Putnam County resident to speak at Passport Travel Series April 11

The Putnam County Public Library recently announced the Spring Passport Travel Series Season that will be launched on Thursday, April 11 at noon by Jeannette Johnson-Licon, director of Cultural Resource Centers at DePauw University.

Johnson-Licon, who was born on the US-Mexico border to Mexican/American parents, will give a talk titled "All Roads Lead Home: Re/Visiting the Desert Southwest."

She will discuss her January travels with DePauw students to two Southwest destinations that are both rich in history and in memory. The first part of her journey was to painter Georgia O'Keefe's beloved Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico. Ghost Ranch is a remote 21,000-acre retreat known for its spectacular red rock landscape, as well as for paleontology, geology, archaeology, history and art. It is also the place where Johnson-Licon learned silversmithing.

The Ghost Ranch landscapes have been featured in many films including Django, Cowboys and Aliens and City Slickers.

The second part of Johnson-Licon's journey took her "home" to the west Texas town of El Paso.

This is a Brown Bag event with cookies and drinks provided by the library. Pick up a "passport" at Passport Travel series events and have it stamped to be eligible for future prizes.

Upcoming Passport Travel Series talks include:

Thursday, April 25 at noon: Morocco by Terry Noble .

May 15 at noon: Scotland by Lynne Tweedie.

June 19 at 6:30 p.m.: Thailand and Cambodia by Monica Fennell.