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Virtual Author Talk

Katie Beaton - "Ducks"

2023-04-04 19:00:00 2023-04-04 20:00:00 America/New_York Virtual Author Talk Join us for an enlightening hour online with highly-acclaimed Kate Beaton, the New York Times bestselling author of Hark! A Vagrant! And Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. Westlake Porter Public Library -

Tuesday, April 04
7:00pm - 8:00pm

Add to Calendar 2023-04-04 19:00:00 2023-04-04 20:00:00 America/New_York Virtual Author Talk Join us for an enlightening hour online with highly-acclaimed Kate Beaton, the New York Times bestselling author of Hark! A Vagrant! And Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. Westlake Porter Public Library -

Join us for an enlightening hour online with highly-acclaimed Kate Beaton, the New York Times bestselling author of Hark! A Vagrant! And Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands.

Before there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant! fame, there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beatons, specifically Mabou, a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches, fiddles, and Gaelic folk songs. Her first full-length graphic narrative follows Beaton after university as she heads out west to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush, part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can't find it in the homeland they love so much. With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, what the journey will actually cost Beaton will be far more than she anticipates.

Arriving in Fort McMurray, Beaton finds work in the lucrative camps owned and operated by the world’s largest oil companies. Being one of the few women among thousands of men, the culture shock is palpable. It does not hit home until she moves to a spartan, isolated worksite for higher pay. She encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet never discussed. Her wounds may never heal.

Beaton’s natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife, Northern Lights, and Rocky Mountains. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is more than a memoir, it’s also an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people.

About the Author: Kate Beaton was born and raised in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. After graduating from Mount Allison University with a double degree in History and Anthropology, she moved to Alberta in search of work that would allow her to pay down her student loans. During the years she spent out West, Beaton began creating webcomics under the name Hark! A Vagrant, quickly drawing a substantial following around the world. The collections of her landmark strip Hark! A Vagrant and Step Aside, Pops each spent several months on the New York Times graphic novel bestseller list, as well as appearing on best of the year lists from Time, The Washington Post, Vulture, NPR Books, and winning the Eisner, Ignatz, Harvey, and Doug Wright Awards. She has also published the picture books King Baby and The Princess and the Pony. Beaton lives in Cape Breton with her family.

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Books and Authors |

TAGS: | |

Westlake Porter Public Library

Phone: (440) 871-2600
Fax: (440) 871-6969

Hours
Mon, Jul 07 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Jul 08 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Jul 09 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, Jul 10 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, Jul 11 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Jul 12 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Jul 13 1:00PM to 5:00PM
Mon, Jul 07 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Jul 08 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Jul 09 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, Jul 10 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, Jul 11 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Jul 12 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Jul 13 1:00PM to 5:00PM

About the branch

Westlake Porter Public Library is an independent public library serving the residents of the city of Westlake, western Cuyahoga County and eastern Lorain County. The library is located at 27333 Center Ridge Road in Westlake, Ohio. Anyone who lives, works, owns property, or goes to school in Ohio can register for a free library card.

Upcoming events

Fri, Jul 11, 10:30am - 11:30am
Friends Pavilion

Sat, Jul 12, 10:30am - 11:00am
Storytime Room

Sun, Jul 13, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Storytime Room

Mon, Jul 14, 9:00am - 9:00pm
This event is full

Mon, Jul 14, 11:00am - 11:45am
Porter Room

Mon, Jul 14, 3:00pm - 3:45pm
Technology Training Lab

Mon, Jul 14, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Porter Room
This event is full

Tue, Jul 15, 9:30am - 10:00am
Storytime Room

Tue, Jul 15, 10:15am - 10:45am
Storytime Room

Tue, Jul 15, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Craft Room

Wed, Jul 16, 11:00am - 11:45am
Porter Room

Wed, Jul 16, 1:00pm - 1:30pm
Storytime Room

Wed, Jul 16, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Makerspace,Technology Training Lab
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Wed, Jul 16, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Storytime Room

Wed, Jul 16, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Thomas A. Fox Board Room

