Culture Matters @ PPL

Author Ann Harleman Tonight (6/23)

2008-06-23T14:30:00.005-04:00

Visit Providence Public Library's Central Library (150 Empire Street, Barnard Room, 3rd fl) downtown tonight to discuss Ann Harleman's most recent book The Year She Disappeared. Ann will be here and she looks forward to hearing what we think of her exciting new novel whose main character is a 60 year-old grandmother on the lam.

Light refreshments will be served and books will be available for purchase and signing. Free and open to the public; no registration required.

More about Ann
Ann Harleman is the author of the short story collections, Thoreau's Laundry and Happiness, which won the Iowa Short Fiction Award; and the novels, The Year She Disappeared, and Bitter Lake. Among her awards are Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellowships, three Rhode Island State Arts Council grants, the Berlin Prize in Literature, and the PEN Syndicated Fiction Award. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island, where she is on the faculties of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design.

More about The Year She Disappeared
“This sophisticated damsel-in-distress tale stars sexy 60-year-old widow Nan Mulholland...a perceptive, witty, and self-involved protagonist. Harleman's wry humor and vivid descriptions are in play throughout.” – Publisher's Weekly

It was her sixtieth year to heaven—the eighth of December, 1998—and Nan Mulholland had never expected to spend it on the lam.
Nan and her four-year-old granddaughter Jane are taking their first airplane trip together, flying from Seattle to the East Coast. But this is no ordinary excursion. Nan is abducting Jane.
Nan’s own daughter, Alex, believes Jane's father has been sexually abusing her, and she’s asked Nan to take her away, to hide her. Just for a few weeks, Alex promises. Just until she can manage to leave her husband, a charismatic and well-respected surgeon, and get temporary custody of Jane. And Nan, believing in her always well-organized daughter’s plan, agrees.
But when she and Jane arrive in Providence, things begin to go wrong. The old friend whom Nan expected to stay with has vanished. Her son-in-law is on her trail. And Alex disappears. Nan is stranded in a strange city, without friends or money or even her own identity, in sole charge of a very unhappy little girl.
“I’m too old for this!” Nan thinks, in furious, self-pitying despair. The Year She Disappeared explores the possibility—and the price—of late blooming. Will the trials Nan faces during her year on the lam break her? Or will she discover who she really is? This outside-the-box adventure story breaks all the rules, mixing laughter and tears, lacing peril with romance, defying assumptions about age, race, and gender.

Local Artist Talk (Thurs 6/19)

2008-06-17T10:50:00.007-04:00

Join us this Thursday, June 19, for another excellent local artist talk at Providence Public Library's Central location (150 Empire Street) at 6:30pm in the Barnard Room on the 3rd floor. Held in conjunction with Gallery Night Providence, these presentations allow you to meet and talk with local artists while enjoying some light refreshments and seeing what else the library has to offer.

This month's artist is Photographer Millee Tibbs.
Millee develops her work out of the desire to scratch off the surface of the image and expose its construction. Despite our awareness of the mutability of photographic images, we approach them thinking we know what to expect: something that-has-been, a fixed subject inside a frame. Millee will show her photography and discuss how she is drawn to this medium because of its ubiquitous presence in our culture and because of the tension between the truth-value photographs infer and their inherent manipulation of reality.

See more of her work here: http://www.milleetibbs.com/
--also on MyArtSpace.com

Millee (b. 1976) graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in Hispanic Studies and Studio art. She was the recipient of Vassar's Weitzal-Barber Art Travel prize, which enabled her to travel to the Hispanic Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic, where she lived for the next six and a half years. She returned to the United States to complete her M.F.A. degree at the Rhode Island School of Design where she was the recipient of RISD's prestigious Award of Excellence. Millee's work has been featured in exhibitions both locally and internationally. She currently lives in Providence and teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Community College of Rhode Island.

Swingin' Jazz & Big Band This Thursday (6/5)

2008-06-04T10:11:00.003-04:00

Now that we have said goodbye to our Ben Franklin exhibit and Tom Casselman's kites, our exhibition hall seems a little empty. We'll fix that by providing music this summer on one or two Thursday nights per month and by inviting some excellent local authors to give talks.

