Kearney Public Library welcomes author Karen Gettert Shoemaker on Tuesday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m. Her book, “The Meaning of Names” is Nebraska’s choice for the 2016 One Book One Nebraska statewide reading program. She will read from and discuss the role of family stories and historic research in the writing of her novel. Set in Nebraska with a World War I backdrop, “The Meaning of Names” follows a German-American woman trying to raise a family in the heartland and keep them safe from the effects of war and the influenza panic, as well as from violence and prejudice.
Karen Gettert Shoemaker is a writer, teacher, and business owner living in Lincoln, NE. She is currently a writing mentor with the University of Nebraska’s MFA in Writing Program. She has taught literature and writing at the University of Nebraska, both Lincoln and Omaha campuses, and has conducted writing workshops through Hastings College, Chadron State College, and the Nebraska Humanities Council.
Books will be available for purchase and author signing following the presentation. The Kearney Public Library is located at 2020 1st Avenue, Kearney, NE.