October 12th, 6:30 p.m.
A presentation about the enduring popularity of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her "Little House" series of children's books will be featured at the Friends of the Library annual meeting on October 12th. Dr. Anna Hajdik, a lecturer in the English Department and Film Studies Programs and UW-Whitewater will guide her listeners to view the series through the lens of tourism and popular culture with "Dreams from the Prairies: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Authenticity, and Literary Tourism in the American Mid-west."
From touring the Surveyor's House of spending the night in a covered wagon at the Ingalls Homestead in De Smet, South Dakota, to participating in a Laura Ingalls Wilder look-a-like contest in Walnut Grove or Pepin, Dr. Hajdik contends that Wilder-related tourism is linked indelibly to the search for authenticity and a nostalgic vision of America's pioneer heritage.
Dr. Hajdik earned her Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and her undergraduate degree in History and Film Studies from Macalester College. Her research on Laura Ingalls Wilder was conducted while on fellowship at the Center for Rural and Regional Studies at South-west State University in Marshall, Minnesota.
The event will be in the Bidwell Room at the Library. Light refreshments will be served starting at 6:30, with the brief annual meeting starting at 6:45, followed by the program at 7:00p.m. All members of the Friends of the Library are invited to attend this gathering, and new Friends are welcome to join.