In 1928, entertainment is scarce in the tiny hamlet of No Name, New Mexico. So when a Wright Whirlwind J5 biplane runs out of fuel and pilot 19-year-old Katie Burke crash lands on Carlsbad Road, the residents’ lives are changed forever.

Katie’s encounters in this tiny hamlet near Hobbs include a young mechanic who lives in a teepee, an “old maid” schoolteacher who longs for Katie’s friendship (and perhaps more), a brave interracial couple who own the town’s diner, a World War I veteran gripped by PTSD, and a bigoted sheriff who has suspicions about both the plane and the pilot.

C.W.Smith, award-winning author of Girl Flees Circus, will speak at the Allen Public Library 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 6. Smith has worked as a newspaper reporter, musician, longtime SMU English professor, and writer. He is the recipient of the Lon Tinkle Award for “sustained excellence in a career” from the Texas Institute of Letters.

Admission is free and the program will be streamed live on ACTV. Find viewing options at Watch ACTV or view online at ACTV.org or   YouTube.com/AllenCityTV.