This Thursday, June 5 at 6:30pm at Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street, Lippitt Exhibition Hall, 1st floor, we'll kick off our Summer Nights @ the Library series with some cool jazz and big band music. Don't miss this opportunity to hear some of the old favorites played by Len Kaplan's band The Aristocats - Gershwin, Porter, Berlin - all the masters will be represented as Kaplan's swingin' foursome recreates the atmosphere of a swing-era Manhattan nightclub right in the middle of the Central library where there are top-notch acoustics and cool architecture. Maybe we'll even clear out some of the chairs and give you room to dance! Light refreshments provided.

This event is FREE and open to the public. No reservations necessary.

About the Band
The Aristocats, lead by Lloyd Kaplan, are a local jazz quartet featuring clarinet/tenor saxophone, guitar, bass, percussion, and vocals. They play a gentle but lively selection of classics from the great American songbook, including Kern, Berlin, Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers, and Warren.

The Aristocats will be featured in the June issue of Prime Time magazine. They have played at various local venues including senior centers, libraries, and comunity centers, and they played regularly at the Marriot Restaurant every Saturday and Sunday in the 90s.

Lloyd Kaplan is Professor Emeritus at CCRI, where he developed the jazz program of study as an alternative for music majors and introduced new courses in opera, 20th-century music, jazz history, and the creative process in the arts--he even has a CCRI scholarship offered in his name. Lloyd has been a professional musician since his army bandsman days in the 1950s.

True Crime Authors Saturday (5/17) at PPL

2008-05-15T14:30:00.003-04:00

Are you interested in real-life crime scene investigation and interrogation? If so, you won't want to miss this Saturday's program. On May 17 at 2:00 PM at Providence Public Library's Central Library downtown (150 Empire Street), local authors Johnston Detective Ray Pingitore and Paul Lonardo will discuss their new True Crime novel Thrill Killers: A True Story of Innocence and Murder Without Conscience (New Horizon Press Books, November 2007). Books will be available for sale and signing.

Their book details the unspeakable and horrifying car jacking and murder of two innocent young people in Providence, Rhode Island on June 9, 2000. The authors will discuss the complexities of crime scene investigation and offer strategies to enhance personal safety.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Raymond Pingitore is a detective of the Johnston city police department with more than twenty years of service as a narcotic vice investigator. He currently works in the major crimes division of his local precinct. A graduate of Roger Williams University, Ray holds a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice. He has lived in Johnston, Rhode Island for the last thirty years.

Paul Lonardo comes from a varied educational background, with an AS in mortuary science and a BA in English from the University of Rhode Island. He is the author several true crime novels and currently resides in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Gallery Night at the PPL

2008-05-15T13:58:00.007-04:00

Have you had a chance to visit the Providence Public Library on Gallery Night? Well, tonight (5/15) i s your chance. I'll even have a few snacks for you this time.

At our downtown Central Library, 150 Empire Street, from 6:30-7:30pm in the Barnard Room on the 3rd floor, local artist Ben Fino-Radin will lead a discussion and present a slide show of his work, which he has exhibited at the Current Gallery in Baltimore, the Kathleen Cullen Gallery in Chelsea, and the Stairwell Gallery in Providence. His work has recently received press on Rhizome.org and Extremecraft. He will also be showing soon at the AS220's project space (located at the Dreyfus at 93 Mathewson St).

If you are unfamiliar with his work, Ben creates playful, thought-provoking installations, wearable items, and sculpture. He creates another dimension, a new culture, where psychedelic needlepoint hackers thrive and propagate their mystical symbolism. See more of his work at:
benjaminter.net
flickr.com/photos/bfinoradin

Ben is the third artist that we have hosted on Gallery Night--there will be a new artist and discussion each month through February of next year. These talks have been incredible--so far we have seen and discussed the work of Kenn Speiser and Mark Freedman. We provide an intimate setting in which you can ask about product and process as well as discuss various aspects of visual literacy in today's world.

In addition, we will always have something interesting exhibited in our 3rd floor cases. Librarian Rick Ring in our Special Collections department will hold an open house from 5-7pm to introduce you to the treasure trove of books and artifacts that are here in your public library. This month we have a display of miniature books from our own collection and from collector Ann Bromer. Additionally, we have a traveling panel exhibition on Benjamin Franklin exhibit and a kite display by local kite maker Tom Casselman.

Hope you can make it!

Support Local Agriculture -- Watch a Movie (Saturday 5/10)

2008-05-08T09:46:00.014-04:00

At Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street, this Saturday, May 10 at 2:00pm, Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT) will present a fantastic, free program.

