HCPL Press Releases

Belcamp Md., May 14, 2012 — Did you grow up reading the “Little House on the Prairie” book series? Or secretly yearn to be Laura Ingalls? If so, join author Wendy McClure as she discusses her book, “The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie” on Saturday, June 2, at 6:30 p.m. at the Bel Air Library, 100 East Pennsylvania Avenue in Bel Air. The lecture, open to the public and free of charge, is followed by a book signing.
The lecture is part of Journey Stories, a Smithsonian exhibit based at the Abingdon branch of the Harford County Public Library from May 19 to July 6 that examines the intersection between modes of travel and Americans’ desire to feel free to progress and flourish, voyage and explore. Various cultural opportunities in conjunction with Journey Stories are being held in library branches and activity centers across the county.
In “The Wilder Life,” McClure writes about her love of the “Little House” books when she was growing up and how that love was rekindled as an adult. Retracing the pioneer journey of the Ingalls Family, McClure heads west to the Big Woods of Wisconsin, where Laura was born; to the site of the original log cabin, where a replica stands in its place; to the crowded shores of Plum Creek in Minnesota; and to South Dakota, where she weathers a hailstorm in a rented covered wagon.
She learns to churn butter in her living room while catching up on episodes of the 1970s television series; catches a musical adaptation with Melissa Gilbert (who played Laura in the television version) in the role of Ma; and enjoys a “Little House”-inspired cocktail called The Half Pint.

McClure rekindled her love of the “Little House” books thanks to her finding “Little House in the Big Woods”-the only “Little House” book she actually owned as a child-in storage and reading it again. Her boyfriend, Chris, found a vintage boxed set, and McClure read through them within weeks. Her interest in “Laura World” was sparked again.
“It took me a while to realize that my Laura journeys were a sort of response to my mother’s death,” explained McClure, whose mother died as she was re-entering “Laura World.”
“As a child I often imagined I was Laura, so in re-reading the books and making the trips I was embarking on all these indirect paths that eventually led me back to my own past. When you know that someone is gone, you find yourself cultivating places in your memory where you can still feel that person’s presence, and for me those places were very closely associated with the ‘Little House’ books.”
“The Wilder Life” has received praise in various circles, including from Alison Arngrim, the actress who played Nellie Oleson in the “Little House” television series. She called the book “a howling funny, historically thorough and irresistibly mad trip down the rabbit hole of the Laura Ingalls-Little House obsession that has consumed an entire generation of women. I spent seven years on the prairie, and this book made me want to run out and buy a butter churn!”
The June 2 event will feature McClure discussing her travels through “Laura World” and how the trip and the book were more and less rewarding than anticipated. A question-and-answer session will follow McClure’s remarks.
A book signing will be held after the discussion. Hardback copies of “The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie” will be available for purchase for $20 (cash, check, credit card) at the event.
To register for the event, call the Bel Air Library at 410-638-3151. For more information, visit www.hcplonline.org.
Journey Stories is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Maryland Humanities Council. The Journey Stories exhibition and accompanying programs are offered to the public through a partnership between Harford County Public Library and the Harford County Department of Community Services.
Harford County Public Library operates 11 branches located throughout Harford County. The library serves more than160,000 registered borrowers of all ages and has an annual circulation of more than 4.8 million. Harford County Public Library is committed to connecting people with information and promoting the love of reading within the community.

Bel Air – On Wednesday, May 23 at 6 p.m. at the McFaul Activity Center, 525 W. MacPhail Road in Bel Air, Dr. Rebecca Boehling, Founding Director of UMBC’s Dresher Center for the Humanities, will discuss the inspiration for her book Life and Loss in the Shadow of the Holocaust – the family’s recently discovered correspondence. Her fascinating and deeply moving book is an account of the Kaufmann-Steinberg family’s life before, during, and after the Holocaust.

Learn more about the Kaufmann-Steinberg family’s journey story at the “Meet the Authors” series at McFaul Activity Center on May 23 at 6 p.m., part of the Journey Stories Smithsonian Exhibition coming to various locations throughout Harford County, May 11 – June 6.

Call 410-638-4040 to register.

At UMBC, Dr. Boehling is Professor of History and Affiliate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies and Affiliate Professor of Judaic Studies; she teaches modern European history, Holocaust Studies, and European gender and women’s history. In 2005-6 she served as Acting Director of UMBC’s Honors College and in 2007 became the Founding Director of UMBC’s Dresher Center for the Humanities. Over the years her scholarship has been recognized with a Fulbright fellowship, a German Academic Exchange Service Grant, a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies fellowship and a Volkswagen Foundation fellowship in postwar German history. She is currently Senior Non-resident Fellow at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies in Washington, D.C.

Journey Stories is part of The Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Maryland Humanities Council. The exhibition and accompanying programs are offered to the public through a partnership between the Harford County Department of Community Services and Harford County Public Library.

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Belcamp, Maryland – May 4, 2012) Pirate hangings, harsh conditions and political scheming took place at Ellis Island, along with the dreams broken and realized by hopeful immigrants who passed through its gates by the thousands. American Passage: The History of Ellis Island by Vincent Cannato captures a time and place in the American immigration story that is unparalleled. And long after Ellis Island ceased to be the nations’ preeminent immigrant inspection station, the debates that once swirled around it are still relevant to Americans a century later. Join the author and your neighbors to question, share experiences, ideas, and explore immigration in the United States at this Community Conversation, officially opening the Smithsonian’s Journey Stories Exhibition on May 19, 2012 at 10:30am at the Harford County Public Library Abingdon Branch.

People have been arriving on American shores for centuries but two periods stand out in terms of the sheer numbers: the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the late 20th and early 21st century. While a hundred years or so may separate the periods, similar problems and conflicting ideas apply to both eras. No one has examined these concerns more thoroughly or better placed them in their proper context than Vincent Cannato. American Passage speaks of the dramatic accounts of the immigrants, officials, interpreters and social reformers who played a role in one of the greatest mass movements of individuals in the world. “The story of America is one of immigration. By bringing us the inspiring and sometimes unsettling tales of Ellis Island, Vincent Cannato’s American Passage helps us understand who we are as a nation,” writes Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein.

Vincent Cannato is associate professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He received his BA with honors in Political Science from Williams College and his PhD in History from Columbia University. At UMASS-Boston, Prof. Cannato teaches courses on New York City history, Boston history, immigration history, and twentieth-century American history. He is also the author of The Ungovernable City: John Lindsay and His Struggle to Save New York and co-editor of Living in the Eighties. Prof. Cannato has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Meet the Author, Vincent J. Cannato, is part of the Journey Stories project. More information on exhibitions and associated programming is available in the Journey Stories Official Guidebook, available at all Library Branches, County Activity Centers and key outlets throughout the county; Headlines & Happenings Library Newsletter available at all branches; and by going to HCPLonline.org/journey. Journey Stories is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Maryland Humanities Council. The Journey Stories exhibition and accompanying programs are offered to the public through a partnership between Harford County Public Library and the Harford County Department of Community Service.

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Photo caption #1: American Passage, written by Vincent Cannato.

Photo caption #2: Vincent J. Cannato to appear at the Abingdon Library on May 19th as part of the opening of the Smithsonian Exhibition, Journey Stories.

(Belcamp, Maryland – May 4, 2012) D.E Johnson, author of The Detroit Electric Scheme and Motor City Breakdown, presented to a captive audience the stories of some of Detroit’s notorious characters at the height of the electric motorcar industry. Mr. Johnson spoke at the Jarrettsville Library and he is part of the Journey Stories Meet the Author Series. The Journey Stories Smithsonian Exhibition will open at the Abingdon Library on May 19th through July 6. Journey Stories includes associated exhibitions and author presentations. For more information please go to HCPLonline.org/journey or visit any library branch or county activity center and pick up the Journey Stories Official Guidebook.

Harford County Public Library operates eleven branches located throughout Harford County, Maryland. The library serves over 160,000 registered borrowers of all ages and has an annual circulation of over 4,800,000. Harford County Public Library is committed to connecting people with information and promoting the love of reading within the community.

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Photo caption #1: D.E. Johnson at the Jarrettsville Library.

(Belcamp, Maryland – April 19, 2012) Explore the beginnings of the car industry and discuss the writing of a mystery. The Detroit Electric Scheme by D.E. Johnson, takes you on a journey through turn-of-the-century Detroit and a look into the launch of the automotive industry. A mystery interwoven with vivid historical detail that includes a tale of murder and organized crime, Johnson has given the reader a well plotted mystery filled with memorable characters and taut suspense in his debut novel. Johnson will visit the Jarrettsville Library on Thursday, May 3rd starting at 6:30 pm for a lively discussion of his novel.

