The Friends of Deltaville Library cordially invite the public to their annual meeting at the Deltaville branch on Thursday, Jan. 15, from 3-4:30 p.m. The branch is at 35 Lovers Lane in Deltaville.
After a short business meeting and review of the past year’s activities, there will be a presentation, “The Humorist: How Libraries, Educators and Persistence Restore Lost Voices,” by Dr. Brent Kendrick. The event is free and open to all. Light refreshments to follow.
The Middlesex County Public Library system, with branches in Urbanna and Deltaville, is not an agency of the county, but a nonprofit organization, and relies on donations to support many of its day-to-day needs. The Friends of Deltaville Library (also a nonprofit) was created to support the library’s Deltaville branch, and have made a myriad of contributions to the branch over the years, both in supportive activities and financial assistance.
Among their ongoing activities are maintaining the Pre-Owned Pages Book Sale Room (open weekly during library hours), an annual bake sale on the Saturday before Easter, and the annual book sale in November. Their contributions in the past few years include new flooring in the branch, new parking strips, a new mural, landscaping projects on the library’s green spaces, and renovation of the restrooms. The Friends will accept new memberships and renewals at the meeting. The annual dues for a family membership are $25 and a single membership is $10.
Dr. Kendrick’s presentation will tie into his recent book “Unmasking The Humorist,” a real-life literary mystery. After years of archival sleuthing, he solved a mystery that plagued researchers by identifying the long-hidden author of “The Humorist” essays, published in the 18th century South Carolina Gazette.
Their author, Alexander Gordon, a Scottish-born antiquarian and Egyptologist, emerges as an able writer whose work rivals better known contemporaries. Meticulously edited and annotated, Kendrick’s work restores Gordon’s rightful place in American literary history and immerses readers in the vibrant, often-contradictory world of colonial Charleston. “Gordon’s essays provide a rich and new dimension to the Colonial American essay tradition,” Kendrick explains, “and offer, for the first time, a Southern voice that equals Benjamin Franklin’s in wit, intelligence, and humanity.”
Kendrick spent a 23-year tenure as an English professor at Laurel Ridge Community College, with several other books to his name, as well as 25 years at the Library of Congress, earning its Distinguished Service Award. His teaching excellence was recognized statewide with an array of awards, including the Top 12 Educators by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
“The power of education is transformative,” Kendrick said. “It lifted me from the son of a West Virginia coal miner to a life devoted to books, students, and discovery. Every page I write is my way of giving that gift back.”
All proceeds from his book benefit the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, supporting student success initiatives and scholarships across the Commonwealth.
The library also reminds poetry lovers to sign up, if they haven’t already, for Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda’s poetry workshop on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 10:30 a.m. at the Deltaville branch. Carolyn Foronda is a former Virginia poet laureate whose work has won numerous awards, with her collections like “River Country,” “The Embrace,” and “These Flecks of Color” receiving popular acclaim.
This free workshop, suitable for beginners and veteran poets alike, is a rare opportunity to learn from a master of the craft. The event is free but an RSVP is requested; to reserve a space call 776-7362 or email yourmiddlesexlibrary@gmail.com. In the event of inclement weather, the workshop will be rescheduled for the following Saturday.
For information on these and other library events, visit the website at www.yourmiddlesexlibrary.org or email yourmiddlesexlibrary@gmail.com.