First they will show the quirky, heartwarming film titled The Real Dirt on Farmer John. Following the movie, Southside's Education Director, Leo Pollock, will lead a discussion on Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and its growing role in helping save and support America's local farms. He will discuss ways that we can stay connected to our food sources, become involved in local CSAs, and eat locally and seasonally in New England.

This program will interest everyone from local environmentalists and green enthusiasts, to farmers, gardeners, foodies, and documentary film buffs.

More about the movie:
The Real Dirt on Farmer John
Why would you want to see a movie about an Illinois farmer who wears a boa? Why wouldn't you?? The Real Dirt on Farmer John will turn every idea you've ever had about what it means to be an American farmer, or an American dreamer, on its head. Meet Farmer John, the incredible human being whose inspirational story of revolutionizing his family farm and redeeming his own life has won accolades and awards at film festivals around the world.

Farmer John is a thoughtful, creative, warm-hearted writer and farmer, descended from generations of Illinois farmers. He us also the founder of Angelic Organics, his community supported organization. This is a story about individuality, community, and the future of farming in America. It's also the story about a life that challenges the mainstream.

Farmer John's Books:

Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
Seasonal Recipes and Stories from A Community Supported Farm
Join the real food revolution with Farmer John’s Cookbook, the fascinating companion book to the 30-time award-winning documentary film The Real Dirt on Farmer John.

“Filled with amusing anecdotes and insights into the human condition, this is not your average cookbook but it does have recipes…”
~ Bennett Gordon, Utne Reader ~

Amazon Reviews

I Didn't Kill Anyone Up Here: Farmer John's Uneasy Autobiography
In his succinct and playful style, Farmer John describes his childhood on his family's Illinois farm, complete with colorful (and sometimes bizarre) community members. Clean-cut John Peterson encounters an array of city-born hippies and artists in the late '60s, leading him to fold performance, design, writing and film into his life as a farmer. He writes engagingly about days of great optimism, parties, romance—and about how those times shaped his relationship to the land he loved.

Farmer John on Glitter & Grease: Short Stories On and Off the Land
This book begins with an account of John watching his beautiful log home burn. Before the cabin embers are cool, he reaches deeply within, where he finds the strength to confront his suspicious and hostile community. In addition, the trauma of his loss infuses him with the financial ingenuity and determination to acquire seed and other essential supplies. John is farming again.

About Southside Community Land Trust
Southside Community Land Trust: Since 1981, Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT) has partnered with communities in inner city Providence to improve residents' health and welfare by helping them grow food. SCLT provides access to land, education and other resources so people in Greater Providence can grow food in environmentally sustainable ways and create community food systems where locally produced, affordable, and healthy food is available to all.

Suffolk History Professor Robert Allison to Speak

2008-05-02T16:04:00.007-04:00

This Sunday, May 4, Providence Public Library will present Suffolk University Professor Robert Allison at 2:00pm in the Barnard Room (3rd fl) of the Central Library, 150 Empire Street. This talk is presented in cooperation with our Benjamin Franklin exhibit "In Search of a Better World," and Professor Allison will discuss "Building a Better World" a la Franklin.

About Professor Allison

Robert Allison is chair of the history department at Suffolk. In addition to varied history courses, he teaches Benjamin Franklin and his Autobiography.

Community projects

Professor Allison is involved with several museums and historical societies in Boston. He has delivered public lectures at the Bostonian Society, the Adams National Historic Site, and has presented papers at conferences in the United States, Wales, and Turkey.

He is president of the South Boston Historical Society, vice president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts and a fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

His books include:The Boston Tea Party (2007), The Boston Massacre (2006), Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero (2005), A Short History of Boston (2004), and The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World 1776-1815 (Chicago, 2000).

He has also edited several books, including: The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African (Boston, 1995, revised edition, 2004), The Revolutionary Era, 1754-1783 (Detroit, 1998), The Development of a Nation, 1783-1815 (Detroit, 1997), in the award-winning American Eras series History In Dispute: The Pursuit of Progress 1900-1945 (2000), and History in Dispute: The Pursuit of Liberty, 1945-2000 (Detroit, 2000).

Have You Ever Heard a Glass Armonica?

2008-04-22T14:46:00.007-04:00

This Sunday at Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street, you'll have the opportunity to hear this unusual, fascinating instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin, played by musician Cecilia Brauer. Click here for more information.

