Programs For Adults

All events are free and open to the public. With 48-hour notice, the Library can provide signed programs and meet other special needs; call 261-8590 for details.

Is this list too overwhelming? Use the Interactive Calendar to see just the programs you want. Limit events to just those at your branch or a certain date range.

Monthly Book Discussion Groups
Registration is not required. (60 minutes, unless otherwise noted)

Evergreen Branch Library - 1st Tuesdays
Meets first Tuesdays of each month, 1 p.m.
Evergreen Branch Library, 2601 N. Arkansas
Tuesday, Dec. 1: "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling

Evergreen Branch Library - 1st Thursdays
Meets first Thursdays of each month, 7 p.m.
Evergreen Branch Library, 2601 N. Arkansas
Thursday, Dec. 3: No public meeting

Orchard Park Branch Library - 1st Fridays
Meets first Friday of each month, 1 p.m.
Orchard Park Branch Library, 4808 W. 9th
Friday, Dec. 4: "Swan Peak" by James Lee Burke

Westlink Branch Library - 3rd Tuesdays
Meets third Tuesdays of each month, 12:45 p.m.
Westlink Branch Library, 8515 Bekemeyer
Tuesday, Nov. 17: "Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe" by Edgar Allan Poe
Tuesday, Dec. 15: "The Sunday Philosophy Club" by Alexander McCall Smith

Central Library - 3rd Tuesdays
Meets third Tuesdays of each month, 7 p.m.
Central Library, 223 S. Main
Tuesday, Nov. 17: "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant
Tuesday, Dec. 15: "River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze" by Peter Hessler

Evergreen Branch Library - 3rd Thursdays
Meets third Thursdays of each month, 1 p.m.
Evergreen Branch Library, 2601 N. Arkansas
Thursday, Nov. 19: "Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman" by Elizabeth Buchan
Thursday, Dec. 17: No meeting

Masters of Mystery (4th Wednesdays)
Meets fourth Wednesdays of each month, 7 p.m.
Alford Branch Library, 3447 S. Meridian
Wednesday, Nov. 18: "Blacklist: A V.I. Warshawski Novel" by Sara Paretsky
No December meeting

Cozy Mystery (Last Mondays)
Meets last Mondays of every month, 1 p.m.
Rockwell Branch Library, 5939 E. 9th
Monday, Nov. 30: "Christmas is Murder" by C.S. Challinor
Monday, Dec. 28: "The Innocence of Father Brown" by G.K. Chesterton

Hands-on Help
Our computer experts lead a session where you can bring your computing questions. Seats are limited to ten. Registration not required. (90 minutes)

Security Online
Visit the Technology Training Center at the Central Library anytime during the session for coaching on keeping your information and computer secure while online. Bring your specific question or project. (90 minutes)
10:30 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 10, Central Library, 223 S. Main

Using Free E-mail
Visit the Technology Training Center at the Central Library anytime during the session for coaching on the basics of getting and using an email account. Bring your specific question or project. (90 minutes)
2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 16, Central Library, 223 S. Main

Cowboys and Kansas: Stories from the Tallgrass Prairie
Historian Jim Hoy knows the Flint Hills: he grew up on a Cassoday ranch that’s been in his family for five generations. In "Cowboys and Kansas," he blends history, folklore, and memoir to share 150 years of cowboy stories. Join us as he shares some of his favorites. Part of the Library’s Western Days celebration. (60 minutes)
2:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 16, Alford Branch Library, 3447 S. Meridian

Wichita Genealogical Society: German Heritage of Kansas
More than a third of Kansas residents are of German ancestry. Dr. William D. Keel of the University of Kansas explores the major German immigrant groups and their impact on Kansas agriculture, education and Midwestern culture. Co-sponsored by the Wichita Genealogical Society. (2 hours).
1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21, Alford Branch Library, 3447 S. Meridian

