There was a common theme across our attendees, that hadn’t been on the program, Keeping L. Frank Baum’s Spirit Alive in the 21st Century, so we’ve made it a panel. Our concluding event Sunday, moderated by John Bell, now taps a handful our number to discuss ways they work to keep L. Frank Baum in the public eye. They certainly aren’t alone—nearly all of us promote Baum and Oz in our own way—but that would be too big a panel! So who’s around the table? We’ll hear from these six, and wrap up with discussion as time allows:
Sue Boland who’s writing articles about Baum for publication after years of volunteering and serving as a tour guide for the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation;
Laura DeNooyer, who was on our 2024 program, cast a true-to-life character of L. Frank Baum in her award-winning historic fiction novel, A Hundred Magical Reasons;
Chris Glasgow, Curator of the Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas who works with displays, public speaking, and public events,
Otis Frampton who is producing The Patchwork Girl of Oz as a comic series for today’s kids. (Otis presentation about his work precedes this panel with just a bit of breathing room between them);
Bob Lamont who has recently created new songs using Baum’s writing–you heard them Friday night;
And Michael Raabe who brought Baum singing and dancing to the Florida stage in his new musical. If you were at our 2024 convention, you heard him talk about the production and perform some of the music.
Moderator John Bell is well-known himself for his original Oz fiction and research work.
Come expecting to be encouraged by the commitment and creativity these panelists bring to their projects. Who knows? It might even give you ideas for projects of your own….
