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It would be an understatement to say that the Library’s MakerSpace had humble origins.

Its original home was not much bigger than a closet, said Shelley O’Brien, executive director of the Johnson County Library Foundation. But now the area at the Central Resource Library serves almost as a branch within a branch — offering state-of-the-art capabilities like 3D printing and providing space where creators of all types mingle.

The upgraded surroundings have “really amplified the program and amplified what we can do,” O’Brien said, putting the Library on the cutting edge of the experiential learning that will define the library of the future. “This is not a trend,” she said. “This is not going away.”

And none of that would be possible without the more than $30,000 a year that Overland Park-based Black & Veatch provides as the sponsor of the MakerSpace, she said. The global design and engineering firm’s commitment to the Library extends to serving this year as the presenting sponsor of the library foundation’s annual fundraiser. 

As an international corporation, Black & Veatch has no shortage of potential causes to back, O’Brien said. “It means a lot to us for them to say they want to invest their philanthropic dollars into a local nonprofit like the Foundation, and a local organization like the Library.”

Outside support is critical to providing a range of services to patrons, and O’Brien said Black & Veatch’s financial commitments play a significant role in allowing the Library “to have innovation and creativity, and to provide the community with these great tools.”

There is perhaps no better spokesman for Black & Veatch and its commitment to the Library than Pete Barth, an Illinois native who moved here from Davenport, Iowa, in 2014 with his wife.

He is the company’s engineering partnerships leader and serves on the board of the Library foundation. Barth is also the son of a teacher who preached the value of reading and is an active patron of Olathe’s Indian Creek Library as the father of three kids ages 8 and under.

The parent in him loves that libraries now have playgrounds and cool indoor activities that excite kids to just be at the library as a first step to gaining a love of reading. He knows that is the case with his children.

In his professional role, Barth welcomes the opportunity for the company to support a free public resource that provides equitable access to all members of the community. Black & Veatch is also happy to help students cultivate an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

Library Lets Loose provides essential funding for the extras the Library offers, O’Brien said, including the varied programming that keeps people coming back to the branches. Barth said Black & Veatch’s role as the presenting sponsor is a way to help “amplify the event and the importance of the library system in general.”

“I think it’s fair to say that the library is an integral part of every community,” he said. “We are just glad to be a part of it and help to support the growth of both the MakerSpace and the library infrastructure in Johnson County in general.

“We are proud of our community, we want to be a part of the community, want to be visible in the community, and want to give back to all those communities that support our professionals and our business.”

Barth was not exactly a bookworm as a teen, but it seems his mom’s prodding planted a seed for adulthood because reading is now a welcome stress relief. “It’s a good way for me to escape and displace,” he said. 

Elle Jackson is a champion of the powerful impact of writing and reading fiction, and she knows fictional stories can be excellent tools to chip away at inequities and destroy barriers. You might remember her interview for The Pitch in 2021, where she shared her experience as the first Black author to be published in Harlequin Historical’s line of romance novels.

Jackson primarily writes romance with a historical bent. Her novel A Blues Singer to Redeem Him is set in Kansas City and is the first book in Harlequin Historical’s line of romance novels to be written by a Black author. The novel is set in the 1920s during the prohibition era in Kansas City, and the main character is a Black female blue singer who survived the Tulsa Massacre.

Elle was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. She has a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Baker University, an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Pittsburg State University. Teaching excellence and having a positive impact in her community are both paramount to Jackson, and she is currently a principal in her hometown of Kansas City. While Elle Jackson fulfills many roles (educator, writer, real estate professional) her most important roles are wife and mom to her two kiddos. 

You can find more about Elle and her books on her website here. 

We are thrilled to have Elle on our conference faculty this year! She will be presenting two sessions: “Romancing History” and “Writing Atmospheric Stories.” You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Elle a few questions to get to know her better:

1. What's in your TBR pile?

The Coven by Harper Woods; 

The Never King Series by Nikki St. Crowe

2. What are you reading right now? 

The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend? 

The Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson

 Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham

 Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

 Dread Nation by Justina Ireland and Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

4. Do you have a favorite bookstore? 

Willa's Books and Vinyl

5. Answer the question you wish we had asked

What book do you want to write next? I want to write a series that focuses on historical reimagining with a main character who is fearless but falls for someone and finally allows someone to take care of her.

Kelly Yarbrough is an artist in Manhattan, KS who mainly works with mixed media drawing. The Great Plains and prairie ecosystems have a special place in her heart, and their inspiration is evident in her work. Kelly has an MFA from Kansas State University.  She is a Regional Field Representative and Art & Environment specialist for the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, a facilitator for Artist INC, a trained Konza Prairie docent, and a 2021TEDx Austin College speaker.

Kelly loves meaningful conversations inspired by creativity and loves collaborating with other artists. We asked Kelly if she would be interested in collaborating with Traci Brimhall to illustrate the poetry walk that Traci is creating for the Library to coincide with the Writers Conference this year. The partnership between Kelly and Traci turned out to be a fascinating and dynamic relationship where both artists inspired each other in unique ways. We are really looking forward to not only seeing the poetry walk that Traci and Kelly have created, but we are also excited for their panel discussion about their collaboration at this year’s Writers Conference. The poetry walk will be available at Strang Park, located just behind the Central Resource Library, this upcoming November.

