The Community Lecture Series 2009-10 season will begin with some funky storytelling when Eva Abram weaves an engaging tale of where stories come from at 7 p.m. Oct. 15 in the Richland Public Library.
This year's series is a partnership between Soroptomist International of Pasco and Kennewick, Friends of the Mid-Columbia Library, Three Rivers Folklife Society, Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society, East Benton County Historical Museum, Franklin County Historical Museum, Friends of the Richland Public Library and Columbia Basin College.
The lectures, scheduled once a month with the exception of December, are free and cover a wide range of topics.
"We choose our presenters each year from a pool of speakers compiled by Humanities Washington," said Maria Allan, of the lecture series committee.
Humanities Washington is a nonprofit agency supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and private contributors.
Each partner in the series will play host to a different topic, Allan said. All lectures start at 7 p.m. at various locations and are open to all ages.
Here's a look at the rest of the season:
-- Nov. 19: A Student on the Columbia River: Sacagawea in the Pacific Northwest, by Robert Carriker, at the Mid-Columbia Library, Union Street and 19th Avenue in Kennewick. Carriker, from the Tri-Cities, talks about Sacagawea when she accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition.
-- Jan. 21: History of Fish & Fishing in the Columbia River Basin, featuring Dennis Dauble, at the Mid-Columbia Library, Union Street and 19th Avenue in Kennewick. Dauble, a fisheries biologist, will describe how fish and fishing are intertwined with the lifestyle and culture of Pacific Northwest residents.
-- Feb. 18: Carl Maxey: Washington's Fighter for Civil Rights, featuring Jim Kershner, at the Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Dr. Kershner talks about Maxey's lifelong struggle to protect the underdog despite being kicked out of a Spokane orphanage during the Great Depression because of the color of his skin.
-- March 18: Eleanor Roosevelt: No Ordinary Woman, featuring Joan Wolfberg, in the Hawk Union Building on the Columbia Basin College campus in Pasco.
w April 22: The 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition: Washington's First World's Fair, featuring Alan Stein, at the Mid-Columbia Library, Union Street and 19th Avenue in Kennewick. Stein will talk about the 1909 World's Fair in Seattle.
-- May 20: Speaking Truth to Power: Modern Lessons from a Historic Injustice, featuring Jack Hamann, in the Hawk Union Building on the Columbia Basin College campus in Pasco. Hamann will talk about the dozens of black soldiers stationed at Fort Lawton who were charged with rioting and lynching an Italian prisoner of war during World War II but were exonerated 60 years later.
-- June 17: Cowboys and Cowgirls: In Story and Song, featuring Bruce and Susan Matley, at the Mid-Columbia Library, Union Street and 19th Avenue in Kennewick. The Matleys will sing and talk about the contemporary lifestyle of the American West and how it influences life today.
*Dori O'Neal: 582-1514; doneal@tricityherald.com