Virtual Events

Lights! Camera! Action!
Enjoy recorded videos of your Columbia Librarians, some local community members, and performers.

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Virtual Author's Visits

Books:

The Shephard and His Lamb

Wrong Side of the Bed

Website: https://konnibyford.com/

Author Bio: Konni was born and raised in the Midwest. Her love for books began as a child and grew as a parent and teacher. She didn’t decide to try writing books for children until she became a Nana and life took her to Massachusetts for a short period of time. Her niche, not surprisingly, is children’s stories in rhyme. It’s what she enjoyed reading most to her own children at bedtime.Today she enjoys writing, quilting, and turning old things into something new. Konni holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University. She lives in Missouri with her husband.

Books:

“The Adventures of Rella the Dachshund”

“More Adventures of Rella the Dachshund”

“Rella’s Visit with Santa: A Rella the Dachshund Christmas Adventure”

Author’s Bio:

Evalee Roeder lives in Columbia, IL. She worked for nearly 60 years as an EEG Technician for several different doctors in the St Louis, MO area. She has 6 adult children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She began writing stories about her Dachshund, Cinderella (Rella for short), in 2005. She has written 16 short stories based on actual events in three books about Rella’s adventures.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evalee.roeder 

Books available on Amazon: 

Small Town Secrets (Deadly Homecoming Book 1)

Small Town Storm

Hargrove House (The Haunted Book 1) 

Montgomery Manor (The Haunted Book 2)

Camden Place (The Haunted Book 3)

Winsgate Drive (The Haunted Book 4)

Unafraid

Initiation

Hide and Seek

Invisible

A Twist of Betrayal

No Fear

Author’s Bio: I’m all about books. I love writing them and reading them, as well as researching and checking out picture books or graphic novels. I live in Southern Illinois. My plan is to write books that keep you on the edge of your seat or keep you up all night. When I’m not writing or reading or searching for the next fun character or hot hero, I’m busy with family things or enjoying a glass of homemade wine. If I don’t answer my phone, I’m probably out hiking, camping, biking, doing crafty stuff, or getting lost in the next best seller. 

Website: http://www.alliequinn.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllieHarrisonAuthor

Book: “Life’s a Journey: Hardships to Blessings”

Find Colten’s Book in the following places: Amazon, Walmart.com,  and Barnes and Noble.

Author’s Bio: Colten J. Skinner lives in Jerseyville, IL and is a member of First Baptist Church where he serves as a Deacon. He is an assistant to the youth director at his church. He is a committee member of Kids Shouldn’t Have Cancer Foundation where he is a sales and marketing volunteer. He is team captain of Colten’s Crusaders Against Cancer for Relay for Life of Jersey & Greene Counties in memory/honor of his brother who died from pancreatic cancer. Colten has a Bachelor of Science Degree with a Major in Management, a Minor in Business Administration, and Certificates of Proficiency. 

Facebook: Colten Skinner

 

Book: STL Scavenger: The Ultimate Search for St. Louis’s Hidden Treasures

Website: https://www.arewethereyetdea.com/

Reedy Press Website: https://www.reedypress.com/author/hoover/dea-hoover/

Author’s Bio: 

Dea Hoover takes you on a whirlwind trip using her knowledge and experience of creating and running tours in this fun for the whole family STL Scavenger: The Ultimate Search for St. Louis’s Hidden Treasures. Owner of two tour companies, she has plenty of surprises in store that she has uncovered throughout her 15 years of being a local tour guide. And her mantra of, “Never come back the way you came.” Should encourage you to stumble onto treasures she has pointed you toward as well as other hidden gems in and around the Gateway City meaningful to you or your family or your friends.

Facebook & Instagram:

stlscavenger

Book: “Pippa Raises Her Game” 

Author’s Bio

Debut author Erin Yun grew up in Frisco, Texas. She received her BFA in English from New York University and served as president of its policy debate team. This experience came in handy for her job as the debate consultant for the Tony-nominated Best Play on Broadway–What the Constitution Means to Me. Erin is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and has written reviews and articles for BookBrowse. She currently lives in New York City, and yes—she used to play basketball as a middle grader!

About Pippa Park Raises Her Game:

In this contemporary reimaging of Great Expectations for middle graders, readers will cheer on Korean American Pippa Park when she is given the chance to reinvent herself and discover who she really is. A compelling story about friendship and peer pressure in middle school.

Social Media

Fabled Films Facebook (co-host event): https://www.facebook.com/Fabled.Films.Press/

Fabled Films Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabled.films/

Fabled Films Twitter: https://twitter.com/fabled_films

Erin Yun Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/erinmyun

Note: Author Visit Video will expire on 4/12/2021. 

Book Discussed: “A Parent’s Guide to Powerful Teaching”

First book:  “Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Teaching”

Websites:

https://www.patricebain.com/

https://www.powerfulteaching.org/

Facebook: @patricemurphybain

Author’s Bio: Patrice M. Bain, Ed.S., is a veteran K-12 educator, speaker, and author. As a finalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year and a Fulbright Scholar in Russia, she has been featured internationally in podcasts, webinars, and popular press, including NOVA and Scientific American. Patrice completed more than 25 years teaching middle school in Columbia, spending 15 of those years working closely with cognitive scientists turning research into authentic learning strategies. In addition to Powerful Teaching, she also co-authored an essential practice guide for educators: Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning, in collaboration with the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Bain was one of two U.S. teachers on the working task group: Neuromyths vs. Neurotruths, sponsored by (IES) and the National Commission on Education Research (NCER).
She is on the Educational Advisory Boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and Deans for Impact.

