Dordt to host events for One Book, One Sioux County

Dordt University will host authors Patricia Bryan and Thomas Wolf on campus on Friday, November 4 at 4 p.m. in the Hulst Library, where they will discuss their research on journalist Susan Glaspell. In addition, Dordt’s Theatre Club will perform a student-directed reader’s theatre of “Trifles,” a short story by Susan Glaspell. Performances will be held on Friday, November 18 at 7 p.m. in the Children’s Park Shelter House (840 4th Avenue SE, Sioux Center) and on Saturday, November 19 at 2 p.m. at Iowa State Bank (105 Albany Ave. SE, Orange City).

The discussion and theatrical performances are part of One Book, One Sioux County, a collaborative program among eight public and three academic libraries in Sioux County that builds community through shared conversation. Since 2016, the group has collaborated on an author visit each November.

“When the One Book, One Sioux County selection is used in Dordt classes, we are participating in a county-wide conversation,” says Jenni Breems, director of the Hulst Library. “I am always excited to see the connections and opportunities.”

In addition, a conversation with authors Patricia Bryan and Thomas Wolf will be held on Thursday, November 3 at 7 p.m. at Northwest Iowa Community college (603 W. Park Street, Building A, Sheldon).

This year’s book is ”Midnight Assassin” by Patricia Bryan and Thomas Wolf. “Midnight Assassin” is a historical whodunnit set in rural Iowa in 1900 that describes the murder, investigation, and trial of Margaret Hossack. Bryan and Wolf use many primary sources to document the historical case. One of those sources is Susan Glaspell, a young journalist for the Des Moines Daily News. She used her reporting on the Hossack case as the inspiration for her one-act play, “Trifles,” and her short story, “A Jury of Her Peers.”

Patricia L. Bryan, J.D. serves as the Henry P. Brandis Distinguished Professor of Law at University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Law. Her teaching and research interests include tax and law and literature. She has been a visiting professor at Stanford Law School and the University of Iowa Law School, and an adjunct professor at North Carolina Central University.

Thomas Wolf earned an MFA in Fiction Writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He is a two-time winner of the Doris Betts Fiction Prize. His short story “Boundaries” received Special Mention in the 2014 Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses.

Breems is grateful for the opportunity for Dordt to collaborate with other local libraries as part of One Book, One Sioux County.

“Working with other libraries allows us to sponsor author visits and build relationships in the community,” she says.

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. For six years in a row, Dordt has been named number one in the nation for student engagement by The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.