St. Augustine of Hippo and his Mistress
1 pm, Tuesday, October 2
While doing research for her historical novel, The Saint’s Mistress, Kathryn Bashaar delved into the fourth-century backdrop of the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity. This lecture will discuss the life of St. Augustine, a Roman African and early Christian theologian and philosopher from Numidia whose writings influenced the development of Western philosophy. Copies of The Saint’s Mistress will be available for purchase and signing by the author after the lecture. Light refreshments.
Adventures in Memory: The Science and Secrets of Remembering and Forgetting
7 pm, Wednesday, October 17
Hilde and Ylva Østby will discuss their book Adventures in Memory: The Science and Secrets of Remembering and Forgetting. What makes us remember? Why do we forget? What, exactly, is a memory? The Østbys live in Norway where Hilde is a writer and editor and the author of Encyclopedia of Love and Longing, a novel about unrequited love that was published to critical acclaim in Norway. Ylva is a clinical neuropsychologist who studied at the University of Oslo and devotes her research to the study of memory. She is vice president of the Norwegian Neuropsychological Society.
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers Book Tour
7 pm, Tuesday, October 23
The Good Neighbor, the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers, tells the story of this unique and enduring American icon. Drawing on original interviews, oral histories and archival documents, Maxwell King traces Rogers’s personal, professional and artistic life through decades of work, including a surprising decision to walk away from the show to make television for adults, only to return to the neighborhood with increasingly sophisticated episodes, written in collaboration with experts on childhood development. An engaging story, rich in detail, The Good Neighbor is the definitive portrait of a beloved figure, cherished by multiple generations. Maxwell King, the CEO of the Pittsburgh Foundation, will read from and discuss his book. Copies of The Good Neighbor will be available to purchase.
Monster Mash
10 am, Saturday, October 20
This Pittsburgh Filmmakers/Pittsburgh Center for the Arts program invites kids age 5 to 7 to invent monstrous, fantastical, or just silly creations through sculptural forms and to be inspired by books and their own imagination as they bring their creatures to life. This program is a part of the library’s Matt’s Maker Space Year of Making. Space is limited.