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'Meeting of the Waters'

[DEC. 18, 2002]  ^"Meeting of the Waters," Kim McLarin, Harper Collins, 338 pages. Genre: general fiction, romance

"Meeting of the Waters" begins with the reflection of reporter Porter Stockman on an event that rocked the nation. Porter is a white reporter for the Philadelphia Record who is sent to cover the days of rioting that occurred in south central Los Angeles as a result of the controversial Rodney King verdict. Porter, no stranger to conflict, hires a free-lance photographer and sets out for the chaotic streets.

The streets are full of angry mobs of African-Americans, and the police seem to be losing ground. With pen in hand, Porter integrates himself into the angry mob and gets caught up in their tales of injustice. When a young African-American spits in the face of a white female police officer, the officers as well as the mob erupt, and Porter finds himself in a time bomb ready to explode.

He wisely decides to leave the situation before things worsen, and he finds his photographer has already left the scene. The police have moved farther up the street, and Porter realizes a bit too late that he is the only white face in a tornado of angry black faces. In an effort to retreat, Porter is confronted by an angry teen, and when he refuses to turn and run, the teen and his friends surround Porter and begin to beat him.

As it dawns on Porter that he is going to die, he is rescued by one of the most beautiful black women he has ever seen. She distracts the youth, takes him to a place of safety and disappears from his life.

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During the months following the incident, Porter finds himself obsessing about this woman and wondering if he’ll ever be able to discover who she is and thank her. He is therefore surprised one day when he not only sees her again in his office in Philadelphia, but finds that she has been hired by the "Recorder" as their newest reporter.

Lenora Page is an African-American journalist who has just accepted a position at the Philadelphia Post. She is surprised to discover that the man she helped during the riots is a fellow employee, and she is even more shocked to eventually discover that he appears to be extremely fascinated by and attracted to her. Lenora has a natural distrust of people of another race, and we wonder, can she ever put this aside and give love a chance.

Kim McLarin is a writer and former journalist for the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and the Associated Press. The author of the highly acclaimed novel "Taming it Down," she has published her short fiction in "Obsidian II: Black Literature in Review."

She lives near Boston, Mass., with her husband and their family.

[Bobbi Reddix, Lincoln Public Library District]

Champion trees featured in book

[DEC. 7, 2002]  After five years of exhaustive research, Larry P. Mahan has completed his book, "In Search of Large Trees," which includes 100 color pictures of notable tree specimens from central and southern Illinois.

During this research he traveled over 7,000 miles searching for large trees. He has registered 22 Illinois "Big Tree Champions," including a sycamore that is the largest tree of any kind in the state and a black oak that is the largest of any oak in Illinois and the second largest black oak in the United States.

Many outstanding species of trees from central and southern Illinois communities are featured with photographs and text. Mahan also chronicles his personal experiences during his research and includes information for identifying the different tree species.

People interested in purchasing a copy of "In Search of Large Trees" may contact him by mail to 27555 Deep Rock Station Road, Palmyra, IL or call (217) 436-2016.

[News release]

• Lincoln Community Theatre

• Logan County Arts Association

LCT 2003 season

[DEC. 9, 2002]  Lincoln Community Theatre is pleased to announce three productions selected for the summer of 2003.

Kicking off the 32nd season of live theater for the Lincoln community will be the hilarious musical "Nuncrackers." This fun-filled show is a continuation of the antics of the dauntless, darling nuns of Mount St. Helen’s Convent who delighted Lincoln audiences in the "Nunsense" series several summers ago. Audience participation, one-liners, a rum-soaked fruitcake, dueling sugar plum fairies and dear Sister Amnesia will definitely start the summer theatrical season with humor and fun.

The July production, "Steel Magnolias," is one of our best ensemble productions. The familiar, bittersweet story touches all the emotional peaks and valleys of life in a small Southern community. From wise-cracking Truvy to unsure Annelle, the characters in this poignant play promise to touch everyone with both laughter and tears.

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Ending the season on a patriotic note, LCT’s final production of the summer will be "1776," a stirring, yet humorous musical featuring a large cast representing our founding fathers. Humor abounds with fast-paced dialogue involving Ben Franklin, Henry Lee and other early congressional characters, along with catchy, patriotic music.

To kick off the holiday season, Lincoln Community Theatre is offering holiday gift certificates for season memberships for the summer 2003 season. Certificates can be mailed directly to the receiver or to the gift giver. Certificates for adult memberships are $20 each, and those for children through eighth grade are $12 each. Requests for gift certificates may be sent to LCT, Box 374, Lincoln, IL 62656. Further information is available at (217) 732-7542 or by visiting the LCT website, www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre.

[Judy Rader, LCT publicity chairman]

Lincoln Community Theatre’s box office, phone 735-2614,  is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday for the summer season. The office is located in the lobby of the Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College.

Performances of "Dearly Departed" are scheduled for July 12-20, and "The King and I" will be presented Aug. 2-10. Show times are 2 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656; e-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

Visit the LDC website at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.

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