NYPL Blogs: Posts from Mid-Manhattan Library

July Author @ the Library Programs at Mid-Manhattan

Elizabeth Waters, Mid-Manhattan Library — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 12:01:59 -0400

Dangers of the 'foodopoly'... secrets of the original West Village... how Manhattan became capital of the world... a survey of time in love, war, crime, art, money and media... the spectrum of canine-obsessed craziness... 20th century graphic design and architecture... 75 personalized maps of Manhattan... the magic of cacao... a cynic's guide to happiness... Frankenstein's cat... true love lost and found... New York Neon... 1500 years of Islamic leaders... a cultural history of the American middle class... the first 50 years of the American Red Cross... the FBI's manufactured war on terror... the cost of American militarism... habitats of real New Yorkers...

If you're interested in any of these topics, then we've got an Author @ the Library talk for you this month at Mid-Manhattan! We hope you'll join us to hear these accomplished non-fiction authors discuss their work. Since we're a library, we've also got their books for you to read; you can request copies using the links to the catalog included below. Author talks take place at 6:30 p.m. on the 6th floor.

In an illustrated lecture on Monday, July 1, Wenonah Hauter, author of Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America and executive director of Food & Water Watch, presents her thoughts on how America's agricultural system should be reformed.

On Tuesday, July 2, we'll be Exploring the Original West Village and discovering interesting facts about the buildings and the people who have lived there in an illustrated lecture with local authors Alfred and Joyce Pommer.

On Wednesday, July 3, Professor Charlene Mires, author of Capital of the World: The Race to Host the United Nations, tells the story of how the United Nations selected Manhattan, which happened to be the last place on their list, as home.

On Monday, July 8, Lesley Alderman, author of The Book of Times: From Seconds to Centuries, a Compendium of Measures, offers a provocative survey of time, examining a wide swath of life—love, war, crime, art, money and media—through the unerring meter of the clock.

On Tuesday, July 9, humorist and novelist Pamela (Redmond) Satran, author of Rabid: Are You Crazy About Your Dog or Just Crazy?, considers the spectrum of canine-obsessed craziness.

On Wednesday, July 10, Richard Poulin, author of Graphic Design + Architecture, A 20th Century History: A Guide to Type, Image, Symbol, and Visual Storytelling in the Modern World shows us the relationship between typography, image, symbolism and the built environment.

On Thursday, July 11, cartographer Becky Cooper tells us about the New Yorkers who contributed maps to her book, Mapping Manhattan: A Love (and Sometimes Hate) Story in Maps by 75 New Yorkers.

On Monday, July 15, take a journey On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao with Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz.

On Tuesday, July 16, Oliver Burkeman of The Guardian helps the cynics among us discover The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking.

On Wednesday, July 17, science journalist Emily Anthes takes us from petri dish to pet store as she describes Frankenstein's Cat: Cuddling Up to Biotech's Brave New Beasts.

On Thursday, July 18, former New York Times reporter Leslie Maitland shares a true love story that began during World War II in Crossing the Borders of Time: A True Story of War, Exile, and Love Reclaimed.

On Monday, July 22, Thomas E. Rinaldi, author of New York Neon, and Robert J. Yasinsac, co-author with Rinaldi of Hudson Valley Ruins Forgotten Landmarks of An American Landscape, take us on a visual tour, recounting the history of the neon sign and examining its its role in the streets of New York and in America's cultural identity.

On Tuesday, July 23, Saul Silas Fathi tells us about 1500 years of Islamic Leaders: Their Biographies and Accomplishments (from Muhammad to the Present) in an illustrated presentation.

On Wednesday, July 24, Lawrence R. Samuel, author of The American Middle Class: A Cultural History, takes a long look at how the middle class has been winnowed away and reveals how, even in the face of this erosion, the image of the enduring middle class remains the heart and soul of the United States.

On Thursday, July 25, Professor Marian Moser Jones, author of The American Red Cross from Clara Barton to the New Deal, examines how humanity and neutrality, the two ideals that early Red Cross leaders chose as guiding principles, took on varied and sometimes conflicting meanings in the context of real-world emergencies.

On Monday, July 29, Trevor Aaronson, co-director of the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and senior fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, exposes The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Manufactured War on Terror.

On Tuesday, July 30, Melvin Goodman, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and a 24-year CIA veteran, discusses National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism.

On Wednesday, July 31, Constance Rosenblum of the New York Times and author of Habitats: Private Lives in the Big City, shares vivid and intimate stories about how New Yorkers really live in their brownstones, their apartments, their mansions, their lofts.

You can find lists of non-fiction books by authors who have spoken at the Mid-Manhattan Library this year in the BiblioCommons catalog:

The Author @ the Library lists include only authors discussing their recent non-fiction books at the Mid-Manhattan Library. We have lots of other free programs and classes on our July calendar. If you enjoy fiction, check out our short story readings, too! This month's Story Time for Grown-ups theme is New York, New York: Stories from The New Yorker, part of our NYC Summer reading program. We hope to see you @ the Library this summer!

Who is Harpo Marx?

Stephen Kiss, Mid-Manhattan Library — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:42:18 -0400

Who is Harpo? How does one describe him? What is his role in the Marx Brothers' films? What is his role in the universe? Sometimes he is a hero; sometimes an anti-hero. He is always unique, on par with the greats: Chaplin, Red Skelton, Emmet Kelly. He is spontaneous, in continuous action, even when he freezes or stares (which are actions in themselves). He's a part of a group, but sometimes stands alone. Is he everyman, or the product of a long line of clowns?

Harpo can't read, so he takes pleasure in burning books. Perhaps he can read and it's all a pretense. He doesn't speak, but his eyes say volumes. He stares, he puckers his lips, he freezes, his smile slight, sometimes broad, sometimes innocent, saying what? It's hard to know. Is Harpo's mis-use of objects intentional, a comment on the absurdity of the universe? Dali drew him, fascinated by his otherness. Is Harpo the ultimate surrealist? Is this all fun and laughs for comedy's sake? Or is it something else? Something higher? Let the viewer interpret.

My first ever Marx Brothers' film was Duck Soup; I saw it on late night television and laughed so hard and loud I woke up my entire family. Depending on how you see the world, you can either love the Marx Brothers or think them silly and inconsequential. To me, they're not just hilarious, they're brilliant. I love Groucho and Chico for many reasons but Harpo is my favorite, perhaps because he doesn't speak and must rely on movement and gestures. I especially enjoy the scenes where Harpo, looking heavenward before playing his harp, intimates his real role as poet/saint. It's quite difficult for me to analyze Harpo—I'd prefer to sit back and let his brilliance give me goosebumps.

Favorite scenes

Those of you who haven't seen any Marx Brothers films might like to start with these clips:

Harpo Marx and his tattoos (from Duck Soup)

Harpo, Chico and Edgar ("Slow Burn") Kennedy (from Duck Soup)

Harpo at the piano and harp (from Night At The Opera)

Harpo, Chico and Groucho at speakeasy (from Horse Feathers)

Harpo, Chico and Groucho in the classroom (from Horse Feathers)

Harpo, Chico and Groucho in the ship cabin scene (from Night At The Opera)

Marx Brothers in the NYPL Catalog

Anobile, Richard J. Why A Duck? This is a compilation of the funniest scenes, with pictures and dialogue, from the Marx Brothers' films.

Mitchell, Glenn. The Marx Brothers Encyclopedia. The 1996 edition and the revised 2012 edition offer everything on the Marx Brothers from their early years growing up in New York to their stage careers, films, television appearances, the leading actors and actresses in their films, and loads of other information.

Inside The NBC Vault. This DVD offers interviews with Harpo and Groucho and Harpo's adopted son William. If you're hoping that Harpo will talk in this interview, well, let's just say that the interview is orally somewhat one-sided!

Louvish, Simon. Monkey Business: The lives and legends of the Marx Brothers. A complete and comprehensive telling of the Marx Brothers--their works, all the people in their lives, and little-known facts and anecdotes omitted in other biographies.

Koestenbaum, Wayne. The Anatomy of Harpo Marx. A highly scholarly and important work, the author analyzes Harpo's movements, non-movements and gestures in the Marx Brothers' thirteen films.

Johnson, Paul. Humorists: From Hogarth to Noel Coward. Chapter 12, p. 165-172, discusses the concept of chaos in the films of the Marx Brothers.

Artaud, Antonin. Selected Writings. p. 240-42 discusses chaos and anarchy in Animal Crackers and Monkey Business.

Some Books by the Brothers Themselves

(or by their relatives), but sometimes, though, with a little help from others:

Marx, Groucho. Essential Groucho. Presents a little bit of everything from movie scripts, correspondence, his magazine articles, quips from Groucho's television and radio show "You Bet Your Life" and many other yummies.

Marx, Groucho. Groucho and Me. The history of the Marx Brothers, told with Groucho's typical humor.

Marx, Maxine. Growing Up With Chico. Chico's daughter writes an honest biography of her father whom she loves despite his many faults.

Marx, Harpo. Harpo Speaks! This Harpo bible was written by Harpo with assistance from author Rowland Barber. It recounts the history of the brothers, their parents, relatives and friends, of the New York neighborhood of their youth, of their travels on the vaudeville circuit, and of Harpo's later years. There are anecdotes about famous New York and Hollywood friends, and loving descriptions of life with his wife, the actress Susan Fleming, and their adopted children.

Harpo was devoted to the art of mime, and like his brothers, was very spontaneous and inventive. He was a quiet man, a listener, who enjoyed living a child-like existence filled with fun and laughter. He was also an accomplished painter and musician. The idea of fun and laughter, along with a love of the arts, formed the basis of his work on the stage and screen.

Some Thoughts by Allan Sherman

from his A Gift of Laughter (Atheneum, 1965):

"There was something in the way he touched that harp—it was an act of love..."

