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Wendell Berry to receive Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. Celebrated author and farmer Wendell Berry will accept the Tulsa Library Trust's 2012 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award Dec. 7. The award will be given at a black-tie dinner Dec. 7. Berry will also give a free public presentation at 10:30am Dec. 8 at Central Library, 400 Civic Center.

The 78-year-old Kentuckian, who farms 125 acres near Port Royal, Ky., with his wife, Tanya, has established himself as a principled presence in American letters, as well as an outspoken critic of industrialized farming. During his prestigious career, he has made the decline of rural America largely the subject of his more than 50 works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. He also has received numerous awards and honors, including being selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities to deliver the 2012 Jefferson Lecture. The lecture is now available in Berry's latest collection of essays titled It All Turns on Affection.

To complement the Distinguished Author Series, Tulsa City-County Library is offering "Novel Talk Presents: A Place on Earth," featuring community leaders reading selections from Berry's works and sharing personal responses, on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 7pm at Central Library. Featured readers are Donna Farrior, member of the Distinguished Author Award Committee; the Hon. William C. Kellough, district judge; Jeff Martin, co-founder, BookSmart Tulsa; and Heather Oakley, founder and director, Global Gardens.

Plus, the Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries will present "A Wendell Berry Sampler" as part of the popular Books Sandwiched In series on Monday, Dec. 3 at 12:10pm at Central Library. In addition, an exhibit depicting the life and writings of Berry will be on display at Central Library in November through Dec. 8.

Cherokee Heritage Center announces new name for outdoor living exhibit. The Cherokee Heritage Center has announced "Diligwa" as the official name of the new outdoor living exhibit under construction at the center, 21192 S. Keeler Drive, Park Hill. Diligwa will replace the Tsalagi Ancient Village in May 2013.

When the outdoor exhibit opened in 1967, it was originally designed as an interpretive area to showcase Cherokee daily life, prior to European contact.

"The new outdoor living exhibit will provide guests with an enhanced experience of authentic Cherokee life and history," said Barbara L. Girty, interim deputy executive director at the Cherokee Heritage Center. "What's now presented in the Ancient Village is limited by the research and resources that were available in its day. Diligwa will be the most authentic Cherokee experience based on life in the early 1700s."

Diligwa is a name derivative of Tellico, once the principal Cherokee village in the east.

November 12 screening of Ken Burns' The Dust Bowl. A free advance screening of Ken Burns' upcoming documentary The Dust Bowl will take place at the OSU-Tulsa Auditorium, 700 N. Greenwood Ave., on Monday, Nov. 12, at 6:30pm, and will feature the film's writer and producer Dayton Duncan.

The Dust Bowl examines, through the stories of people who lived through the period, the experience of the worst man-made ecological disaster in American history. The two-part, four-hour film documents the history and causes of the dust bowl, but focuses primarily on the personal stories of survival -- how Oklahomans lived, worked and persevered.

The screening event will include an audience Q&A with Duncan following the preview of the film, which is the latest historical documentary from Burns (The Civil War, Jazz, Baseball). The Dust Bowl will air on OETA-The Oklahoma Network Nov. 18 and 19 at 7pm.

Seating will be limited, and reservations are recommended. Call 405-841-9212 or e-mail abarcum@oeta.tv to reserve seating.

Free Disposal of Household Chemicals. Half-empty bottles of bleach and old batteries with a highly questionable charge don't need to clog up your home for much longer.

The Metropolitan Environmental Trust will collect these items Nov. 3 and 4, from 10am to 3pm, at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds. To get rid of such waste for free, use the entrance near East 15th Street and South Sandusky Avenue.

Business waste is not accepted, but individuals from Tulsa and neighboring communities can stop by at the semi-annual event.

While many types of materials will be accepted, other items -- including batteries, oil, and antifreeze -- can be dropped off every day at 13 MET recycling centers located throughout the Tulsa area. Location for the centers can be found at metrecycle.com.