Kankakee Public Library Podcasts

Before anyone knew what 007 stood for, and before we ever ordered our Martini "Shaken, not Stirred" there was a man named Ian Fleming. Fleming was a true man of the world: a real spy, an accomplished writer, and one of the original creators of the CIA. Fleming called upon all of these traits when he sat down at his home in Jamaica to write his first novel, Casino Royale, in 1952. Doug Redenius, Vice President of the Ian Fleming Foundation, revealed the man behind the legend in this engaging presentation. Sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library.

Author and NBC news correspondent Mike Leonard, nationally renowned for his witty and wry stories on The Today Show, discussed his book The Ride of Our Lives. A television journalist for nearly 30 years, Leonard has gained recognition for his work as a feature correspondent for The Today Show. He also works with video production company Picture Show Films. In 2006, Leonard published his first book, The Ride of Our Lives, in which he details traversing the country with his parents and grown children in an RV. Sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library.

Matthew Boger, a prominent figure in equal rights activism, visited the library via Skype to speak on his life experiences. As a young man, Boger was ousted from his home due to his parents’ intolerance of his homosexuality. On a summer night in 1981, Boger was severely beaten by several neo-Nazi youths, including a young man named Timothy Zaal. After years of healing and finding his way in life, Boger and Zaal (having renounced his former skinhead ways) were reunited at the Museum of Tolerance, where they both now work. The two work together, promoting the idea that hope and forgiveness can heal all wounds. Today, Boger is operations manager for the Museum of Tolerance. You can watch the video Matthew used in his presentation by clicking play on the viewer below. Sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library, Kankakee PFLAG, and Brother2Brother.

Illinois Poet Laureate Kevin Stein appeared at the Kankakee Public Library to read a selection of his works and answer questions. Author of seven poetry collections, two scholarly books, two poetry anthologies, and numerous poems and essays published in various journals and collections, Stein has received wide acclaim from reviewers. In 2003, Stein was named Illinois Poet Laureate – a position previously held by Gwendolyn Brooks, Carl Sandburg, and Howard Austin. This title is one of many honors and accolades Kevin Stein has earned during his career as poet, critic, editor, and teacher. In addition to writing poetry, Stein has pursued a lively scholarly career as literary critic. Stein’s scholarly works enhance readers’ appreciation for his fellow poets’ art. Stein’s efforts as professor and creative writing program director at Bradley University have earned highest honors, including Bradley Faculty Member of the Year and the Samuel Rothberg Award for Professional Excellence. Mr. Stein will be donating Poetry

Welcome to the Podcast for the 2010 Teen Poetry Slam. This program features a competition of writing and performance skills of Kankakee area teens. The hosts for this podcast are Kent Wade and Author Tara Betts. Miss Cook County Imani Josey served as our special guest celebrity judge.

Author Richard Longworth appeared for a lunchtime presentation in the Kankakee Public Library’s 4th floor auditorium to discuss his latest book, Caught in the Middle. The book explores the new realities of life in the heartland. The results add up to a portrait of the vast and influential segment of America's economy and culture that goes almost entirely ignored in the media. In this program he addresses what's right and what's wrong in the region and offers a prescription of how it must change if it is to survive and prosper. This program was sponsored by the Kankakee Public Library, the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County, the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce, HomeStar Bank and Bennett Commercial.

Utica author and historian Steve Stout presents a lecture at the Kankakee Public Library on his book The Starved Rock Murders, which details the brutal murder of three women at Starved Rock State Park and the grueling 8-month investigation it sparked. Stout also tells the awful tale of the 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster that took the lives of 259 men and boys. Stout began his passion for Illinois history with high school studies of poet and Galesburg native Carl Sandburg. Following graduation from ISU in 1974, Stout moved to La Salle where he worked at the local newspaper as the photo editor. Stout now writes for Ottawa’s The Times newspaper and continues work on several different writing projects dealing with Illinois Valley history. This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library.

Award-winning author Angela Johnson was honored as the third annual Mary Jo Johnston Spring Children/Teen Author. "Kids and teens are so much more interesting than adults. Life is happening when you are a teenager. One minute you're a child, the next you're allowed to go out in the world by yourself. Who knows what will happen?" Johnson is the author of Toning the Sweep (1994), Heaven (1999), and First Part Last (2004) – all three of these books were awarded the Coretta Scott King Award. First Part Last was also awarded the Michael L. Printz Award. This event was sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library and Kankakee School District 111.

Economist Ralph Martire is Executive Director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability (CTBA). He also serves as a regular columnist for The Chicago Sun-Times, The State Journal-Register, and The Herald News on issues involving government accountability and tax, fiscal, and budget policies. In this program, he discusses his recent study which examined the growing debt of the state's pension systems and why he says the state needs to restructure its taxing system to meet the growth in the cost of state government. Ralph returns to the Kankakee Public Library to discuss the continued economic slide Illinois has experienced since his visit one year ago. This program is sponsored by the Kankakee Public Library, the Kankakee Chapter of the NAACP, and the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce. You may follow the PowerPoint slides for this program by downloading the Acrobat Reader file below.

