Calendar
Check here for all of the upcoming events at UCPL. If you have questions about any of them, give us a call at 314-727-3150.
The Friends of University City Public Library will welcome author Vivian Gibson for a reading and discussion of her book, The Last Children of Mill Creek. Vivian Gibson was raised on Bernard Street in Mill Creek Valley and has lived in New York City and Liberia, West Africa. After retiring at sixty-six, she started writing short stories about her childhood memories in Mill Creek Valley, a segregated St. Louis community. Her book, The Last Children of Mill Creek, is an essential book for anyone interested in urban development, race, and community history―or for anyone who was once a child.
Refreshments and a book signing will take place after the presentation. This program is intended for adults, but is free and open to all.
Tom D. Crouch, a Smithsonian veteran of almost 45 years, paints a robust picture of a unique American establishment and its lasting legacies in his book Smithson’s Gamble.
Follow the fascinating growth and development of the world’s largest museum and research complex during its first 60 years. Told in rich detail, Smithson’s Gamble reveals how, as it defined a role rooted in curiosity and exploration, the Smithsonian helped to shape the nation’s developing identity.
The Smithsonian evolved from a small, narrowly focused organization into an institution leading the way in fields from astrophysics to zoology. Smithsonian researchers, and the hundreds of citizen scientists who they recruited, created a collection that documented the natural and human history of a continent. The American conservation movement and a national weather service are rooted at the Smithsonian. Smithson’s Gamble is filled with fascinating characters, twists and turns, and moments of triumph and tragedy, complete with political machinations, a bit of backstabbing, accusations of murder, and the occasional scandal.
Register now to take part in the conversation and learn about the trials, errors, and incredible legacy of the Smithsonian’s foundation.
Join us at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 in the UCPL auditorium for an in-person visit from local author Alan Kretchmar, who will discuss his new book, Restoring the Glory: Forest Park from 1986 to 2026.
Coming out just in time for the park’s 150th anniversary this year, the book details the last 40 years of Forest Park as it rose from its run-down condition in the 1980s to a beloved regional destination today.
Alan Kretchmar spent 35 years in St. Louis as a practicing ophthalmologist. As he slowed down in his profession, he began living his dream of world travel, visiting 40 countries on 5 continents. Many of his experiences were on a bicycle with his wife, Karen. These experiences inspired his first book, A Leisurely Ride Across France, which told of the misadventures of two inexperienced, middle-aged travelers as they crossed the French countryside on two wheels.
Since retirement in 2011, Alan has volunteered in Forest Park. He knows the love and admiration the people of St. Louis have for our Forest Park and has seen first-hand the effect our park has on visitors to our city.
This program is intended for adults, but free and open to all. Copies of Restoring the Glory will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
The Friends of University City Public Library will welcome author Sarah Kendzior to discuss her latest book, The Last American Road Trip. The free program will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 in the UCPL auditorium.
This program is intended for adults, but is free and open to all.