Play the Armonica online!

Learn more about this instrument.

About Cecilia
Cecilia Brauer, an accomplished musician and glass Armonica performer, studied the piano at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She has toured the United States in concert and has been an associate member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1972, where she plays the celeste, and when on tour, the piano. In 1991, Cecilia added a new dimension to her successful piano career - with the Armonica, the musical glass instrument invented by Ben Franklin in 1761. She is now one of only a handful of musicians in the world actively performing on the instrument. She also gives lecture and demonstration programs on Ben Franklin and this instrument. She has performed on CBS-TV, ABC-TV, The History Channel, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Archives, Carnegie Museum, and Independence National Historical Park. More about Cecilia.

There will also be a captivating lecture that afternoon (2:00pm) by Ellen Cohn entitled "Historian as Detective: Solving the Mysteries in Franklin's Papers." Ellen comes to us from Yale and is Editor-in-Chief of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, a comprehensive, annotated edition of Franklin's writings and correspondence that has published 38 volumes to date. She has cracked secret codes, discovered previously-unknown hoaxes, identified the writers of countless anonymous letters, dated nearly all of Franklin's famous (and hitherto undated) "bagatelles," and pieced together from miscellaneous jottings evidence of many previously-unknown activities, "secret" and otherwise, that Franklin engaged in during his diplomatic mission to France. Learn more.

Cool pop culture references to the Armonica from Wikipedia:

In an episode of the Simpsons, Hugh Hefner plays Peter and the Wolf on a glass harmonica.
In the Movie Broadway Danny Rose Directed by Woody Allen (film), a glass harmonica is played by Gloria Parker.
The Mayor from The Powerpuff Girls plays a glass harmonica in an episode in his office.
The glass harmonica is featured on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood #1764. It is played by Dean Shostak.
A short animation movie entitled "The glass harmonica" was directed by Andrei Khrjanovsky in 1968. It has been uploaded to YouTube: part 1 and part 2.
The instrument has been used in several film soundtracks, including Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Mansfield Park, and the first original version March of the Penguins - La Marche de l'Empereur (performed by Thomas Bloch who also played Ondes Martenot and cristal Baschet with Damon Albarn / Gorillaz (Monkey: journey to the West) Tom Waits / Marianne Faithfull / Bob Wilson (The Black Rider), Radiohead, Vanessa Paradis, in Amadeus by Milos Forman - long version, 2001 -...).
The main phrase to the album version of Björk's "All Neon Like" (Homogenic) is played on a glass armonica.
On MTV's airing of the special "Korn Unplugged", the song "Falling Away From Me" was set to the tune of a Glass Harmonica.
The country group Trio consisting of Dolly Parton, Emmy Lou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt re-released a cover of "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young. The re-released version, which appears on the group's 1998 album Trio 2, features the glass harmonica in the last part of the song, as well as in the video.
Sandra Bullock's character plays a glass harmonica as her initial talent in the move Miss Congeniality, though after her fellow contestants drink the water out of the glasses, she must find a new one.

Stunning Documentary on ALS (this Sunday 4/6)

2008-04-04T09:13:00.003-04:00

Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street, is pleased to host part of the Providence International Film Festival's Roving Eye Documentary Series. This Sunday at 2:00pm we will have a free showing of Indestructible, a powerful film about ALS, often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease." The location of the film has been moved from the Auditorium to the Barnard Room, 3rd floor. No reservations necessary. Parking is free on Sundays downtown, but please leave yourself some time to find a spot.

About the Film:
After being diagnosed with ALS, single father and filmmaker Ben Byer begins to document his life on camera. His series of video diaries grows into an epic journey spanning three years and six countries. From a monastery high atop the mountains of Northwest China to the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem, he scours the globe looking for answers - and a cure. A cinematic adventure filled with extraordinary characters, breathtaking landscapes and abundant humor, Indestructible is beautifully shot by Academy Award- nominee Roko Belic (Genghis Blues, Beyond the Call). In his first feature film, Byer ignites the screen with a visually stunning global quest to survive.