"...the almost unbearable beauty of this man and his love for music. And you could feel his love for every other creature on earth..."

"...the simplicity of the man—the beauty inside..."

"To see, and to laugh, and to give joy to others in a way so special..."

"Harpo was a child who never grew up. He was the best part of a human being—the innocent part that can see things with wonder."

"He could see... inside all of us... fancy and laughter and music and playfulness and love. Harpo could feel all those things inside himself and inside every human being."

"Harpo Marx had the good sense and the great gift never to grow up. And that was the soul of his comedy."

June in the Reader's Den: Time and Again by Jack Finney - Part 1

Elizabeth Waters, Mid-Manhattan Library — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:59:38 -0400

"So all in all there wasn't anything really wrong with my life. Except that, like most everyone else's I knew about, it had a big gaping hole in it, an enormous emptiness, and I didn't know how to fill it or even know what belonged there."

What would you do to fill a similar existential hole? How does a spot of clandestine, government-sponsored time travel sound? Welcome to June in the Reader's Den! This month we're reading the classic time travel tale and novel of New York, Time and Again, by Jack Finney. This is a book that will appeal to lovers of historical fiction as well as to science fiction fans, and there's a fair bit of mystery and romance involved, too.

Time and Again, published in 1970, is noted for Finney's meticulous attention to historical detail as he richly describes the urban landscape of 1882 New York, where our protagonist, bored advertising artist Si Morley, transports himself. Si accomplishes this without the aid of a time machine, but more about that later... More than 40 years after its publication, Time and Again has much to tell us about life and attitudes in New York in 1970 as well as providing a vivid picture of the city in the late 19th century.

Jack Finney began his career writing suspense stories for magazines, winning an award from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in 1946 for "The Widow's Walk," but he is probably best remembered for his science fiction and fantasy writing, for which he received the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 1987. Time travel, especially to moments in the past, is a recurring theme in many of Finney's novels and short stories. Some critics have accused him of presenting an overly nostalgic and sentimental vision of the past in his writings. See what you think as you read Time and Again. Reviewing the book in The New York Times, W. R. Rodgers wrote that if you don't try to figure out the novel too literally, "you go back to a wonderful world and have a wonderful time doing it." As you read, you might think about Finney's portrayal of 1882 New York. Does it seem to be more of a painstakingly accurate rendering or a nostalgic whitewash? Or a little of each? Either way, enjoy the trip!

In addition to Time and Again, Jack Finney's best known work is the science fiction thriller The Body Snatchers, later retitled Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The story originally appeared in Collier's magazine in 1954, was published as a novel in 1955 and became the basis for the acclaimed 1956 film of the same name, as well as two later screen adaptations in 1978 and 1993. Time and Again has yet to be adapted for the screen, but plans for a film version were announced last summer. As you read, who would make a great Si Morley on film?

If you've never read Time and Again, I hope you'll give it a try. If you've read it in the past, it could be interesting to reread and note how your impressions of the book have changed. You can reserve a copy through the NYPL catalog. Feel free to post comments about the book or author at any time. If you have an opinion, insight, question, gripe, favorite scene or character to share, please don't wait for my questions, just go ahead and post your thoughts.

In the meantime, to encourage a time travel state of mind, you might enjoy looking at some of the animated stereograms people have created using NYPL's cool Stereogranimator. Looking at old stereograms is something our main character Si Morely enjoys...

Hope to see you later this month (or maybe in 1882) in the Reader's Den!

Art Guide: Socially Conscious Art

Jessica Cline, Mid-Manhattan Library, Art and Picture Collections — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:23:47 -0400

"I think it's a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power." Ai Weiwei, "Ai Weiwei 'Does Not Feel Powerful'"BBC, October 13, 2011.

Ai Weiwei was commenting on being named the most powerful person in the art world in 2011 by ArtReview magazine after his three month detention by the Chinese government for alleged tax evasion. His position as most powerful art world representative is largely due to his political statements and the conscientious stance he chooses to make with his art.

Art making began to take on a more blatant socially conscious role during the 19th century, frequently reflecting the plight of the poor and criticizing the government. Many philosophical arguments were recorded on the role of art at this time. It was often not enough to have "art for art's sake" or art for the sake of an individualized patron's interests. The advent of photography propelled the message to an even wider audience, often wavering between the concept of photography as art and photography as journalism. By the 20th century, the government began commissioning artists to record the reality of the time with programs such as the Works Progress Administration, directing social awareness to merge art and journalism.

Socially conscious art deals with issues ranging from women's suffrage and the civil rights movement to ecology. Artists' practice of being socially conscious is recorded most obviously through their subject matter, but also can show through the materials they use. For example, El Anatsui's art comments on politics and culture in Africa, while using found materials from his surroundings in the creation of his work. The depth of exploration into these issues can take many directions and can be fed by many resources in the library. Many books deal with the direct discussion of social movements and their record in art. They critique and draw attention to the issues raised by artists as a reflection of a society.

These books offer commentary on socially conscious art:

Justice: The Faces of Human Rights Revolution
Rise and Fall of Apartheid: Photography and the Bureaucracy of Everyday Life
Social Works by Shannon Jackson
Alternative Art, New York 1965-1985
Art and Social Function by Stephen Willats
Dimensions of the Americas by Shifra Goldman
The Art of Social Conscience by Paul Von Blum

While some artistic projects are socially aware without advertising for rhetoric, others are blatant in their criticism of reality. Some simply record what is, and the impulse to react is left to society. Either way, we see our world reflected back to us through the interpretation of the artist.

From the 19th century to the contemporary, these artists take a socially conscious attitude toward art making, often falling into more than one of the following categories:

Political

Shirin Neshat, Diego Rivera, George Grosz, Honore Daumier, Shepard Fairey, Rashid Johnson

Environmental

Mark Dion, Arte Povera, Agnes Denes, Alexis Rockman, Marcel Duchamp, Olafur Eliasson, Hiroshi Sugimoto

The Human Condition

Jacob Riis, Kathe Kollwitz, Walker Evans, Zoe Strauss, Janine Antoni, Kara Walker, Jenny Holzer, Collier Schorr

For more on the theory of artistic creation: art for art's sake versus art as a reflection of the society of the artist, try some of these books:

Proudhon, Marx, Picasso: Three Studies in the Sociology of Art by Max Raphael
Walter Benjamin and Art
The Social History of Art by Arnold Hauser
Meditations on a Hobby Horse: and Other Essays on the Theory of Art by E. H. Gombrich

For a closer look at the role of ecology in art this summer, visit MoMA PS1 for their exhibition EXPO 1: New York, which is "an exploration of ecological challenges in the context of the economic and sociopolitical instability of the early 21st century." Read more about current political expressions in art in ArtReview magazine or The Art Newspaper online. Also, the Art:21 blog asks questions and offers insights into to the role of social responsibility in art.

Is there an art work that you find socially powerful?

Reader's Den: The Contract With God Trilogy by Will Eisner - Week 4

Thomas Knowlton, Mid-Manhattan Library, Language and Literature — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 06:41:59 -0400

Thank you for joining us for this month's Reader's Den! Our discussion of Will Eisner's The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue is part of NYC Summer and we have many more events still to come.

If you'd like to comment on any of the previous posts in the discussion, please visit the following links:

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: A Contract With God (p. 3 - 180)
Week 3: A Life Force (p. 181 - 322)
Week 4: Dropsie Avenue (p. 323 - 498)

Last week, we covered Eisner's 1988 work A Life Force, which managed to combine both the subjective and objective experiences of living in The Bronx during the 1930s. Our final discussion turns to the third and final book in the compilation, Dropsie Avenue, originally published in 1995 by Kitchen Sink Press.

One of the most striking aspects of Dropsie Avenue is its scope. A Contract With God experimented with a sequence of self-contained short stories all taking place in the same fictional neighborhood and A Life Force took this structure one step further with its eleven interlocking tales. However, Dropsie Avenue spans 100 years of the neighborhood's history, tracing its evolution through the lives of the Dutch, English, Irish, Jewish, African American, and Puerto Rican immigrants who call it home.

Much of the book focuses on conflicts between characters of different racial and cultural backgrounds. However, Eisner subtly lampoons this day-to-day friction of city life and the fluidity of urban politics, injecting it with the humor and irony we've found in the previous two books. Early on, Izzy Cash transforms from ragman to wealthy slumlord overnight and at the close of the book many of the characters who were formerly at odds, reunite and reminisce about their shared experiences on Dropsie.

Ultimately, the many changes and calamities of violence, poverty, and even fire cannot destroy Eisner's fictional but realistic Bronx community. As Rowena writes in her final note to her lawyer: "You were right, Abie. Dropsie Avenue as we knew it is gone. Only the memory of how it was for us remains. In the end, buildings are only buildings, but people make a neighborhood."

Some discussion questions:

Which was your favorite of the three books and why?
Did you find the structure of Dropsie Avenue easier or harder to follow than the two earlier works?
Is the ending of the book hopeful or pessimistic?

The Annotated Superman: A Top 10 List

Ryan P. Donovan, Mid-Manhattan Library — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:52:52 -0400

Happy Birthday, Superman! This past April marked the 75th Anniversary of the hero. To celebrate that, and in anticipation of Zack Snyder's upcoming film Man of Steel, we have put together a list of some popular Superman tales at the New York Public Library. Be sure to also check out our individual feature of Superman: Earth One and similar lists featuring Batman and The X-Men. Also, please comment below with your favorite Superman story. We want to know what your favorites are, too.

