Watermark Books & Cafe is excited to welcome authors Ed Flentje and Michael Smith in store! Reform and Reaction not only illuminates the political history of Kansas but also sheds light on what may be in store for the future of the Sunflower State. H. Edward Flentje is a professor emeritus at Wichita State University and formerly was director and professor in the Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs at the university. He earlier served with U.S. Sen. James Pearson and Kansas Govs. Robert Bennett and Mike Hayden and later in assignments as interim city manager for the City of Wichita and as interim president of Emporia State University. Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University. He has authored or co-authored five books, the most recent of which is Reform and Reaction: The Arc of Modern Kansas Politics (co-edited with H. Edward Flentje, Kansas 2024). He has other academic publications as well, and also writes newspaper columns carried throughout Kansas as part of the Insight Kansas group. Michael appears occasionally on television and radio in Kansas and western Missouri to discuss state and national politics. He has been an expert witness in four court cases, including Bednasek v Kobach, decided together with Fish v Kobach by the federal district court for Kansas in 2018. Michael teaches courses in American politics, state and local government, and political philosophy.