Candice Millard, Author of River of Doubt

Candice Millard
River of Doubt

Written by Candice Millard, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s daunting and deadly exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth. The book recounts the last great physical challenge that Roosevelt posed for himself in the Amazon rain forest. Millard, a former writer and editor at National Geographic who resides in Kansas City, conducted field research in the Amazon to retrace portions of Roosevelt’s journey.

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Jim Chappell: A Good Sport and Great Scholar

Jim Chappell

Seated at a table, Jim Chappell of Chappell’s Restaurant and Sports Museum opens a book of poetry and begins to read in a deep baritone. His finger scans the lines like a narrow spotlight illuminating the page. His voice warms to the words and revels in the rhythm and alliteration. The periphery of the room melts away, the banter of voices and drone of a television fade, and Chappell’s table transforms into a stage.

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Mark Winne, Food Policy Expert

Mark Winne
Mark Winne

Food policy expert Mark Winne, author of Closing the Food Gap, gave a presentation called The Ugly Underbelly of the American Food System in 2008 at the Kansas City Central Library. Winne also helped KC Healthy Kids with the KC Healthy Food Policy Initiative. The Food Policy Initiative is working to educate people about the local food system and eventually start a food policy council (FPC) in the Kansas City area.

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Bobby Watson, Professor of Jazz

Bobby Watson

Sheet music for “Ruby, My Dear” by Thelonious Monk rests on the Steinway Piano in Bobby Watson’s office. A photograph of master drummer Michael Carvin, who played recently with Watson at The Blue Room, decorates the office located in the lower level of the performing arts center on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus. Watson sits at his desk, wearing loose brown corduroy and a smooth mocha-colored suede shirt.

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