This news item expired on Thursday, June 24, 2010 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
America is the product of imagination. The founding fathers imagined a country established on the principles of liberty and justice. Immigrants imagined a better life for themselves and their children. As the country grew, inventors, artists, poets and adventurers flourished. Through imagination, each produced a personal vision reflecting the world they knew. During this year’s Buncombe County Chautauqua, four masters of American imagination will be presented.
Benjamin Franklin lived a rags-to-riches life that was marked by scientific achievement, social service, and vitally important leadership in the establishment of our Republic. An innovator and inventor, the number, variety and practicality of his contributions make him unique in American history.
“Is not the imagination the most glorious domain?” Emily Dickinson wrote in a letter. She has been called the greatest American poet, an eccentric, and a genius. More than 123 years after her death, her poetry and her odd life of seclusion continue to fascinate readers and provoke discussion.
Langston Hughes was a poet, novelist, short story writer, and columnist. An innovative stylist, he is best-known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. Through his writing, he proclaimed a belief in the wondrous creative power of dreams… dreams denied, dreams achieved, dreams deferred but never dreams defeated.
Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, is America’s most imaginative children’s writer. Although his books were written and illustrated for young readers, they also give pleasure to the adults who read them aloud. The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch, and Green Eggs & Ham have all become part of our collective imagination.
Chautauqua 2010 is sponsored by Friends of Buncombe County Public Libraries, Inc. Please plan to join us each evening at 7 p.m. from June 21 to June 24 under a large tent beside the Smith-McDowell House Museum at 283 Victoria Road in Asheville.
Parking is available on the AB-Tech campus next door. A musical program will begin each evening at 7 p.m. followed by the featured program at 7:30 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $4 per program or $10 for the four-night series. For more information, call the library at 250-4700 or email library@buncombecounty.org.
Nightly Schedule:
- Monday, June 21
The Honeycutters at 7 p.m.
Benjamin Franklin by Christopher Lowell at 7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, June 22
Don Pedi at 7 p.m.
Emily Dickinson by Debra Conner at 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 23
Travis & Trevor Stuart at 7 p.m.
Langston Hughes by Charles Everett Pace at 7:30 p.m.
- Thursday, June 24
The Magills at 7 p.m.
Dr. Seuss by George Frein at 7:30 p.m.