Wed, Jul 16, 7:00pm - 7:30pm
Storytime Room

Thu, Jul 17, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Friends Pavilion,Porter Room

Thu, Jul 17, 1:00pm - 2:30pm

Thu, Jul 17, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Friends Pavilion

Thu, Jul 17, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Reading Garden

Fri, Jul 18, 10:00am - 10:45am
Porter Room

Sat, Jul 19, 10:30am - 11:00am
Friends Pavilion

Sat, Jul 19, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Porter Room

Mon, Jul 21, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Porter Room

Mon, Jul 21, 3:00pm - 3:45pm
Technology Training Lab
Registration opens Monday, July 14 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, Jul 22, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Craft Room
Registration opens Tuesday, July 15 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, Jul 22, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Porter Room

Wed, Jul 23, 11:00am - 11:45am
Storytime Room
Registration opens Wednesday, July 16 2025 at 9:00am

Wed, Jul 23, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Makerspace,Technology Training Lab
This event is full

Wed, Jul 23, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Storytime Room

Wed, Jul 23, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Dover Room

Thu, Jul 24, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Craft Room
Registration opens Thursday, July 17 2025 at 9:00am

Fri, Jul 25, 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Craft Room

Fri, Jul 25, 4:00pm - 4:45pm
Storytime Room
Registration opens Friday, July 18 2025 at 9:00am

Sat, Jul 26, 10:00am - 4:00pm
Porter Room

Sat, Jul 26, 11:00am - 11:45am
Storytime Room
Registration opens Saturday, July 19 2025 at 9:00am

Sat, Jul 26, 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Sun, Jul 27, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Craft Room
Registration opens Sunday, July 20 2025 at 9:00am

Sun, Jul 27, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Storytime Room

Mon, Jul 28, 3:00pm - 3:45pm
Technology Training Lab
Registration opens Monday, July 21 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, Jul 29, 9:30am - 9:50am
Storytime Room

Tue, Jul 29, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Porter Room

Tue, Jul 29, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Craft Room

Wed, Jul 30, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Storytime Room

Wed, Jul 30, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Storytime Room
Registration opens Wednesday, July 23 2025 at 9:00am

Wed, Jul 30, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Porter Room

Thu, Jul 31, 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Storytime Room
Registration opens Thursday, July 24 2025 at 9:00am

Thu, Jul 31, 3:00pm - 3:30pm
Storytime Room
Registration opens Thursday, July 24 2025 at 9:00am

Fri, Aug 01, 9:00am - 6:00pm

Fri, Aug 01, 10:00am - 10:45am
Friends Pavilion

Cancelled
Fri, Aug 01, 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Sat, Aug 02, 10:00am - 11:30am
Makerspace
Registration opens Saturday, July 26 2025 at 9:00am

Sat, Aug 02, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Dover Room,Friends Pavilion

Sun, Aug 03, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Storytime Room

Mon, Aug 04, 9:00am - 9:00pm
Registration opens Monday, July 28 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, Aug 05, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Online

Tue, Aug 05, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Makerspace
Registration opens Tuesday, July 29 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, Aug 05, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Porter Room

Wed, Aug 06, 10:30am - 11:15am
Storytime Room
Registration opens Wednesday, July 30 2025 at 9:00am

Wed, Aug 06, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Dover Room

Thu, Aug 07, 10:00am - 10:45am
Friends Pavilion,Storytime Room
Registration opens Thursday, July 31 2025 at 9:00am

Thu, Aug 07, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Porter Room

Thu, Aug 07, 1:30pm - 2:15pm
Storytime Room
Registration opens Thursday, July 31 2025 at 9:00am

Fri, Aug 08, 10:30am - 11:00am
Dover Room

Sat, Aug 09, 9:00am - 12:00pm
Registration opens Friday, July 11 2025 at 9:00am

Sat, Aug 09, 10:00am - 11:30am
Porter Room

Sat, Aug 09, 10:30am - 11:00am
Dover Room

Sat, Aug 09, 10:30am - 11:00am
Storytime Room

Sun, Aug 10, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Storytime Room