Library Lassie
Month: March 2011
No Seaweed Required
‘Where the Heart Is’ Author Coming to Ada
6th annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival Set March 31-April 2
The annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival is back for its sixth year and bigger than ever with four featured authors, including Where The Heart Is author Billie Letts. In addition, more than 50 regional, published and emerging authors will make presentations during the three-day festival, March 31 – April 2, on the campus of East Central University in Ada, Okla. All sessions are free and open to the public.
Billie Letts is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, in the Estep Multimedia Center. She has received national and international recognition since starting her first novel at age 54. The award-winning author is a native of Tulsa. She retired as an English professor from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1995.
Letts is the author of four screenplays, including the filmed version of Veritas, Prince of Truth, and numerous short stories. Where The Heart Is was her first novel and it reached the coveted No. 1 slot on The New York Times’ paperback bestseller list. It was chosen as a read for Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club, has been published in 14 countries with more than three million copies sold and was made into a movie by 20th Century Fox in 2000.
Her other novels are Honk And Holler Opening Soon, Shoot The Moon and Made In The USA. Letts won the prestigious Walker Percy Literary Award at the 1994 New Orleans Writers Conference and the Oklahoma Book Award for fiction in 1996 and 1999. Honk and Holler Opening Soon was chosen as the “Oklahoma Reads Oklahoma” book in 2004.
The other three featured authors for the writing festival are Larry D. Thomas, Jonis Agee and Susan Perabo.
Larry D. Thomas was the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate. Born and reared in West Texas, Thomas has lived in Houston since 1967. He graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor’s degree in English literature.
He started writing poetry seriously in the early 1970s during his four-year tour of duty in the U.S. Navy. Immediately after his discharge, he was hired by the Harris County Adult Probation Department where he rose from the rank of probation officer to unit supervisor and ultimately to branch director, the position he held until his retirement in 1998.
Thomas wrote consistently on weekends during his 31-year career in social service and adult criminal justice and was quite successful during that time in placing his poems in numerous respected national literary journals. His first collection of poetry, The Lighthouse Keeper, was published by Timberline Press in late 2000 and was selected by the Small Press Review as a “pick-of-the-issue” (May/June 2001). He has since then published 15 additional collections of poems which have received several prestigious prizes and awards.
Jonis Agee was born in Omaha, Neb. and grew up in Nebraska and Missouri, places where many of her stories and novels are set. She is the author of 13 books, including five novels, five collections of short fiction and two books of poetry.
In her newest novel, The River Wife, five generations of women experience love and heartbreak, passion and deceit against the backdrop of the 19th century south. The book has been selected by the Book of the Month Club, the Literary Guild and the Quality Paperback Book Club.
Agee earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She is a professor of English at the University of Nebraska –Lincoln, where she teaches creative writing and 20th century fiction.
Susan Perabo is a writer in residence and associate professor of English at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. Her short fiction has appeared in magazines such as Glimmer Train, Story, Tri-Quarterly and The Missouri Review and in the anthologies Best American Short Stories and New Stories from the South.
Perabo’s short story collection, Who I Was Supposed to Be, was published in 1999, and named Book of the Year by the Los Angeles Times and The Miami Herald. Her first novel, The Broken Places, was published in 2001. A new collection of short stories is forthcoming. Perabo holds an MFA from the University of Arkansas.
The Scissortail Creative Writing Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Each day is broken into several sessions.
For a complete schedule of readers, visit www.ecuscissortail.blogspot.com .
The Darryl Fisher High School Creative Writing Contest winners will also be awarded during the festival. The Scissortail Creative Writing Festival is sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council. For more information, contact Dr. Ken Hada at 580-559-5557 or visit www.ecuscissortail.blogspot.com .
March Library Events on the Cutting Edge
By KATHY McGILBERRY
Sharpen your focus, cut through the cacophony of modern information overload, get your head out of the clouds and get yourself to McAlester Public Library in March, where you’ll find a Versailles-level banquet of information services to interest even the most jaded of aristocratic tastes.
