OLN
EY WRITER'S GROUP MEMBERS FRANCENE HILL AND LINDA R. MOORE are fa
mily friends-- their parents were classmates at Dunbar High School in Litt
le Rock\, AR-- who by chance reconnected at an Olney Writer's Group meetin
g after 30+ years. During this special Black History event\, Francene and
Linda will share their compelling family history and excerpts from their r
ecently-published writing and poetry. Learn about their writing journeys\,
what motivates them\, and their strategies for promoting and publishing t
heir work. A Q&\;A session and light refreshments will
follow.
Copies of their books will be available for purchas
e and signing.
<
/span>FRANCENE HILL'S \;book\, Tiny Tots in Tiaras
and Tuxedos\, was published in November 2025 by
Greater Ville Press and immediately received an \;excellent review
in Kirkus Reviews ("Our verdict: get it"). It chronicle
s the story of her mother\, Kermit Bland Hill\, a pioneer
ing African American woman who founded the "Tiny Tot Nursery Schoo
l of St. Louis" during the Baby Boom era. Drawing from personal l
etters\, photographs\, and oral histories\, the book provides an intimate
look at Kermit's life and achievements. For more information\, please visi
t tinytotalums.com
. According to Kirkus\, "Overall\, this b
iography\, memoir\, and historical narrative is an important addition to t
he literature on mid-20th-century Black women entrepreneurs\, accompanied
by a wealth of photographs\, news clippings\, handwritten letters\, and ot
her visual elements."
F or nearly her entire lifetime\, LINDA R. MOORE dreamed of becoming a writer\, but other considerations&mdash\;raising a family and a career as visionary educator&mdash\;got in the way. The recent COVID pan demic shutdown provided Linda with an unanticipated opportunity to explore poetry writing\, initially as a self-care strategy and later as a passion \, at a time when nothing seemed to be as it should have been. Not content simply to write poetry\, Linda now offers poetry-writing workshops for ch ildren and adults. Her chapbook of poems\, Reaching for Resilience \, written between April 2020 and December 2022\, was published in 2025 and reflects on how we choose to survive and thrive in the face of unforeseen challenges. \;This is not just a collection of poetry&mdash\;it&rsquo\;s a testament to the human spirit&rsquo\;s cap acity to bend\, break\, and rebuild.
\n\n
No reg istration is required but seating is limited. Sponsored by \;Friends&n bsp\;of the Library\, Montgomery County\, MD\, Inc.\n
Questions about this program ? \;Contact the Olney branch at 240-773-9545.
\n
Take a look at MCPL's online
resources. Don't have a card right now? \; No worr
ies! \; Find out how to \;Get a Library Card
.
Accommodation Requests
\nPeople who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request \;< strong>English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation \;at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Pr ogram Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.
\ncm 1.1 01/03/2023
\nhttps://mcpl.libnet.info/event/15472500 URL;VALUE=URI:https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/15472500 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/mcpl/OL_BlackHistoryFeb120 26_12252025.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR