Past Livingston Lord Library Lectures
March 5th, 2009
Doug Hoverson author of Land Of Amber Waters: The History of Brewing in Minnesota
Comstock Memorial Union Rm 101 4:30 P.M.
March 5th, 2009
For centuries, brewmasters both
professional and homegrown have pursued the perfect pour—a delectable
combination of barley, yeast, water, and hops—and few states can claim as
devoted a relationship to beer as Minnesota. For a time it seemed that every
town had its brewery and a beer garden was a highlight of every local
celebration. Dedicated home brewers and casual pub crawlers alike will be
amazed by the tales of Minnesota beers and breweries featured in Land of Amber Waters.
Starting with its first brewery in 1849,
Doug Hoverson tells the story of the state’s beer industry from the small-town
breweries that gave way to larger companies with regional and national
prominence (including Hamm’s, Grain Belt, and Schell’s) to the vibrant beer
culture of today, led by a new wave of breweries such as Summit, Lake Superior
Brewing Co., and Surly, as well as brewpubs like Town Hall Brewery, Fitger’s,
and Granite City Brewpub, sustained by microbreweries, home brewers, and beer
aficionados.
From the first illegal brewer at Fort
Snelling to the craft brewers and major companies of today, nearly 300
breweries have opened and operated at one time or another in 125 cities and
towns around the state. Complete with a comprehensive list of Minnesota’s
breweries—including many never before listed in print—and more than 300
tempting illustrations of beer and breweriana, Land of Amber Waters marvelously chronicles Minnesota’s rich
brewing traditions.
Doug Hoverson teaches social studies and coaches the debate team at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. He is associate editor of American Breweriana Journal, an award-winning homebrewer, and a certified beer judge.
April 15, 2002
Roland Dille - "Reading: The Noblest Distraction"President Emeritus Roland Dille spoke on "Reading: The Noblest Distraction?" at 3 p.m. Monday, April 15 on the Library Porch. Dr. Dille was the first speaker event in the new lecture series funded by the Livingston Lord Library Endowment Fund.
March 10, 2003
Ann Sparanese - "The Woman Who Helped Save 'Stupid White Men'"New Jersey librarian Anne Sparanese, who played an unlikely role in the release of filmmaker Michael Moore’s best-selling book, “Stupid White Men,” was the featured speaker in the second annual Livingston Lord Library Lecture Series at 3 p.m. Monday, March 10 in Minnesota State University Moorhead Center for Business 109.
HarperCollins had printed the first 50,000 copies of Moore’s book on the eve of the 9/11 disaster and decided it would be untimely to distribute a book containing an open letter to President Bush asking him if he was ever a drunk, felon or illiterate.“It wasn’t mean spirited,” Moore said. “Even I’m two out of those three.”
HarperCollins halted distribution of Moore’s book in light of President Bush’s high approval ratings and
Despite Moore’s announced appeal that he’d fight the battle on his own, Sparanese started a letter writing campaign directed at the publisher, including a e-mails to librarian chatrooms and listserves. Under pressure from an ensuing flood of librarian complaints, HarperCollins eventually relented and “Stupid White Men” became a best seller.Today Moore attributes the publication of the book to the efforts of a lone librarian, Ann Sparanese.At MSUM, Sparanese discussed how involvement in such issues has shaped her work as an activist librarian, and she shared her views on the responsibilities of thoughtful, informed citizens in troubled times.
Jan 21, 2004
S.D. Nelson - "Lakota Children's Author, S.D. Nelson"Nelson gave the third annual LLL lecture on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 4:30 p.m. in Livingston Lord Library. An award-winning author and illustrator of children’s literature, S.D. Nelson, also exhibited his work Jan. 12-Feb. 4 in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts gallery.
Nelson’s artwork appears on book covers, CDs, greeting cards, magazines, children’s books and in many public/private collections. His first children’s book, Gift Horse: A Lakota Story, received exceptional reviews and several awards, including a Parent’s Choice Award, Kirkus Starred Review, and FiveOwls Book of Merit (reserved for books with integrity). His latest book, The Star People, was published in September 2003 and has received the Oppenheim Best Book Gold Award. Other children’s books he’s illustrated are Crazy Horse’s Vision, Spider Spins a Story, and Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path.
Nelson is a mixed-blood of Norwegian/Lakota descent and a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Dakotas. Since his father was a career Army officer, his childhood experience was nomadic, having lived in 13 different places by the age of 12. However, he lived in Fargo long enough to graduate from Fargo North High School. Each summer his family returned to his mother’s home on the Lakota Reservation of Standing Rock, on the North and South Dakota border. Nelson made a connection with the Dakota prairie that appears time and again in his children’s books.
Nelson’s art work is modeled after the ledger book drawings (1865-1935) of the Plains Indian artists. (Ledgerbook drawings are images on lined paper in accounting books. They were made by captive Indians who had been sent East to be ‘civilized.’) The images were simple and bold, as are Nelson’s in Gift Horse, The Star People and his other children’s book illustrations. The influence of Native American rock art can also be seen in his subtle use of texture. He works with diluted acrylic paint on paper or wood panel. His tools include the brush, sponge, atomizer, spray bottle, hair dryer and clear plastic