From the Director’s Desk
Happy Kansas Talking Books Week!
Our annual celebration of Kansas Talking Books kicks off on March 3rd with the theme Your Story, Our Mission.
Kansas Talking Books’ mission is to provide accessible reading materials to all qualifying Kansans, so that all may read. Your stories, the stories of our readers, their families, and friends, are among our greatest assets in fulfilling this lofty goal.
The impact of Talking Books is best expressed by those who experience it firsthand. They illustrate the life-changing impact of Talking Books more than any brochure or commercial ever could. Here are a few examples:
“Having books read to me keeps me SANE.”
“My sister was very happy and excited that she could belong to a book club being legally blind.”
“When he was introduced to Talking Books, it was like he had his life back. He now reads more books than he did when he was sighted.”
Your stories are powerful. With Talking Books Week upon us, now is the perfect time to share your talking books story with everybody. Spread the word, not just to those who qualify, but to everyone. Because everyone knows someone with a print disability.
I also encourage you to reach out and share your story with us, so that we may share them to a wider audience. Your experiences will encourage others and help us continue our mission. Let’s celebrate the power of reading together!
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly at 620-341-6287 or email me to discuss them.
Keep reading, share your story, and celebrate Kansas Talking Books Week with us!
–Michael Lang, Director
KTB Updates
Your Story, Our Mission: Kansas Talking Books Week
Everyone has a library story; the joy of discovering a new favorite book, the comfort of revisiting an old classic, the thrill of learning something new. Stories shape our lives. This year, Kansas Talking Books Week celebrates the theme Your Story, Our Mission, highlighting the incredible impact that talking books have on our patrons across the state.
Throughout the week, KTB will be sharing real stories from our patrons, individuals whose lives have been enriched by access to audio and Braille materials, to showcase how vital this free service is to Kansans who are print disabled.
For many, talking books are more than just entertainment; they are a lifeline; providing independence, engagement, and a connection to the world of information that might otherwise be out of reach. Whether it’s a veteran downloading books with BARD, a child diving into a world of fantasy, or a lifelong reader staying up to date with the latest bestsellers, Kansas Talking Books is dedicated to making reading accessible to all.
We invite you to join us in celebrating Kansas Talking Books Week! Follow along on our blog and Facebook page as we share powerful stories from our patrons.
Welcome New Staff
We’re excited to welcome Miguel to the Kansas Talking Books team! Miguel will be working closely with our amazing volunteers to record audio and produce high-quality talking books for our patrons. In addition, he will provide friendly support to library patrons over the phone, ensuring they have the resources they need.
New on NFB-Newsline
Our local Newsline channel continues to expand access to local interest materials. Check out these latest additions.
- Audubon of Kansas: For people interested in Kansas conservation related news.
- Kansas Tourism: Newest editions of the Visit Wichita and Visit Manhattan publications.
- Kansas Country Living: A monthly publication of the Kansas Rural Electric Cooperatives keeps readers informed of energy issues, industry news, and their impact on rural electrification. Also features articles about people, events, food & travel in Kansas.
All KTB patrons can access NFB-Newsline, a free audio news service that offers access to more than 500 newspapers, magazines and more. Sign up for Newsline today by calling 620-341-6286 or emailing Ryan Lauber.
Braille Calendars
Kansas Talking Books has a limited number of NLS produced braille wall and pocket calendars available to patrons. You can request a calendar by contacting our office. Requests will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
The Community Table
Kansas Talking Books invites you to share your recipes and the memories tied to them for The Community Table, a special collection featuring contributions from patrons and staff across the nation.
This project, spearheaded by Maureen Dorosinski from the Florida Braille and Talking Book Library and Jennifer Falvey from South Carolina’s Talking Books Services, will be recorded, embossed in braille, and made into large print. Once completed, the collection will be available on BARD for all talking book patrons. Recipes and stories shared by our Kansas community will represent the Midwest section of the book.
Need inspiration? Here’s an example:
"My grandma’s homemade rolls were golden, flaky, and soft, their yeasty aroma filling the kitchen. After her passing, I found her recipe—just a list of ingredients with no instructions. Guided by a memory of her teaching me to knead dough until smooth but slightly sticky, I recreated her rolls. Every time I make them, I feel her presence." – Maggie, Melvern, KS
Share your recipes and memories by emailing KTB@ks.gov, calling 1-800-362-0699, or mailing them to:
Kansas Talking Books
1 Kellogg Cir, Box 4055
Emporia, KS 66801
We look forward to including your story in this heartwarming project!