Critically acclaimed, The Detroit Electric Scheme was named one of Booklist’s Top Ten First Crime Novels of 2010 and won a Michigan Notable Book Award. Johnson, a history buff, has been writing fiction since childhood, but it wasn’t until he hit midlife that he realized he should get serious about it. So after taking classes, reading everything about writing he could find, and writing for hours every day, he hit on the right subject and genre — the early Twentieth Century, a time of big ambitions, huge achievements, and crushing poverty, which holds a special fascination for Johnson. His interest in this subject was passed down to him from his grandfather who was the Vice President of Checker Motors.

“A thoroughly enjoyable read!” exclaimed Jon A. Jackson, author of The Diehard. “What Johnson has accomplished is nearly magical: He has marvelously created the old Detroit, made it come to life in a way that is recognizable and yet is totally new. This is a completely convincing, believable historical place, populated by attractive and fascinating characters. The Detroit Electric Scheme is a phenomenal debut.”

The next book in the mystery series, Motor City Shakedown, was released in 2011 and he is currently working on a third book, Detroit Breakdown.

Registration is recommended for this program. Please call the Jarrettsville Library at 410 692 7887 for more information.

Meet the Author, D.E. Johnson is part of the Journey Stories project. More information on exhibitions and associated programming is available in the Journey Stories Official Guidebook, available at all Library branches and key outlets throughout the county; Headlines & Happenings Library Newsletter available at all branches; and by going to HCPLonline.org. Journey Stories is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Maryland Humanities Council. The Journey Stories exhibition and accompanying programs are offered to the public through a partnership between Harford County Public Library and the Harford County Department of Community Service.

(Belcamp, Maryland – April 18, 2012) The Harford County Public Library hosted a multitude of events at the Jarrettsville Library for car enthusiasts last week in honor of the opening of its first Journey Stories Partner Exhibition, Cars: a Harford County Love Affair. Gearheads, joined by the Harford County arts community, started the week’s festivities on Wednesday evening with a preview of the juried photography exhibit at the Jarrettsville Library.

On Friday, 100 guests attended Harford County Public Library’s Foundation annual A Night Out @ the Library, featuring five-time Pulitzer Prize nominee and Fulbright Fellow Earl Swift. Swift discussed his latest book, The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways, a New York Times editors’ choice. His witty presentation, which focused on the “unsung” heroes and patriarchs of our modern highway system, prompted a lively discussion about Baltimore’s historical tenacity. The city’s successful protest of I-70 in 1982 is featured in several chapters of his book.

The week’s events climaxed on Jarrett’s Field on Saturday when more than 1,000 spectators turned out for the Romancing the Chrome Car Show to benefit Harford County Public Library and the Jarrettsville Lions Club. Car fans and onlookers alike enjoyed live music by Almost Certain, pit beef and concessions by Rick Smithson and Jarrettsville Creamery and Deli, a beer garden, and a variety of exhibits from vendors including the Jarrettsville Volunteer Fire Company, Jarrettsville Veterinary Clinic, Akers Financial, the Jarrettsville PTA, and several of the event’s sponsors: Keene Dodge, Mr. Tire, Harford Sanitation/Waste Industries, Mark Welsh/BB&T Bank, Two Brothers Moving, Hall’s Septic, WXCY, Nature Unlimited, Rock Solid Hardscaping, Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union, Jarrettsville Creamery and Deli, Lombardo’s Market, Bill Schilling/Long & Foster Real Estate, Jarrettsville Federal Savings and Loan, Jarrettsville Pharmacy, the Jarrettsville Friends of Harford County Public Library, and Fast Frame of Bel Air.

Nearly 250 cars registered to compete for the $500 Best in Show Prize, and ten $75 Best in Class prizes, and visitors enjoyed the more than 300 vehicles on display.

“We are thrilled with the response from the community,” said Amber C. Shrodes, Foundation Director for Harford County Public Library, and an organizer for the event. “This was the Library’s first car show and our first event held in partnership with the Jarrettsville Lions Club. We were elated with the support we received from our sponsors and vendors, and astounded by the number of registrations!” Shrodes added that the Foundation is always looking for new and exciting opportunities to promote the library, find new partners, and obtain outstanding return on investment for their contributors.

