AMHERST – The Am­herst Town Library pres­ents the living history performance of Gwendo­lyn Quezaire-Presutti por­traying Harriet Tubman in "I Can’t Die But Once – Harriet Tubman’s Civil War" on Thursday, July 9 at 7 p.m. in the Main Read­ing Room.

This program is made possible through a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council and is the second program of the adult summer se­ries at the Library called Minds Wide Awake.

Quezaire-Presutti’s characterization of Har­riet Tubman is a well-researched biography about the remarkable life of an enduring war­rior. As Harriet Tubman, she weaves a tale of truth, pain, courage, and deter­mination in the quagmire of racial exploitation.

The United States Gov­ernment enlisted Tub­man as a scout and spy for the Union cause and she battled courageously behind enemy lines dur­ing the Civil War. But Tubman is best known for her role as a conduc­tor on the Underground Railroad.

Though she is one of the most famous women in our nation’s history, we have come to know her in life through fictional­ized biographies written for children. Quezaire- Presutti separates reality from myth to reconstruct a richer and far more ac­curate historical account of Tubman’s life. And af­firming her important role in American History, Har­riet Tubman has been in the news recently as the top choice for her image being on a new series of $20 bills.

Quezai re-Presut t i studied under Profes­sor Lloyd Barbee at the University of Wisconsin and has been a commit­ted scholar of African- American Studies, in par­ticular women of color. She is dedicated to study­ing the character, philos­ophy, courage and grace that have helped black American women survive and flourish.

She is listed on the performing artist ros­ter, artist-in-residence at the Connecticut Arts for Learning, and Nassau BO­CES Arts in Education. In recognition of the quality and range of her work, she received The Institute of Texan Cultures Director’s Award for Excellence, The Greater Hartford Arts Council/the Boston Fund Individual Artist Fellow­ship, first place in the In­ternational Toastmaster Award competition for Interpretive Reading, and crowned Ms. Senior Con­necticut 2010.

This event and all pro­grams in the summer long series Minds Wide Awake are free and open to the public. However, registra­tion is required for each program due to space lim­itations.

Other upcoming pro­grams for adults in the Minds Wide Awake series include: "A Night of Old- Time String Music and Song" on Wednesday, July 15 at 7 p.m.; "Iran: Persian Glory and Islamic Revo­lution" on Wednesday, July 22 at 7 p.m.; "Hiking the John Muir Trail" on Wednesday, July 29 at 7 p.m.; and, "Mindful Eating with Chef Liz Barbour" on Thursday, July 30 at 6:30 p.m.

You can register for all these events by call­ing 673-2288, emailing library@amherstlibrary. org or by visiting our website at www.amherstlibrary.org/and selecting the "Community Servic­es" tab, then click on drop down "Sign-Up for Pro­grams."