The Death of Superman | Bibliocommons | Classic

Where were you when Superman died? This was the question many people were asked in 1992 after DC Comics made a fateful decision to kill one of the benchmark characters of their company. In an effort to revitalize Superman in popular culture and save floundering sales, the editors at DC wanted to show us what it would be like to live in a "World Without a Superman." The story begins as a monstrous unknown creature emerges from the Earth and begins to rampage across the country. The Justice League attempts to stop it, but the creature—who literally has one hand tied behind his back—swiftly defeats the team in a matter of minutes. Booster Gold is actually knocked into orbit, but Superman manages to catch him when he arrives. Booster comments, "It's like Doomsday is here!" inadvertently giving the creature a name. Superman is unable to halt Doomsday's thrust to Metropolis. After an epic battle in front of the Daily Planet, the two deliver a simultaneous blow that kills them both.

The last few panels of Superman #75 show Lois Lane bidding a final farewell to the love of her life as he slumps to lifelessness out of her arms. The image is profoundly haunting, and Superman's death made national headlines. Four heroes would soon emerge in Metropolis after Superman's death all of whom were suspected to be reincarnations of the hero in some form.

The Superman Chronicles | Bibliocommons | Classic

It all had to start somewhere. These collections, assembling early Superman comics by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Leo Nowak, and others, detail the early foundations for the Man of Steel. Before the Crisis on Infinite Earths and John Byrne's subsequent reboot of the character's origin and powers in 1986, Superman was so powerful he could literally move the Earth out of orbit with his bare hands. He also routinely encountered other Kryptonians due to a variety of unusual circumstances, which made his standing as "The Last Son of Krypton" a little silly. While many of these zany stories seem over-the-top and maybe even a little ridiculous, I have a soft spot for some of these classic tales. Vintage stories from the 1940s include, "Superman Joins the Circus," "The Lightning Master," and "Racket in Metropolis."

Red Son | Bibliocommons | Classic

We all know Superman fights for Truth, Justice, and the American Way... but what if he didn't? What if Kal-El from Krypton didn't land on a Kansas farm as a baby, but Soviet-Era Russia? What would that mean for the world? Author Mark Miller, creator of Kick-Ass, explores these questions in his 2004 Elseworlds title. Lex Luthor, the neglectful husband of reporter Lois Lane, has become a symbol for American ingenuity and perseverance as the spread of communism has all but enveloped the world. He still has an unhealthy obsession with the Man of Steel, however, and plots his ultimate defeat. Superman is too concerned with problems at home to notice though: a costumed vigilante calling himself "Batman" has taken to terrorist action against the state. The story has proven so popular, the recent Injustice: Gods Among Us game has included specific downloadable content featuring it.

For Tomorrow | Bibliocommons | Classic

Brian Azzarello, creator of 100 Bullets and the later writer of The New 52 revamp of Wonder Woman, crafts a psychedelic tale of Superman dealing with an unknown threat that has caused a significant number of Earth's population to vanish. The event where everybody disappeared is known as The Vanishing. Superman, off world at the time, is racked with guilt and doubt due to his inability to prevent the disaster. This is combined with his own feelings of powerlessness, as his wife Lois Lane was one of the people to mysteriously vanish. He confides in a priest named Father Leone who is dying of cancer. He also squares off with a superpowered monster named Equus in the Middle East. The story is a little bizarre, but Jim Lee's artwork—and his propensity to show Superman hovering in midair with glowing red eyes—makes this two volume set a masterpiece.

Superman for All Seasons | Bibliocommons | Classic

The creative team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are well known for their inspired collaboration on Batman: The Long Halloween. Here, in their light-hearted tackling of the Superman mythos, they look at the first year of his superhero career through the eyes of the "normal" people that surround him. When he leaves home in the spring, his early adventures are narrated by Pa Kent. As he makes his initial debut in Metropolis, Lois Lane admits her overarching fascination with him. Fall belongs to Lex Luthor, who has hatched a fiendish plot with a femme fatale to permanently remove this new thorn in his side. Returning home for the winter, Lana Lang reflects on being one of the only human beings to know that Clark Kent is Superman... and how hard it is for her to think of him as anything other than the boy next door. A thoughtful look at the Man of Steel, Sale's timeless depiction proves to be a delight.

Brainiac | Bibliocommons | Classic

Who—or what—is Brainiac? Over the years, Superman has encountered many creatures and robots using that particular moniker. Which one is the "real" Brainiac? Author Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank provide the answer in this story, showing us that Superman had yet to encounter the true Brainiac in any of his engagements with the villain over the years. Superman just battled "probes"—advanced scouts sent out by Brainiac proper to identify and target worlds deserving of his villainous interest. Deciding that Earth is indeed worth his attention, he arrives with the intention of defeating Superman, bottling a major city for study, and annihilating the rest of the planet. Superman, of course, rushes to our defense... only to discover Brainiac is much more physically imposing than he could have imagined.

New Krypton | Bibliocommons | Classic

Recovering the shrunken, bottled city of Kandor after his encounter with the true Brainiac, Superman is overjoyed when he is able to re-enlarge the city in the Arctic. With over 100,000 residents in Kandor, there are now suddenly that many individuals on Earth that all have Superman's abilities but none of his discipline. As the Kandorians increasingly antagonize the human population both inadvertently and on purpose, General Lane and Lex Luthor "defend" humanity by sending assassins after their leaders. Using technology recovered from Brainiac's ship, the Kandorians are able to create and establish an entirely new planet—dubbed "New Krypton"—in orbit around our sun. Embracing his Kryptonian heritage, Superman joins them on their new world, leaving Mon-El and the heroes Nightwing & Flamebird to defend the Earth in his place.

Last Stand of New Krypton | Bibliocommons | Classic

With Lex Luthor as his new ally, Brainiac returns intent on reclaiming Kandor for his collection. He attacks New Krypton in earnest, and only General Zod, Superman, and the Kryptonian Military Guild stand between the villain and the planet's civilian populace. The Legion of Superheroes also emerge to help Kal-El, revealing that without their assistance, it's possible he may perish in the resulting conflagration. Supergirl meets Brainiac 5, and the latter must conceal his future relationship from her to prevent his presence from polluting the timeline. Mon-El shows up to lend a hand, and Superman and the Legion attempt to liberate the bottled cities trapped in Brainiac's possession. Zod and Brainiac square off, with the General managing to subdue the Coluan. He is about to execute him when Superman intervenes, reigniting the long standing animosity between them.

Grounded | Bibliocommons | Classic

Following the loss of New Krypton, Superman is despondent. He is confronted by a widow who accuses him of allowing her husband to die when he abandoned Earth for his people. Deeply affected by the woman's words and feeling an overall disconnect from humanity, he decides to take a walk across the country. Helping whoever he meets along the way, these stories show a relatable Superman who has many of the same internal dilemmas and existential questions that we all have. Helped along the way by heroes like Batman and the Flash, perhaps the most interesting story features Lois Lane returning to her home town. She reflects on the life she might have had if she had married a "normal" man, and how being married to Superman means that she not only spends most of her time alone, but also that she won't be able to have his children.

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? | Bibliocommons | Classic

Alan Moore, author of Watchmen, was charged in 1986 with writing the "last Superman story." It begins with a reporter, years after the hero was last seen, tracking down Lois Lane to interview her about Superman's final days. We learn that Lex Luthor sought out the remains of Brainiac in the Arctic, only for his will to be taken over by him. The Luthor/Brainiac composite recruits the Kryptonite Man and the Legion of Super-Villains, among others, to attack Superman at his Fortress of Solitude. The Man of Steel makes his last stand there, aided by the temporarily superpowered Jimmy Olsen and Lana Lang. The collection contains several Moore Superman tales, including a bizarre encounter with Swamp Thing and one titled "For the Man Who Has Everything"—a birthday story that was adapted in the animated Justice League Unlimited.

Check out this booklist on BiblioCommons >>

Reader's Den: The Contract With God Trilogy by Will Eisner - Week 3

Thomas Knowlton, Mid-Manhattan Library, Language and Literature — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 06:20:46 -0400

This May, we've been reading Will Eisner's The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue. This online book discussion is in conjunction with Reader's Den and NYC Summer.

Here is a schedule of what we have covered so far, but please feel free to revisit and comment on any of these earlier posts as well:

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: A Contract With God (p. 3-180)
Week 3: A Life Force (p. 181-322)
Week 4: Dropsie Avenue (p. 323-498)

We started our discussion with Eisner's 1978 classic A Contract With God and Other Tenement Stories. This week, we will be taking a look at A Life Force, which was originally published by Kitchen Sink Press in 1988 and consists of eleven short, intertwined stories of varying lengths.

In "Drawing Contracts: Will Eisner's Legacy," Laurence Roth argues that A Life Force is even more successful than A Contract With God in illustrating the way in which "Eisner contributed to the deepening of comics characters and narratives by making public and private memory—of the Depression, of Jewish acculturation, of the Bronx—a subject of his stories because it is the indispensable predicate for survival" (p. 468).

The intermingling of objective and subjective narratives is evident from the very first pages of the book, which quote Franklin D. Roosevelt's first inaugural address; and as Roth notes, the original version of the book ommitted the frontispiece and full-page illustration of cockroaches, striking "a grittier and truer note for the overture to Eisner’s historical fiction" (p. 470).

I enjoyed the way in which A Life Force presents stereotypes and caricatures throughout the story, only to subvert them either through the microspic details of an individual life or through the dark sense of irony also present in A Contract With God. Elton and Rebecca's forbidden romance seems less and less cliched in the shadow of her father Jacob's confusion between his wife Rifka and his boyhood romance Frieda. Similarly, the subplot involving The Blackhand leads to both the most comical scene halfway through the book as well as its climactic, potboiler-like conclusion.

Some discussion questions:

Did you find A Life Force similar to A Contract With God in terms of tone and structure?
How would you define the "life force" which is referenced throughout the book?
In what ways does Eisner address memory as the subject of his story?

