Kankakee Public Library Podcasts

The Kankakee Public Library was proud to host the 2009 Mayoral Debate between Democratic Nominee Robert Ellington-Snipes, Write-in Candidate Nickey Yates and Republican Nominee Nina Epstein, with Lorreto Cowhig moderating. The event was held in the new auditorium on the 4th floor of the Kankakee Public Library on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. It was sponsored by the Daily Journal, the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce and the YMCA Living and Learning Committee. The area journalists asking questions included: James Taylor, Sr. of Taylor Publications and City News, Phil Angelo of The Daily Journal, Mike Tomano of WKAN, and Ken Zayer of WVLI/WIVR.

This podcast, "Kankakee District 111 School Board Candidates Forum" is a production of the Kankakee Public Library and was sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers Local 604. Our host was Sue Siedentop, President of the Kankakee Federation of Teachers. The moderator was Dick Manley, president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 604. Participating Candidates were Sheila Kramer, Jill Pristach, Jerry Shapiro, Kelly Drake, Amelia Davis and Dr. Fred Harris Jr. It was recorded by Stephen Bertrand at the Kankakee Public Library before a live audience on Monday, March 16th, 2009.

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, tax, fiscal and budget policies. In this program, 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. This program was sponsored by the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce. You may follow the PowerPoint slides for this program by downloading the Acrobat Reader file below.

Born in 1942, Bob Love grew up in poverty as one of 14 children in rural Louisiana. As a child he was unable to do what most of us take for granted-speak properly. He stuttered severely. To escape from his embarrassing speech problem, Love dreamed of one day becoming a basketball star. As he grew to a 6’8” high school senior, Bob's dreams of being a great athlete became real. He played in college, then for the Cincinnati Royals, and then traded to the Chicago Bulls. Bob became one of the top players ever to play the game of basketball. He played with the Bulls for eight seasons from 1969 — 1976 and was a three-time NBA All-Star. For seven straight years he was the Bulls’ leading scorer and is the second highest scorer in Bulls history (Michael Jordan is the top scorer). His life was unstoppable until he hurt his back, which ended his playing days. Doctors told him he would never walk again. Unable to speak, Bob tried for years to find a steady job. In the early 80's he hit rock bottom. He took a job bussing t

The Kankakee Public Library was proud to host the 2009 Republican Mayoral Primary Debate between candidates Tim Schmidt and Nina Epstein, with Lorreto Cowhig moderating. The event was held in the new auditorium on the 4th floor of the Kankakee Public Library on Tuesday, February 10, 2009. It was sponsored by the Daily Journal, the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce and the YMCA Living and Learning Committee. The area journalists asking questions included: Ronda Claire of Taylor Publications and City News, Phil Angelo of The Daily Journal, Mike Tomano of WKAN, and Mike Ruble of WVLI/WIVR.

Dr. Richard Colling, author of Random Designer and professor at Olivet Nazarene University spoke on his book. Random Designer establishes a permanent place for God in the intellectual discussions regarding science and faith. Dr. Colling has served 27 years as Professor of the Biological Sciences Department at Olivet Nazarene University. He has bachelor's degrees in Zoology and Chemistry, and a Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from the University of Kansas. His academic teaching experience is broad having taught courses in biochemistry, genetics, and biology courses for non-science majors. This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library. You may follow the PowerPoint slides for this program by downloading the Acrobat Reader file below.

Dr. Wayne Sheehan presented the history of the West Side Boosters, a Kankakee baseball team that was in existence from 1936 to 1955. Through articles from the Daily Journal, personal interviews and several other sources he has managed to piece together the story of the Boosters. A native of Kankakee, Sheehan has taught history for 32 years at Sul Ross State University, including courses in American sports history.

Christopher Benson is an associate professor of African American Studies, and Journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in journalism at the University of Illinois and his J.D. at Georgetown University. Benson is co-author with Mamie Till-Mobley of her memoir Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America, (Random House, October 2003) the Essence bestseller about the life and death of Mrs. Mobley’s son, Emmett Till, and the history making changes that followed. The book won the 2004 BlackBoard Nonfiction Book of the Year Award and the 2003 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award Special Recognition. Benson co authored a screenplay and stage play based on the book, currently in development for production. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library.

"Weaving a Web of Success: How Local Companies Are Marketing on the Web" is a panel discussion that is third in the Kankakee Forum series. This interactive event is full of tips to enhance the web presence of local businesses. Join host Bill Yohnka with panelists Scott Watson of the Magruder House Bed and Breakfast, Allan Smesaert of Acorn Design Source, and Steve Bertrand from the Kankakee Public Library, and Bertrand Digital Designs as they provide practical insight into lessons that can be learned from what local companies are doing on the internet. This interactive forum includes plenty of audience participation and serveral good, and not so good examples of web design. The Kankakee Forum is a public panel series designed to share success stories from our area and learn what others are doing to improve their communities.

