Huzzah for the Renaissance!

It’s September! This means huzzah and cheers for the Renaissance! What is the Renaissance? Where did it begin? Why was it so relevant in history? This is a time in history of great change, discoveries, new inventions, and innovations.

Locally, Labor Day through Columbus Day is the time of the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. If you want to enjoy fantasy, history, fandoms, and fun, check it out! Each weekend features a different theme. Here are some items in the Library’s collection that align with each theme and may pique your interest:

• Swashbucklers and Sirens
• Shamrocks and Shenanigans
• Highland Fling
• Barkbarian Brew
• Heroes and Villains
• Wine, Chocolate, and Romance
• Haunted Huzzah

Here is a list of titles to get you immersed into the Renaissance: Huzzah and Cheers for Renaissance Faire Reads! Do you want to explore like Sir Francis Drake or Ferdinand Magellan? Check out Historic Map Works for international and national locations, longitude and latitudes, and points of interest, and discover maps dating back to the 1500s.

I encourage you to also explore British and Irish Women’s Letters and Diaries. This resource showcases over 400 women and features over 1,800 articles, letters, and diary entries from some very famous monarchs. These date back as far as the 1500s. There is an entire book of correspondence between Mary Queen of Scots those connected to her leading up to her execution. This resource also has an interesting series of letters between Queen Elizabeth the First and future King James the Sixth of Scotland. It is a very interesting dynamic between these two monarchs. The oldest dates back to 1582.

What was life like back in the Renaissance? Check out Daily Life through History. It features articles and information about social hierarchy, religion, politics, family life, sports, and even hairstyles. If you are curious to dive into your own family history, check out the Midwest Genealogy Center. The wonderful scribes…er...staff are there to help you find the tools you need, attend research classes, and explore digital resources so you can take your own deep dive into archives. Write and record your own history!

Many timeless writers, orators, playwrights, and literary icons would be born or emerge during the British and European Renaissance. Are you wanting to go down in history as the next Shakespeare, Machiavelli, Chaucer, Cervantes, Marlowe, or Moliere? Get started at The Story Center! You can become a certified oral or written storyteller.

While this is only the tip of all the resources the Library has to get you started on your journey through the Renaissance, remember that you need your Library card.

There is another world waiting for you to discover, invent, and create…much like the Renaissance.

Huzzah!

Andrew E.
Red Bridge Branch