June Author @ the Library Programs at Mid-Manhattan

Elizabeth Waters, Mid-Manhattan Library — Thu, 30 May 2013 12:50:09 -0400

Should we worry about a Medicare Meltdown? Is a newly identified autoimmune disease responsible for instances of demonic possession recorded in the past? What is the Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola? How can we best care for aging parents (and ourselves)? How has "tinkering" made America great? What is it like to grow up as the child of concentration camp survivors? What is an extreme desert? What dangers lurk behind the scenes at large food companies? How do food trucks contribute to life in NYC? How many different faces has Manhattan's SoHo worn? What's the true story behind the prices we pay and what are those prices telling us? What do you know about ancient Nubia? How is the story of the Cooper-Hewitt Dynasty a quintessential New York story?

Have any of these questions piqued your curiosity? Then we invite you to join us at the Mid-Manhattan Library to hear noted non-fiction authors discuss these topics during the month of June and to reserve copies of their books using the links to the catalog included below. Author talks take place at 6:30 p.m. on the sixth floor. No reservations are required.

Tuesday, June 4, Rosemary Gibson, author of Medicare Meltdown: How Wall Street and Washington are Ruining Medicare and How to Stop It, explores how Medicare works, how it could work better, and where it will go if reforms are not made.

Wednesday, June 5, journalist Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, will be in conversation with Dr. Souhel Najjar of NYU Langone Medical Center, who saved her by diagnosing her autoimmune disease.

Thursday, June 6, artist, writer and publisher Ricardo Cortés reveals A Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola in an illustrated lecture.

Monday, June 10, former New York Times reporter Jane Gross, author of A Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents – and Ourselves, shares the story of her own struggle to learn how to care for her aging and ailing mother and offers helpful insights and, often surprising, advice.

Wednesday, June 12, Alec Foege, author of The Tinkerers: The Amateurs, DIYers, and Inventors Who Make America Great, offers a tribute to America's innovators and traces the nation's history through its feats of engineering in an illustrated lecture.

Thursday, June 13, playwright and essayist Sonia Taitz, author of The Watchmaker’s Daughter: A Memoir, describes her life as the American child of Yiddish-speaking, Orthodox, European concentration camp survivors.

Monday, June 17, celebrated photographer George Steinmetz gives an illustrated presentation exploring the world's “extreme deserts,” which receive less than four inches of precipitation per year. His recent book, Desert Air, is the first comprehensive photographic collection of the world's deserts.

Tuesday, June 18, freelance writer and editorial cartoonist Martha Rosenberg exposes the dangers lurking behind the scenes at large food companies in Born with a Junk Food Deficiency: How Flaks, Quacks, and Hacks Pimp the Public Health.

Wednesday, June 19, David Weber, founder and President of the NYC Food Truck Association (NYCFTA) and author of The Food Truck Handbook: Start, Grow, and Succeed in the Mobile Food Business, gives an illustrated lecture on New York City food trucks, which offer more to the city than a quick place to grab a snack.

Monday, June 24, Alfred Pommer and Eleanor WInter, authors of Exploring New York’s Soho, reveal the trendy Manhattan neighborhood’s fascinating history and describe its urban decline, which includes a period as an infamous red light district, and regeneration.

Tuesday, June 25, New York Times columnist Eduardo Porter takes us on a global adventure, explaining The Price of Everything: Solving the Mystery of Why We Pay What We Do.

Wednesday, June 26 New York Times photographer Chester Higgins, Jr. takes us to Ancient Nubia: African Kingdoms on the Nile with an illustrated lecture that attempts to document recent discoveries about ancient Nubia.

Thursday, June 27 fashion historian Polly Guérin, author of The Cooper-Hewitt Dynasty of New York, showcases the lives of Peter Cooper, Abram Hewitt and their kin as a quintessentially New York story of family, philanthropy and legacy in an illustrated lecture.

Those are all the Author @ the Library programs we've got for June. Find lists of non-fiction books by authors speaking at the Mid-Manhattan Library in the BiblioCommons catalog:

The Author @ the Library lists include only authors discussing their recent non-fiction books at the Mid-Manhattan Library. We have some other interesting readings, talks and discussions on our June calendar. On Monday, June 17, we are hosting a meeting of the European Book Club to discuss The Attic by Serbian writer Danilo Kiš, and on Friday, June 21, Lesléa Newman, author of many books for children, teens and adults, will speak about her verse novel, October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard, a 2013 Stonewall Honor book. Our schedule also includes regular art lectures and discussions and short story readings at our Story Time for Grown-ups programs. We hope to see you @ the Library this summer!

Reader's Den: The Contract With God Trilogy by Will Eisner - Week 2

Thomas Knowlton, Mid-Manhattan Library, Language and Literature — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:35:48 -0400

Welcome back to our online discussion of Will Eisner's The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue. Throughout May, we'll be discussing the book as part of both Reader's Den and NYC Summer.

Below is our schedule, but please feel free to comment on any post over the course of the month:

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: A Contract With God (p. 3-180)
Week 3: A Life Force (p. 181-322)
Week 4: Dropsie Avenue (p. 323-498)

Last week, we talked about Will Eisner, The Spirit, and the Eisner Awards. We now turn to the first book in the trilogy, A Contract With God and Other Tenement Stories, which was originally published in 1978, and is made up four stories: "A Contract With God", "The Street Singer", "The Super", and "Cookalein".

"A Contract With God" immediately grabbed me with its tale of the dark descent of Frimme Hersh, from beloved orphan in the poor Jewish community of Piske to ruthless New York City landlord who dies at the very moment he has attained peace. I particularly liked the ambiguity of the narrative: one could interpret his heart attack (and subsequent fire) as either divine retribution or senseless tragedy. Also, Hersh's loss of faith after the death of his daughter takes on a new resonance in light of the fact that Eisner began the book shortly after he lost his own sixteen-year-old daughter to leukemia.

While the first story offers a sad, but almost classic arc of failed redemption, "The Street Singer" and "The Super" seem to venture into even bleaker territory and seem particularly grounded in the reality of the Bronx during the Great Depression. In the former, we have the rather unsympathetic street singer protagonist, Eddie, who is drawn as a violent, lost man who glimpses a brighter future only to forget the address of the opera singer who is his ticket to fame. The latter is interesting in that it initially presents Mr. Scagg as a racist and sexually deviant cartoon of a man, only to later paint him as a rather heartbreaking character, after his dog is poisoned and he is driven to suicide.

Lastly, "Cookalein" manages to capture that ineffable feeling of freedom in escaping the city during the summer. In my mind, it seems to combine the universal aspect of "A Contract With God" with the raw, messy observatons of life found in both "The Street Singer" and "The Super". This final story presents an archetypal "loss of innocence" story through the character of Willie, while not shying away from the sexuality and violence that accompanies it.

Some discussion questions:

Which was your favorite of the four stories? Why were you drawn to that one in particular?
Did you find the characters, like Frimme Hersh and Mr. Scaff, sympathetic despite their obvious character flaws?
Do these four stories feel modern to you or do they feel tied specifically to New York City in the 1930s?

Mad Men on the Menu

Billy Parrott, Mid-Manhattan Library, Art and Picture Collections — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:56:43 -0400

You are what you eat is the common adage, but What you eat describes who you are is more appropriate for circa 1960s Madison Avenue and New York City.

The power lunch. Two-for-one happy hour. The business dinner. A sandwich from the corner diner. Scotch at 11am.

Food and drink play an important role in Mad Men.

The production design certainly gives the show an air of visual authenticity and nothing grounds a character like seeing them eat breakfast or mix a drink.

It's a common narrative device in film and television. The ritual of preparation. Consumerism, consumption and excess. The implied implications of someone eating and drinking alone. The social aspects of dinner parties with neighbors. Food and drink go a long way to reinforce themes and define and develop characters.

Mad Men is no different. Peggy Olsen bringing a simple sandwich and a bruised banana in a stained brown paper bag to work for lunch said a lot about the kind of person she was. Roger Sterling throwing up oysters and vodka perfectly characterized his excess. Characters eat and drink to celebrate just as much as they eat and drink to medicate.

The tense family dinners. The expensive meals and expense accounts. Need an excuse to drink? It's 5pm somewhere in the world! What would Mad Men be without all of this?

With New York City being one of the greatest food and drink cities in the world the use of food and drink in the show was a given.

Do you have a favorite Mad Men food or drink moment? Below are the food and drink references in the first episode to help you begin to eat and drink your way through Mad Men. Obsessive fans out there can also take a look at my "Mad Men on the Menu" Pinterest page for a visual list of food and drink references.

Bon appétit!

Cheers!

Season 1 Episode 1 - "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" Drink References

Less than two minutes into the show we learn something about Don Draper: he drinks old fashioneds. By the nine minute mark we learn he likes to drink. Period. Joan tells the new secretary Peggy to keep a fifth of something in her desk. "Mr. Draper drinks rye," she says. "Rye's Canadian, right?" Peggy asks, to which Joan replies, "You better find out."

Prior to a research meeting in preparation for the Lucky Strike pitch Sal asks Don, "Should we drink before the meeting or after? Or both?" He pours himself a scotch and adds Alka Seltzer. After the research meeting, which did not go very well, Don says, "Sal, I'll take that drink now."

Despite the research meeting the Lucky Strike pitch went very well, which was cause for celebration. Roger pours himself and Don a drink and says "I don't know if you were drunk, or not drunk, but that was inspired." Pete, Paul, Ken, and Harry join the celebration with a bottle of Canadian Club.

During the Menkin's Department Store meeting David Cohen from the mailroom starts to pour himself a Bloody Mary but after a look from Roger he decides against it.

