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Hand-Stitched Mice at Handmade Crafternoon.

by Jessica Pigza, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Rare Book Division
March 18, 2010

Our next Handmade Crafternoon is in just two days, and my co-host Maura Madden and I hope that you will join us.  We've lined up a sweet special guest, Kata Golda, who makes extraordinary little toys and creatures out of felt  (and whose book Hand-Stitched Felt is a great guide to making your own felt creations).  She promises to show us how to make tiny felt mouse puppets.

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Art in the Stacks: French Neoclassical Painting, March 23

by Jessica Cline, Mid-Manhattan Library, Art Collection
March 18, 2010

The passions of mythological gods have been the subject of painting since the Greeks and Romans first told their stories to create an allegorical world for the lust and greed of humanity.  Lucky for us, the beauty and scandal portrayed by artists have been our feast ever since. 

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LIVE from the NYPL, Richard Holmes: Post Event Wrap-Up

by Ryan P. Donovan, Mid-Manhattan Library
March 17, 2010

The LIVE from the NYPL program featuring Richard Holmes in conversation with Paul Holdengräber was off to a rocky start last night; the technology controlling the microphones kept malfunctioning. Mr. Holmes joked that it probably had "something to do with homeland security." This prompted a few chuckles from the crowd. When the microphone started acting up again twenty minutes later, Richard commented, "this gives new meaning to [part of] the subtitle of the book; ‘the Beauty and Terror of Science.'" At this point, he had the audience roaring with laughter. On hand to talk about his new book, The Age of Wonder, two things could be gleaned from an evening listening to Richard…

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Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took on New York’s Master Builder and Transformed the American City

by Cynthia Chaldekas, Mid-Manhattan Library, Language and Literature
March 16, 2010

Robert A Caro’s tome The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York is a thick, unwieldy book at 1344 pages. It sits on my shelf with yellowed pages. I bought it shortly after I moved to New York City 30 years ago. I enjoy history and learned after I moved here that Robert Moses was an important piece of the NYC history puzzle. The book upon first reading was lost to me. I had no real understanding of New York City at that point and Robert Moses’ story was simply too complex and out of context for me. When I think about the enormity of Caro’s book I think of the enormity of the personage of Robert Moses himself. I have started The Power Broker a couple of…

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Worry Not, William Shakespeare!

by Shauntee Burns, Outreach Specialist for HomeworkNYC/Office of Education, Programming, and Exhibitions
March 16, 2010

William Shakespeare is one of the world's most famous poets and playwrights. However, when students find out they have to read one of his plays or sonnets a huge question mark (?) appears in their heads. The New York Public Library has databases that will help your students get through the Shakespearen confusion.

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A Paper Sculpted Goldfish.

by Jessica Pigza, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Rare Book Division
March 16, 2010

Included among the books I brought out for last month's Handmade Crafternoon was one that I've been slow to return to the shelves because I want to try my hand at so many projects within it. The book in question is Kenneth Ody's Paper Folding and Paper Sculpture, and I'm a fan because it contains a really broad range of projects--from cute little projects like dog scuptures to some seriously elegant lacy paper globes.

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Exhibiting Atrocities

by Trevor Owen Jones, Grand Concourse Library
March 15, 2010

"At the age of 16, I discovered Freud and the surrealists, a stick of bombs that fell in front of me and destroyed all the bridges I was hesitating to cross."  —J.G. Ballard

March! What a lovely month to be reading the "poet of the new bad things"!

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The Undercover Muffins: Retro TV Round-up

by Marie C. Hansen, Jefferson Market Library
March 13, 2010

This week Jefferson Market's teen book group, the Undercover Muffins, discussed some of the TV shows they watched as kids. Whether the shows were "awesome" or "so wrong," take a trip back in time with them and see what they have to say:

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Candide on Broadway: An Interview with Maureen Brennan

by Alice Boone, Curator, 'Candide at 250: Scandal and Success'
March 12, 2010

Maureen Brennan was nominated for a Tony Award and won a Theatre World Award for her professional debut as Cunegonde in the 1974 revival of Leonard Bernstein's Candide (IBDB), directed by Harold Prince. She has since appeared on Broadway as Madeleine Manners in Going Up, Tina in Knickerbocker Holiday, Goldie Gates in Little Johnny Jones, and Stardust. Candide at 250 curator Alice Boone sent her the following questions about playing Cunegonde:

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The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Review

by Emma Carbone, Epiphany Branch
March 12, 2010

A boy walks through the train station like a ghost tending to the station’s numerous clocks. Orphaned and alone, he travels through the hidden passages of the station making sure the clocks run on time to avoid the notice of the Station Inspector.

He does not like tending the clocks by himself or living alone in the station. He especially hates stealing what he needs. But if he is to finish his work, he has no choice. He has to remain invisible.

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