Deschutes Public Library Kicks Off Civil War Series

Posted By: Liz Goodrich
Date Posted: 12/7/2011

Let's Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War

“A hundred and fifty years after the pivotal event in our nation’s history, we are still discovering its meanings,” says Civil War historian and author Edward L. Ayers.

Deschutes Public Library invites you to join in the discussion during “Let’s Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War,” a series of five conversations exploring different facets of the Civil War experience. The discussions are informed by reading the words written or uttered by powerful voices from the past and present, including Fredrick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, James M. McPherson, and Shelby Foote.

The series focuses on three books: “March,” by Geraldine Brooks, “Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam,” by James McPherson, and “America’s War: Talking About the Civil War and Emancipation on Their 150th Anniversaries,” edited by Edward L. Ayers. Annemarie Hamlin, an assistant professor at Central Oregon Community College will lead the discussions. Materials for participants will be provided and advanced sign up for the series is encouraged by registering online at the links below or by calling 541/312-1032.

Kick off for the series is January 8, 2011 at 2:00 pm in the Brooks Room at the Downtown Bend Library and includes period music, Walt Whitman’s poetry and locals dressed in period clothing and uniforms.

All discussions will be held at the Downtown Bend Public Library.

  Imagining War - (Saturday, January 21, 2012, 3:00 pm)
  Choosing Sides - (Sunday, February 5, 2012, 3:00 pm)
  Making Sense of Shiloh - (Sunday, February 19, 2012, 3:00 pm)
  The Shape of War - (Sunday, March 4, 2012, 3:00 pm)
  War and Freedom - (Sunday, March 18, 2012, 3:00 pm)

Share your family’s Civil War history, find out more about the program, and join in an online discussion of each conversation at www.deschuteslibrary.org/civil_war.

The series is funded by the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities with local support from the High Desert Museum, the Nancy R. Chandler Visiting Scholar Program and the Deschutes County Historical Society.