Food References

To reinforce the office hierarchy of the time Joan tells Peggy that the men in the office may act like they want a secretary but most of the time they're looking for something between a mother and a waitress. She also tells Peggy to pick up a few things at lunch, including a box of chocolates. Peggy gives these gifts to the switchboard operators when she meets them.

After the Lucky Strike celebration Don reprimands Peggy by saying "If you ever let Pete Campbell go through my trash again then you won't be able to find a job selling sandwiches in Penn Station."

At Pete's bachelor party, when three ladies arrive at the guys table Pete asks, "How'd you swing it?." Ken says, "They work at the automat!" Paul adds, "He pressed a button and they came out!"

Food and Drink at Business Meetings

The first episode introduces viewers to the in-office business meeting, Sterling Cooper style. The meeting is with Rachel Menkin of Menkin's Department Store. Bloody Marys and shrimp cocktails are served. Rachel is Jewish. Shrimp is a shellfish. Not kosher. The placement of shellfish in the scene reinforces the lack of sensitivity started with Don's "not on my watch" comment in reference to whether or not the firm has ever hired any Jews. The meeting did not go well. Don invites Rachel to dinner that night to repair the damage. A waiter walks by with a pu-pu platter as another delivers Rachel and Don's drinks: a special mai tai and a whiskey, neat.

Breakfast references

Don makes an afternoon visit to Midge and thinks out loud, "We should get married. What size Cadillac do you take?" Midge replies, "You know the rules: I don't make plans and I don't make breakfast."

Lunch references

In Pete Campbell's first scene he is on the phone with his soon-to-be-wife. To end the call he says that he has a meeting and he suggests that she take her mother to lunch and tell her it was his idea. In that one brief conversation we get a clear idea of the kind of person Pete Campbell is. He is drinking from a coffee cup but I'd be surprised if it contained coffee or tea.

Dinner References

At the end of the episode it is late. Don finally returns home and we learn something else: he is married with two children. His wife Betty tells him "There's a plate in the oven... unless you're not hungry."

More Resources

The Food Companions, by Richard Farmer
"The introduction of rationing ensured that food became a central concern for the British people during the Second World War. 'The Food Companions' investigates the cinema of this period and demonstrates the cultural impact that rationing and food control had on both government propaganda and commercial feature films."

The Meaning of Food, by Patricia Harris
"Provides an examination of the role of food, journeying to thirteen different ethnic communities across the United States to explain how the food of each culinary tradition becomes an expression of human diversity."

Food in the Movies, by Steve Zimmerman
"This expanded and revised edition details 400 food scenes, in addition to the 500 films reviewed for the first edition, and an introduction tracing technical, artistic and cultural forces that contributed to the emergence of a "food film" genre--originated by films like Tampopo and Babette's Feast and continued by films like No Reservations, Ratatouille, and Waitress"

Food, restaurant, and menu information

from Laura Rietz:

For sixties-era food and drink recipes, we have several copies of the Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook, by Judy Gelman, including an eBook version (hint: place a hold soon—it's likely that all copies will be checked out before you know it!). You might also be inspired by NYPL's digitized copies of menus and other materials from restaurants mentioned on the show. While you're at it, help transcribe other menus for our "What's On the Menu?" project:

Danny's Hide A Way (mentioned in Season 5, Episode 8, "Lady Lazarus")
Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant (mentioned in Season 5, Episode 8, "Lady Lazarus")
Lutece (mentioned in Season 2, Episode 3, "The Benefactor")
Peking House (mentioned in Season 4, Episode 2, "Christmas Comes But Once a Year")
La Caravelle (mentioned in Season 4, Episode 12, "Blowing Smoke")

You can also learn more about the Horn & Hardart Automats of the era in this post by Valerie Wingfield.

Reader's Den: The Contract With God Trilogy by Will Eisner - Week 1

Thomas Knowlton, Mid-Manhattan Library, Language and Literature — Fri, 10 May 2013 06:28:17 -0400

For this month's Reader's Den, we'll be hosting an online book discussion of Will Eisner's The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Aveue. This is only the second time we have featured a graphic novel (the first was Joe Sacco's Palestine in October 2010).

However, as part of NYC Summer, we have two more graphic novel discussions coming up: Alan Moore's The Watchmen in July and Leela Corman's Unterzakhn in September! Please visit bit.ly/nycsummer-nypl for the full schedule.

If you need a copy of the book, you can request The Contract With God Trilogy through the NYPL catalog. This compilation (published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2006) consists of three different works: A Contract With God (1978), A Life Force (1983), and Dropsie Avenue: The Neighborhood (1995).

To give us a loose structure for the discussion, I've listed a schedule below, but please feel free to comment on any of the four postings throughout May.

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: A Contract With God (p. 3-180)
Week 3: A Life Force (p. 181-322)
Week 4: Dropsie Avenue (p. 323-498)

Will Eisner, for many readers, is synonymous with the annual Eisner Awards, which were established in 1988 after the discontinuation of Fantagraphics' Jack Kirby Awards in 1987. The nominees for 2013 were recently announced and this year's winners will be revealed on July 19 at Comic-con International in San Diego.

A Contract With God is sometimes referred to as the "first graphic novel". However, most critics agree that this title most likely belongs to either Gil Kane and Archie Goodwin's Blackmark (1971), Richard Corben's Bloodstar (1976), or George Metzger's Beyond Time and Again (1967-1972). Interestingly, Will Eisner has stated that he originally thought that he had invented the term in a shrewd attempt to gain an audience with the president of Bantam Books, before learning of these earlier works.

Another point of interest is the book's many ties to New York City. Eisner was born in Brooklyn, attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. and later taught cartooning at School of Visual Arts. All three stories in this compilation are set in the apartments and surrounding blocks of 55 Dropsie Avenue, a fictional tenemant building inhabited by Dutch, Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants in the Bronx.

Lastly, Eisner is also well-known as creator of The Spirit, a masked crimefighter who first appeared in a self-titled newspaper serial in 1940, was later revived in 2006 with a Batman/Spirit crossover by Jeph Loeb and Darwyn Cooke as well as an ongoing series by Cooke, and most recently appeared in the DC Comics First Wave limited series written by Brian Azzarello and spin-off ongoing series in 2010. The Spirit was also adapted in the hyper-stylized, but poorly-received movie by Frank Miller in 2008.

Below are some general questions to get us started:

Are you familiar with Will Eisner? Have you read any Eisner Award-winning graphic novels?
Have you come across any versions of The Spirit mentioned above or seen the Frank Miller film? If so, what did you think?
How does The Contract With God Trilogy compare to other graphic novels you've read, on first glance?

Una taza de escritura con café: Tinta, Papel, y...Café

Vilma Alvarez, Mid-Manhattan Library — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:19:31 -0400

Tinta, Papel, y...Café, una serie de tertulias que nace en la biblioteca Mid-Manhattan, cuenta con un grupo muy interesante de participantes. Todas tienen una historia que contar, como lo demostraron los escritos leídos el primer día de la reunión. Poemas que nos hicieron añorar nuestros países de origen, relatos que parecían haber sido sacados de un mundo garcíamarquezco, historias neoyorquinas come de película, relatos biográficos que nos sacaron más de una lágrima.

Estas tertulias tienen por fin incentivar a las escritoras neoyorquinas a escribir y brindarles una plataforma desde la cual expresarse como mujeres que escriben en español. También se tienen como metas integrar por medio del espacio digital a otras escritoras, establecidas y noveles, alrededor del mundo.

En esta oportunidad, entrevistamos a Rossy, aspirante a escritora e integrante del grupo de escritura.

¿Cómo te enteraste de este programa?

Bueno, a ser sincera, un día estaba indagando en la página web de The New York Public Library, en busca de nuevas exhibiciones gratuitas y me encontré con la información del grupo, averigüé todo lo necesario, me encantó y me lancé.

¿En qué otros medios/sitios, además de la biblioteca, has visto anunciado este programa?

El grupo tiene una página en Facebook y también está en la lista de actividades de la biblioteca pública de NYPL.

¿Qué te motivó a participar?

La curiosidad, el hecho de creerme sola en el mundo, con tantos pensamientos y devoción por la literatura, tenía curiosidad de ver quién más estaría allí, como sería por un momento sentarme a compartir mis ideas con mujeres que comparten mi pasión por la vida, fue la mejor decisión que pude haber tomado, la paso de maravilla a cada momento, mientras degustamos café y mis compañeras hablan, encuentro inspiración a seguir adelante, Mucho Empowerment!

¿En qué te inspiras para escribir?

Como soy algo joven, las personas siempre me dicen ‘¿y que vas a escribir tú?’ (Considerando mi edad, creen que carezco de experiencias) ‘Si eres como pez fresco’, sonríen, ‘supongo que así de delicioso con buen Sazón?’ - Pero lo que no saben es que hasta el pez o criatura más diminuta en la tierra tiene su propia historia, una historia que sabrán contar a su manera. Yo se contar la mía, y es con cada paso que doy, cada cuento/libro/artículo que leo y aun mejor cuando estoy cerca de los demás, ellos me inspiran a escribir más, me gusta observar y escuchar a cada persona, sus experiencias y sus opiniones, más aun sus diferentes formas de ver el mundo es inspirador, pues cada situación en la que me encuentro me inspira y me ayuda a aprender y aprender más, es como si cada persona fuese un mundo y cuando escribo amplío su mundo y lo interconecto con otros y para mí se vuelve una galaxia, es extraño pero así es que encuentro inspiración en todo.

¿Cuándo decidiste escribir y por qué?

Yo en un principio nunca decidí nada, ni siquiera lo pensaba, fue algo que fue naciendo en mí, comencé por escribir pensamientos, cuando algo pasaba en alguna manera lo relataba en la parte trasera de mi cuaderno, creo que el hecho de saberme incomprendida por la mayoría de los chicos de mi edad durante mi adolescencia ayudó mucho a que el arte de escribir se desarrollara en mí, la literatura decidió por mí, por así decirlo pues cada libro que leo, cada persona que conozco me da empuje.

¿Cuál fue tu primer escrito?

Uno que otro poema, no puedo decir exactamente pero tenía algo que ver con la rebeldía adolescente.

¿Has tomado ideas de otros autores?

La verdad no, pero si siento admiración por aquellos que han tomado el coraje y logrado llegar lejos

¿Cuánto tiempo tardas escribiendo un sólo libro?

Mucho, escribir un libro es como escribir una obra maestra, todo depende del autor y todos no somos Beethoven. ha

¿Qué opinas de la auto publicación digital?

Es una maravilla de oportunidad para todo el que la sepa aprovechar.

¿Qué género prefieres escribir?

Amo casi todo, solo tiene que interesarme, no me limito a nada, amo el poder sumergirme en caminos nuevos, siempre dispuesta a la aventura.

-LÍRICA,
-NARRATIVA,
-DRAMÁTICA

¿Qué tienes pensado escribir en el futuro?

La vida en sí, la auto superación,
Del amor y sus miserias al Misterio y el optimismo de un mañana,
Amor, sexo, pasión. Y el futuro deparará que más!

Todavía quedan 3 sesiones más del grupo Tinta, Papel, y… Café. Les invitamos a que participen) Inscríbanse en bit.ly/tinta-nypl—visiten nuestro sitio web Tinta, Papel, y Café.

Muchas gracias a Rossy por participar en esta entrevista. Hasta nuestra próxima tertulia y ¡disfruta tu café!

NYC Summer: Programs at Mid-Manhattan

Thomas Knowlton, Mid-Manhattan Library, Language and Literature — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:51:14 -0400

This summer at Mid-Manhattan Library: revisit the vital, gritty streets of 1970s New York City on Film, discuss great NYC books online with Reader's Den, and relax as librarian Lois Moore reads you short stories from The New Yorker and New York-based authors during Mixed Bag.

All of these events are part of our summer reading program for older teens and adults called NYC Summer. Watch this space for announcements of even more events and book recommendations! You can also quickly access this page at: bit.ly/nycsummer2013.

From June to August, we will be hosting 1970s New York City on Film, featuring a variety of movies shot on location in NYC. Each film also includes an introduction and guided discussion with librarian cinéastes Karen Ginman and Thomas Knowlton.

DATE FILM YEAR TIME DIRECTOR June 5, 2013 Shaft 1971 100 min Gordon Parks June 12, 2013 Klute 1971 114 min Alan J. Pakula June 19, 2013 Super Fly 1972 93 min Gordon Parks, Jr. June 26, 2013 The Godfather 1972 175 min Francis Ford Coppola July 3, 2013 Across 110th Street 1972 102 min Barry Shear July 10, 2013 Serpico 1973 130 min Sidney Lumet July 24, 2013 Mean Streets 1973 112 min Martin Scorsese July 31, 2013 Three Days of the Condor 1975 117 min Sydney Pollack August 7, 2013 Network 1976 121 min Sidney Lumet August 14, 2013 Saturday Night Fever 1977 118 min John Badham August 21, 2013 The Warriors 1979 92 min Walter Hill

All film screenings listed above are FREE and held in the first floor corner room of Mid-Manhattan Library. Seating is first-come, first-served.

Still from Serpico directed by Sidney Lumet.

Reader's Den is a monthly, online book discussion led by NYPL's resident bibliophiles. As part of NYC Summer, all books are related to New York City.

MONTH TITLE AUTHOR DISCUSSIONS May The Contract With God Trilogy Will Eisner 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Jun Time and Again Jack Finney 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Jul Watchmen Alan Moore 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Aug Slaves of New York Tama Janowitz 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Sept Unterzakhn Leela Corman 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Request the book (or ebook) from the NYPL catalog and join us once a week for an online discussion of the current month's selection.

Image by Anthony Catalano and licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Love a good story? Sit back and relax during Mixed Bag as storyteller extraordinaire Lois Moore reads you a story or two at lunch or dinner time!

JULY Mon July 15, 2013 Stories From The New Yorker
The Girls in Their Summer Dresses by Irwin Shaw
The Enormous Radio by John Cheever 7 p.m. Wed July 17, 2013 Stories From The New Yorker
The Girls in Their Summer Dresses by Irwin Shaw
The Enormous Radio by John Cheever 1 p.m. Wed July 24, 2013 Stories From The New Yorker
The Waltz by Dorothy Parker
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber 1 p.m. Mon July 29, 2013 Stories From The New Yorker
The Waltz by Dorothy Parker
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber 7 p.m. AUGUST Wed August 7, 2013 New York Authors
Roman Holiday by Edith Wharton
The Furnished Room by O. Henry 1 p.m. Mon August 12, 2013 New York Authors
Roman Holiday by Edith Wharton
The Furnished Room by O. Henry 7 p.m. Wed August 21, 2013 New York Authors
Johnny One-Eye by Damon Runyon 1 p.m. Mon August 26, 2013 New York Authors
Johnny One-Eye by Damon Runyon 7 p.m.

Image by Anthony Catalano and licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Reader's Den: A Visit from the Goon Squad - Week 4

Melissa Scheurer, Mid-Manhattan Library — Thu, 02 May 2013 07:23:04 -0400

Well, here we are past the end of April and that means it's my final post for A Visit from the Goon Squad.

Even though the Reader's Den will be moving on to a new book in May, you can always read previous posts and comment on them.

A Visit from the Goon Squad - Post 1

A Visit from the Goon Squad - Post 2

My perception of Time is that it passes by while I'm worrying about what I have to do next and then before I know it, it's gone. It's difficult to stay focused on the present, but I am making an effort to force myself to stop and be in the moment. It's cliche but sometimes it just means I acknowledge my happiness at the sight of the pink flowers that bloom on the trees on my block. I'm not even sure what they are... dogwoods maybe?

I did not necessarily relate to the characters in terms of their specific life experiences, but I felt connected to them nonetheless. Some readers posted online reviews with charts and diagrams to help keep track of how and when each of the characters intersected but that aspect of the book didn't appeal to me. What struck a chord with me was the range of emotion the characters displayed. Love, sadness, confusion, bitterness, shame, pride, hope, forgiveness—it's all there. Another book I enjoyed with loosely connected characters was The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

I was intrigued by the PowerPoint chapter. Was it just a gimmick or a clever technique? I'm leaning toward clever. The technique conveyed a couple of ideas to me.

It's much harder to describe a concept using very few words. I took an open book exam in college where we could use no more than two lines to answer each question. It sounds easier than it was.

Sometimes a change in perspective can make all the difference in understanding something. That's how I felt reading the Power Point chapter. Egan's ability to capture the essence of a complicated father-son relationship with one flowchart reminded me that sometimes less is more, or at least enough.

That idea surfaced again in the final chapter where we meet many of the characters again in a not-too-distant future setting. "Lulu was in her early twenties, a graduate student at Barnard and Bennie's full-time assistant: a living embodiment of the new "handset employee": paperless, deskless, commuteless, and theoretically omnipresent..." (p. 257).

While the idea of using handsets to communicate during face-to-face encounters might be troubling, the conventions of the handset language, e.g. using a capital letter to denote a long vowel sound, were interesting from a linguistics perspective.

Did you have a favorite character or a favorite chapter?

May Author @ the Library Programs at Mid-Manhattan

Elizabeth Waters, Mid-Manhattan Library — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:00:23 -0400

How important were navies to the outcome of the Civil War? What's the key to preparing delicious meatless meals? What in the world is mycophilia? Who conceived and engineered Grand Central Terminal? What was Jewish New York at the turn of the 20th century? What is it like to be a refugee in the United States? How did Joseph P. Kennedy get from East Boston to Washington's inner circle? How did one man's incurable amnesia provide invaluable insight to neuroscientists? How do nature and the city co-exist? Could democracy in the workplace be the cure for capitalism? What is a mental disorder and what is simply a struggle with real life? Are amateur inventors and tinkerers at the heart of the American dream? Is it possible to find passion, purpose and a paycheck in the second half of life?

During the month of May, you can hear noted authors offer their thoughts on these and other questions at the Mid-Manhattan Library. Please join us at 6:30 p.m. on the sixth floor for these illuminating Author @ the Library programs. Whether or not you attend the talks, you might enjoy reading some of the books. You can reserve copies using the links below.

Wednesday, May 1: Professor James M. McPherson, author of War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865, explains how the Union and Confederate navies were crucial to the outcome of the Civil War.

Monday, May 6: Kim O'Donnel, author of The Meat Lover’s Meatless Celebrations: Year-round Vegetarian Feasts (You Can Really Sink your Teeth Into) and The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook, shares some deliciously healthy ideas for meatless Mondays.

Tuesday, May 7: In an illustrated lecture on Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms, Eugenia Bone examines the role of fungi as exotic delicacy, curative, poison, and hallucinogen, ultimately revealing that a greater understanding of fungi is key to facing many challenges of the 21st century.

Wednesday, May 8: Dr. Kurt C. Schlichting examines the remarkable career of a man who had a profound impact on the history and development of New York City in Grand Central's Engineer: William J. Wilgus and the Planning of Modern Manhattan.

Thursday, May 9: Annie Polland and Daniel Soyer, authors of Emerging Metropolis, the second volume of the three-volume work, City of Promises, describe New York’s transformation into a Jewish city in an illustrated lecture, "City of Promises: A History of the Jews of New York."

Monday, May 13: Photojournalist Gabriele Stabile documents refugees, from their first steps on American soil to the cities and towns where they are rebuilding their communities in The Refugee Hotel.

