McIntyre Library Co-Sponsoring World War I events in November

Welcome Home Parade June 18, 1919 Barstow St. Bridge going south
Copyright © 2008 Chippewa Valley Museum

2017 marks the centennial of U.S. entry into World War One. In the shadow of other 19th century conflicts, our memory of this war is fading. This November we will explore the impact of “the war to end all wars” on the Chippewa Valley. Our expert presenters and project partners aim to deliver programs that connect with all audiences, especially local veterans and their families, through a series of four programs listed below.  For more information, please visit: www.uwec.ly/WWI.
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Free Speech in WWI Wisconsin
November 7, 2017 | 6:00pm
Chippewa Valley Museum
1204 E. Half Moon Drive
Eau Claire, WI 54703

Professor Tim Shiell, Director of the Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation at UW-Stout, will discuss the limits of free speech in Wisconsin and the Chippewa Valley during the Great War, including the major rationales for and against permitting anti-war speech. The Chippewa Valley presents a unique and complicated case study of this issue during World War I as two foreign language newspapers, Der Herold [German] and The Reform [Norwegian], held pacifist positions that attracted scrutiny and controversy.
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Game Design and Memory: Simulating the American WWI Experience
November 11, 2017 | 2:00pm
McIntyre Library, UW-Eau Claire
105 Garfield Avenue
Eau Claire, WI 54702

Game design expert Hans Kishel will provide an introduction to war-games (conflict simulations) and how their design incorporates historical research. Attendees will explore WWI war-games, including a prototype of a game on American forces fighting in WWI’s Meuse Argonne offensive currently in development by Kishel. Attendees will learn about the game design process.
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World War I and African American Service
November 14, 2017 | 4:00pm
Woodland Theatre, W. R. Davies Student Center
UW-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI 54702

Military historian Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, will present and lead a discussion exploring race and memory as it relates to U.S. involvement in World War I.
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Of Verse and Valor: The American War Experience through Poetry and Prose
November 16, 2017 | 6:00pm
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Club 3015
1300 Starr Avenue
Eau Claire, WI 54703

Author and Professor B.J. Hollars, in association with the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, will explore poetry and prose associated with conflict during this special open mic event. The event will feature poetry from the World War I era and invite others, including veterans and their families, to share poetry and prose of personal significance.
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These programs are part of World War I and America, a two-year national initiative of the Library of America presented in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and other organizations, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

Locally, these programs are co-sponsored by McIntyre Library, the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, the Student Veterans of America – UW-Eau Claire Chapter, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 305, and the Chippewa Valley Museum.

For more information, please visit: www.uwec.ly/WWI.