KTB Virtual Book Club:
Meet other KTB patrons and participate in an exciting discussion during our quarterly Virtual Book Club. Meetings begin at noon on the dates listed. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please call Maggie at 620-341-6281 or email our office at KTB@ks.gov.
March 13th: Bring Your Own Book. Maggie and KTB readers from across the state would love to hear about the book(s) you’ve been reading. We welcome all KTB patrons to participate, regardless of whether you read something recently. This is a great opportunity to find new books to read.
June 11th: June’s book club selection ties into our summer reading program theme. This year’s theme is art, so we’ve selected a thrilling story of an art theft and the mystery left so many years later.
DB 105442 The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer.
In 1911, the Mona Lisa is stolen. More than one hundred years later, art professor Luke Perrone digs for the truth of his most famous ancestor, Vincent Peruggia, the man who stole the Mona Lisa. But Luke uncovers darker secrets. Violence, strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2021.
Manhattan Visually Impaired Persons Book Club
The Manhattan VIP Book Club invites all Kansas Talking Books patrons to join their virtual book club discussions held via Zoom or by by calling the Kansas Talking Books office at 1-800-362-0699 on the third Tuesday of every month at 1:00 p.m. The next three dates and books to be discussed are:
March 18th : DB 115655 The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride.
In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. As characters' stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. Strong language, some violence. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.
April 15th : DB 116354 The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger.
On Memorial Day, as the people of Jewel, Minnesota, gather to remember and honor the sacrifice of so many sons in the wars of the past, the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River. Investigation of the murder falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn's murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.
May 20th : DB 75277 Double Cross: The true story of the D-Day spies by Ben Macintyre.
Author of Operation Mincemeat (DB 71406) recounts the deception the Allies used to keep secret the planned location of their 1944 invasion of France. Details the efforts of Tommy "Tar" Robertson of Britain's MI5 to turn playboys, party girls, and eccentrics--all of whom were Nazi spies--into double agents. Bestseller. 2012.
Birding by Ear Virtual Event
We are pleased to announce our “birding by ear” virtual event in partnership with Audubon of Kansas, Thursday, May 1, at 3:00 p.m. It will be recorded for later viewing.
Birding by Ear: There’s more to bird watching than meets the eye (mostly for beginning birders) presented by Jackie Augustine. Just like you can tell who is talking by the sound of their voice, you can learn how to identify bird species by their song. You probably know a few birds already – think about what a Canada goose or American crow sounds like. Dr. Jackie Augustine, Audubon of Kansas Executive Director, is a bird watcher and ornithologist. In this presentation, she will discuss the purpose of bird songs and how to identify common birds.
This online event will use Zoom or can be accessed by telephone. Please contact the library at 1-800-362-0699 or by email at KTB@ks.gov if you are interested in participating or would like more information.
Summer Reading 2025
Join us in exploring the vibrant stories of imagination and creativity where words color your world during the 2025 Color Our World summer reading program. Each week, we’ll provide activities to spark your creative side and themed book recommendations full of colorful characters, dashing adventures, and inspiring tales. Stay tuned to our Summer Reading website for more information as we work to build an exciting summer reading program.
In addition, NLS continues their summer reading program for talking book and braille patrons nationwide. They will have multiple virtual events for all ages during the summer.
This year we are partnering with Envision and the Envision Arts Gallery and Community Engagement Center to develop in-person programs for summer reading. Plans are still being finalized. Keep an eye on our summer reading webpage for dates and times for NLS events and the programming offered at Envision Arts Gallery.
The 2025 Color Our World summer reading program begins June 2 and ends August 1. For more information or to register call us at 1-800-362-0699, email KTB@ks.gov, or sign up online.
KTB Outreach Events Calendar
March 5: Dedicated Readers Book Club. 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at CenterWell Senior Primary Care, 2402 E 13th St N, Wichita.
March 13: Wamego Public Library: Children's Braille Pop-In. 10:30 a.m. at Wamego Public Library, 431 Lincoln Ave.
April 2: Aging with Attitude: Estate Planning On Your Terms Conference. 9:30 am - 3:30 pm at The Page, Banquet Room, 2920 10th St. Great Bend.
April 4: Library of Congress Community Outreach. 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St., Lawrence. Kansas Talking Books will present during this event.
April 8: Library of Congress Community Outreach. 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Girard Public Library, 128 W Prairie St, Girard. Kansas Talking Books will present during this event
Sat. April 12: Wichita Big Read: Innovations in Accessible Reading presentation. 2:30 Wichita Public Library Westlink Branch, Wichita.
April 25: Aging with Attitude Regional Expo. 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Independence Community College, West Campus, 2615 W. Main Street, Independence.
