Authors to speak at library

SAUGUS – Saugus Library Director Diane Wallace said even when people come reluctantly they are always happy they came to hear authors speak at the library.”They always learn something,” she said. “We’ve never had a dud.”The library has two authors lined up to speak over the next two weeks, and Wallace is again confident that the turnout will be good.Peter Janney is the author of “Mary’s Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer and Their Vision of World Peace.” Janney, who grew up in Washington, D.C., during the Cold War era, is the son of a senior career CIA official. He called the tapestry surrounding JFK’s death a broad one and Pinchot’s a much smaller one, “yet they are connected.”Wallace said he was invited to speak in honor of the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination.”Hard to believe it’s been 50 years,” she said.Janney will speak Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the library.”People in Saugus love their history, so I’m expecting a good turnout,” Wallace said.The following week, local author Stephen Wilk will present a slide lecture, The History of the Ray Gun from 1809 to Tomorrow.”He is a rocket scientist,” said Wallace. “His stuff is legit.”Author of “How the Ray Gun Got its Zap,” a “collection of short, fun essays on unusual topics in optics,” Wilk has a Ph.D. in physics and has worked on laser propulsion and high-energy lasers.Wallace said she thought young kids might find his work interesting but he noted the book is clearly for adults.”But I hope some kids will come anyway,” she said. “Maybe they’ll learn something. People are always surprised.”Wilk will speak Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the library.Both events are free and open to the public.