Miami, Fl February 25, 2004 - - An exciting series of events commemorating Women History Month will take place at the Miami-Dade Public Libraries in March 2004. This year’s theme is Women: Inspiring Hope and Inspiration. The month-long celebration has been designed to bring together women of different age groups, traditions and cultures from different corners of the globe. All events are free of charge and open to all ages.
Program Highlights

The Girls That Came Before You: An Interactive Discussion of Women in History for Teens
Storyteller Carrie Sue Ayvar will enchant pre-teens and teens with stories and folktales about women who have made a difference in their community. Come learn about authors, mothers, doctors, and others who made contributions to local and national history. This presentation will be bilingual, in English and Spanish.

Kendall Branch Library, 9101 SW 97 Avenue, Miami; March 6 3:00 p.m.

Author Diana Abu-Jaber
What does it mean to be an Arab American woman in the United States today? Diana Abu-Jaber’s latest novel Crescent tackles that subject among others. Set in Los Angeles the novel centers around a 39 year-old, half-Arab chef in a Lebanese restaurant who meets and falls for Han, an Iraqi-born academic. Join this Oregon Book Award winning author for a reading from this timely novel.

Coral Reef Branch Library, 9211 Coral Reef Drive; March 16 7:00 p.m.

Celebrating Women’s History: A Panel Discussion of the Issues Affecting Women in Our Diverse Community
Women have all kinds of issues…from health to sexuality, relationships to racism, religion to motherhood…the list never ends. Join women from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and races as we discuss issues that affect women today. Panelists include Tara Solomon, the “Advice Diva” and writer for The Miami Herald, Gepsie Matellus of the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center, Dr. Marlene Groomes, Associate Professor of Social Sciences at Miami-Dade College, and Margia Arguello from the ACLU of Florida.

West Dade Regional Library, 9445 Coral Way; March 18 7:00 p.m.

Lunchtime Reading with Author Vicki Hendricks
Strong female characters are a customary part of author Vicki Hendrick’s work. Ms. Hendricks is the author of several noir novels, including Miami Purity and Iguana Love. Join the author as she reads form her latest novel Voluntary Madness.

Main Library, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami; March 31 12 :00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.