April 26: Hands-Only Health Fair. 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Emerson Park, 2717 Strong Ave, Kansas City, KS
April 27: CCVI Trolly Run After Bash. Immediately after the race at the Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, MO.
April 30: Buter County Spring Fling, Sr. Health Fair: 9:00 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the El Dorado Civic Center, 201 E. Central and the Butler County Community Building, 206 Griffith, El Dorado.
News from NLS
Find Great Books with Collections Connections
With hundreds of thousands of audio and braille books and magazines available from NLS, it’s hard to know where to start when searching. Collections Connections, a free email newsletter from the NLS Collection Development staff, can help. Each month it highlights fiction and nonfiction titles focused on a timely theme. To sign up, send your name and email address to the Collection Connections team at connections@loc.gov. You can unsubscribe yourself from the list at any time.
The Economist
The Economist has recently changed its audio format, and NLS no longer has access to the audio files. NLS is currently researching alternative audio formats that can be used to convert the Economist. In addition, NFB-Newsline are currently in the process of negotiating an agreement with the publisher. Economist uploads to BARD and Newsline will be delayed until further notice.
BARD Express Update
NLS has released a software update to BARD Express. Version 3.1.2 includes several improvements:
- Items per page, found under the View menu, now has a maximum value of 500.
- BARD Express now supports more external storage devices.
- The global setting speed in the BARD Express player respects the speed setting of a book that has previously been adjusted.
To download the update, a user who already has BARD Express installed can open the program, open the Help menu, and choose Check For Updates. If BARD Express is not already installed, it can be downloaded from the BARD Express home page.
NLS Patron Events
Introducing the DA2: NLS’s Newest Talking Book Machine on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. There will be a presentation and demonstration of the machine during the NLS Many Faces of BARD online program via Zoom.
The NLS Patron Engagement Section hosts several other regularly scheduled events via Zoom. All events start at 6 p.m. central time.
You can find more information on the Patron Engagement webpage. To get the latest news and updates from NLS directly to your inbox, including information on NLS programs, sign up for the NLS Patron Announce email list. Send your name and email address to the Patron Engagement Section at NLSPES@loc.gov. You can unsubscribe yourself from the list at any time.
Readers’ Advisors Recommend: Own Voices, Disability Memoirs
Experience the personal stories of success and challenges experienced by authors with disabilities in this selection of memoirs.
DB 122023 Vision: A memoir of blindness and justice by David S. Tatel.
David Tatel has served nearly 30 years on America's second highest court, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where many of our most crucial cases are resolved-or teed up for the Supreme Court. He has championed equal justice for his entire adult life; decided landmark environmental and voting cases; and embodied the ideal of what a great judge should be. Yet he has been blind for the past 50 of his 80-plus years. Initially, he depended upon aides to read texts to him, and more recently, a suite of hi-tech solutions has allowed him to listen to reams of documents at high speeds. At first, he tried to hide his deteriorating vision, and for years, he denied that it had any impact on his career. Only recently, partly thanks to his first-ever guide dog, Vixen, has he come to fully accept his blindness and the role it's played in his personal and professional lives. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB 81567 Laughing At My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw.
Burcaw describes the challenges he faces as a twenty-year-old with spinal muscular atrophy--from awkward handshakes to trying to find a girlfriend, and everything in between. Some strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2014.
DB 105634 Being Seen: One deafblind woman’s fight to end ableism by Elsa Sjunneson.
In this memoir, award-winning author Elsa Sjunneson, who identifies as Deafblind, discusses growing up and living in an ableist world. Sjunneson, also a professor and activist, explores how the misrepresentation of disability in books, movies, and TV harms both the disabled community and everyone else. Strong language, some violence, and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 2021.
DB 104231 Grit: A family memoir on adversity and triumph by Jeff Moyer.
In this memoir, the author reflects on his family's struggles with multiple disabilities prior to the Disability Rights Movement, his family's involvement in the Americans with Disabilities Act, and his own work in assistive technology. 2018.
DB 115575 The Country of the Blind: A memoir at the end of sight by Andrew Leland.
We meet Andrew Leland as he's suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he's midway through his life with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that ushers those who live with it from sightedness to blindness over years, even decades. He grew up with full vision, but starting in his teenage years, his sight began to degrade from the outside in, such that he now sees the world as if through a narrow tube. Soon-but without knowing exactly when-he will likely have no vision left. Full of apprehension but also dogged curiosity, Leland embarks on a sweeping exploration of the state of being that awaits him: not only the physical experience of blindness but also its language, politics, and customs. He negotiates his changing relationships with his wife and son, and with his own sense of self, as he moves from his mainstream, "typical" life to one with a disability. Strong language. Commercial audiobook.
