First, as part of the lead-up to Wheeling’s Juneteenth Observation, we present a special Monday edition of Lunch With Books.
For Juneteenth – Monday, June 17 @ Noon: Appalachian Ghost: A Photographic Reimagining of the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel Disaster featuring author Raymond Thompson Jr.
Contact us to reserve a copy of the book for only $27
The University Press of Kentucky is pleased to announce the release of a timely and essential book about the Black experience. “Appalachian Ghost: A Photographic Reimagining of the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel Disaster” by Raymond Thompson Jr. explores the possibilities of that tragedy by reviving the faces and spaces of Hawk’s Nest.
Using primary source materials to re-create the workers’ experiences in photographs, Thompson recontextualizes archival images to present a counter-archive that positions the Black experience at Hawk’s Nest within the larger story of the American labor landscape.
His photographs and poetry give voice to the silenced, resisting revisionist narratives that often ignore the sacrifices of African Americans and erase their instrumental role in the development of America’s infrastructure.
Copies of the book are available for only $27.
Then on Tues., June 18 at Noon: The Book of Quint with Ryan Dacko
Contact us to reserve a copy of the book for only $15.00
“1100 men went into the water…” So begins the haunting monologue by actor Robert Shaw as grizzled shark hunter Quint in the movie “Jaws,” in which he describes his experience as a survivor of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the dying days of the Second World War. The sinking left hundreds of crew members floating in the ocean. Most died from exposure and the worst mass shark attack in recorded history. As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the “Jaws” movie, host of the podcast “The Jaw Obsession,” Ryan Dacko has written the definitive prequel to the Jaws novel, telling the back story of Quint.
Beginning with him adrift after the sinking, and following him first to San Francisco and then to Amity Island, we read of how and when he acquires his many scars, of how he comes to own his boat “The Orca,” and how he develops his technique for hunting sharks. Dacko is a US Coast Guard veteran, licensed underwater welder, and professional commercial deep-sea diver.
He last visited our state in 2012 when he worked on a massive wind storm that took down power lines. “I loved the state and always wanted to go back,” he said. “This is a great opportunity.” Enter the Quint look-alike contest to win!
And Tuesday Evening, June 18 (6:30 pm): Special Edition People’s University –Misconceptions About West Virginia Statehood
WVU History professor Dr. Hal Gorby will discuss some of the common misconceptions about how West Virginia became a state. The program will cover some of the intense divisions among those involved.
June 25 at Noon: Our Flag Was Still There: The Story of the Star Spangled Banner
Our Flag Was Still There details the improbable two-hundred-year journey of the original Star-Spangled Banner—from Fort McHenry in 1814, when Francis Scott Key first saw it, to the Smithsonian in 2023—and the enduring family who defended, kept, hid, and ultimately donated the most famous flag in American history. Tom McMillan, former VP/Communications for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, tells a story as no one has before. Digging deep into the archives of Fort McHenry and the Smithsonian, accessing never-before-published letters and documents, and presenting rare photos from a variety of sources, McMillan follows the flag on an often-perilous journey through three centuries. Our Flag Was Still There provides new insight into an intriguing period of U.S. history, offering a “story behind the story” account of one of the country’s most treasured relics.