ABOUT THE RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) discovers and empowers filmmakers. Held in Providence, and locations throughout the state of Rhode Island, RIIFF is one of only a handful of festivals worldwide that is a qualifying event for the Academy Awards (i.e. Oscars). RIIFF incorporates gala celebrations, premiere screenings, VIP guests, industry seminars, educational programs, and award ceremonies into a week long extravaganza. Cited as one of the "Best International and Short Film Festivals in the United States," RIIFF is New England's largest film festival, screening a record 300 films. Its innovative programming, cultivated industry ties, and loyal audiences have made the Festival a strategic and desirable platform for film premieres, drawing hundreds of independent filmmakers from around the globe. This year's film festival will take place August 5 - 10th. For more info or to order tickets, please visit us on the web, RI Film Fest.

Let's Talk About Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food (Thurs. 4/3)

2008-04-02T17:35:00.003-04:00

Michael Pollan's new book In Defense of Food is the bestselling sequel to The Omnivore's Dilemma. While he won't be here with us tomorrow, Southside Community Land Trust will lead a discussion of his new eater's manifesto. This is sure to be a great talk--so join in even if you're not finished with the book! Click here for more information or call me at 455-8057.

More info about In Defense of Food: http://www.michaelpollan.com/indefense.php

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17725932

http://www.slate.com/id/2180504/

More info about Southside Community Land Trust

Learn more about local farms, local food, and farmers' markets in Rhode Island at Farm Fresh Rhode Island.

Southside Community Land Trust provides access to land, education, and other resources so that people in Greater Providence can grow food in environmentally sustainable ways and create community food systems where locally produced, affordable, and healthy food is available to all.

BIG Library Sale this Weekend (3/28-30)

2008-03-26T10:36:00.004-04:00

At Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street, we are doing some serious spring cleaning this weekend at our first book sale downtown in five years. Have you seen our listing on Book Sale Finder? The sale starts Friday afternoon from noon-5pm, continues Saturday from 10-4pm, and everything must go Sunday from 1-4pm. Cash, MasterCard or VISA accepted. $25 minimum credit card purchase. Small bills preferred.

You will get CHEAP prices for hardcovers, paperbacks, maps, magazines, audio books, sheet music and scores, videos, and more! There are no dealer limits or restrictions and prices range from .50 cents for small paperbacks, to $1 hardcovers, to a small selection of full-price and signed items.

We will even be offering discounts on brightly-colored library swag like t-shirts, nylon slingback backpacks and sturdy tote bags.

Don't miss it!

Have Your Books Appraised This Monday (March 24)

2008-03-21T11:28:00.003-04:00

Providence Public Library is excited to host Ken Gloss of Boston's Brattle Book Shop Monday, March 24 from 6-7:30pm at the Central Library, 150 Empire Street in the Lippitt Hall on the 1st floor. Free. No registration required. For more information, click here.

Ken is a treasure trove of book knowledge and will not only bring rarities and share their stories, he will teach you how to identify rare books and he will offer on-the-spot appraisals. We ask you that you limit the amount of books you bring, though, so that everyone gets a chance (2-5 should be OK).

Please leave early to find parking--Ken's events are very well attended.

For more about Ken, check out these links:

http://www.umassmag.com/fall_2004/The_Prince_of_Pages_750.html

http://www.wickedlocal.com/hanover/archive/x2033922015

This link has some audio: http://multimedia.boston.com/pub/m/19108136/presidential_letters_on_display.htm?col=en-all-pod_bcom-ep&q=%22John+Quincy+Adams%22&match=QUERY&index=1&seek=259.019

Are You Reading The Monkey Wrench Gang yet?

2008-03-19T13:02:00.007-04:00

I'm writing to plug a new Providence Public Library book club called Eco-Heroes and invite you to register by emailing daustin@provlib.org or calling 455-8060. It meets on the last Sunday of this month at 2:00pm at our Central Library, 150 Empire Street, downtown (free street parking on Sundays)--you can use it as an excuse to come to our Great Bargains Book Sale, too, where you will find all kinds of new and used books, videos, and records.

I know, I know, who has time to read during this rainy, snowy, sleety month of March? I mean, there is so much pre-election coverage to follow. Who wants to think about what it means to be a human animal, or consider what responsibility we have, if any, to care for the Earth, or how our concept of environmentalism has changed over time, or whether we're actually destroying the planet?

Well, I do, but I'm sure I'm not alone.

Look, even if you don't finish the book in time, it's worth coming over on a Sunday afternoon to discuss the likes of Edward Abbey and his controversial cult classic The Monkey Wrench Gang. If you email the group leader, you can even get a copy of the book right away, without having to buy it or wait for a library hold.