WKAN Radio AM 1320 and the Kankakee Public Library are proud to present this joint production of an interview with author David Sedaris. KPL’s Allison Beasley arranged this interview conducted by WKAN’s Bill Yohnka in which Sedaris discusses his popular “slice-of-life” stories, including his latest collection When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Sedaris’ other collections, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Holidays on Ice, and Naked have been staples on National Public Radio and are world-wide best sellers. The interview aired on The Bill Yohnka Radio Program on Saturday, June 14, 2008. The Bill Yohnka Radio Program can be heard each Saturday 8:00am to 10:00am on WKAN AM 1320.

This is podcast #5 of BiblioTech – the podcast for future looking library users and staff. In this program, we hear Kankakee Public Library Director Cindy Fuerst's keynote address to the members of the Alliance Library System. In her address, Cindy discusses the fears many librarians have about "jumping on" the web, outlines some tough facts that librarians must face about the web, and talks about the great technological leap forward KPL has made with its "Library 2.0" initiative.

The first Poetry Slam featuring poets from the Kankakee Junior High School was held at the Library on Tuesday, April 15th. Contestants competed for a $50.00 cash 1st prize and a $25.00 cash 2nd prize. 118 battlers and listeners attended this phenomenally successful event. Don't miss hearing the future of Kankakee's literary talent today. All artists appear on this podcast with permission.

In the first of the Mary Johnston Author Series, the Kankakee Public Library, in association with the Friends of the Library, are proud to present Christopher Paul Curtis. Mr. Curtis is the author of numerous children’s books, including, The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963 and Bud, Not Buddy which was the first book ever to receive both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Nearly 300 attendees enjoyed this rousing, and often hilarious program.

Tony Romano has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and is a two-time winner of a PEN Syndicated Fiction Project. His fiction has appeared in many publications, including the Chicago Tribune, and his stories have been produced for National Public Radio's The Sound of Writing series. He lives near Chicago, Illinois. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Christopher Shoup is a local artist, photographer, writer and school teacher. His works of art can be seen on the walls in the Kankakee Public Library and have been displayed in Chicago galleries. Shoup showed examples of his work and discussed his process and future work. This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Aaron Elster is a child survivor of the Holocaust. He was born in 1933 in the small northeastern village of Sokolow-Podlaski in Poland. Aaron lived in the Sokolow Ghetto with his two sisters, mother and father until the liquidation of the ghetto in September 1942. He escaped the liquidation and hid in various surrounding farms. Eventually, Aaron found refuge in the attic of a Polish family, where he hid for two years until the war's end. After the war Aaron lived in several orphanages throughout Poland, and eventually was smuggled out of Poland to various DP camps in West Germany. Aaron Elster and his sister came to the United States in June of 1947. He was educated in Chicago and served in the armed forces in Korea. Now married with 2 sons and 2 grandchildren, he is an active member of the community, serving as Co-Chairman of the Speakers' Bureau and Vice President at the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois. Additionally, he serves as Chairman of the Speaker's Bureau for the Hidden Children Association

Korean War veteran Robert Simpson speaks about his experiences fighting America's "forgotten war." Simpson recounts stories of duty in occupied Japan, battles across Korea's mountainous terrain, and emotional memories of lost friends. Don't miss this gripping program about a "police action" that took place more than 50 years ago, but whose effect echoes to today. This program was sponsored by the Kankakee Valley Genealogical Society.

Liesl Schillinger is best known for writing for monumental publications such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and London’s The Independent on Sunday, but this Yale graduate’s resume is as varied and interesting as she is. She began her professional writing career at The New Yorker in 1988 as a fact checker, but then became a theatre and dance editor for the magazine. She spent a year living in Moscow as an editor of the English supplement of Moscow Magazine and wrote for the New Republic magazine there. Schillinger is the cousin of Kankakee’s Rosemary Pistorius and is a native of Illinois. You will want to seize the opportunity to listen to this intriguing writer. This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Martha Kasler is the wife of retired Colonel James Kasler. Colonel Kasler, subject of the book Tempered Steel, was a WWII B-29 tail gunner, a Korean War jet ace, and a Vietnam War P.O.W. Library staff members Mitchell Haug, Allison Beasley and Stephen Bertrand interviewed Colonel Kasler for an upcoming library produced documentary series about Kankakee Area WWII veterans. Mrs. Kasler joined us after the scheduled interview was completed. A spontaneous conversation arose about her experience of being a P.O.W. wife for seven long years while her husband was in captivity in Vietnam. Mrs. Kasler was so informative about her years without her husband that we decided to make a podcast from this fascinating conversation. Her story is reflective of many women who bravely endured for their family and their country.

Governor and Mrs. Ryan appeared at the Library July 28 to discuss the book "At Home with Illinois Governors: A Social History of the Illinois Executive Mansion", written by Mrs. Ryan with historian Dan Monroe. The former Illinois governor and first lady discussed what it was like to live in the historic Springfield mansion, and what went into creating this commemorative book. This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Kankakee Public Library, the Kankakee County Historical Museum, the Junior League of Kankakee County, and the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago.