What's New at PPLD!

Homer Hickam, author of Rocket Boys, recounts his first launch in a small West Virginia coal town.

Building Rockets from PPLD TV on Vimeo.

Stephen Kinzer, author of A Thousand Hills: Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It, talks about the role of libraries in a free society.

Why Dictators Hate Libraries from PPLD TV on Vimeo.

William B. Scott, author of All Pikes Peak Reads 2009 selection Space Wars: The First Three Hours of World War III, will give presentation entitled The Power of Fiction to Shape Perception. Scott is a full-time author and consultant. He retired as the Rocky Mountain Bureau Chief for Aviation Week & Space Technology, following a 22-year career with the international magazine. He also served as Senior National Editor in Washington, and as Avionics and Senior Engineering Editors in Los Angeles.

Refreshments will be served and admission is free.

When: Thursday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: University of the Rockies, Harvey House Auditorium, 555 E. Pikes Peak Ave.

Latoya Lucas, award-winning author of The Immeasurable Spirit: Lessons of a Wounded Warrior about Faith and Perseverance, will give a free presentation and book signing. Lucas is the recipient of the Purple Heart Medal, and recently was awarded the Military Writers society of America Gold Medal Award. She also recently sat down for an interview for PPLD TV, which can be viewed by clicking here.

• When: Saturday, October 31, 2 – 4 p.m.
• Where: East Library, 5550 N. Union Blvd.

The National Gallery of Writing is featuring stories, essays, poems, and more from Pikes Peak Library District staff.

The National Gallery of Writing is a virtual space—a website—where people who perhaps have never thought of themselves as writers—mothers, bus drivers, fathers, veterans, nurses, firefighters, sanitation workers, stockbrokers—select and post writing that is important to them.

PPLD has had 62 entries from staff to date, with more on their way. Take a few minutes to look around!

http://www.galleryofwriting.org/galleries/gallery_pieces.php?galleryid=146639

PLEASE NOTE: This presentation has been cancelled.
Bob Fish, author of Hornet Plus Three: The Story of the Apollo 11 Recovery, will discuss his book at Colorado College. The book details the naval recovery of astronauts that splashed down in the ocean upon returning to Earth and how that process evolved during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs. It culminates with the story of the USS Hornet’s recovery of the Apollo 11 crew that famously became the first to reach the surface of the moon. Fish, a former Marine, has been Apollo Curator and Board of Trustees member at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California. This free event is part of All Pikes Peak Reads 2009.

• When: Monday, October 26 at 7 p.m.
• Where: Colorado College, Gaylord Hall, 902 N. Cascade Ave.

Former presidential candidate and noted historian Sen. George S. McGovern spoke about Abraham Lincoln, subject of his latest book, at Colorado College. McGovern discussed the hardships Lincoln overcame (including bouts with severe depression) on his way to the becoming one of the greatest presidents in United States history. You can watch video of his presentation by clicking here.

Join us as David Silver, President of the Heinlein Society, shows an exclusive Walter Cronkite interview with Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein, author of All Pikes Peaks Reads 2009 selection Have Space Suit – Will Travel. Mr. Silver will discuss Heinlein’s time in Colorado Springs and how the author intersected science with art.

• When: Wednesday, October 14 at 7 p.m.
• Where: Colorado College, Gaylord Hall (902 N. Cascade Ave.)

PPLD and the Challenger Learning Center of Colorado present a conversation and dinner with Homer Hickam, Jr., author of All Pikes Peak Reads 2009 selection Rocket Boys. Special guests will include several NASA astronauts.

In 1998, Rocket Boys was published and went on to become a New York Times best-seller, published in nine languages, and adapted into the ever-popular film October Sky . Hickam is a retired NASA engineer, a scuba instructor, and a consultant on a variety of aerospace projects.

Seats are available for this fundraising event for $95. Proceeds will fund Hickam’s other public appearances in the region. RSVP to Mary Furman at (719) 531-6333, x2203 or mfurman@ppld.org.

NEW!
Click here to purchase tickets online!

If you don’t already have username and password, you will need to fill out the registration information. After you’ve registered or logged in, you can fill out the “Donation Information” form and choose “$95 Rocket Boys” as the Amount.

If you’d like to purchase more than one ticket, choose “Other Amount” as the Amount and enter the total cost of your tickets (for example: to purchase 2 tickets you’d type in 190 in “Other Amount”). Under “Designation”, choose “Rocket Boys Conversation Homer Hickam”.

Please contact Mary Furman at (719) 531-6333, x2203 or mfurman@ppld.org if you have any questions or need assistance purchasing tickets online.

The event is sponsored by Ent Federal Credit Union, Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado, and GE Johnson Construction Company.

• When: Friday, October 23, 2009
  6 – 7 p.m. Silent Auction and Entertainment
  7 – 8:15 p.m. Dinner
  8:15 – 9:30 p.m. Presentation
• Where: Doolittle Hall, United States Air Force Academy

Looking for a great read by a familiar or new author? Want authoritative information about authors and books not necessarily found on the Internet? PPLD is pleased to provide NoveList free to library patrons whose card number starts with “4″. Search for fiction and non-fiction titles by genres, authors and subjects and browse lists of award winning titles. You can even create your own account, files and folders to track your interests. The brief, online tutorial below will introduce you to this excellent service.

To find NoveList, from the ppld.org homepage, click on Electronic Reference and search alphabetically, or look under the Literature.

Click here for a NoveList online tutorial