Celebrating bookworms

Celebrating+bookworms

The Neill Public Library is in the midst of celebrating National Library Week, an event Pullman’s public library has participated in for the last 20 years

Three local authors, Janet Richards, Priscilla Wegars and Jamie Callison have each been invited to the library to give presentations on their books and life stories.

Joanna Bailey, librarian at Neill Public Library, is looking forward to these authors’ presentations.

“The Palouse is home to an abundance of wonderful authors – many of whom we’ve been lucky enough to host at Neill Public Library,” she said. “People lead very interesting lives. As librarians, we are always on the lookout for interesting life stories, particularly if they relate to our local region.”

Janet Richards, a nurse, mother, teacher and author discussed her book “Crossing the River Sorrow” yesterday.

Originally, Richards had no intentions of becoming a nurse or an author but her life experiences and own ‘river of sorrow’ brought her to this path. Her book deals with the interpretation of pain in our world and how one comes to peace with this pain.

“This is my story of how I came to peace and I am hoping to show others to see the same things I do,” Richards said. “Everyone has their own journey.”

Priscilla Wegars, of Moscow, Idaho will give her presentation at 5:30 p.m. today in Neill Public Library.

Wegars has a close relationship with National Library Week, as she a librarian herself for 10 years in Oakland, Calif. Wegars said National Library Week is necessary because it provides an important resource for finding information.

Wegars’ book, “As Rugged as the Terrain: CCC ‘Boys,’ Federal Convicts, and World War II Alien Internees Wrestle with a Mountain Wilderness,” explores life at the Kooskia Internment Camp in Kooskia, Idaho during World War II.

It is a prequel to her book “Imprisoned in Paradise: Japanese Internee Road Workers at the World War II Kooskia Internment Camp.”

“It takes a long time to research and write a book of non-fiction,” she said. Wegars has spent about 15 years working on this book and said, “I hope the audience appreciates all the effort that went into writing this book.”

Jamie Callison, another local author, will be giving a presentation on his cookbook “The Crimson Spoon” at 5:30 p.m. April 17, also at the library.

The Friends of Neill Public Library will also raffle off three literacy prize baskets for children, teens and adults this week. You can enter to win each time you visit the library. Winners will be announced at the end of the week.

For those interested in celebrating National Library Week, all presentations will be held in the Hecht Meeting Room in Neill Public Library at 5:30 p.m. from April 15 to April 17.