History Comes Alive With Library Programs

Meet Benjamin Franklin. And Christopher Columbus.

Sort of.

The final two sessions of the winter-spring  Programs for Adults will feature those two mainstays of American history, in a couple of different ways.

Ben comes by way of Jack Puglisi, a local artist who “will bring this historical figure to life in an upbeat presentation about one of our nation’s most well-known statesmen,” says a well-phrased promotional flier for the presentation. It’s scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 21, in the library multipurpose room.

Chris comes by way of Mitchell James Kaplan, a local author who will talk about his book “By Fire, By Water.” According to Kaplan’s website, the historical novel “tells the heartbreaking story of Luis de Santangel, the courtier who convinced Queen Isabella to sponsor Christopher Columbus’s voyage of discovery in 1492. Combining a passionate love story with a religious mystery, ‘By Fire, By Water’ closely follows historical events during a troubled time, when the Medieval social order was collapsing.”

The novel has earned the author many awards, most recently the Adelina Della Pergola Prize for Students, for the Italian version of the book.

Kaplan will speak from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 26.

To register for the programs, call 412-835-5540 or stop by the main desk of the library's second floor.