Library to present Brown Bags and Books
Former Harrisburg resident Leo Gher will discuss his book, "Moynihan's Journey and the Clash of Civilizations," at this month's Brown Bags and Books at Harrisburg District Library.
The program will be at noon Wednesday, April 26, with a light lunch provided. Of course, those who attend are welcome to bring their own brown bag lunches.
Gher describes his novel as a literary thriller. It is set on a global stage – primarily Azerbaijan, Egypt and the United States – and the clash is between the Zebeqi Nation's Shia resistance cult and Sunni Muslims and their Western allies. In addition to the drama of global terrorism and cultural conflict, there is a love story.
Gher now lives in Murphysboro; but, for 26 years, he and his wife, Nan, and their daughters, Juli and Krista, lived in Harrisburg. The girls went to school in Harrisburg and still call the community their home. They moved to Harrisburg in 1967 when Gher's wife was hired at A.L. Bowen Center. He joined her there, where both worked as teachers and producers of children's television shows. By the time they left in 1993, he was working at SIU and she had retired.
At SIU, Gher taught broadcasting in the Radio-TV Department and became head of electronic media marketing and management. A few years into his academic career, the collapse of the Soviet Union led him in a new direction. The State Department needed credentialed experts to send to these countries in transition. Gher had early experience with the Chicago Tribune as well as radio/TV work, and he was a professor.
Gher met the State Department's requirements and subsequently spent 25 years living and working in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. He is especially proud of his work in Azerbaijan, where he helped establish the Azerbaijan-American Academy of Journalism.
Anyone interested in his views on Islam should visit his blog: leogher.com/blog ROAR. In five essays, Gher shares his views on the fate of the Islamic world entering the 21th century. The blog also contains examples of his poetry and short stories as well as workshop materials to download. "Moynihan's Journey and the Clash of Civilizations" is his first novel. It will be followed by "Wind and Fire," which is scheduled to be published this fall.
Harrisburg District Library is located at 2 W. Walnut St. For more information about Brown Bags and Books, call the library at 618-253-7455.