Enoch Pratt Free Library Podcast

From sweet contemporary to sizzling paranormal romance, modern romance heroines are just as likely to save the world as heroes. Join Laura Kaye, Stephanie Draven, Christie Barth, Lea Nolan and Eliza Knight for an afternoon of chocolate and conversation with some of today's hottest romance authors.Eliza Knight has published historical romances, won several awards, has a family and lives on a small mountain. Stephanie Draven writes historical, paranormal, and contemporary romances, has won several awards and lives in Baltimore with her husband and cats.  Laura Kaye writes contemporary and paranormal romances which have been bestsellers on the New York Times and USA TODAY lists. She lives in Maryland with her family and dog.  Christi Barth, who writes contemporary romances, is the president of the Maryland Romance Writers. She began her journey with a Masters in vocal performance.  Lea Nolan writes the smart paranormals she wanted as teen, with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a do

Whether it's blues or Bach, ragtime or randy, hillbilly or hot, Ray Kamalay has built an historic repertoire of music that is both intriguing and fun. Kamalay, a professional musician for more than 35 years, brings his special collection of songs to Baltimore for all to enjoy.Recorded On: Tuesday, November 19, 2013

After the publication of the bestselling Letters to a Young Brother, Hill Harper received many letters from inmates looking for a connection with a successful role model. His new book, Letters to an Incarcerated Brother, provides advice and inspiration for the thousands of African American men behind bars and the people who love them.Hill Harper has won three NAACP Image Awards for his portrayal of Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on "CSI:NY." He currently stars on USA Network's "Covert Affairs." He has written four books, including Letters to a Young Sister. Harper holds degrees from Brown University, Harvard Law School, and the Kennedy School of Government.   Recorded On: Thursday, November 14, 2013

Set in Baltimore, Jubi Stone tells the story of nineteen-year-old Jubilee, a long-awaited gift to her now aging parents, James and Esther Stone. By the time she reaches her teens, however, Jubi is on a downward spiral of drug abuse and prostitution. Esther Stone's only hold on her child -- and the only road to this family's healing -- is prayer. When Jubi finds herself at the altar of the Forest Unity Church of Baltimore, time is running out for Jubi and her parents.Yvonne Medley is a features writer and photographer and the author of God in Wingtip Shoes. Recorded On: Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Elizabeth Spires is the author of six poetry collections: Globe, Swan’s Island, Annonciade, Worldling, Now the Green Blade Rises, and The Wave-Maker.  She has also written six books for children, including The Mouse of Amherst and I Heard God Talking to Me: William Edmondson and His Stone Carvings. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Poetry, The American Poetry Review, and other magazines and anthologies. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and is a professor of English at Goucher College where she codirects the Kratz Center for Creative Writing.Joelle Biele is the author of White Summer and the editor of Elizabeth Bishop and The New Yorker: The Complete Correspondence. A Fulbright scholar in Germany and Poland, she has received awards from the Poetry Society of America and the Maryland State Arts Council. Her essays, fiction, and reviews appear in such places as Black Warrior Review, Harvard Review, and Kenyon Review, and her play, These Fine Mornings, was first read at the University of C

In the fall of 1944, an American bomber carrying eleven men vanished over the Pacific islands. According to mission reports, the plane when down in shallow water, but investigators could not find the wreckage. Witnesses saw the crew parachute to safety, but the men were never seen again. For 60 years, the U.S. government, the children of the missing men, and a maverick team of scientists and scuba divers searched the islands for clues. Vanished tells the true story of the missing men, their final mission, the families they left behind, and the real reason their disappearance remained shrouded in secrecy for so long.Wil S. Hylton is a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine. His work has been featured in numerous publications including Harper's, GQ, Esquire and Rolling Stone. He lives in Baltimore. Recorded On: Thursday, November 7, 2013

The 1920s in New York City was a time of freedom, experimentation, and passion -- with Harlem at the epicenter. White men could go uptown to see jazz and modern dance, but women who embraced black culture too enthusiastically could be ostracized. In Miss Anne of Harlem, Carla Kaplan focuses on these white women, collectively called "Miss Anne," who became Harlem Renaissance insiders. She profiles six of the unconventional, free-thinking women, some from Manhattan high society, many Jewish, who crossed race lines and defied social conventions to become a part of the culture and heartbeat of Harlem.Carla Kaplan is an award-winning professor and writer who holds the Stanton W. and Elisabeth K. Davis Distinguished Professorship in American Literature at Northeastern University. She is the author of The Erotics of Talk and Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters. A recipient of a Guggenheim and many other fellowships, Kaplan has been a fellow in residence at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, the Schomburg

