LOCAL TALENT Beth Rengel discovered her love for writing as a teenager but never imagined she would someday use her life experiences to become an author and speaker.
PAGETURNERS
“The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny” by Michael Wallis The New York Times-bestselling author’s latest biography is a comprehensive account of the 1846-1847 journey of the ill-fated wagon train.
ANCHOR’S AWEIGH Former newscaster pens book about life’s difficulties. BY CASSANDRA SCOTT
and her life as a wife and mother. But she doesn’t skip over the rough parts of life — from the pain of divorce and becoming a single, working mom, to getting fired, to the shame of public humiliation on the air. As the title suggests, illusion is a recurring theme throughout the book. Rengel describes the value she long placed on “keeping up appearances” — a habit honed through pageants and broadcasting experience — and is transparent about the fear that strategy was devised to hide. Ultimately, Rengel uses her life’s difficulties as a tool to relate to her readers. “I didn’t write the book to make money,” she says. “I wrote the book to help people.” TP
TulsaPeople JUNE 2017
by Jennifer Latham Narrated by two teenagers from different eras, the second novel of local young adult author Latham centers on a murder that occurred during the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot.
“Anchored in Illusion” is $14.99 and available through Amazon or on Rengel’s website, bethrengel.com.
Downtown hosts Juneteenth Tulsa’s celebration of AfricanAmerican independence and culture will offer something for nearly everyone, say Juneteenth organizers. The festival will be June 15-18 in downtown Tulsa. “This year, we wanted to collaborate with other organizations and really make this a citywide event,” says co-chair Sherry Gamble-Smith. Activities for all ages are planned for various venues in the inner-dispersal loop, with the main events in the historic Greenwood District. Some highlights include food trucks, a comedy show, a kids’ zone, vendors, visual and performance arts, and a film. Music is a focus of Juneteenth, which also will include performances from 10 local and regional bands playing R&B, jazz, blues and gospel. “People sometimes take for granted how much talent we have in Tulsa musically,” says co-chair Jason McIntosh. A full event schedule can be found at tulsajuneteenth.org.— MORGAN PHILLIPS 18
“Dreamland Burning”
“Of Silence and Sound” by Kennedy Cox Two teens on opposite sides of the world discover they can hear each other’s thoughts. The author, a 17-year-old Holland Hall student, captures the inner struggle of protagonist Violet.
— MORGAN PHILLIPS
LOCAL TALENT: VALERIE GRANT; JUNETEENTH: TULSA JUNETEENTH INC.
“D
on’t doubt yourself. We tend to be our own worst enemy; if you are afraid of something, do it.” That’s what Beth Rengel, agent for McGraw Realtors and former newscaster, says to do when confronted with a challenge. The advice ultimately became the core message of her new book, “Anchored in Illusion.” Rengel started writing in the seventh grade but says she found it challenging to write about her personal life. It took a lot of encouragement from her friend Jim Stovall to get the ball rolling. “When Jim said I needed to write a book, I had no idea what he meant,” Rengel says. “I told him, ‘I don’t have a story to tell,’ but he said, ‘You have everyone’s story. Getting hired, fired, getting married, divorced, having a child … everyone experiences those things.’” The book discusses Rengel’s success as a beauty queen, her career in newscasting across the country