LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, will offer a "Researching Germanic Lancaster" workshop on Saturday, Sept. 26. The program will begin at 10 a.m.

LancasterHistory reference librarian Jessica Barbera will share how people can research their German ancestors, including what resources her organization offers and how to navigate the research process. Participants are encouraged to bring photographs from their own collections for discussion.

There is a discount for LancasterHistory members. To register, visit http://www.lancasterhistory.org/events/ or call 717-392-4633.

In addition, LancasterHistory will host an America250PA lecture by Clint Smith, who is an award-winning author, poet, and staff writer for The Atlantic. Smith will present "Revolution to Reconstruction: Pennsylvania and the Fight for Liberty and Equality" on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the Ware Center for the Arts, 42 N. Prince St., Lancaster. Doors will open at 5 p.m., with the program beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Smith will explore the complex and often contradictory ways Americans have understood freedom, equality, and citizenship from the Revolution through Reconstruction. Drawing connections between Pennsylvania's history and the larger American story, the program will challenge the notion that there is - or ever has been - a single American experience. The program will include a question-and-answer session, and signed copies of Smith's "How the Word Is Passed" will be available for purchase from Pocket Books.

Smith is the author of the narrative nonfiction book "How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America," winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, and the Stowe Prize. The New York Times named it one of the 10 best books of 2021. With Sonja Cherry-Paul, Smith adapted the book for young readers in 2025.

He is also the author of the poetry collection "Above Ground" and the award-winning "Counting Descent." His forthcoming nonfiction book, "Just Beneath the Soil," explores how World War II is remembered around the world; the book is scheduled for publication in May 2027.

Smith's writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Poetry Magazine, The Paris Review, and other publications. He was named a New America Emerson Collective Fellow in 2020 and the inaugural fellow of the Sachs Foundation in 2026. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Davidson College and a doctorate in education from Harvard University.

The lecture will not be livestreamed or recorded. Tickets are free, but advance registration is required. Attendees may register by visiting the aforementioned website or calling 717-392-4633.