Callanish Concert Kicks Off Centre County Reads Events
Irish tales, music, and immigration are all part of the special events scheduled for Centre County Reads 2020!
The programming is capped with a visit from Alice McDermott, author of this year’s Centre County Reads selection, Charming Billy. McDermott will give a talk and hold a book signing on Thursday, April 16 in the HUB-Robeson Center’s Freeman Auditorium.
The kickoff event for Centre County Reads 2020 is from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, February 8 at the Green Drake Gallery and Arts Center in Millheim. The afternoon features music by the Pennsylvania Celtic band Callanish, whose repertoire includes lively jigs and reels, haunting airs, and rollicking songs from Ireland, Scotland, and elsewhere in the British Isles.
On February 15 at the Holt Library in Philipsburg, local historian and genealogist Justin Houser will present “Waves Across the Ocean: The Background of Several Irish Migrations to Central Pennsylvania.” The program begins at 11:30 a.m.
On March 3 at Schlow Centre Region Library, Dr. Nalini Krishnankutty will discuss “Re-Viewing History: Centering the Stories of Immigrants.” The event starts at 6:30 p.m.
A roundtable discussion on “American Dreams: Romance & Reality” will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Paterno Library’s Mann Assembly Room. The panelists include Mary Paniccia Carden, Jennifer Van Hook, and Andrew Sandoval-Stausz.
Centre County Reads also will hold a writing contest once again. This year’s topic is “Careful Writing.” The contest is sponsored by the Center for American Literary Studies. Entries are due by March 27. For rules and more information, visit centrecountyreads.org.
Other events include book discussions and storytimes for children. The first book discussion will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 21 at Schlow Library.
Centre County Reads coordinators are the Center for American Literary Studies; the Center for Global Studies; Centre County Library & Historical Museum; Pennsylvania Center for the Book; Schlow Centre Region Library; the State College, Philipsburg-Osceola, Penns Valley, and Bellefonte area school districts; and Schlow Library Foundation. Partners for Centre County Reads 2020 include Penn State’s Creative Writing Program’s Mary E. Rolling Reading Series, The Green Drake Gallery and Arts Center, and Callanish.
For more information, visit centrecountyreads.org.
Contact: David Pencek | dpencek@schlowlibrary.org