ISSUED: 18 February 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Scarborough Society of Shepherd University will sponsor a program featuring local award-winning author and Shepherd alumnus Roger Engle Wednesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. in the Scarborough Library Reading room as part of its free lecture series.
Engle will discuss his debut novel, “Stories From a Small Town,” in which he takes a mental journey through his hometown of Hedgesville between 1948 and 1964, rediscovering his childhood along the way. He reveals both the opportunities and challenges of growing up in a working-class family during self-sufficient times. It is a vivid portrait of childhood that will inspire its readers to remember, document, and share their own stories with future generations while they still can.
The book is published by Martinsburg-based Girls on Press and won the 2013 Independent Publisher’s Book Awards bronze medal for Best Non-Fiction Book in the Mid-Atlantic region. It was also a 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist for Best Overall Design. It was juried by West Virginia authors and academics and accepted inTamarack, which showcases the best of West Virginia.
Engle spent the first 21 years of his life in Hedgesville. After graduating from Hedgesville High School and then Shepherd College he taught biology for 30 years at South Hagerstown High School in Hagerstown, Maryland. Now retired, he remains active in his Martinsburg community where he volunteers and serves on several boards and civic committees. He spends his leisure time gardening, traveling, and writing.
The Scarborough Society is a Friends of the Library organization sponsored by the Shepherd University Foundation. Annual membership dues help support the library acquisitions, technology, and programs. Membership is open to all.
The program is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the lecture.
For more information about the lecture series or the Scarborough Society, contact the Shepherd University Foundation at 304-876-5397 or go to www.shepherd.edu/fndtn/scarborough_society.
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