At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016, Michael Lasser, a nationally recognized public speaker and social critic, will give a talk on American railroad songs and social history at the Friends of the Bruton Memorial Library meeting. The talk will be given at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 W. McLendon St. in Plant City.
The Jan. 21 program is entitled “Hear That Lonesome Whistle; What Railroad Songs Tell Us About America.” Lasser believes that railroads affected American attitudes and behavior in the decades after the Civil War and into the 20th Century.
Lasser has appeared at museums, universities, libraries and historical societies throughout the country. He is a lecturer, writer, broadcaster, critic, and teacher. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Lasser is the former theatre critic for The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, and for 30 years has spoken at institutions across the country. In 2010 he was named a Thomas P. Johnson Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Rollins College, in Winter Park, Florida.
The program is part of the Friends public program series, and admission is free.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
Michael Lasser at Friends of the Library
When: 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 21.
Where: Bruton Memorial Library, 302 W. McLendon St., Plant City
Price: Free