Join motivational speaker Steve Birdine for an evening of motivation, inspiration and excitement. Birdine is a nationally acclaimed speaker who has addressed thousands of audiences across the nation. His speeches, lectures, and seminars aim to present topics such as student motivation, diversity education and leadership development in an engaging and exciting format. Birdine is the author of A Common Sense Approach To Retaining Students of Color. He was recognized as one of the 100 most influential Blacks in the US four years in a row by Ebony Magazine. This program was sponsored by the City of Kankakee, The Kankakee NAACP, Brother to Brother of Kankakee, The Kankakee Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library.

Documentarian Andrew Suprenant showcases his work, including segments from his company's three films and examples of his photography. He produced the IFP/Chicago Production Fund -winner Galileo’s Grave, is Executive Producer of the forthcoming cold fusion documentary The Experiment, and is currently creating a promotional video for the United States Department of Energy. He has also created work for many nonprofits and businesses, including The Museum of Science and Industry and Lollapalooza. The Atom Smashers, which he produced, was featured on the award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. His individual work - including photographs of IndyCar race teams and Eastern Kentucky mountaintop removal sites - has been showcased in Pilsen East Artists Open House. He is currently developing a photo book documenting Chicago hot dog stands. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library.

Alex Frye (Bishop McNamara '07, Swarthmore College '11) spoke on his experience working with fellow Swarthmore College undergraduates and with students from La Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, to form Taller de Paz (TdP) to work with children of internally displaced families ages 10 - 14 living in Suba, a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. The children served are among the steady flow of people fleeing the brutal civil war that has ravaged Colombian society for years. The program encourages peaceful resolutions to conflict and self-expression through photography, art, and digital storytelling, and uses these mediums as empowerment tools for the students to explore their environments, as well as their own meanings of peace. Please come to learn more about the conflict, the project, and how to get involved.

2009 marks the celebration of 200 years of Poe’s life and work. The Kankakee Area Library Association’s One Book, One Community presents Broadway and film veteran Duffy Hudson who brings his talent and fascination for Edgar Allan Poe to life in this unique one-man play. “In The Shadow of the Raven” begins as Edgar Allan Poe rises from the scene of his mysterious death and continues as he pieces together the events of his life. Using a combination of biographical information and the dramatic interpretation of Poe’s literature, Annabel Lee, The Raven and The Tell Tale Heart, Hudson provides a unique, in-depth theatrical experience of the life and works of one of America’s best-known and enigmatic personalities.

Orville Vernon Burton discussed his book The Age of Lincoln that shows how the president’s Southern-ness empowered him to conduct a civil war that redefined freedom as a personal right protected by the rule of law. The extent of that freedom has been contested by racism and unregulated capitalism, but not its central place in what defined the country. Dr. Burton is Director of the Institute for Computing in Humanities, Arts, and Social Science (CHASS) at the University of Illinois, and Executive Director of the College of Charleston’s Program in the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World.This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library.

Singer Chris Vallillo’s shows incorporate original and traditional material with the works of other contemporary songwriters to form a musical portrait of the history and lifestyle of the Midwest. Vallillo’s Abraham Lincoln in Song helps shed light on one of history’s most beloved figures. Vallillo uses period music Lincoln may well have known and sung, and Lincoln’s own stories to illustrate his life.This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library.

Vince Singleton, a Greater Chicago area native, is a writer, director and cinematographer. His works include The Porter, The Forgotten West, the short film Absent, several public service announcements and numerous music videos. His work has been shown in a wide variety of film festivals and conferences, including the Palm Springs International and the University Film and Video Association Conference. He has been awarded numerous times for his works, including top honors in the Chase Legacy Film Challenge. He is graduate of Knox College and currently holds an MFA in Film and Video from Columbia College Chicago. This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library.

Welcome to the Podcast for the 2009 Teen Poetry Slam. This program features a competition of writing and performance skills of Kankakee area teens. The hosts for this podcast are Kent Wade and Phyllis Taborn.

Dr. Richard Carwardine is the Rhodes Professor of American History at St. Catherine's College, of Oxford University, and is the future President of Corpus Christi College. He is the first British author to earn the prestigious Lincoln Prize, awarded by Gettysburg College. Abraham Lincoln, often considered our greatest president, transcends mere country boundaries. So, please join us on a journey, one that will take us across the fields and woods of Illinois, to the gleaming white marble of Washington, D.C., to the battlefields of Vicksburg, and to the ghosts of Gettysburg.

This podcast, “NAACP District 111 School Board Candidate’s Forum” is a production of the Kankakee Public Library and was sponsored by the Kankakee Chapter of the NAACP. Our moderator was Theodis Pace. It was recorded by Stephen Bertrand at the Kankakee Public Library before a live audience on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009. Due to circumstances beyond our control, some candidates may be difficult to hear. We ask that listeners ignore this technical circumstance when judging the candidates.

The Kankakee Public Library was proud to host the 2009 NAACP Mayoral Debate between Democratic Nominee Robert Ellington-Snipes, Write-in Candidate Nickey Yates and Republican Nominee Nina Epstein, with Theodis Pace moderating. The event was held in the new auditorium on the 4th floor of the Kankakee Public Library on Tuesday, March 24, 2009.