Proceeds from the Car Show were approximately $10,000, and will be divided between the Library and the Jarrettsville Lions. “Members of the Jarrettsville Lions Club are very pleased and proud to have partnered with the Library Foundation in such a successful event,” said Linda Lupro of the Jarrettsville Lions Club. “The motto of Lions is ‘We Serve,’ and most funds we raise through events such as this car show and the annual carnival held in June are used to help in our community — providing eyeglasses and hearing aids for those in need, enabling youth to attend diabetes camp, awarding academic scholarships, supplying food for distribution by Mason Dixon Community Services. The Jarrettsville Lions Club plans to make the car show an annual event,” she added.

“We are so appreciative of the support and generosity of the Harford County community in making the Romancing the Chrome Car Show and the celebration of National Library Week truly outstanding,” stated Mary Hastler, Director, Harford County Public Library. “It was an unforgettable week, culminating in a fabulous community event. Funds raised will enable the library to continue supporting activities like the Journey Stories exhibitions, our summer reading program, early literacy initiatives, and other special library activities.”

Support from the community was outstanding with a long list of sponsors. “Between the Harford County Public Library Staff and the Jarrettsville Lions Club members, the first annual Romancing the Chrome Car show was an absolute success!” stated Mike Baldwin, General Manager, Keene Dodge and Headlining Sponsor. “We are always looking for ways to give back to a community that has been so good to us over the years and we feel like our newly found partnership with the Library has proven to be a great way to do so. We look forward to the continuation of the Journey Stories program as well as future partnerships with the Jarrettsville Lions and Harford County Public Library.”

“Romancing the Chrome was the best sponsorship Mr. Tire has ever done. What a turn out with over 300 cars and 1000 spectators!” stated Lee Slenbaker, Regional Manager for Mr. Tire. “Mr. Tire appreciates being asked to be a sponsor; it was simply Tire-riffic. See you next year!” further exclaimed Slenbaker.

And the winners are…

Best in Show. . . . . . .Walt Howard – 1933 Ford Coupe
Exotic/European. . . .George Hubbard – 1959 Mercedes 190SL
Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . .Ralph & Keitha Hatton – 2006 Cadillac XLR
Classic. . . . . . . . . . . . .Stan Rosinsky – 1966 Chevrolet Stingray
Antique. . . . . . . . . . . John Maners – 1957 Chevrolet Belair
Truck/SUV. . . . . . . . .Ross Gilbert – 1964 Chevrolet Pick Up Truck
Muscle. . . . . . . . . . . .Steve Golden – 1955 Chevrolet Belair
Hot Rod. . . . . . . . . . .Todd & Kim DeFrain – 1967 Chevrolet Camaro
Jeep. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steve Swann – 2012 Jeep
Journey Stories. . . . .Arvin & Judy Sadler – 2007 Mustang Shelby GT.

“This was one of the finest car shows I have ever been to and I have been doing this for over 25 years. The people, cars, spacing, judges, music, all magnificent!” said Tim Keck, owner of several entries and winner of a Top 25 award in the Antique category.

A special Journey Stories category was added to the car show in honor of the Smithsonian Exhibition, Journey Stories, opening at the Abingdon Library on May 19th. The Sadlers had documented the entire history of their Mustang, from its birth in Detroit to its trip to Las Vegas to be “Shelby-ized” and their cross country adventure to bring it home that included travel on Route 66.

A thank you goes out to Mark Welsh, Amber Shrodes, Mike Baldwin, Jim Welch, Jim Butcher, Dave Endres, James Dark, Nina Fahimi, Kathy Etzel, Linda Lupro, and Bethany Hacker for serving on the Car Show committee.

Journey Stories is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Maryland Humanities Council and is presented in Harford County by Harford County Public Library and Harford County Department of Community Services.

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Photo caption #1: Earl Swift, author of “The Big Roads,” spoke at the Jarrettsville Library on April 13th at the Library’s annual A Night Out @ the Library. Photo credit J. Thomas Photography

Photo caption #2: Walt Howard accepts the Best in Show award for his 1933 Ford Coupe at the first annual Romancing the Chrome Car Show presented by Harford County Public Library and the Jarrettsville Lion’s Club. Photo credit J. Thomas Photography

Photo caption #3: First annual Romancing the Chrome Car Show at Jarrett’s Field.

(Belcamp, Maryland – April 12, 2012) Journey Stories officially kicked off on April 11th with the opening reception for Cars: A Harford County Love Affair, the first of six exhibitions that will accompany the Smithsonian’s Journey Stories Exhibition coming this May 19 to the Abingdon Branch of the Harford County Public Library.

