Category: FYI

Pleas join us in the Main Reading Room for these two Main Events:

Saturday, September 21, 1:00-2:00: Transgender History presented by Alex Myers

Transgender History. The term “transgender” was coined in the late 1980s and came into popular usage in the mid 1990s, but that doesn’t mean that transgender people have only existed in the late twentieth century on. Transgender individuals have a rich history in America and other cultures. This program will present several different historical perspectives on transgender people and then focus on the story of Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as man and fought in the Revolutionary War, as an example of the lived experience of transgender people. Part of the One Book One Valley series.

Alex Myers is a novelist, teacher, and transgender rights advocate. 

Saturday, September 28, 1:00-2:30: Women in the American Civil War presented by Stan Cohen

Thousands of women played important roles in shaping the outcome of America’s bloodiest conflict. Many managed to fight, disguised as men. Others became spies. This program will focus on a few whose names are well known, like Clara Barton, Belle Boyd and Harriet Tubman. It will also include several whose names are virtually unknown, like Rose Greenhow and Sarah Edmonds. Their fascinating stories will be the topic of discussion in this one & one-half hour program accompanied by pictures of the women involved. Please join local presenter Stan Cohen for this fascinating presentation in our Main Reading Room.

Registration for each event is requested but not required. Please ask for more information at the Main Circulation Desk, or call 207-647-2472.