One of Hollywood's legends passed away a week ago on July 1st. Karl Malden, a mainstay of the silver screen passed away at the venerable age of 97. A Gary, Indiana native, Karl Malden is perhaps best known for his Academy Award winning role in A Streetcar Named Desire. Read his obituary in the Los Angeles Times to find out more about his long life.
As a way to stay cool and save some bucks, check out one of Malden's flicks from the library today.
A gathering is planned
We’re hoping you’ll come
Bring your poems
So you can share some
If you don’t have any
Bring someone else’s
Poetry books – there will be many
For those who care to take a look
Don’t want to speak then just come listen
Am sure you’ll enjoy what’s been written.
Come join us for a poetry gathering on Tuesday, April 7 at 7 pm in the Dresp Rooms.
Those in grades 6-12 are invited to attend.
Pre-registration is unecessary.
Questions? Call the Young Adult Department at 528-4102.
TH
We all know that the internet is a great place to access free information. But now, there are even more places for free entertainment.
Did you miss the last episode of House M.D.? Well now you have several options for legally and freely viewing T.V. shows online. More and more, network websites are posting recent episodes of televisions online. Simply go to a network site to view your favorite shows. A newer site, Hulu (created by NBC), has a far broader offering of t.v. shows. Hulu is nice because it offers the programs with limited commercial interruptions and you don't need any special software to view the shows. Hulu covers a range of networks and time periods (Silver Spoons anyone?).
You can also explore music freely and legally online with Pandora. Pandora is a great site that creates playlists based on your favorite artists. The playlist are created using certain elemental properties of your favorite artists and finding other musicians sharing those same elements. This site is a great way to broaden your music horizons.
Another music-related site is liveplasma. This site also uses a mapping technique to introduce you to new and related musicians. The mapping has also been extended to movies. While you cannot listen to music or view movies on liveplasma, you can view the gorgeous representations of the connections between your favorite musicians.
And finally, to really maximize your web experience, you may want to check out the book, Rule the Web by Mark Frauenfelder. Chock full of tips and tricks for getting the most out of your time online, this book is highly recommended. BES
Recently, the New York Times published an obituary for the cassette.
Sadly, we are finding that the cassette tape is now officially going the way of the VHS tape, the reel to reel, Beta cassettes and of course the 8 track tape. From a library media perspective, audio books on cassette tapes are much easier to use and take care of. Cassettes remain where you stop them, they handle abuse better than a CD, and they are easier for those with visual or physical impairments to use and are thus the perfect format for an audio book. Last week, I received the unfortunate news that one of the main companies from which the library purchases audio books will no longer produce any books on cassette. It is all CD and MP3 from here.
Some of the last new arrivals on cassette will be making their way to the library soon. The following titles are on order and can be reserved. So let’s remember the passing of an old friend with one last listen.
In Anne Rice’s first non- fiction book, Called out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession (read by Kirsten Potter), the author tells the story of how she went from a confirmed atheist to a devoted catholic.
Toni Morrison also has a new book coming out, A Mercy, which is read by the author. A Mercy is the story of slavery in circa 1600’s American and what lies beneath.
An older title that is a personal favorite is Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle (read by Julia Gibson). In this book, Walls recounts her dysfunctional childhood that was marked with poverty and neglect. She also chronicles how she overcame it all in a manner that is told without winning or blaming.
And finally, we will be receiving Superstition by David Ambrose (read by Richard Ferrone). Superstition is a story of chilling, supernatural suspense. It is a cleverly written, riveting story of what happens when a group of people come together to deliberately create a ghost. EV
As I went out walking I saw a sign there,
And on the sign it said, "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.
--Woody Guthrie, "This Land is Your Land"*
Click here to listen to a recording of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly performing on live on WNYC in 1940.
Check out Ramblin’ Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie by Ed Cray for an authoritative biography.
As a supplement and way to better understand Guthrie’s process, you may want to look at Woody Guthrie: Art Works.
Online, you can visit Woody Guthrie and the Archive of American Folk Song (hosted by the Library of Congress).
And visit The Official Woody Guthrie Site (hosted by the Woody Guthrie Foundation) which offers an extensive biography and sampling of lyrics. BES
*Guthrie, Woody. "This Land is Your Land". This Land is Your Land: The Asch Recordings Vol. 1. Smithsonian Folkways, 1997.
