Bookmarkable
Youth Book Clubs
Welcome educators and readers!
Join us this Summer for one (or more!) of our Youth Book Clubs! Register for these events on our web calendar.
Bookmark this page because we'll be posting our monthly book club guides (coming soon). Please feel free to use these resources as the basis for your own book discussions or lesson plans.
Find reading guides for our previous Youth Book Clubs »
Events for Writers
Does waiting for The Writers Conference make your pen hand restless?
Several writing programs which were originally meant for that exciting weekend this November, will now be offered as one-time, online Zoom sessions. These unique writing programs are scheduled September through December with a limited number of seats.
These programs cover topics ranging from Starting a Writing Project with Shannon Thompson (9/16) to Elements of a Sentence: Building Sentences for Rhetorical Effect with Amy Woods Butler (10/3).
Need publishing advice? Look no further, Dave Burns has your back with Publishing: What are My Options? (10/21) and Tiffany White can give you tips on how to get connected with other writers in How to Use Social Media to Connect with Other Writers (12/2). We have something for every writer at any level!
Find a complete list of our events for writers here! With these amazing programs, the long wait until The Writers Conference -- is over.
For Writers
Hey you! Yes, you, human with untapped writing potential and ideas that need to be set free. Suffering from writer’s block? Don’t know where to get started on your writing journey? Did you know you can be published without winning one of our writing contests or finding a publisher?
The JoCoWrites Blog is the perfect place to let your creativity flow with the monthly prompt. Here is how it works:
- Head on over to the For Writers page on the Johnson County Public Library website.
- Read the new prompt for the month and start brainstorming.
- Write your piece, and submit your work.
We welcome writers of any level to share their creativity and thoughts with the community through the JoCoWrites Blog. You can submit under your name or anonymously if you choose. While the prompt changes every month, submissions for past prompts still remain viewable!
Featured Artist Friday: Jill Westra
Kansas City, Missouri, resident Jill Westra is a remarkable singer and performer whose songs follow the deep roots of Americana and country music. Whether leading her own trio, Jill Westa & Them KC Boys, or duo harmonizing in Distant Cousins and Westrafox, Westra lets her singing take the spotlight.
TBT: Football
Are you ready for some football? If so, you're in luck! The Kansas City Chiefs defend their crown Sunday!
Here's a nod to those who came long before. Leather helmets? How about no helmets at all? Football has long been a favorite tradition in our area. Discover more images and details at jocohistory.org It's your place to time travel through Johnson County, Kansas History!
Join us Saturday: Library Lets Loose
Join us this Saturday, September 12 for Johnson County Library Foundation’s signature fundraising event, Library Lets Loose – a virtual experience this year. Moving the event from a physical location to a virtual gathering means that this party is coming directly to you!
Library lovers everywhere can enjoy this festive, family-friendly and FREE online event. Guests will choose their own adventure with unique experiences like trivia games, music, visual art in the making, a celebrity reader video series, and a behind the scenes look at the Library. Afterward, join our DJ to rock the night away at the virtual dance party!
RSVP and get the link to the VIRTUAL party!
The Johnson County Library Foundation is a tax-exempt, charitable foundation that helps the Library build its collection and resources, offer programs for patrons of all ages, and better serve the needs of our community. They do this by securing and managing donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations to support the Library above and beyond what public funding provides. It is through the generous support from community-minded donors that the Johnson County Library Foundation is able to expand its impact, securing support for lifelong learning programs at the library.
Featured Artist Friday: Trevor Turla
Trevor Turla is a multitalented musician: a trombonist, singer, songwriter, bandleader and composer, among other things. Turla, whose first musical instrument was the bagpipes, is the founder of the soul/rock band Sulu Moon and a member of the Grand Marquis blues ensemble. At the core of everything, though, is his trombone. In this interview, Trevor Turla delves into this musical background, his creative process and the music that's inspiring him these days. Enjoy.
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TBT: Good Idea!
The countdown to Sunday has begun!
Have you ever had a good idea? You know, the kind of idea that leads to a foolhardy venture like creating a football league to take on the NFL? That's exactly what Lamar Hunt and seven other owners did in creating the American Football League. They called themselves the "foolish club." The AFL and NFL merged in 1966. Four years later, Hunt's Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl. Fifty years later, the team we call "our team" won another championship! Now, they defend their title. How many more are there to come?
Are you a Chiefs fan? Search jocohistory.org for articles about Lamar and the team from back in the day. It's the place to travel through local history. Also, be sure to follow our hashtag on Twitter!
LLL Readers Series: Candice Millard
Join us September 12 for the Johnson County Library Foundation's signature fundraising event, Library Lets Loose!
Library Lets Loose goes VIRTUAL and FREE this year! Library lovers everywhere can enjoy this festive, family-friendly online event.
In celebration, we proudly present another one of our “celebrity guests” sharing a Library story special to them. We hope you enjoy their stories, and register to join us online September 12 for more great fun!
Today’s special guest is writer, Candice Millard, reading a passage from I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
Featured Artist Friday: The Wires
The Wires (Sascha Groschang on cello and Laurel Parks on violin) perform for Listen Local Live recorded live in June 2017, in our Black and Veatch MakerSpace Sound Booth.