What's The Monkey Wrench Gang about?
This well-known book is a fictional account of four "environmental warriors" liberating parts of Utah and Arizona from evil road-builders, miners and many others. The book fueled a generation of angry young environmentalists (such as Earth First!) practicing monkey-wrenching, sabotage for the sake of protecting the wilderness. It also inspired a host of other environmental writers.

"It's a wildly funny, infinitely wise, near to tragic tale of man against the big god machine -- man against concrete, steel, man-made lakes and parking-lot wastelands. Flawlessly constructed, imaginatively detailed, faultlessly crafted with every effect looped to its matching cause, it's a scriptwriter's dream. What a thing of beauty is Edward Abbey's The Monkey Wrench Gang." -- Houston Chronicle

"Destroying eyesores is simply another way of creating beauty, and Edward Abbey's dedicated crew are masters of this particular Renaissance. Of course, what the Monkey Wrench Gang does is outrageous, un-American and inimical to the sacred concept of property, and I thoroughly condemn them. If unchecked, they may even start dumping tea in Boston harbor..." -- Richard Bradford, author of Red Sky at Morning

I'll see you next Sunday!

Excellent Documentary This Sunday!

2008-02-28T15:20:00.004-05:00

At Providence Public Library for the next 3 months, you will have opportunities to see some fantastic documentaries courtesy of The Rhode Island International Film Festival and their Roving Eye Documentary Film Series.

The first one is Genghis Blues. We will show it this Sunday, March 2, from 2:00-4:00pm in the Providence Public Library's Central Library, 150 Empire Street, Auditorium (3rd fl) .

I love this film and highly recommend it. I do want to say, however, that this is one of those movies that MANY people I knew raved about, yet I dragged my feet on seeing it for about a year. Why? Well, all the descriptions sounded odd or too...specific. I thought: I'm not a huge music buff, I don't know anything about Tuvan throat signing, I don't know where Tuva is, I have never heard of this blind blues musician, etc. If you are saying these things to yourself, stop now and just come on over the library for a free movie. The story will move and fascinate you. It is about communities and individuals finding themselves and celebrating through music. It truly crosses international barriers.

About the Film
The Autonomous Republic of Tuva, wedged between Siberia and Mongolia, for centuries has been isolated from the rest of the world by jagged mountains and Soviet restrictions. Only recently has the Tuvan art form of throatsinging become known to outsiders.

Hyannis, MA born Paul Pena discovered Tuvan throatsinging on a shortwave program of Radio Moscow. Multiple voices emanated from a single vocalist and the sounds gripped him like nothing he had ever heard. For nine years he worked to produce similar overtones with his own voice and to incorporate throatsinging into his blues music.

Unexpectedly in 1993, Paul discovered that Tuvan throatsingers were on their first concert tour of the U.S.. After their performance, the deep-voiced bluesman broke into his own self-taught style of throatsinging and serenaded the musicians with Tuvan traditional songs! The throatsingers were amazed by Pena's mastery of the Tuvan art form and likened his rich voice to the sounds of tremors in the earth. They insisted that "Chershemjer" (Earthquake) travel to Tuva for the next tri-ennial throatsinging contest.

For more information visit: http://www.genghisblues.com/

"The Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) discovers and empowers filmmakers. Held in Providence, and locations throughout the state of Rhode Island, RIIFF is one of only a handful of festivals worldwide that is a qualifying event for the Academy Awards (i.e. "Oscars"). RIIFF incorporates gala celebrations, premiere screenings, VIP guests, industry seminars, educational programs, and award ceremonies into a week long extravaganza. Cited as one of the "Best International and Short Film Festivals in the United States," RIIFF is New England's largest film festival, screening a record 300 films. Its innovative programming, cultivated industry ties, and loyal audiences have made the Festival a strategic and desirable platform for film premieres, drawing hundreds of independent filmmakers from around the globe. The 12th Annual RIIFF will take place August 5 - 10, 2008, for more information please visit RI Film Fest

The Providence Public Library auditorium is accessible with assistance. Individuals with special needs are advised to call 24 hours in advance to ensure access: 455-8000 or 455-8057 (on weekdays only).

Author Dinaw Mengestu This Sunday

2008-02-19T17:09:00.004-05:00

We at Providence Public Library are extremely excited to be hosting Ethiopian-born author
Dinaw Mengestu this Sunday at 1:00pm.