Woman Lawyer tells the story of Clara Foltz, the first woman admitted to the California Bar. Famous in her time as a jury lawyer, public intellectual, leader of the women's movement, inventor of the role of public defender, and legal reformer, Foltz has been largely forgotten until recently. Barbara Babcock recreates Foltz's eventful life and also casts new light on the turbulent history and politics of the late 19th century and the many links binding the women's rights movement and other movements for civil rights and legal reform.Barbara Babcock, Judge John Crown Professor of Law, Emerita, at Stanford University, was the first woman appointed to the regular faculty at Stanford Law School. She was the first director of the Public Defender Service in Washington, D.C., and served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division in the Carter administration.  Recorded On: Sunday, November 3, 2013

Hailey Leithauser's book, Swoop (Graywolf, 2013), was the winner of the Poetry Foundation's 2012 Emily Dickinson First Book Award and was named one of the top ten poetry titles of fall 2013 by Publishers Weekly, which describes it as "a frantic argument in favor of obvious beauty, of ornament, and of elaborate jokes, as barriers against something like despair." Leithauser's work appears widely in journals and anthologies, including the The Antioch Review, The Gettysburg Review, Poetry, the Southwest Review, and The Best American Poetry. She lives in Takoma Park, MD.Poetry in The Branches Coordinator and Information Technology Director for Poets House in New York City, Reginald Harris won the 2012 Cave Canem Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize for Autogeography. A Pushcart Prize Nominee, recipient of Individual Artist Awards for both poetry and fiction from the Maryland State Arts Council, and Finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and the ForeWord Book of the Year for 10 Tongues: Poems (2002), his work h

Learn About Recent Government Data Collection Programs and the Surrounding Legal IssuesFree Presentation by The Washington Post's James McLaughlin (deputy general counsel) & Jeff Leen (investigations editor). Recorded On: Monday, October 28, 2013

As Tip O'Neill's former chief of staff, Chris Matthews is uniquely qualified to write this firsthand, one-of-a-kind story of the friendship between President Ronald Reagan and the Speaker of the House. They were the political odd couple -- the two most powerful men in the country, who, Matthews says, "couldn't be more different or more the same." Their philosophies were miles apart -- Reagan intent on scaling back government, O'Neill fervent in defending it. Yet there was common ground and a mutual respect both political and personal. Matthews brings this unlikely friendship to life and shows how bipartisan cooperation can work.Chris Matthews is the host of MSNBC's Hardball. He is the author of six bestselling books, including Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero. Recorded On: Friday, October 25, 2013

Bestselling author Simon Winchester chronicles how our disparate union of states came together as the American nation that exists today. The Men Who United the States follows the footsteps of America's most essential explorers, thinkers, and innovators, such as Lewis and Clark, the builders of the first transcontinental telegraph, and the civil engineer behind the interstate highway system. Simon Winchester is the author of many books, including The Professor and the Madman, The Man Who Loved China, A Crack in the Edge of the World, and Krakatoa. Recorded On: Thursday, October 24, 2013

Reginald F. Lewis became the CEO of a billion dollar conglomerate, TLC Beatrice, while in his forties. What prepared him for his role as one of the world's most respected executives? Lin Hart grew up with Lewis in Baltimore and roomed with him at Virginia State University. Focusing on the ten years between 1956 and 1966, Hart draws on shared experiences and memories to tell Lewis' story: his will to succeed, his supreme confidence, and his unrelenting pursuit to move beyond the ordinary to become extraordinary. Recorded On: Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Soul Train, Black College Football, and Their Part in the Civil Rights Struggle Award-winning journalist Ericka Blount Danois is the author of Love, Peace, and Soul: Behind the Scenes of America's Favorite Dance Show SOUL TRAIN: Classic Moments. A graduate of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, she teaches at the Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland. Samuel G. Freedman is the author of Breaking the Line: The Season in Black College Football That Transformed the Sport and Changed the Course of Civil Rights. He tells the story of the battle for the 1967 black-college championship between Grambling College and Florida A&M, their legendary coaches, and their talented quarterbacks. Samuel Freedman is a columnist for the New York Times, professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and the author of six books. His book, Small Victories: The Real World of a Teacher, was a finalist for the 1990 National Book Award. Another book, The Inheritance:

