June 19 marks the day in 1865 in which enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told by Union troops that they were free, and on June 15, the history and celebration of the subsequent holiday will be explored in Juneteenth: A Day of Independence, a live presentation taking place at the Davenport Public Library's Fairmount Street Branch.

On June 9 and 10, 30 talented and intelligent young women from across the state will compete for top honors in the preliminaries and finals for the Miss Iowa and Miss Iowa's Outstanding Teen Competitions, with guests at Davenport's Adler Theatre invited to share the excitement as this year's candidates compete in four separate phases: Talent/HERStory, Health & Fitness, Evening Gown, and On-Stage Interview.

While most of the presentations in the Davenport Public Library's monthly 3rd Thursday at Hoover's Presidential Library & Museum program have focused on former president Herbert Hoover, the series will take an overdue look at the extraordinary contributions of his wife when speaker Annette Dunlap, on June 15, delivers her fascinating virtual event Lou Henry Hoover's White House Years, the first in a three-month "best of" series.

Hailed by O the Oprah Magazine as "an attentive and precise writer who dazzles with natural and supernatural observations and lyrical details," a bestselling author will take part in a virtual program offered by Illinois Libraries Present and the Rock Island and Moline Public Libraries, her June 6 event Navigate Your Stars: A Conversation with Jesmyn Ward treating participants to an audience with the talent lauded by Entertainment Weekly as "one of the most searing and singularly gifted writers working today."