Authors of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and more will share their talents and help strengthen the talents of others during the Midwest Writing Center's 2023 David R. Collins Writers Conference at Augustana College's F.W. Olin Center for Educational Technology, a June 22 through 23 celebration of the written word boasting workshops, readings, book pitches, and more, with special events planned at several additional Quad Cities locales.

Delivering the story of an America that no longer exists and one of the most challenging extended periods in American history, John Donald O'Shea will host the in-person program Memories of the Great Depression at the Riock Island Public Library's Downtown Branch on June 22, the presenter and familiar area-theatre participant the author of two Memories of the Great Depression books on his subject: A Time Forgotten and A Time Remembered.

Those who love dinosaurs and all things Mesozoic will be in Putnam Museum & Science Center paradise when the venue welcomes families to the June 17 and 18 celebration Dino Days – a family-friendly, specialty-ticketed weekend event returning to Davenport for the first time since 2019.

A collaboration between the German American Heritage Center and the artist Miriam Alarcón Avila and her "Immigrant Luchadores" project, Todos Somos Luchadores Inmigrantes: We Are All Immigrant Warriors will be housed at the Davenport venue through August 27 , the exhibit an exploration that looks for the connections between immigrants of German origin and Latino immigrants who have moved throughout the American continent and have established themselves as immigrants in the United States.

Performing more than 200 shows a year, and continuing to spread laughter and break down stereotypes regarding people with disabilities, Last Comic Standing champ Josh Blue will headline two comedy sets at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room on June 22, his standup routine existing in a constant state of evolution and his off-the-cuff improvisational skills guaranteeing that no two shows are ever alike.

An eagerly awaited event complete with food and retail vendors, local- and national-history information, community and resource booths, and fun-filled games and live entertainment for the whole family, the 2023 Quad City Juneteenth Festival will be held at Davenport's Lincoln Center – TMBC on June 17, the day-long celebration held in commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

A John Burroughs Medal Award winner and 2022 recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Award will take part in a virtual program offered by Illinois Libraries Present and the Rock Island and Moline Public Libraries, her June 21 event Braiding Sweetgrass: A Conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer treating participants to an audience with the bestselling author and director of Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

June 19 marks the day in 1865 in which enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told by Union troops that they were free, and on June 15, the history and celebration of the subsequent holiday will be explored in Juneteenth: A Day of Independence, a live presentation taking place at the Davenport Public Library's Fairmount Street Branch.

Based on extensive research in century-old German congregational manuscripts, period documents, and oral history gathered decades ago, the German American Heritage Center's June 11 virtual program The War Within: World War I & the Assault on German Identity in Iowa will detail a largely forgotten chapter in the history of Iowa and the life of a faithful congregation, one still capable of eliciting strong emotion and providing a sobering, thought-provoking lesson on which to reflect.

On June 9 and 10, 30 talented and intelligent young women from across the state will compete for top honors in the preliminaries and finals for the Miss Iowa and Miss Iowa's Outstanding Teen Competitions, with guests at Davenport's Adler Theatre invited to share the excitement as this year's candidates compete in four separate phases: Talent/HERStory, Health & Fitness, Evening Gown, and On-Stage Interview.

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