Tuesday, May 14: Celebrated historian David Nasaw tells the full story of The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy.

Thursday, May 16: In this visual presentation Professor Suzanne Corkin explores the riveting story of H. M., the brain-damaged patient whose case, described in Permanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesic, afforded untold advances in the study of memory.

Monday, May 20: Professor John Waldman presents diverse and intriguing perspectives on the relationship between nature and America's most prominent city in Still the Same Hawk: Reflections on Nature and New York.

Wednesday, May 22: Professor Richard D. Wolff discusses discusses a democratic alternative based on workers managing their own workplaces in Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism

Thursday, May 23: Professor Richard J. McNally, author of What Is Mental Illness?, gives an illustrated lecture describing how “real” disorders are defined, offering insight into the intense political and intellectual struggles over what goes into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the psychiatric "bible".

Tuesday, May 28: Journalist and This American Life commentator Jack Hitt tells the story of America's many amateur inventors and tinkerers, from Benjamin Franklin's experiments with electricity to Mark Zuckerberg's social media website in Bunch of Amateurs: A Search For the American Character.

Thursday, May 30: Marci Alboher, author of The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make A Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life, and Katherine Lanpher, radio commentator and author of the 2006 memoir Leap Days: Chronicles of A Midlife Move, offer a guide to finding passion, purpose and a paycheck in the second half of life.

Find lists of non-fiction books by authors speaking at the Mid-Manhattan Library in the BiblioCommons catalog:

This post includes authors who are discussing their recent non-fiction books at the Mid-Manhattan Library this month, but we have lots of other interesting readings and talks on our calendar, including art lectures and discussions, monthly panel discussions featuring authors from the Mystery Writers of America, New York Chapter and short story readings at Mixed Bag: Story Time for Grown-ups. Oh, and did I mention that all of our programs are free? We hope to see you sometime soon!

The Book Of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon

Hyacinth Persad, Mid-Manhattan, Popular Library — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:45:35 -0400

I recently caught the end of an NPR program that hosted the author Aleksandar Hemon. Upon hearing the gentle sound of his voice on the radio speaking about his newest and first work of non-fiction, The Book of My Lives, I immediately placed it on reserve. When the book arrived and I saw the cover art, there was a picture of what Hemon describes as a blue alien, and though still prepared to read the book, I also kept hoping that it was not going to be a book of essays that included science fiction.

I was relieved that I didn't get to any part of the book that hinted at science fiction. Near the end of this easy-to-read-in-one-sitting book of essays Hemon makes reference to the blue alien, which his very young daughter created as a fictional sibling.

Here are reviews of this book. Beyond that, Hemon in this book of essays, uses the terms interiority—a sense of belonging which he felt in Sarajevo, and exteriority, the sense of alienation he first felt in Chicago after having arrived there on an International Visitors Program. This is, however, not the only instance of Hemon using interiority/exteriority as a theme—it frames all of the essays in this book. An instance of this was when he was stuck in traffic with his wife and their lives were falling apart. Hemon incisively conveys to the reader, that the world-outside-his-car couldn't possibly know what was going on inside-the-car.

Hemon situates himself, members of his family and friends in whatever-was-going-on in their lives, and because of this inherence, the reader gets to know without having to read a history book, for example, about the '90s war in Bosnia. Or, the reader gets a feel for what it is to be a writer in new surroundings by making him/herself feel at home, simply by obtaining a barber, and a butcher—he had his own barber and butcher in a place he loved, Sarajevo. This may be invaluable advice for would-be writers of personal essays, or just writers. See my previous blog, The Art Of The Personal Essay with Charles Salzberg for additional personal essay-writing suggestions.

Aleksandar Hemon is the author of the following works of fiction: The Question of Bruno, Nowhere Man, The Lazurus Project, and Love and Obstacles.

Reader's Den: A Visit From the Goon Squad - Week 3

Melissa Scheurer, Mid-Manhattan Library — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:44:39 -0400

Welcome back to the Reader’s Den. In the early chapters of A Visit from the Goon Squad we meet Bennie Salazar. In his middle age Bennie is divorced, has a son and works as a record company executive. But Bennie fondly remembers his days playing bass in a punk rock band.

While Bennie and his bandmates are fictional, the bands they listened to made real music. You can borrow punk rock music CDs by the Dead Kennedys, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, the Clash and Blondie.

For more music featured in the book, check out the website, Small Demons. It’s a neat site that connects books, music, people, places and events. You can even listen to a preview of the songs.

The punk movement was more than just the music. Art, fashion, film and books all played a part in defining the subculture. In New York, the magazine Punk helped bring all the aspects together. The Best of Punk Magazine, an anthology of interviews, photos, cartoons, articles and more from the magazine recently hit the stands. Reserve your copy today!

Enough about the music. Let's talk about the book.

Redemption seems to be a theme. Do any of the characters seek it? Do they find it?

Did you like or dislike the structure of the book? How did the shifting perspectives affect your perception of the characters?

"This is reality, right? You don't look good anymore twenty years later, especially with half your guts removed. Time's a goon, right?" says Bosco (p. 96). Do you think the characters perceive Time the same way?

Looking forward to reading your comments!

Author Interview with Jeff Stone

Ryan P. Donovan, Mid-Manhattan Library — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:46:11 -0400

Jeff Stone is one busy guy. A Detroit native, he is an avid mountain biker and martial artist in addition to being an author of several children's books. I read his latest book last year, the first in a new series, and throughly enjoyed it. I had a few questions for Mr. Stone about most recent work, his diverse cast of characters, and what's next for him. I thought it was only fair to share his amazing responses with all of you.

I think one of the things I liked best about Phoenix (Five Ancestors: Out of the Ashes #1) were the characters. I especially liked Hu Die, who seemed very no-nonsense and courageous almost to a fault. While developing the story, did you have a favorite character in particular? Or were they all fun to write equally? My favorite part of writing is creating new characters, which is one of the main reasons all of my books are told from a different main character’s point of view. So, yeah, the characters in PHOENIX were all equally fun to write—but never at the same time! Phoenix would be my favorite for a week or two, then Hu Die would stomp on him and become my favorite, until Phoenix would do something to one-up her and take the top slot again. I thrive on competition. I really liked the descriptions of Phoenix's journey to China and what he saw when he got there. Have you been to China? Did you base those descriptions on your own experiences? I’ve been to China a bunch of times, and, yep, many of those descriptions came from firsthand observations. My wife is from Hong Kong, and we had a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony there many years ago. I’ve also traveled to mainland China twice for book research. In 2005, I spent 15 days criss-crossing China with several dozen kung fu black belts. We visited locations that are of historic martial arts significance, such as the village where Tai Chi originated; a legendary bandit stronghold like the one featured in my book, SNAKE; and multiple Shaolin Temples, including the largest and most famous one in Henan Province that welcomes millions of visitors each year. I had the huge honor of testing for my black belt in Shaolin-do kung fu at the main Shaolin Temple. The Shaolin monks don’t issue black belts, but the Grandmaster of Shaolin-do style kung fu does. He was leading our trip, and he has a great relationship with the monks. They allowed me and a young woman named Cassie to take our tests on their sacred grounds. It still blows my mind. Most of the descriptions of China in PHOENIX came from that epic kung fu trip. I also traveled solo to Shanghai a few months ago to do research for Five Ancestors: Out of the Ashes Book #3 JACKAL (to be published Sept. 2014). During the trip, I visited with students from Shanghai American School. It was a riot. There are some sweet pics on my Facebook page.

I think it's very interesting that you decided to set your new series of books as a modernized, present day version of your last book series. What gave you that idea? Do you plan on making more references to the original series in future books?

The idea for a modern-day version of the Five Ancestors came from my latest obsession—cycling. I bought a road bike while writing DRAGON (the last book in the original Five Ancestors series), and I signed up for three months of training at a local bike shop. I quickly found out that half of the training was actually off of the bike. The riders did yoga to develop core strength. I was okay on the bike, but much better off of it because even though I’d never done yoga before, yoga is very similar to kung fu. I realized that if a kid did kung fu from age 4 to age 12 or 14—and then raced a bike—s/he would totally rock because that kid would have developed core strength well beyond that of most other kids. Also, a kung fu-practicing kid would have outstanding endurance and fantastic balance, plus s/he could throw an elbow or kick while riding if someone was messing with her or him. This concept fascinated me, and I pitched it as a modern-day story idea to my editor at Random House. He liked it so much, he said, “How about a trilogy?” Book #1 PHOENIX combines kung fu with two kinds of cycling: mountain biking and cyclocross. Book #2 LION combines kung fu and road bike racing, while Book #3 features kung fu and various types of BMX riding and racing. I love bikes, and I’m hoping these books will expose kids to everything that cycling has to offer. As for future books making more references to the original Five Ancestors series, just wait until LION comes out this September! There’s a pretty big surprise in that one. Can you give us any hints as to what's in store for Phoenix Collins and his grandfather? Will we be meeting any fun, new characters in upcoming books? Phoenix and his grandfather are going to have to take a bit of a back seat. Hu Die, too. As with the original Five Ancestors series, the remaining Out of the Ashes books will each feature a different main character’s point of view (POV). Book #2 LION follows Ryan’s first-person POV, while Book #3 JACKAL follows Jake’s first-person POV. Of course, Phoenix and Hu Die will still need to bust a few kung fu moves to keep Ryan and Jake out of trouble, and Phoenix and Hu Die might even have to teach Ryan and Jake some kung fu. There are indeed some very cool new characters to come, such as Ryan’s para-cycling cousin Peter in LION. Also, a few surprise old-timers resurface. I’m talking REALLY old timers! I’m hopeful that readers who enjoyed the original Five Ancestors series will appreciate the way I worked some of those characters into the new series. I’m also hopeful that people who’ve only read the Five Ancestors: Out of the Ashes might pick up the original Five Ancestors series and find those books equally fun and engaging.