Plus, there’s a guillotine.
Yes, with the arrival of March we begin our spring “Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma” reading and discussion program with the series “Liberty and Violence: The Heritage of the French Revolution.” Christopher Elliott and I have sliced, diced and Julienned our way through the stacks to bring you a related display at the front desk, complete with (nonlethal) guillotine, a few Madame Defarge-appropriate accessories, lots and lots of related books and movies, and a replica of one really unfortunate member of the French aristocracy.
Even though the twice-yearly LTAIO stands head-and-shoulders above other events, there are many other activities that will make you want to cleave to your library. Let’s take a carriage ride through all the March events, dodging all further potholes, ruts and puns, shall we?
*Tuesdays in March—Lapsit story times for groups and caregivers at 10 a.m., then again at 11 a.m. for family groups; Children’s Movie Time from 4-5:30 p.m., all in the Whiteacre West.
*Wednesdays in March (except March 16)–Story Time for ages three and up, 10 a.m., Whiteacre West.
*Thursday, March 3—The Bookies will meet from 1-3 p.m. in the Conference Room to discuss Julia Child’s “My Life in France.” The discussion was delayed from February after inclement weather forced not just one, but two postponements. The book originally scheduled for March, Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five,” will now be moved to July, so the rest of the Bookie schedule will not be affected.
*Also, Thursday, March 3 (also March 10 and March 31)—Teen Game Time upstairs, 3:30-5 p.m.
*And still more for Thursday, March 3 (and every other Thursday except March 17)–Family Play Time with Miss Anita, 11 a.m. in the Whiteacre Room; and then Children’s Game Time (all Thursdays in March) from 4-5 p.m.
*Friday, March 4 (and every Friday thereafter through May 27)—Computer Whiz Anthony Smart will teach computer classes from 4-5 p.m. in the Whiteacre Room. The first two Friday of every month will be Basic Computing classes. Then, on the final two Fridays of the month, there will be advanced classes. Some of the topics of the advanced classes include: computer setup and maintenance; obtaining, installing and using free software; genealogy research; computer security; Facebook; keyboard shortcuts and other time-saving tips; and travel tips, including how to book trips online and how to use online maps. Spaces are limited, so call 918-426-0930 to register to attend any of these valuable classes.
*Saturday, March 5 (and every Saturday through May 15)—Volunteer math tutor Grover Walker will be on hand from 9:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the mezzanine meeting room to assist students with everything from junior high math to trigonometry.
*Monday, March 7—Ellen Mills will lead an organizational meeting for a new Inspirational Book Club at 4 p.m. in the Conference Room. This meeting was also delayed from February due to the snowstorms, so if you are interested in joining this new group, don’t forget to mark your calendar with the new date.
*Also, Monday, March 7 (and every Monday we are open through April 15)—Volunteers from the American Association of Retired Persons will be on hand in the Whiteacre Room from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering free tax services and electronic filing. Services are on a first-come, first-serve basis.
*And still more on Monday, March 7—Teen Tech Week is March 6-12, with activities kicking off with the regular Manga Club meeting from 5-7 p.m. upstairs.
*Wednesday, March 9—Our monthly Free Crafts Workshop for adults will meet from 1-3 p.m. in the Whiteacre. This month we’re making button-craft flowers. Very springlike and pretty! As always, spaces are limited, so call the library at 918-426-0930 to register.
*Also Wednesday, March 9—Teens will meet for a workshop on the free photo software “Gimp” from 4:30-5:30 p.m. upstairs. Gimp is described as an open access alternative to Photoshop.
*Thursday, March 10—Kirsten Dunst plays Marie Antoinette in our first “Let’s Talk” movie special of the season, set to begin at 5:45 p.m. in the Whiteacre. Sophia Coppola’s take on the doomed royal is rated PG-13. You don’t have to be a regular LTAIO participant to attend the movies, so join us for free popcorn and a film, won’t you?