DB 113637 Don’t Ask the Blind Guy for Directions: A 30,000-mile journey for love, confidence, and a sense of belonging by John Samuel.
After a diagnosis of a degenerative eye disease, John Samuel's life-and his chance at success-started to vanish. In a world systemically unequipped for accessibility, disability inclusion is often left out of conversations about diversity. For people with disabilities, it can feel impossible to adapt and thrive when you're already set up for failure. A more accessible world is possible-when we see the amazing opportunities in our differences. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB 121835 Just Human: The quest for disability wisdom, respect, and inclusion by Arielle Silverman.
Born without sight, Dr. Arielle Silverman has never missed the visual. Being blind never bothered her much but, as she grew, she discovered others saw her blindness very differently. Many people saw her as either helpless or inspirational, but rarely did they see her as just human, with the same capacities and desires as her peers. Arielle has spent a lifetime exploring ways to foster respect and inclusion, not only for blind people like her, but for all of us whose bodies or minds differ from the norm.
DB 63743 Shades of Darkness: A black soldier’s journey through Vietnam, blindness, and back by George E. Brummell.
Memoir of Staff Sergeant George Brummell, who was blinded in Vietnam. Recalls growing up in segregated Federalsburg, Maryland, before joining the army at age seventeen. Highlights his rehabilitation, quest for a college degree, and career with the Blinded Veterans Association. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2006.
DB 118039 Leg: The story of a limb and the boy who grew from it by Greg Marshall.
Greg Marshall's early years were pretty bizarre. Rewind the VHS tapes and you'll see a lopsided teenager limping across a high school stage, or in a wheelchair after leg surgeries, pondering why he's crushing on half of the Utah Jazz. Add to this home video footage a mom clacking away at her newspaper column between chemos, a dad with ALS, and a cast of foulmouthed siblings. Fast forward the tape and you'll find Marshall happily settled into his life as a gay man only to discover he's been living in another closet his whole life: He has cerebral palsy, a diagnosis that has been kept from him since birth. Here, in the hot mess of it all, lies Greg Marshall's wellspring of wit and wisdom. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB 105662 The Night the Lights Went Out by Drew Magary.
Author of The Hike (DB 85573), Someone Could Get Hurt (DB 86716), and The Postmortal (DB 88857) presents a memoir of his recovery after suffering a near-fatal traumatic brain injury from a mysterious fall. Discusses changes to his relationships, resulting permanent disabilities, and mental health. Strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2021.
DB 117821 My Kaleidoscope Eyes: A journal journey with retinitis pigmentosa by Pamela Edwards.
What job could she do without vision? How would she support herself and her children? When Pamela received her retinitis pigmentosa diagnosis, it sent her world into chaos. As a single mother of three small children, she had to fight. Giving into the blindness was never an option. She needed to find a way but feared time was not on her side. With the help of those closest to her, she found the resources and confidence to persevere. Commercial audiobook.
DBC17258 Magnificent Midnight’s Marvelous Memories: A loving relationship between a young woman and her therapy horse by Tally L. Russell.
Tally was compelled to write this book to share her experiences with Therapeutic Horseback Riding. Tally had ridden horses since she was 4 years old and longed to have a horse of her own. Welcoming Midnight into her life was a dream come true for Tally. She conveys the story of the incredible 10 1/2 years she and Midnight shared together. An underlying theme of the book is the mindset of how there are infinite possibilities when one believes in oneself, and that one's greatest dreams can come true! For grades 2-4.
DBC19469 A Flower Grows in Stone: The diary of a life in progress by Anisah Hassan.
Anisah Hassan's personal testament to the suffering and plight of people living with Stiff-Person/Moersch Woltman Syndrome. The author offers her first-hand account in the form of a narrative, with personal impressions, anecdotes, experiences, and reflections. In trying to demystify SPS, the author endeavors to provide inspiration and hope. Anisah also reaches out to victims of Multiple Sclerosis, cancer, accidents, and anyone enduring isolation occasioned by illness.
Upcoming State and Postal Holidays Reminder
Monday, May 26th – Talking Books Closed, Postal Holiday (Memorial Day)
Thursday, June 19th – Talking Books Closed (Juneteenth)
Friday, July 4th – Talking Books Closed, Postal Holiday (Independence Day)
Contact Kansas Talking Books:
Address: 1 Kellogg Circle, Box 4055. Emporia, KS 66801
Toll free phone: 1-800-362-0699
Local phone: 1-620-341-6280
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Email: KTB@ks.gov
Kansas Talking Books Website
Talking Books Talk Blog
Talking Books on Facebook