Ambrose Bierce: Civil War Stories

Lois Moore, Mid-Manhattan Library — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:24:58 -0400

The April 2013 theme for Mixed Bag: Story Time for Grown-Ups is 'Ambrose Bierce: Civil War Stories.' One hundred fifty years ago the American Civil War (1861-1865) was in mid-course, and April was a significant month in its history. The Battle of Shiloh was fought on April 6-7, 1862 in southwestern Tennessee. The Surrender at Appomattox Court House was on April 9, 1865. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865, coincidentally the evening of Good Friday.

Walt Whitman (American poet, 1819-1892) wrote the poem "When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom'd" about Lincon's death, juxtaposing his death with spring's celebration of life and renewal.

Ambrose Bierce (1842 – 1913?) was an American author who served in the Civil War. He was a journalist, a short story writer, a poet, a critic, and a satirist. Bierce earned the nickname 'Bitter Bierce' because of his harsh social criticism and sardonic view of human nature. He also wrote tales of the supernatural and fables. Bierce began writing war stories in 1881, years before Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage, a work long considered to be the definitive Civil War novel, was published in 1895. Bierce's stories are based on his own experiences and use realistic language and images. They do not glorify or romanticize war but explore the conscience and actions of individual soldiers.

Bierce is perhaps best known for The Devil's Dictionary, a collection of satirical definitions (first published as The Cynic's Word Book in 1906). Here's are some sample definitions:

LOVE, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage or by removal of the patient from the influences under which he incurred the disorder.
CORPORATION, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.
CONSERVATIVE, n. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal who wishes to replace them with others.

One of Bierce's journalistic assignments was to report on the Railroad Refinancing Bill in 1896. The bill would have excused the railroad companies from repaying outstanding loans of $130 million advanced from the Federal government for the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad owners' plan was to pass the bill without public notice or hearings. Bierce's boss, William Randolph Hearst, assigned Bierce to go to Washington, D.C. to cover the story and publish articles exposing the plan. Bierce's scathing coverage aroused public wrath and the bill was defeated.

Bierce's death is listed as 1913 or 1914 with a question mark because he disappeared without a trace in Mexico at age 71 while reporting on Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution. The mystery is still unsolved. In his last letter from Mexico in December 1913, he said his destination was unknown. Previously he had speculated on the possibility of being shot by a firing squad. "To be a gringo in Mexico, ah, that is euthanasia." Carlos Fuentes' novel The Old Gringo is a fictional account of Bierce's disappearance. It was adapted to film in 1989, Old Gringo, starring Gregory Peck, Jane Fonda, and Jimmy Smits.

Below are the five stories selected for Story Time in April. All of the selected stories are from The Civil War Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
A Southern gentleman dreams his final thoughts of home and family and escape as Yankee soldiers prepare to hang him from the Owl Creek Bridge.

This is the most well-known story by Bierce. It has been adapted to film three times: in 1929 as a silent movie, in 1962 as a black and white French film directed by Robert Enrico, and in 2005 as a film short directed by Brian Egen. The 1962 version is the most famous; it was shown as the final episode of the television series The Twilight Zone in 1964 and won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject that year. The story was also adapted as an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1959, season 5, episode 13.

This story was originally published in the San Francisco Examiner in 1890. The full text is available online.

Killed at Resaca
Lt. Herman Brayle was the best soldier on our staff, except for one flaw: he was overly courageous, calmly staring death in the face at every opportunity. Eventually Death won. Only afterwards did we discover why Brayle was so foolishly brave. This story was first published in the San Francisco Examiner on June 5, 1877. The full text is available online.

A Horseman in the Sky
Carter Druse was the sentry on duty, charged with guarding the road into the valley where five regiments of Union soldiers were hidden. His mission: prevent a Rebel scout from learning their whereabouts at all costs. This story was first published in the San Francisco Examiner on April 14, 1889. The full text is available online.

The Story of a Conscience
Captain Hartroy captured Confederate spy Dramer Brune behind enemy lines, but it went against his conscience to kill the man who saved his life. This story was first publsihed in the San Francisco Examiner on June 1, 1890. The full text is available online.

Three and One Are One
Barr Lassiter became a soldier in the Union Army against the wishes of his family in Tennessee. When his regiment was assigned to duty near the old homestead, he paid a visit to his family, hoping for reconciliation. This story was first published in Cosmopolitan in October 1908. The full text is available online.

If you want to read more about Ambrose Bierce, Roy Morris wrote a biography published in 1995 called Alone in Bad Company. Another book called A Sole Survivor: Bits of Autobiography is a compilation of Bierce's autobiographical writings.

There are several websites dedicated to Bierce. The Ambrose Bierce Site is one of the first sites established; it has lots of photos and information about attempts to solve Bierce's disappearance. The Ambrose Bierce Project is a non-profit research project site maintained by Penn State University and has most of Bierce's literary works online. The Ambrose Bierce Appreciation Society also has the full text of several Bierce stories online and links to other Bierce-related sites. All of Bierce's work is in the public domain; full text is available online.

In May 2013, all the stories at Mixed Bag: Story Time for Grown-Ups are by 19th century French author Guy de Maupassant. Please join us on Wednesday at 1 p.m. or Monday at 7 p.m.

A List of Lists: April 2013

Lauren Lampasone, Reference and Research Services — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:28:27 -0400

Visit NYPL's BiblioCommons for these lists and many more. See below for some interesting staff picks from the past couple months, on topics both timely and timeless:

Love Game of Thrones? Recommended Reading from George R. R. Martin - Recommended fantasy and historical fiction reading from Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin. Martin offered these recommendations on his blog in March 2013 in response to readers who ask what to read while "waiting for [his] next one." The Huffington Post then published these as a reading list. We've included a link to Martin's books in our catalog as well as to any of his recommendations currently available to borrow or download from NYPL.
Horror - Here is a list of frightening tales to read all alone on a dark and stormy night! If you dare!
Cryptozoology - Cryptozoology (the study of hidden animals) is the study of animals not yet proven to exist or widely believed to have gone extinct.
Conspiracies - Here is a list of books about conspiracies. Do some of these books reveal hidden truths that some would prefer to keep secret? Or are they all merely the product of paranoid imaginations? Read them and make up your own mind.
15 Books To Read Before They're Movies - Read these books before they are turned into movies! (Original list by Jenilee De La Fuente on indivly.com)

Poetry

Poetry at High Bridge - Enjoy these beautifully written poems by different authors of different backgrounds for High Bridge's Poetry Month!
Children's Books For Reading and Sharing: Poetry from 2011 and 2012
Multcolib Research Picks - Recent Poetry Award Winners from our colleagues at Multnomah County Library
How to Write Poetry - For Grades 2-4: Books about writing and reading different types of poetry; also includes some teacher resource titles that include sample lesson plans.

More recommendations on the Poetry Month blog channel.

Nonfiction

Anti-Bullying Resources for All Ages
Books about Memory
Tejido y crochet - Lista de libros para tejer con aguja y/o ganchillo. / List of books in Spanish for knitting and crochet.
Food & Cooking Memoirs - Memoirs by cooks, food writers and food adventurers ranging from M.F.K Fisher's classic, The Gastronomical Me, to Anthony Bourdain's new classic, Kitchen Confidential, to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver's account of her family's efforts to live on home and locally grown food for a year.

Children

We Can Do It! - Books from the children's collection for girls AND boys, with strong female leads or characters.
Manga for Children
Dinosaurs Galore - They're voracious, they're scary, they're amazing! Kids and dinosaurs will never be parted. Here are some particularly delightful dino tales for your littlest T-Rexes. For reading together or sometimes in a group.
Strong Princesses - What's better than a pretty pretty princess? A princess with brains and a bit of humor to boot! For those kids obsessed with flipperies and finery, here are some princesses worth knowing about.
Trains! Trains! Trains! - For the discerning toddler desperate for train books of every shape and color, here are some of the best choo-choos on the market today. Enjoy them in a storytime or just one-on-one.
Oz Books by L. Frank Baum - A list of the 14 novels in the Oz series by the original author, L. Frank Baum.

Teens

LGBT Teen Reads - Books for and about LGBT and teens.
Alex Awards 2013 = Adult Books for Teen Readers - Every year the Young Adult Library Association (YALSA) publishes lists of books that have been certified by librarians and readers as excellent reads. One of those annual lists is the Alex Awards. The Alex Awards are given to books that have been written for adults but have special appeal for teen readers. So if you are looking for great books that tackle complex subjects you’ve come to the right book list.
Hot Historical Fiction: Girl Spies, Resistance and Nazis - For lovers of fast paced historical fiction set during WWII and fans of girls who are cool under pressure this list is for you! It offers plenty of ideas for what to read next!

Film & TV

Films for Foodies - Warning: These food-centric movies feature succulent cooking and dining scenes that may make you hungry.
Ebert's Essentials: 25 Movies to Mend a Broken Heart - Roger Ebert does not claim that these films will actually cure a broken heart, as only time can do that, but in this volume of "Ebert's Essentials," he presents 25 movies that "made [him] feel very good while watching them."
True Romance - Best Romances on Film
Telenovelas 2011-2012 - Lista de telenovelas disponibles en DVD en la Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York. / List of soap operas in Spanish available at the New York Public Library

Research

Newly cataloged rare items in the Music Division, January 2013 - Recently cataloged items in the Music Division that are considered rare.

Thanks to the listmakers at 115th Street, Ask NYPL, Collection Development, Dongan Hills, Fort Washington, High Bridge, Library for the Performing Arts, Mid-Manhattan Library, Mulberry Street, New Dorp, Roosevelt Island, Seward Park, and South Beach!