You can find more about Kelly and her artwork on her website here.

You can register for the Writers Conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2. 

Dennis Etzel, Jr is a Senior Lecturer of English at Washburn University, where he has been teaching since 2007. He is a neuroqueer poet and Topeka native, where he lives with his wife and sons. Poetry and inclusion are near and dear to Dennis’s heart, as you can see in his poetic memoir My Secret Wars of 1984 which was selected by The Kansas City Star as Best Poetry Book in 2015. His collection of poetry, Fast-Food Sonnets, was a 2017 Kansas Notable Book. 

Dennis has been described as an encouraging and enthusiastic teacher who intentionally provides a safe space for all, no matter if someone is an undergrad student or a veteran workshop attendee. His understanding of the important relationship between creativity and connection is another reason we are so excited to have Dennis at the conference this year. In past interviews he has said that he hopes his writing sparks conversation, and that is exactly what we hope to do at the Writers Conference: provide a space for inspiration and conversation for local writers. 

You can catch up with Dennis on his website here.

You can register for the Writers Conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, November 3rd and 4th. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, November 2nd.

Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Dennis a few questions to get to know him better:

 1. What's in your TBR pile?

Top three on my stack: Valkyrie Poetics by Swanee Astrid, Valley of the Many-Colored Grasses by Ronald Johnson, and A Sand Book by Ariana Reines

 2. What are you reading right now? 

I am currently reading The Book of Stolen Images by Laura Lee Washburn

3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend? 

So many favorite books, but AMANDA PARADISE: Resurrect Extinct Vibration by CA Conrad is one I recommend this year.

4. Do you have a favorite bookstore? 

My favorite bookstore is Round Table Bookstore which can be found in the NOTO Arts District in Topeka. A family of four run the store and they sell new and used books. It is so amazing--a visit as part of a perfect evening spent in NOTO

5. Answer the question you wish we had asked.

I am currently writing a hybrid non-fiction book titled At the Movies for health and Healing which collages memoir, research on film theory, and mythology as those stories that represent reality--that films give us a contemporary mythos to inform our lives and heal through experiencing.

Library OnDemand – Available anytime you like.

Healthy Heart Nutrition Seminar – Tuesday, Aug. 29, noon – 1 p.m.

Community health workers from Johnson County Department of Health & Environment will be onsite in Conference Room 20 to provide healthy heart nutrition guidance.

In Conversation: Diana Goetsch & Ryan Bernstein, Moderated by Stuart Hinds – Friday, Sept. 1, All Day 

In This Body I Wore, Diana Goetsch recounts her late-in-life gender transition. Ryan Bernsten’s 50 States of Mind chronicles the author's journey through America, with an aim to discover if it really is divided. Stuart Hinds, Curator of Special Collections & Archives, and Co-founder of the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, will moderate a discussion, exploring how Goetsch and Bernsten approached writing about personal stories and explorations of democracy. Available in Library OnDemand Friday, September 1.

This Body I Wore with Diana Goetsch – Friday, Sept. 1, All Day

Poet and essayist Diana Goetsch presents her acclaimed memoir, a 2023 ALA Notable Book, hailed as “achingly beautiful” by The New York Times Book Review. This Body I Wore chronicles the budding trans communities of the late 20th century, and sheds light on today’s struggle for trans equality. The book is also a love letter to New York City and a meditation on subjects ranging from education to Buddhism, to becoming an artist and surviving child abuse. Available in Library OnDemand Friday, September 1.

Walk and Read at Antioch Park – Saturday, Sept. 1 – Sept. 10, All Day

Family and friends of all ages are invited to join Johnson County Library for a walk in at Antioch Park! Walk and Read creates a reading opportunity for all, in various parks throughout Johnson County. Those who participate will read two stories posted around a path, one going each direction. When you finish one story, you can turn around to the other side of the sign and begin the next story, which will lead you back around the path. The stories are Old Friends by Margaret Aitken and Kitty by Rebecca Jordan-Glum.

 The Walk and Read program encourages physical activity, literacy and family time. The paths are stroller and wheelchair friendly, allowing for all to join in the fun! Dates are subject to adjustment due to inclement weather conditions. Sponsored by Shawnee Mission Parents as Teachers. 

And much more happening this week … 

Are you interested in learning more about the school board candidates on your ballot? Join us for a Meet and Greet with the candidates. You'll have the opportunity to introduce yourself, ask questions and learn more about their stances on the issues impacting your local schools over coffee and donuts.

• Saturday, Sept. 30, 10-11 a.m. 
  Meet and Greet Blue Valley Board of Education Candidates @ Blue Valley Library
   
• Saturday, Oct. 28, 10-11 a.m.
  Meet and Greet Gardner Edgerton Board of Education Candidates @ Gardner Library