The Cars juried photography exhibition opened at the Jarrettsville Library with 30 photographs illustrating Harford County’s love of the car. Local professional and amateur fine art photographers submitted over 90 pictures for consideration and 30 photographs by 18 artists were selected to be included in the exhibition. Selection was done by a library committee.

“This exhibit is a visual testimony of the depth of the talent and artistry of photographers in our community and a wonderful way to celebrate National Library Week in Harford County,” stated Mary Hastler, Library Director.

The evening’s reception featured the unveiling of the prize winners. The $500 first prize went to Wooden Cross by Daniel Rozmiarek. Corvette ZR1 by Josh Berg took home $300 for second place. A third place prize of $100 went to Consigned into Oblivion by Holly Johnson. Honorable Mention prizes of $50 were awarded to Daniel Rozmiarek for Park & Ride, and to Michael Gaudreau for Crusin’ Down Main. Local artist and car enthusiast Jim Butcher, and Irna Jay, photographer and faculty member of Maryland Institute College of Art, were the show judges.

First place winner Rozmiarek was thrilled to see his images selected for the show. “I take pictures that tell a story and nudge people to ask questions,” commented Mr. Rozmiarek. Michael Gaudreau’s winning submission Crusin’ Down Main Street was an image he saw as he was driving in his own car. “I saw the shot I wanted and followed the vehicle,” stated Gaudreau, an art teacher at John Carroll. This is the first time Gaudreau has submitted his photography for exhibition and was happy to see one of his own student’s work in the show also.

The photographers have donated their work to the Library Foundation and are available to bid on at a silent auction which will be open through Friday, April 13th. Those unsold after the silent auction closes will be available for sale through the term of the exhibition on May 21st. Proceeds will benefit the library and its programs.

Cars: A Harford County Love Affair is open at the Jarrettsville Library until May 21, 2012. Other exhibitions open throughout the County May 12 and May 19. Journey Stories is part of Museum on Main Street, collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Maryland Humanities Council and is presented in Harford County by Harford County Public Library and Harford County Department of Community Services.

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Photo caption #1: (pictured from left to right:) Michael Gaudreau (Crusin’ Down Main); Daniel Rozmiarek (Wooden Cross and Park & Ride); Josh Berg (Corvette ZR1); and Holly Johnson (Consigned into Oblivion) pose with their winning submissions in the Cars: A Harford County Love Affair on April 11th at the Jarrettsville Library.

(Belcamp, Maryland – March 30, 2012) Stanley Plumly, author of nine books and the Poet Laureate of Maryland, spoke to a captive audience at the Abingdon Library on March 29. Mr. Plumly discussed the life of poet John Keats and his personal involvement in the 2009 film “Bright Star” which was based on Keats’ life. Plumly read selections of his own poetry and shared the inspiration behind them and talked about his role as State Poet Laureate.

Appointed ninth Poet Laureate of Maryland in 2009 by Governor O’Malley, Mr. Plumly is a University of Maryland professor and the author of nine books of poetry including Old Heart, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2007. Most recently, Mr. Plumly authored Posthumous Keats, a “personal biography” of the English poet John Keats which has received widespread critical acclaim by reviewers for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and The New Yorker.

Stanley Plumly is the recipient of numerous awards including eight Pushcart Prizes, the Paterson Poetry Prize in 2007, an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2002 and a fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation in 2001.

This author appearance was funded by grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Harford County Government Cultural Arts Board.

Harford County Public Library operates eleven branches located throughout Harford County, Maryland. The library serves over 168,000 registered borrowers of all ages and has an annual circulation of almost 4,800,000. Harford County Public Library is committed to connecting people with information and promoting the love of reading within the community.

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Photo caption #1: Stanley Plumly, author and Maryland State Poet Laureate at the Abingdon Library on March 29, 2012.

(Belcamp, Maryland – March 29, 2012) Meet Earl Swift, author of The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways, at the Jarrettsville Library on April 13th. Presented by the Harford County Public Library Foundation, A Night Out @ the Library is part of a three day event this year that includes a juried art exhibition and car show.

The Big Roads tells the story of the man-made wonder, the connective network, and the economic force of America’s highways. A cause of blight and sprawl but also offering the possibility of escape, the U.S. interstate system transformed America. Swift tells the story of how America went from dirt tracks to expressways in the span of one lifetime! Kirkus Reviews writes “the book is a road geek’s treasure-and everyone who travels the highways ought to know these stories.”

