Posts from St. Agnes Library

Thanks to Lifetime Arts for securing funding and inviting our library system to participate, NYPL is once again able to offer free sustained art courses, taught by professional teaching artists, for adults age 55 and over. Seventeen branch libraries have received funding that enables them to host these classes, which will take place from February-November 2013, and which cover a wide variety of arts including: painting, sculpting, collage, memoir-writing/performance, drawing, and quilt-making.

At the New York Public Library's Adult Learning Centers, where adults work on basic English and literacy skills, we're often asked for recommendations of websites for adults to practice English at home. Below you'll find eleven sites, some with a focus on listening, some on vocabulary, others on grammar, and some with a range of activities. Happy learning!

Visit NYPL's BiblioCommons for these lists and many more. You can also create your own and share them with us in the comments! See below for some interesting staff picks from the past month, on topics both timely and timeless:

You have not crossed the bridges I have crossed.
You have not listened to the music I have listened to.
You have not been in the top of the World Trade Center the way I have been there.
You have not seen the waves I have seen.
You have not fallen from horses the way I have fallen.
You have not felt the guns on your neck the way I have felt them.
You have not been in the sea with a big storm in a little boat the way I have been.

—Excerpt from "Don’t Give Me Advice," by Luis Marin, Tompkins Square CRW

This month is National Poetry Month, and here at the Center for Reading and Writing (CRW) some 

It’s official: Spring is here! As I peer into its etymology, I see the English word "spring" comes from the Old English "springan," which means “to leap, burst forth, fly up.” I have indeed been seeing New Yorkers bursting forth from their abodes in short sleeves and sandals, ready to enjoy the (even) warmer weather. Maybe the leaping and flying up will come later. 

Three of NYPL’s branches will be hosting 50+ Fitness Fairs to share spaces and ways for New Yorkers to not only leap, but walk, hike, canoe, swim, lift weights, kayak, exercise, and enjoy nature right here in the Big Apple. St. Agnes 

A woman came into the Library's Center for Reading and Writing, where she was enrolled in a basic literacy class. Visibly shaken, she pulled a staff member aside and confided that she wasn’t sure if she would be able to continue in the class. She had felt some pain in her breast, and her doctor had recommended that she have a mammogram. Not having any idea what a mammogram was, she understood it to mean that she had cancer. The staff member showed her how to find information about mammograms in library books and online. After consulting these resources, she went to her next doctor's appointment knowing what to expect and what questions to ask.

Last year, Victoria joined a basic reading and writing class at Tompkins Square Library's Center for Reading and Writing. She agreed to speak with me about her experience so far and what brought her here.

If you haven't experienced, or perhaps even heard about, ReelAbilities, this may be the year to discover this unique festival, which is a film festival, but also so much more.

In connection with the organization Lifetime Arts, NYPL will once again be holding some fabulous workshops specifically geared toward older adults. At St. Agnes Library, we will host a writing workshop called LiveStories: Using Writing And Drama to Share Your Personal Story. The workshop will be led by professional teaching artists Lauren Jost and Annie Montgomery, with whom I worked on a similar program last year at NYPL's Grand Central Library.

We're all looking for programming that is easy, effective, and not a burden on staff resources.  You may think that such a program does not exist, but luckily for NYPL, the nearly perfect opportunity has presented itself in the form of a new initiative called "Creative Aging in Our Communities." Administered through an organization called Lifetime Arts, the Creative Aging initiatives are designed to enrich the lives of New York City seniors by providing ongoing instruction in the visual or performing arts.  Programs run a minimum of eight sessions and can include anything from collages to choral performances to memoir writing.

Among Athena Shapiro’s happiest childhood memories is borrowing books from St. Agnes Library on the Upper West Side. Every night, she, her sister, and her mother took turns reading aloud together.

“I especially liked Little Women and a book called Momo by Michael Ende, about a girl who had a gift for listening,” says Shapiro. “Kids usually talk non-stop, but the importance of listening to people made a big impression on me even as a kid.”

This post offers information about affordable, subsidized and supportive housing programs in New York City.

The various federal, state and local rules and departments governing non-market housing in New York City can be a difficult maze to navigate: there are some support and advocacy organizations at the bottom of the page that may be able to help you chart your path through the NYC housing universe. Remember you can also visit the information desk at your local library branch for help looking for housing information or applications.

Right before the first snowflakes fell on the streets of NYC this winter, I was walking along Fifth Avenue and came upon a production set. No matter how long I've lived in the city, this still provides a little thrill. The street was slick, and "snow" piled along the sidewalks. Twinkle lights glowed. It created quite the magical scene. I always check the brightly colored notices to figure out what's going on, and actually squealed when I realized the set was for the movie version of the long beloved children’s book Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. The squeal surprised me, as, up until that point, I was a little shy to admit that this 

Choices...

I would choose to have only 70 degree days throughout the summer, and a light breeze wafting through the air, plus a New York City to live in just as it is—but with affordable rents in midtown. Wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, these aren't choices I can make. But there is a world of choices that we can make to make our lives better, and to make an informed choice we should hear from the experts first.