For the full day's schedule, which includes a book discussion, reading, and book sale/signing of his book The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears at the Central Library (150 Empire Street, downtown), visit http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp?id=69906

Dinaw Mengestu has already won numerous accolades, including the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 Award, the 2008 Lannan Literary Fellowship

, and France

's Prix du Premier Roman Etranger. His first book The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears has been shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Prize in the

U.K.

, named The New York Times Book Review’s 100 Notable Books of 2007

, named Seattle Reads pick of 2008 by the Seattle Public Library, and named one of Amazon.com's Top Ten novels of the year and one of their Top Fifteen overall books for 2007.

Dinaw was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1978. In 1980, he immigrated to the United States with his mother and sister, joining his father, who had fled Ethiopia during the Red Terror. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and Columbia University's MFA program in fiction, a former Rolling Stone reporter, and the recipient of a 2006 fellowship in fiction from the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Learn more about Dinaw Mengestu:
- PBS Interview
- NYT Book Review
- The Guardian - His Rolling Stone article The Tragedy of Darfur
- Video of him reading from his book at Berkeley

Description of the Book
Told in a haunting and powerful first-person narration that casts the streets of Washington, D.C., and Addis Ababa through the main character, Sepha's eyes, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears is a deeply affecting and unforgettable debut novel about what it means to lose a family and a country-and what it takes to create a new home.

Seventeen years ago, Sepha Stephanos fled the Ethiopian Revolution after witnessing soldiers beat his father to the point of certain death, selling off his parents' jewelry to pay for passage to the United States. Now he finds himself running a grocery store in a poor African-American neighborhood in Washington, D.C. His only companions are two fellow African immigrants who share his feelings of frustration with and bitter nostalgia for their home continent. He realizes that his life has turned out completely different and far more isolated from the one he had imagined for himself years ago. Soon Sepha's neighborhood begins to change. Hope comes in the form of new neighbors-Judith and Naomi, a white woman and her biracial daughter-who become his friends and remind him of what having a family is like for the first time in years. But when the neighborhood's newfound calm is disturbed by a series of racial incidents, Sepha may lose everything all over again.

---------------

Don't miss out on this fantastic FREE opportunity!

Poetry This Sunday

2008-02-05T10:18:00.000-05:00

Providence Public Library presents poet Tom Chandler and members of The Writer's Circle for a poetry reading and open mic at 2:00pm this Sunday at the Central Library, 150 Empire Street, downtown. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served and reservations to Rose Pearson of the Writer's Circle are strongly encouraged:
(401) 461-6691. Tom's fifth book of poems, Toy Firing Squad, is hot off the press and will be available for purchase and signing at this event!

Tom currently teaches Creative Writing at Bryant University, is the founder and editor of the Bryant Literary Review, and is a columnist for The Providence Journal. He also served as the Poet Laureate of Rhode Island from 2000-2007. Tom's accolades are many: he has been named Phi Beta Kappa Poet at Brown University and has been a featured poet at the Robert Frost homestead; his poems have been read by Garrison Keillor on National Public Radio; he has written commissioned poems for The State of Rhode Island, The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, and Waterfire; and he has twice been named inaugural poet for Providence mayoral inaugurations.

Interesting Links:

A Brief Interview
http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2005/April/html/Poet-Chandler.html

A Selection of Poems
http://adirondackreview.homestead.com/chandler.html
http://www.mipoesias.com/September2004/chandler.htm
http://www.thinkworks.com/BrocktonPoetrySeries/features/TomChandler.html

What Does Funda Mean?

2008-01-22T12:04:00.000-05:00

We are very excited to be hosting a free FUNDA Fest event from Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS). Family FUNday will take place this Saturday, January 26, at Providence Public Library. Every year adults, children, and entire families take advantage of this great opportunity to take a ‘telling workshop, to share their own stories, and to witness some of the most engaging, diverse, FUN tales around.

Here’s the library’s full schedule.

Valerie Tutson, Director of RIBS, outdoes herself every year, offering a complete statewide schedule of engaging events such as day and evening performances, African marketplaces, and engaging workshops. To learn more, visit the RIBS website: http://www.ribsfest.com/ or call 273-4013 x2.

So what does Funda mean? FUNDA means to teach and to learn in Zulu and KiSwahili. Pass it along.

RIBS Mission
Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the awareness, appreciation, and application of Black Storytelling in Rhode Island through performance, educational, and cultural experiences.

About RIBS
Annually, RIBS presents FUNDA FEST: A Celebration of Black Storytelling. This much anticipated and highly visible event is the flagship RIBS program and reaches a statewide audience of several thousand. In addition, throughout the year we offer storytelling workshops for youth, and RIBS appears at other community events.

We Heart Artists

2008-01-04T18:29:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to spread the word and find more artists for our fledging Visual Literacy series, a program initiated by PPL Librarian and artist Lanham (AKA Fish) Bundy. Beginning this March, once per month on third Thursdays (also called Gallery Nights) PPL will feature a local artist, artisan, craftsperson, designer, photographer, or creative collaborator. Featured artists will present a digital slide show and hold a discussion focused around the broadly-defined theme of "visual literacy." We've received some great submissions, but we still have spaces left--are you in or are you in?

We'll provide use of the Central Library's Barnard Room room, projector, laptop, and screen free of charge. Artists will have the opportunity to promote their work and upcoming gallery shows as well as initiate some community dialog about the arts in Providence and beyond. This year, we'll also be a Gallery Night Providence trolley stop and will be featuring exhibits of our Special Collections, so artists will have a captive audience.

Lanham is selecting presenters based on brief applications that are due at the end of January. Please consult this link for specific details: http://www.provlib.org/happening/events/art.html

Looking forward to working with you!

Come Talk About This, Sicko

2007-12-28T12:46:00.000-05:00

Save the Date: Sunday, January 27—1:30-3:30 PM (FREE)

Have you seen the new Michael Moore documentary Sicko yet? If not, now is your chance. If so, now is your chance to discuss it in relation to H.R. 676: US National Health Insurance Act introduced by John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) on 1/24/2007. This is a limited seating engagement that will take place in the Barnard Room of the Central Library, so please check out the event details here: http://www.provlib.org/calendarcentral.asp?id=69316. You'll also find a copy of the proposed bill on that page for your pre-event perusal. Didn’t know there was homework, did you?

Lisa Grant—Providence resident, writer, researcher, and former reporter—will lead the discussion. Lisa is the Founder and CEO of HealthCareNOW, an organization devoted to obtaining Universal HealthCare for all Americans, and GuruGirls, a literary agency that specializes in after-publication subsidiary rights sales for independent writers. She worked for The Evening Standard in London and The Irish Times in Dublin. Lisa holds an M.A. in International Political Economy and was a Fellow at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Holland.

I don’t think that I have to introduce Michael Moore—you probably either love him or hate him—but here is a synopsis of this movie for those who would like to learn more and read other people’s reviews as well: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386032/plotsummary.

Please note: there are about three minutes during the film’s opening that might make the squeamish a little queasy. We promise to warn you ahead of time so that you can close your eyes. I swear that the rest of the film is not graphic, but it is thought-provoking, no matter what side of the fence you happen to be on regarding universal health care.

Lastly, this film will be shown on a Sunday, when parking is free downtown, but save some time to find a spot.

Thank you, l'Esperance

2007-12-20T10:48:00.000-05:00

It feels good to start this blog off on a thankful note.

On Thursday, December 22 at 6pm, a group of devoted folks braved the sleet and the Hanna Montana traffic to hear local mandolin ensemble, l’Esperance, play holiday favorites like “Carol of the Bells” and the “Arabian Dance” from The Nutcracker.

In between songs, as we all enjoyed sugar cookies and coffee in the ambiance of PPL’s Lippitt Exhibition Hall (the old first floor circulation desk area to native Rhode Islanders), Josh Bell discussed the fascinating history of several pieces of music. He also let audience members hear the individual sounds of each type of instrument: mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, classical guitar, and a large, stand-up mandobass.

In addition to directing this ensemble, whose name is French for “hope,” Josh is also the Concertmaster of the Providence Mandolin Orchestra (PMO). The 15 group members graciously donated their time to make this event possible, and we are looking forward to having them back in the future. For more information about booking and hearing l’Esperance visit: http://lesperance-mandolin.com/performances.htm.

If your group would like to perform in the historic Central Library surrounded by books and beautiful architecture, please email me at lmiller@provlib.org. We are seeking classical and acoustic performers who share our goals of increasing music literacy and appreciation among adults and families. At the moment, we can’t afford to compensate you, but I am working on grants support future endeavors.