Le Guin’s Poetry Urges Us Towards Awareness
Many know Ursula K. Le Guin through her hefty body of science fiction and fantasy work, perhaps The Lathe of Heaven or the well-loved Earthsea series. Others might be familiar with her books on writing, like the beautifully titled Steering the Craft: A Twenty-first Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story, published in 2015. Still others devote themselves to her poetry, and its gently lilting verse. For those unfamiliar with the latter part of her repertoire, Le Guin’s newest collection, Late in the Day, provides a lovely introduction.
Discover Historic Bookbinding: Book Bling
Like any well-loved tool or object, books have been decorated and embellished from their infancy. You know that feeling you get when you pick up a book that is such a joy to be holding? The distinguished spine catches your eye as your hand wraps around the boards perfectly, and as you crack open the front cover you are hit by a symphony of color and marks. You haven’t even gotten to the information yet, and you’re already under the book’s spell. We know that feeling, too.
Welcome to Pittsburgh: Bike Trails!
This past Saturday, April 8th, was National Opening Day for Rail-Trails across the country. As I’ve shared in the past, I’m a huge fan of of the many bike trails in and around the city of Pittsburgh. In celebration of Opening Day, I’m going to share three easy-to-moderate bike rides that do not require much riding on the road.
Take Me Out To the Opera
“Take Me Out To the Opera” has been the theme for the 2016-2017 season of the Pittsburgh Opera in anticipation of their first world premiere in the company’s 78 year history, The Summer King, the story of Pittsburgh baseball legend Josh Gibson. Daniel Sonenberg, composer of the opera, began working on this opera almost 15 years ago, but his love of baseball and his interest in the history of the Negro leagues goes back to his childhood. Reading the blog on his website, you feel his joy at finally having a fully staged version of this piece come to life in the city where Josh Gibson made his mark.
Creative Writing Opportunities for PGH Teens!
Read all about two amazing creative writing and publishing opportunities that are happening NOW at the Library, just for TEENS!
Throwback Thursday: Pittsburgh’s Gerald Stern Proves He’s Still Around
One of my very favorite poems is “Lucky Life” by Gerald Stern, born and raised in Pittsburgh and now living in Lambertville, New Jersey. It is somewhat embarrassing for me to have discovered this well-known poem only two years ago – I mean, it was published in 1977 – but discover it I did, last year, while spending some time down at my beloved Jersey shore. It found me at exactly the most perfect time, as if he was writing directly to me. I thought about it during our vacation this year and I’ve thought about it again, several times over the course of what has been a rather challenging month, personally-speaking.
Toddler Tested, Mom Approved!
Looking for book recommendations for your toddler? Look no further; these books are toddler tested, mom approved!
Throwback Thursday: Women in World War II
I recently finished reading The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan. It is a fascinating look into a town that never existed on any map but had a HUGE influence on the outcome of World War II. Although not all of the residents were women, of course, the story is told through the lives of several different ladies who found themselves at this historic place.
A Story of Transformation
I recently attended the Pittsburgh Opera production of a new American opera, As One, that featured two of their Resident Artists. As One tells the story of Hannah, a transgender protagonist, who makes the transformational journey to happiness while navigating a world that does not always understand. This opera has the potential to challenge and even change the listener.
Gene Luen Yang Challenges Us to Read Without Walls
I recently had the great pleasure of meeting award-winning author Gene Luen Yang during his Words and Pictures visit hosted by Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures. In addition to chatting with him in the green room about favorite manga, the joys of mentoring teens and how the heck metal fuses with glass (I had just come back from a road trip to the Corning Museum of Glass!), I was also able to ask him four library-related questions as well as introduce him to the stage!