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September 18, 2008 Contact:     Lesley A. Collins     307-261-7603 Trails Center Helps Host Equality State Book Festival  with Special Presentations and Free Admission As part of the 2008 Equality State Book Festival, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is sponsoring three free events at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center September 19. The Western emigrant experience is well documented in enduring first-person accounts, and the Trails Center is honoring both the written and spoken arts of reminiscence for this year's book festival. On Friday, September 19, at 9:00 a.m. the Trails Center will host Twyla Hansen, poet and educator from Lincoln, Nebraska. Ms. Hansen will present a one-hour, workshop called "Playing Around With Words," emphasizing the written expression of imagery, and poetry composition. At 10:30 a.m., Journalism Professor Mary Kay Quinlan of the University of Nebraska Lincoln campus will offer an "Introduction to Oral History" for one hour. Professor Quinlan co-authored The Oral History Manual and is currently finishing a second co-authored manual specific to gathering Native American oral histories, due out this October. After lunch, Professor Quinlan will return for an "Oral History Workshop" from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., with co-presenter Kevin Anderson. Kevin is the archivist for the Casper College Western History Center. Together, they will provide a comprehensive awareness of how to pursue and preserve oral histories. BLM is excited to offer these free educational opportunities; seating for all three sessions is limited, so interested individuals are urged to call Reid Miller of the Trails Center staff at 307-261-7781 to reserve a space. The 2008 Book Festival web site address is: www.equalitystatebookfest.com -BLM-