Herr Memorial Library

Perhaps best-known for her “Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery with Recipe” series, author Tamar Myers will talk about her latest novels, “The Witch Doctor’s Wife” and “The Headhunter’s Daughter” at 7 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 14, at James V. Brown Library in Williamsport. The free event is presented as part of the 2011 Read Across the Valley project “Living Simple, Living Plain.”
Although she herself is not Amish, Myers explains that her ancestors were and that she draws on family history in her new books.
“You would not believe my mother’s family tree!” Myers said in a recent interview for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. “I am descended from the great Amish patriarch Jacob Hochstetler, who immigrated to America on the ‘Charming Nancy’ in the 1730s along with the first great wave of Amish from Switzerland.”
The Read Across the Valley project is a cooperative effort of one academic and 13 public libraries with the purpose of exploring regional cultures, promoting reading, and building a sense of community by encouraging residents to talk about what they read.
Member libraries are: Beavertown Community Library, Degenstein Community Library, Herr Memorial Library, James V. Brown Library, McClure Community Library, Middleburg Community Library, Milton Public Library, Montgomery House Warrior Run Area Public Library, Priestly-Forsyth Memorial Library, The Public Library for Union County, Selinsgrove Community Library, Blough-Weis Library of Susquehanna University, Thomas Beaver Free Library, and West End Library.
According to Myers “The Headhunter’s Daughter,” released in January of this year, essentially is about a kidnapping plan gone wrong.
“The story idea came from the fact that my eight-times-great-grandfather, Joseph Hochstetler, was captured by the Delaware Indians in 1750 and adopted by a loving Indian family,” she told PHC. “He was eleven years old at the time.”
Myers’ presentation is the third of four that are scheduled in the area through mid-October. Kevin Williams, editor of “The Amish Cook” column and co-author of several “Amish Cook” books, spoke in Sunbury in July. Marta Perry, author of a series of Amish suspense books, spoke in Sunbury in August. Dr. Donald B. Kraybill, co-author of “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy,” will speak in Selinsgrove in October.
The doors will open at 6 p.m. for Tamar Myers’ presentation in the Lowry Room on the third floor of the Welch Wing of the James V. Brown Library in Williamsport. There is no reserved seating. Free parking will be available in the municipal lot directly behind the library. Otto’s Bookstore will be on hand to sell Myers’ books, and she will be available to sign them after she speaks.
Myers’ presentation is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities’ “We the People” initiative. Additional Read Across the Valley sponsors include Kohl’s, Sam’s Club, Sunbury Broadcasting Corp., and the Wal-Mart Foundation.
For more information about the Tamar Myers presentation, contact Shawn Newcomer at 570-326-0536 or snewcomer@jvbrown.edu. For more information about Read Across the Valley, look on Facebook or visit www.readacrossvalley.org