The Big Read: Poe in Context
People say that Poe is our most influential critic, the American author with the greatest impact on world literature. But Poe is not the mad genius of the popular imagination. Since 1941 we have known that many of the wild things we used to think were true were invented by a rival who did not like him. Poe in Context reviews what we now know about Poe’s output -- his stories, his poems, his one and a half novels, his literary thinking, "Eureka" (his shot at cosmology), his editorial work -- and what we don’t know about his life. Levine, Professor Emeritus in English at the University of Kansas, has written widely on Poe. Levine’s books will be available for purchase and signing after the program. Part of The Big Read – Wichita. See bigreadwichita.org for more events. (60 minutes)
2:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 22, Central Library, 223 S. Main

Musician Ann Zimmerman
Ann Zimmerman sings the prairie into universal language. Blending old and new traditions with her own award-winning songs, Ann's concerts tell stories and paint portraits, brilliantly-colored and unexpected, enhanced by an irresistible stage presence. Ann grew up in Salina, Kansas, singing folksongs with her family to the strums of her mother's autoharp. Part of the Library’s Western Days celebration. (60 minutes)
2:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 23, Alford Branch Library, 3447 S. Meridian

Cowboy Poet Sam M. Kiefer
Sam Kiefer attended Fort Scott Community College and Kansas State University on rodeo scholarships. A rider of bulls and broncs, he has since retired after qualifying for the Prairie Circuit finals numerous times. While he works at the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant, his love of western culture keeps him in the country, tending grass cattle and writing cowboy poetry. Part of the Library’s Western Days celebration. (60 minutes)
2:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 30, Alford Branch Library, 3447 S. Meridian

Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians
This traveling exhibition tells the remarkable story of how women struggled for the right to study in medical schools and to practice medicine in the United States. "Changing the Face of Medicine" begins in 1849 with Elizabeth Blackwell, who became the first woman physician in the U.S., and ends with women doctors today, who have achieved success in work once considered “unsuitable” for a woman. Among them are Antonia Novello, the first woman Surgeon General of the United States, and Lori Arviso Alvord, a Navajo physician who incorporates elements of traditional healing in her practice. Woman are now represented in every area of medicine—they are researchers on the cutting edge of new medical discoveries, educators, surgeons, family practitioners, specialists, and government officials. The traveling exhibition "Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians" was developed by the Exhibition Program of the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The traveling exhibition has been made possible by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health. The American Medical Women’s Association provided additional support.
Wednesday, Nov. 25, to Wednesday, Jan. 20, Central Library, 223 S. Main

Changing the Face of Medicine Opening Reception
Dr. Donna Sweet, professor of internal medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita and internationally known for medical treatment and research on AIDS, will make remarks at the exhibit’s opening reception on World AIDS Day. Joining Dr. Sweet will be Jennifer Blades, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita.
7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 1, Central Library, 223 S. Main

Senior Wednesday: Holiday Party
Enjoy coffee and treats in the Grand Hall of Exploration Place and hear about the exciting upcoming spring programs from all ten of the participating Senior Wednesday organizations. There will be a raffle of special items from the participating venues. We will listen to the tunes of the Wranglers! Have a fun and relaxing time in a social atmosphere. Offered in cooperation with nine other cultural institutions in Wichita, Senior Wednesdays are designed for active seniors and made possible by the Kansas Health Foundation, a private philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the health of all Kansans. See all Senior Wednesday listings at seniorwednesday.org.
10 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 2, Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean Blvd.

The Red Dress Book Chat
Pearl Cleage’s life-changing books have inspired readers to join the characters in self-discovery. Come and connect with this conversation surrounding books that encourage and inspire you on your journey through life. December’s title is "Seen It All and Done the Rest." (90 minutes)
6 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 8, Maya Angelou Northeast Branch Library, 3051 E. 21st St

These programs are made possible in part by the City of Wichita. Thank you also to the Wichita Public Library Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Friends of the Wichita Public Library for making many of these events possible. Hands on Help computer training is made possible in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.

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