Southern Voices 2016
An Evening With
Erik Larson
Erik Larson is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin; Thunderstruck; Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time and the Deadliest Hurricane in History; The Devil in the White City and most recently Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, which hit #1 on the Times list soon after its launch.
Known for his thoroughly researched, highly compelling and exceedingly dramatic storytelling, Erik Larson turns a work of nonfiction into an engrossing page turner. He appeals to all types of readers, from scholarly historians to those who seek simple entertainment. Perhaps this is the formula of success that landed The Devil in the White City a combined total of five years on the Times hardcover and paperback bestseller lists, as well as a movie deal with Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese and Paramount Pictures.
Larson's research has taken him to far-flung locales, and down innumerable strange alleys. For example, he traveled to London, Munich, Rome, Nova Scotia and Cape Cod during his research for his 2006 bestseller, Thunderstruck, as he sought to chronicle the strange intersection in the careers of Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the wireless, and Hawley Harvey Crippen, England’s second most famous murderer.
In addition to his popularity, Larson has received much critical success, including an Edgar Award for nonfiction crime writing and a finalist for the National Book Award. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife and three daughters.
Friday, February 26 at 7pm
Authors Conference
Saturday, Feb. 27 - Registration: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - The Library Theatre & The Library Plaza- Book sales and signings will follow the afternoon session. - Lunch on your own
Concert Event
The Art of
Heart of Dixie Rug Bee
The process that goes into creating these intricate art pieces goes beyond the art of hooking strips of wool. It starts with selecting a design, often times an original design such as a family crest or landscape scene taken from an individual photograph. Then the creative process moves to determining the colors and textual wools, and many of the women dye their own wool colors to complement their design. The next step is to cut the wool into long strips. The width of the wool cut is determined by the itricacy and detail required in the design - the finer the detail, the thinner the cut. At this point, the design is transferred onto a specialized background fabric and rug hooking begins; which in itself is a creative process dependent on the embellishments and textual design desired.
Through the years, the Birmingham rug hookers have had selected art works in national exhibits, publications and rug hooking books. They continue to advance their skills and craft. but importantly, they have found great friendships and mutual enjoymeny in this creative and beautiful art form.
The Heart of Dixie Rug Bees are a group of women rug hookers that have been meeting for 26 years to pursue their artistic craft. The current membership includes 17 women from the Birmingham and surrounding area that meet weekly to share their knowledge and works of art.