Mary Pipher at Library Conference

In Mary Pipher’s book, The Middle of Everywhere: The World’s Refugees Come to Our Town, she tells the story of how Lincoln, Nebraska becomes a gathering place for refugees from all corners of the globe. Nebraska, sometimes described as the “middle of nowhere,” is increasingly becoming a “cultural crossroad.” Dr. Pipher says, “We’re becoming a richer curry of peoples.” She immersed herself in the lives of the refugee families that comprise this “rich curry” and emerged with a collection of warm, touching, anecdotal stories of how new arrivals to the United States strive to make sense of this new place, while holding fast to their cultural heritage. “Arrival stories are survival stories,” she says, expressing admiration for the resiliency they exhibit.

The Nebraska Library Commission is proud to sponsor Dr. Mary Pipher as the Leadership Keynote speaker for the Nebraska Library Association/Nebraska Educational Media Association (NLA/NEMA) Conference on Friday, October 8. She will lead us through an exploration of how “cultural brokers” (schoolteachers, caseworkers, public health nurses, library staff and volunteers, and American friends) can help new arrivals to make intentional decisions about what to accept and what to reject in America, easing us into each other’s cultures. The session will include a book signing.

Dr. Pipher travels all over the world sharing her ideas with community groups, schools, and health care professionals. Her articulate and passionate delivery creates enthusiasm in all types of audiences. Her down-to-earth stories of hope and resilience inspire people to work together to build a better community. She lives in Lincoln. Her books include:
• Hunger Pains
• Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls
• The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families
• Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders
• The Middle of Everywhere: The World’s Refugees Come to Our Town
• Letters to a Young Therapist

For more information on Mary Pipher, see mockingbird.creighton.edu/ncw/pipher.htm or marypipher.net.