Posts from Seward Park Library

The Lower East Side Heritage Film Series is returning to Seward Park Library for its second season. To celebrate, we will project Hester Street from 16mm reels.

When The Hunger Games came out a few years ago, author Suzanne Collins had no idea she was popularizing a whole sub-genre of fantasy — the dystopian romance. With all the sub-par Hunger Games copycats out there, it’s hard not to be cynical. However, I am here to tell you that there is HOPE. Blood Red Road by Moira Young has it all! A fast moving, edge-of-your-seat story, a super kick-ass heroine, amazing action, and an epic romance that just might have you saying, “Peeta who?”

Devlynn, 16, is a volunteer extraordinaire at Seward Park Library. She is a life-long resident of the Lower East Side and will be a junior this fall at Bronx Science High School. This is her list of must-reads, must-watch, and must-do's for summer 2011.

This summer, two of my favorite teen authors have taken their talents into the realm of adult fiction. Ann Brashares is taking her popular Sisterhood series into the world of young adulthood, and Melissa de la Cruz is expanding her Blue Bloods universe, where vampires are really immortal fallen angels and witches may not just be ordinary witches.

At the Center for Reading and Writing at Seward Park Library, volunteer tutors work with small groups of students improving basic English reading and writing skills. Tutors are encouraged to reflect on their own learning, and to think how they have felt while learning something new. Here is tutor Alexandra (Alex) Steedman’s reflection.

Are you ready to fall in love? Last summer, I put together the romance booklist Summer is for Lovers, full of sun, sand, and moonlit make-out sessions. This summer, in honor of the Summer Reading theme, “One World, Many Stories,” I am taking the romance overseas. I have created a list of globe-trotting books filled with hot foreign boys, romantic strolls along the Seine in Paris, seductive swims in the Mediterranean Sea, and rooftop make-out sessions in the English countryside. So put away that suntan lotion and get out your passport, because it’s time for some foreign encounters.

It was way back in 2004, at the Donnell Library's Teen Central room, when a bunch of librarians, myself included, came up with the idea for Anti-Prom. At the time, a bunch of teen books about prom and prom-related activities were being published and we were all sharing our own (somewhat anti-climatic) prom experiences. Then someone said, "We should throw a prom here." There was laughter as we imagined decorating the library with streamers, crepe paper and a disco ball and then someone said, "Forget prom we should throw an anti-prom," and thus an award-winning library tradition was born.

It might be hard to believe, but the historic Fulton Fish Market migrated away from Lower Manhattan more than five years ago.  In our final installment of the 2010-2011 LES Heritage Film Series, we will take a look back at the Fish Market as it was in the 1950s (sans the olfactorial sensations). We'll be casting the rarely seen extended 23 minute reel for all to sea.  All this on our very own scaled down silver screen. (Apologies, as I am sure I have overfished these waters.)

And back by popular demand - to bookend this series - the Seward Park Compilation 

Lucy Liu, who emigrated from China to New York City nine years ago, is proud that her two young children speak perfect English.
 
Now she wants to learn too.

The idea of girls masquerading as boys to infiltrate the male world is not new; in fact, it's a literary staple. From William Shakespeare to Amanda Bynes, all it takes is some cloth to bind and flatten the chest, short hair, a lowering of the voice, some rolled up socks artfully placed, and voila — a boy is born! Of course, it also helps if there is a clueless boy who befriends the masquerader and then suddenly begins to question his sexuality when he wants to kiss the girl in disguise. And, to make things even more complicated, another girl arrives on the scene. Mistaken identities, mistaken crushes, and crazy hijinks ensue, and fun is had by all!

Zisn Pesach!  In honor of Passover we are pleased to offer the following film on May 3, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. This FREE monthly series held at Seward Park Branch Library will offer documentary and feature films that were shot on location in lower Manhattan on both 16mm and DVD formats.

8th part in the series:

The Biggest Jewish City in the World
(1975, 58 min., 16mm)

I can't be the only person excited for the wedding of William Windsor to Catherine Middleton. In fact, I know I'm not. Out there, in that big, bad world of cynics, there are plenty of people just as psyched as me about the upcoming royal nuptials—they are just too cool to show it. This wedding brings me full circle. I remember being 9 years old and staying up all night with my Mom to watch Princess Diana marry Prince Charles, I had a slumber party to watch Sarah Ferguson marry Prince Andrew (where an adorable 3 year old Prince William got all squirmy in his wedding outfit (see below) and finally, I remember being in 

Introducing: JUSTIN PEEPER! Cue the high-pitched screams, swooning, crying and tears. For their spring craft project the Seward Park Library Teen Advisory Group wanted to make a Peeps diorama. The inspiration came from The Washington Post's annual peeps diorama contest. The entries are so amazing and we wanted to see if we could create something just as cool and we had a blast doing it.

Okay, I confess, I am a history geek and an Anglophile, meaning I am sucker for anything with a bit of British history and culture. However, that doesn’t mean dry, boring or high brow. I still insist that the historical novels I read be interesting, fun to read, and perhaps romantic, and if they have magical elements, even better! The fairies, witty dialogue, and romance may pull you in, but you finish the book with a better understanding of history and society without even realizing it.

Showing films on the first Tuesday of every month.  This FREE series at Seward Park Library will offer documentary and feature films that were shot on location in lower Manhattan on both 16mm and DVD formats.

Way, way back in May 2010 I wrote a blog post entitled Introducing Alex Pettyfer. At the time, no one but me had seemed to have heard of him. Now of course, he is everywhere: TV (shirtless on Ellen), magazines... and, who can blame them for wanting a piece of his action? He has two films out: I Am Number Four and Beastly, he was dating a Glee star and he's way easy on the eyes. So for all you new Alex fans, Welcome! This blog post is for you but just remember I was his fan FIRST and therefore have dibs.

Who says that all historical fiction is dull and boring? If done correctly, historical fiction is not dull at all. It's time travel in a book. Who hasn't imagined being transported back through time to experience what life was like during a different period in history? I particuarly love reading stories that are completely out of my realm of knowledge and experience and have a sense of the romantic about it—novels about war, warriors and (ahem) gladiators tend to fit that bill.

It is too dang COLD! I mean, I get it, it’s winter! It is supposed to be cold and snowy but enough already! Geez!  Perhaps, to get away from it all, you might be dreaming of a beach somewhere where palm trees sway in the breeze, where you are lying in the sand listening to music as the waves crash in front of you and someone is serving you something slushy and frothy to drink. But what would be on your playlist? Luckily, I have recently returned from a 2 ½ week vacation in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico (don’t hate) and can give you the highlights from the playlists of my iPod, beach club and party cruise. Just an FYI there’s no Mozart or 

Every morsel in The Manga Cookbook is so freaking cute and delicious looking I couldn’t decide what to cook. This kind of copious edible cuteness must be how the Bento box came to be. The bento is a combo of small treats stuffed together attractively in a box or tray. In fact, stuffing the tray is compulsory, as the bento is meant to be portable. If there’s even a little space in the box, contents will shift and the omotenashi (eating with the eyes) will be ruined. In any event, I was compelled to make a variety of adorable things: