Happy Women's History Month

 
March is National Women's History Month.  To celebrate women who have made an impact in history, this month's Third Thursday Lecture will welcome Valerie Rivers, manager of the the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park at Cross Creek, to talk about the Pulitzer Prize

winning author of The Yearling and other noted books set in Florida.

For more information, please contact the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society at 904-268-0784.

Hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Andrew Morrow

Manager of Marjorie Kinan Rawlings Historic Park To Speak about Author's Florida Life and Times

Valerie Rivers, manger of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park at Cross Creek,  will speak about the life of author Marjorie Kinan Rawlings at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, at the Mandarin Community Club, 12447 Mandarin Road.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1896 - 1953) was a Florida author whose themes and setting incorporated the rural area where she lived. Her best known work, The Yearling, won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1939.

Rivers will speak about Rawlings life and how events during her time influenced her works.  She will introduce Rawlings' Cross Creek farm and the importance Rawlings placed on living with nature.  Rivers will also speak about Rawlings' interactions with neighbors and friends and the author's observations of changes within these relationships.  The lecture will incorporate passages and personal writings from Rawlings.

Rivers is originally from Orlando.  She graduated from Florida State University and received a master's in education from Pepperdine University.  She began working as park manager at Cross Creek in 1993.  During her tenure, the park was recognized as a National Historic Landmark. She oversaw many restoration projects and creation of interpretive exhibits within the park.  She also established a citizen support organization for the park.