Book: “Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast: Short and Sweet” Book Trailer

Website: https://www.joshfunkbooks.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Josh.Funk.Books

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshfunkbooks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshfunkbooks/

Bio written by Josh’s Cat:

Meow meow meow. Mew meow. Grrrr! MEOW! Mew mew meow mew meow. Me-oooooow! Mew.

Translation: Josh grew up in MA. He is now a Software Engineer in Massachusetts. Exciting! And, he has written about 13 books in his spare time.  

Author Bio:

In January of 2018, Lisa started a new chapter of life, as her youngest child shared with the family that she is a transgender woman. After some adjustment, the Brennan family has found that when you treasure someone for who they are, it is magical and sacred. Lisa wrote a beginner’s guidebook for family and friends (shared in this book), and to her surprize, it was widely shared, with churches, hospitals, and schools asking her to share her family’s adventure of love and acceptance. This prompted Lisa to write a book about her family’s journey. She hopes that it will spread some education and love into the world. 

Book: “The Auditorium in My Mind/Treasuring My Transgender Child”

Social Media:

Facebook – Lisa M. Brennan/Treasuring My Transgender Child

Instagram: @authorandadvocate

Questions for Lisa? Message her on Facebook, Instagram, or by email (brennan@htc.net).

Book: “Patriotic Murder: A World War I Hate Crime for Uncle Sam”. 

Short Author Bio:

Peter Stehman is a Collinsville local historian and writer. He retired as Chief after a 28-year career with the Collinsville Fire Department and currently works for the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal. He has written numerous articles on public safety topics. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He has held a lifelong interest in the Robert Prager tragedy and the environment that enabled it.

Questions for Peter: pstehman@gmail.com 

The Border of Our Minds Presentation

Are they simply political and geographical, marked by posts, walls and fences, or should we think of them more broadly? Some borders, set by surveys and treaties, take no account of geography, language, and culture. There are borders within countries—physical, economic, or social. And finally there are the borders of our minds—the way we may think of unfamiliar places.

Book: “Postcards from the Borderlands” 

Questions for David?

Email: davidhmould@gmail.com

For more info: http://davidhmould.com/

Book: “A Home for Sally” Book Trailer

Website: https://stenettaanthony.weebly.com/

Author’s Bio:

Stenetta Anthony is an author who writes books that inform, inspire, educate and entertain. She was an educator for 20 + years and still continues volunteer in supporting the educational development of children. Her time spent in the classroom using her own unique style of storytelling. Stenetta storytelling has now extended into publishing with her creating children’s books for her young reading audience. Stenetta has a Bachelor Degree in Educational Studies and Specialist in Special Education Development. Stenetta resides in Chicago, Illinois with her husband, children and grandchildren.

Two of Stenetta’s favorite past times are watching cartoons and being an at home contestant of the television game show Jeopardy. One of Stenetta’s favorite phrases comes from P.L Travers, Mary Poppins, “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun, with her writing being her most enjoyable element in life.

Caregiver Conversations

Kim Oplet, an Educational Coordinator of Hospice of Southern Illinois, guides us through some conversation starters caregivers can have with their loved ones going through health, living, and other transitions of getting older.

Kim Oplet, Educational Coordinator

Hospice of Southern Illinois, INC.

Email: koplet@hospice.org

Website: https://hospice.org/

Navigating Social Security and Medicare

In this presentation, Triada Advisors will talk about how to navigate the following topics:

  • Benefits and retirement age
  • Spousal and Survival Benefits
  • How Social Security is calculated
  • Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D
  • What Medicare does not cover

Presentation Handout: Critical Social Security Facts

Triada Advisors help family business owners, retirees and wealth builders pursue their long-term goals and achieve financial wellness for more than two decades.

Aaron Thompson
Triada Advisors
1003 N. Main St.,
Columbia IL 62236
triadaadvisors.com
(618) 281-3444

Brandon Graham
Comprehensive Benefits
2350 S. 7th St. – Ste. 120
St. Louis, MO 63104
Office: (636) 333-9813
brandon.graham@mycompben.com
michael.graham@mycompben.com

Fake News!

In this presentation, Betsy Jewell, adjunct faculty member with the Department of Journalism at Eastern Illinois University, teaches what fake news is, how it comes about, and how to detect, avoid, and find the facts.

Medicare 101

Learn about the Medicare and how the enrollment process works with time for questions and answers.

Presenter: Carol Vogt, Owner of Carol Vogt Insurance Services, LLC.

http://CarolVogtIns.com/

Presentation Notes

The Librarian: Lego Edition

Take a tour of Stephanie’s basement decked out with LEGOs and watch her build different LEGO kits step-by-step by using the directions as her guide.

Stretching with Stephanie

Take some time to slow down from all of the craziness in life. You will be doing simple stretching and some basic yoga techniques. A yoga strap and/or a yoga mat will be beneficial, but not necessary.  Stephanie is not certified as a yoga instructor, these are just some of the stretches and poses she use to aid in her running.

Adulting 101

Growing up is never easy. In this program gain knowledge and skills from locals to help make life easier. 

More Arts & Crafts

Learn how to make simple, budget-friendly crafts from library staff. 

Young Adult Book Talks

Local teens review young adult books and series. 

Integration Meditation Wellness Program

Integration Meditation presents four programs teaching Qigong, Chen Style Tai Chi, Breathwork, and Meditation. FAQ about Qigong and Chen Style Tai Chi. 

Greetings! From Santa

Santa reads his letters from local chlidren!