has selected Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas for the 2009 edition of the program. Dallas will read from the book on Sunday, March 1 at 2:00 p.m. at Theatre Cedar Rapids’ Lindale facility. The reading will also be the first event of this year’s edition of Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series. In addition to Dallas, the series will feature appearances by Sara Paretsky, Samantha Chang, Lawrence Block, and Michael Buckley.

Tallgrass explores the underlying prejudice that led to the internment of those of Japanese descent during World War II. When a young girl is murdered in Ellis, Colorado, in the early 1940s, most of the town quickly assumes the killer escaped from the nearby internment camp. Guided by her parents, 13-year-old Rennie Stroud, stands in opposition to the prevailing winds.

The book was chosen in part due to its similarities to Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Classics at Brucemore, which will be presenting a theatrical version of Lee’s book July 9-11 and 16-18, is collaborating with Linn Area Reads to present programs that tie the two novels together. Both books address widespread prejudice and feature a young female narrator whose sense of justice is shaped by a noble father.

Dallas is the author of several novels, including the forthcoming Prayers for Sale which will be released in April.

Linn Area Reads is supported by Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Brucemore, Cornell College, East Central Library Services, Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, Friends of the Hiawatha Public Library, The Gazette, the Giacoletto Foundation, Hancher Auditorium, Linn County Library Consortium, and the Metro Library Network.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2009 Linn Area Reads selection on February 2!

A complete schedule of events will be published, as well as more information about the book and author.