Front Stoops in the Fifties tells the story of some of Baltimore's most famous icons from the "decade of conformity," including Jerry Leiber, Nancy Pelosi, Thurgood Marshall, and Barry Levinson. Michael Olesker marks the end of the Fifties with the assassination of President Kennedy. Focusing on the period leading up to this major turning point in U.S. history, he looks to the individuals living through this period, Baltimoreans who would later come to prominence in the Sixties. Michael Olesker was a columnist for the Baltimore Sun for 25 years. He is the author of five previous books, including Michael Olesker's Baltimore: If You Live Here, You're Home; Journeys to the Heart of Baltimore; and The Colts' Baltimore: A City and Its Love Affair in the 1950s.Presented in partnership with Johns Hopkins University Press. Recorded On: Monday, October 21, 2013

Cold-case detective Parker McCall has spent 15 years trying to solve his brother's murder. Now a chance photo of the killer in the newspaper sets him hard on the woman's trail. A former teenaged runaway, reclusive, award-winning photojournalist B.K. (Brynn) Elliot chronicles the harsh reality of life on the streets -- until a photo in the paper reveals her idenity, blowing the lid off her secret past. With a powerful murderer now dogging her heels, and her police officer stepfather determined to silence her permanently, the last person she can afford to trust is a cop. Will sexy Parker McCall betray her or heal her battered heart? This first in the "Buried Secrets" trilogy features some scenes in the Pratt's Central Library.A resident of Hagerstown, Gail Barrett's novels have won numerous awards, including the Holt Medallion, the Booksellers Best Award, the National Readers' Choice Award, and Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart. Recorded On: Thursday, October 17, 2013

Dr. Carl Hart shares his story of growing up in one of Miami's toughest neighborhoods and how it led him to his groundbreaking work in drug addiction. As a youth, Carl Hart studied just enough to stay on the basketball team. At the same time, he was immersed in street life. Today he is a cutting-edge neuroscientist -- Columbia University's first tenured African American professor in the sciences -- whose landmark, controversial research is redefining our understanding of addiction.Dr. Hart is associate professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at Columbia University. He is also a research scientist in the Division of Substance Abuse at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Maryland and did his graduate training in experimental psychology and neuroscience at the University of Wyoming. Presented in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Recorded On: Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Bestselling author Chuck Palahniuk talks about his new book, Doomed, the sequel to Damned. Madison Spencer, the liveliest and snarkiest dead girl in the universe, continues the afterlife adventure begun in Damned. Just as that novel brought us a brilliant Hell that only Palahniuk could imagine, Doomed is a dark and twisted apocalyptic vision that describes the ultimate showdown between Good and Evil. After a Halloween ritual gone awry, Madison finds herself trapped in Purgatory -- or, as mortals know it, Earth. Yet Madison has been in Satan's sights from the very beginning, as through her and her narcissistic celebrity parents he plans to engineer an era of eternal damnation. For everyone. Once again, our unconventional but plucky heroine must face her fears and gather her wits for a battle of a lifetime.Also appearing on this program with Chuck Palahniuk: authors Monica Drake (The Stud Book) and Chelsea Cain (Let Me Go). Recorded On: Friday, October 11, 2013

Historian Susan Zuccotti tells the story of Père Marie-Benoît, a courageous French Capuchin priest who risked everything to hide Jews in France and Italy during the Holocaust. From monasteries first in Marseille and later in Rome, Père Marie-Benoît worked with Jewish co-conspirators to build remarkably effective Jewish-Christian rescue networks. Acting independently without Vatican support but with help from some priests, nuns, and local citizens, he and his friends persisted in their clandestine work until the Allies liberated Rome. After the war, Père Marie-Benoît maintained his wartime Jewish friendships and devoted the rest of his life to Jewish Christian reconciliation. In addition to her research in French and Italian archives, Susan Zuccotti personally interviewed Père Marie-Benoît, his family, Jewish rescuers with whom he worked, and survivors who owed their lives to his network.Susan Zuccotti is author of The Italians and the Holocaust: Persecution, Rescue, and Survival; The Holocaust, the French, an

Men and women disappeared, were arrested, imprisoned, interrogated, tortured, put on trial, convicted, and sentenced to forced labor camps in Czechoslovakia between 1948 and 1989. Czech Political Prisoners is the story of men and women who survived Czechoslovakian concentration camps under the Communist regime. Today, in the Czech Republic, as well as in other post-socialist countries, the desire to reconcile is not limited to survivors of camps, prisoners and dissidents. People from the younger generations are asking questions about crimes, punishment and forgiveness related to the Communist regime in Central and Eastern Europe. The book purports to expose individual and communal experiences, subjectivity and consciousness hidden in the ruins of memories of socialism in Czechoslovakia.Dr. Rehak is professor of anthropology at University of Maryland, Baltimore County.  Recorded On: Tuesday, October 8, 2013