Author Q&A

Enid Public Library to Host Author Q&A Featuring WWII Survivor

July 25 , 2025

The Enid Public Library will host an Author Q&A event at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, featuring Patty Kelly Stephens and co-author Larry Floyd, discussing their book, “Waiting for America: A Civilian Prisoner of Japan in the Philippines.”

The book recounts Stephens’ experiences as a 17-year-old civilian prisoner during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II. Now 100 years old, Stephens is one of the last living civilian witnesses to the wartime internment of American citizens in the Pacific. She spent more than three years in two Japanese prison camps near Manila before being rescued in an operation by the U.S. 11th Airborne Division on Feb. 23, 1945.

“When I returned to America after the war and started college in California, my freshman composition teacher told me I should write a book about my experiences,” Stephens said during an interview. “Well, I finally got around to it.”

Born in Honolulu and raised in the Philippines, Stephens moved to Oklahoma City in 1946 after marrying Army Lt. Paul Kelly, who later founded Guaranty Bank and Trust Co. She now resides in Nichols Hills.

“As time passes, we have less opportunities to hear from those that were actually there to experience the horrors of WWII, and I believe it is incredibly important to discuss these topics and experiences while we still have the chance,” Enid Public Library Adult Program Coordinator Haley Williams said.

Stephens collaborated with Oklahoma journalist and history professor Larry Floyd to complete the book, which was published last year. Floyd has authored multiple works, including “Oklahoma Hiking Trails” and “Stalking the Great Killer.”

The event is free and open to the public. A 10-minute documentary film about “Waiting for America” will be shown before the discussion, and copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

The event will be livestreamed on the Enid Public Library’s Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.

For more information, visit enid.oklps.org, or contact adult program coordinator Haley Williams at 580-616-7500 or haley.williams@enid.org. To learn more about Stephens, Floyd, or “Waiting for America” visit www.larrycfloyd.com.

About the Enid Public Library:

The Enid Public Library is a vibrant community hub dedicated to providing free access to materials and services in a variety of formats while reflecting community standards to meet the informational and recreational needs of the community. The Library promotes freedom of thought, literacy, a love for reading, and lifelong learning.