*Saturday, March 12—Second Saturday Cinema, our family-friendly monthly movie matinee, features a Disney biopic about the life of Hawaii’s Princess Ka’iulani. It’s rated PG, and there will be free popcorn as always. Screening time is 2 p.m., with prizes for the kiddies.
*Monday, March 14—Arthouse Theater continues the female-centric theme during Women’s History Month with the Tyler Perry movie treatment of Ntozake Shange’s play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.” The film is rated R, and the popcorn is free.
*Also, Monday, March 14— The Teen Book Club will have a combined meeting with the Teen Advisory Group from 4-5 p.m. upstairs.
*Tuesday, March 15—Friends of the Library will meet for the regular noon luncheon. Mother Stephanie St. Patrick is scheduled to present the program. Then, at 6:30 in the Conference Room, the Night Readers will meet to discuss Nevada Barr’s “Deep South.”
*Wednesday, March 16—A Spring Break Day Camp for children up to sixth grade level is set from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Spaces are limited, so call 918-426-0930 to register. Children’s Librarian Anita Ross will have all the details.
*Also, Wednesday, March 16—Teens will meet at 2 p.m. upstairs for Bubble Painting, followed by a 3 p.m. session of “Peepshi” making. What’s a Peepshi, you ask? It’s a sushi-like substance created with marshmallow Peeps. Sounds colorful.
*Thursday, March 17—Dr. Rex Morrell will give a scholarly presentation on Christopher Hibbert’s “The Days of the French Revolution” at 6 p.m. in the Whiteacre Room, when LTAIO kicks off. As always, we’ll have refreshments, door prizes and lively discussion. If you’ve never attended a “Let’s Talk,” feel free to join us. It’s educational, intellectually stimulating, fun and free. What’s not to love about that?
*Monday, March 21—McAlester Public Library will be CLOSED for a spring break holiday. We will reopen as usual on Tuesday, March 22 at 9 a.m.
*Thursday, March 24—Our second LTAIO movie special begins at 6 p.m. in the Whiteacre, and features Hilary Swank in an R-rated look at “the affair of the diamond necklace.” See the dual Academy Award winner in this underappreciated historical gem and enjoy the free popcorn.
*Monday, March 28—The monthly first-run independent movie from Film Movement comes from Italy and is called “Come Undone.”
It tells the tale of Anna, who has everything she thought she could ever need: a respectable career, a caring family, and a loving partner, Alessio. But when she meets Domenico, a handsome, married waiter, her neatly ordered world begins to fall apart. They quickly fall into a heated affair, based on secret meetings, stolen caresses, cell phone fights, and endless lies. Anna’s increasingly distant behavior goes unnoticed by Alessio, while Domenico’s wife becomes steadily more suspicious of her husband. As the two lovers begin to fall deeper under the spell of passion, they are faced with a life-changing choice which neither is entirely prepared to make.
This film is in Italian, with English subtitles, and is unrated, though not recommended for children under 17 without parent or guardian. As always, free popcorn aplenty.
*Tuesday, March 29—The third Yu-Gi-Oh Club Meeting meets from 4-6 p.m. upstairs with Teen Librarian Sarah Standish.
*Thursday, March 31—The second “Let’s Talk” session from 6-8 p.m. will feature Dr. Bill Corbett of Northeastern State, speaking about Edmund Burke’s “Reflections on the Revolution in France,” followed by a refreshments and a lively discussion of the book. There will be a drawing for door prizes at the conclusion of the evening.
So that’s the calendar. Other attractions at the library this month include a variety of displays, including nonfiction and fiction works for Women’s History Month; a look at celebrity authors and their offerings; an array of works by humorists, funny men and funny women, for National Mirth Month; the Shelf of the Week featuring art works, called “Brush;” a teen display called “Pirates vs. Princesses,” and last but not least, a look at McAlester’s own lethal appliance, OSP’s “Ole Sparky.” That’s on Steve Adams’s monthly history display.
Let’s all keep our heads (sorry, couldn’t help myself), and meet at the library!
Just a Few Books Left for ‘Let’s Talk’
Revolution & Violence Are Topics
Of Timely Reading, Discussion Series
To many Americans, the French Revolution was a barbaric time marked by brutal violence. Yet many of the principles and ideals at the heart of the 1789 uprising are very much alive today, and recent events in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen have once again thrust the idea of “revolution” into the collective consciousness.
“Liberty and Violence: The Heritage of the French Revolution” is the theme of the spring “Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma” (LTAIO) reading and discussion program at McAlester Public Library, set to begin this month. Most of the books available for the series have already been signed out by participants, but there are still a few available.
“Even those who have not read the first book in the series are urged to attend,” said project director and Assistant Librarian Kathy McGilberry. “Often, participants choose to attend selected sessions, and anyone with an interest in history would enjoy this series.”
Was the Revolution one of history’s noblest moments, or one of its most atrocious? And what of the dual legacy of liberty and violence left to us today? Is contemporary society any more virtuous or less vicious than its forbearers were in their zealous pursuit of liberty?
These and other questions will be discussed when participants hear scholarly presentations about five historical, nonfiction and fiction works, beginning with “The Days of the French Revolution” by Christopher Hibbert on Thursday, March 17. Dr. Rex Morrell of Tishomingo, professor of history emeritus from Murray State College, will lead the session.
“If the ethical questions about liberty and violence interest you, and if you want the stimulation of being exposed to the incredible minds of five great writers, whose opinions sometimes conflict, please join us,” McGilberry said.
Each LTAIO session is held in the Whiteacre Room from 6-8 p.m. on its scheduled night. Refreshments and door prizes are part of each evening. At each session, a humanities scholar will make a 30-40 minute presentation on the readings, followed by small group discussions with experienced discussion leaders. Brochures describing the series theme are also available, and the library will feature special displays in March pertaining to the theme.
“We will also be watching a series of five films related to the French Revolution,” McGilberry said. “Anyone may attend one, several or all sessions in the series. Participation is free. Stop by the library at 402 N. 2nd or call 426-0930 for more information.”
LTAIO is a cooperative project of the Oklahoma Library Association and the Oklahoma Humanities Council, which provides books, materials, and services for this series. Funding for this series is provided by a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The full schedule of films and books for “Liberty and Violence” includes:
*Thursday, March 10, 5:45 p.m.—A screening of recent Sophia Coppola’s biopic about doomed queen Marie Antoinette, rated PG-13, and starring Kirsten Dunst;
*Thursday, March 17, 6:00 p.m.—Dr. Morrell presents the Hibbert book;
*Thursday, March 24, 6:00 p.m.—Hilary Swank stars in a 2001 film detailing what has come to be known as “the affair of the diamond necklace,” an incident that fueled French rage against the monarchy, rated R;
*Thursday, March 31, 6:00 p.m.—Dr. Bill Corbett of Northeastern State in Tahlequah presents Edmund Burke’s “Reflections on the Revolution in France;”
*Thursday, April 7, 6:00 p.m.—A screening of the Ronald Colman movie classic adapted from Dickens’s “A Tale of Two Cities,” unrated;
*Thursday, April 14, 6:00 p.m.—Dr. Carol Sue Humphrey of Oklahoma Baptist University presents Thomas Paine’s “Rights of Man;”
*Thursday, April 21, 5:45 p.m.—Leslie Howard stars in the movie based on the classic play and adventure novel “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” set during the Reign of Terror. The story is a precursor to the disguised superhero tales, such as Zorro;
*Thursday, April 28—6:00 p.m.—Dr. Trisha Yarbrough of East Central University presents Charles Dickens’s “A Tale of Two Cities;”
*Thursday, May 5, 6:00 p.m.—Robert Cummings is the star of a movie originally released as “The Black Book,” described as an historical thriller with elements of early film noir, unrated; and
*Thursday, May 12, 6:00 p.m.—Dr. Christopher H. Owen of Northeastern State presents R.R. Palmer’s “Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of Terror in the French Revolution.”
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