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Lehrer to speak in honor of 250

By Staff | Apr 27, 2012

As part of the 250 anniversary celebration, commentator Jim Lehrer will visit Shepherdstown May 22 to discuss the 250 committee’s book selection, “No Certain Rest.”

According to Edwinna Bernat, Lehrer’s visit will include afternoon tea, a book signing and a special lecture on the process Lehrer took to complete, “No Certain Rest” – a fictional novel based around the Battle of Antietam.

Bernat explained that the 250’s literary committee sought to host a unique author and lecturer, whose work has ties to Shepherdstown’s historic past.

Bernat said Jim Lehrer, who hosted “The PBS Newshour” for more than 20 years, came up repeatedly as an option.

Lehrer owns a home in Jefferson County and has included characters from Shepherdstown in many of his novels, including “No Certain Rest.”

“We all thought,’Woudn’t it be great, but would he really come,'” she said.

Vicki Smith, president of the historic Shepherdstown commission suggested Lehrer’s “No Certain Rest” because she said it felt timely, given the 150th anniversary of the battle at Antietam and Shepherdstown’s 250th anniversary.

“It just seemed like a perfect fit,” she said.

Twenty local book clubs will participate in the event and a committee of representatives from clubs all over the area including Marie DeWalt, Mina Goodrich, Wendy Mopsik and Suzy Yates, have been working to organize the event.

Bernat said Four Seasons bookstore owner, Michael Raubertas will be selling copies of “No Certain Rest,” as well as Lehrer’s other novels.

Though Lehrer’s address will include background and details of the research he did in writing “No Certain Rest,” Bernat said she hopes Lehrer will also discuss his latest book, “Tension City” which discusses his experiences as a moderator for 11 presidential debates.

“It think it’s timely because we’re going to be getting a lot of presidential debates in the near future,” she said.

Bernat encourages anybody who belongs to a local book club that may not have yet been included in the event to contact her at 304-876-8444.

Tickets are $10 and are available at the Shepherdstown Public Library, the Four Seasons Book Store and Dickinson and Wait Craft Gallery. Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to the Friends of Shepherdstown Library (FOSL).

The tea and reception for Lehrer to meet and greet the book club members and to sign their books will take place in McMurran Hall at Shepherd University from 4 to 5:30 p.m. A dinner break will be taken from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Lehrer’s discussion of “No Certain Rest,” concluding with a question and answer period, will take place in Reynolds Hall and will be open to the general public from 7 to 8:15 p.m.

More book signing, featuring a selection of Lehrer’s books on sale in the lobby of Reynolds Hall, will take place from 8:15-8:45 p.m.