June 8, 2011
The West Virginia State Museum of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History will feature poet, storyteller and author of 11 picture books for children, Marc Harshman of Wheeling, in a special program this Saturday, June 11, at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex, in Charleston. The free program will be presented at 10 a.m. and again at noon in the Museum Education Media Center, and is geared for all age groups. It is recommended that children under the age of 13 be accompanied by an adult.M
Harshman will describe the pleasures of reading and writing and how they have led him to write his books. He will present a slide show of several of his picture books, telling their literal stories, as well as the stories of their creation. Harshman will have a selection of his books available for purchase.
Raised in rural Indiana, Harshman has lived his adult life in West Virginia with his wife, Cheryl Ryan and daughter Sarah. For many years he taught grade school including a tenure at Sand Hill School, one of the last three-room country schools. Harshman’s book Only One was a Reading Rainbow review title on PBS-TV and The Storm was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Smithsonian Notable Book for Children, a Children’s Book Council Notable Book for Social Studies, and a 1995 Parent’s Choice Award recipient. “Booklist” called The Storm “a knowing book that will speak to all children about self-image and hard-won success.”
For more information, contact the museum education unit at (304) 558-0220, ext. 185.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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