“A joy ride,” states Bill Morris, author of Motor City. “Earl Swift has written the best kind of popular history – one that paints vivid portraits, debunks myths, and brings to life the fascinating and appalling stories behind the creation of that massive mixed blessing known as America’s interstate highways.”

Earl Swift has been writing for a living since he was a teen and has a lengthy resume including being a Fulbright fellow, PEN finalist and five-time Pulitzer Prize nominee. Swift has earned a reputation for his powerful narrative and scrupulous reporting. An avid outdoorsman, Swift has through-hiked the Appalachian Trail, circumnavigated the Chesapeake Bay by sea kayak, and traveled the 435-mile length of the James River by canoe.

Swift is also the author of Journey on the James: Three Weeks Through the Heart of Virginia, the story of a great American river and the largely untold history that has unfolded in and around it; and Where They Lay: Searching for America’s Lost Soldiers, for which he accompanied an Army archaeological team into the jungles of Laos in search of a helicopter crew shot down thirty years before. Swift has written for newspapers in St. Louis, Anchorage and for the last twenty-two years in Norfolk, where his long-form features have won numerous state and national awards. His stories have also appeared in PARADE and Popular Mechanics.

Tickets for this event are $30 general admission and $50 for VIP which includes preferred seating and a private reception with Swift. To purchase tickets please go to HCPLonline.org or call 410 273 5600 x2259. The program runs from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm and includes lite fare, wine and beer.

As part of a three day “car” celebration dubbed For The Love Of The Car, and a prelude to the upcoming Smithsonian Journey Stories exhibition coming to the Abingdon Library on May 19th, the Library will also be hosting a juried car photography exhibition, CARS: A Harford County Love Affair. The exhibition opens on April 12th and runs through May 21st at the Jarrettsville Library. The Romancing the Chrome Car Show will be held Saturday, April 14th at Jarrett’s Field in Jarrettsville from 10:00 am-3:00 pm. Presented in partnership with the Jarrettsville Lions Club, attendees will be spectator to an array of car categories including classic, antique, muscle, sport plus trucks, Jeeps, and exotics. In addition, cars with a “Journey Story” can enter to win the Journey’s Class. Event features live music and concessions. Prizes include $500 for Best in Show, $75 for each class, and trophies for the top 25 cars on the field.

Journey Stories is part of Museum on Main Street, collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Maryland Humanities Council and is presented in Harford County by Harford County Public Library and Harford County Department of Community Services.

The Harford County Public Library Foundation is a 501© 3 charitable organization established to raise funds to augment the financial resources of the Library and to promote awareness of Library services. For more information call 410 273 5601 x2283.

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Photo caption #1: Earl Swift to appear at the Jarrettsville Library on April 13th.

(Belcamp, Maryland – March 9, 2012) J. Courtney Sullivan, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Maine, will be at the Abingdon Branch of Harford County Public Library on Wednesday, March 21st at 6:30 pm. Ms. Sullivan will discuss her latest novel and be available prior to the discussion to sign books starting at 6:00 pm. Books will be available to purchase for $15.00 (cash or check only).

Named one of TIME Magazine’s Top 10 Fiction Books of 2011 and honored as a 2011 Washington Post Notable Book, Maine is the story of three generations of women who have nothing in common except for the fact that they are family. A book club favorite, the New York Times praised Maine by stating “Sullivan beautifully channels [the character] through her memories…The dialogue sizzles as the tension between the women’s love and anger toward one another tightens…You don’t want the novel to end.”

Sullivan’s debut novel Commencement was a breakout bestseller in hardcover and paperback. Sullivan’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Chicago Tribune, New York magazine, Elle, Glamour, Allure, Men’s Vogue, and the New York Observer, among others. She is a contributor to the essay anthology The Secret Currency of Love and co-editor of Click: When We Knew We Were Feminists. Sullivan lives in Brooklyn, New York.

This author appearance is funded by grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Harford County Government Cultural Arts Board. For more information or to register please call the Abingdon Library at (410) 638-3990. Registration is required.

Harford County Public Library operates eleven branches located throughout Harford County, Maryland. The library serves over 168,000 registered borrowers of all ages and has an annual circulation of almost 4,800,000. Harford County Public Library is committed to connecting people with information and promoting the love of reading within the community.

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Photo caption #1: J. Courtney Sullivan, author of “Maine,” will be appearing at the Abingdon Branch of Harford County Public Library on Wednesday, March 21st at 6:30 pm.