A Musical Performance by “Indie Hindi” star Falu and a Panel of Bestselling Mystery Writers Discussing the Role of Comedy in the Genre Are Featured in Free March Programs at The New York Public Library

Throughout March, patrons of all ages will have the opportunity to attend a variety of free programs at The New York Public Library. Highlighted programs will include Carnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concert Series presenting Indian Diva Falu, a singer/songwriter essential to the development of the “Indie Hindi” music genre, a combination of Indian contemporary rock music and classical music. Falu has performed with musicians of all musical backgrounds, including Yo-Yo Ma and Wyclef Jean; lovers of international music will not want to miss her performance on March 20 at the Bronx Library Center. In addition, mystery novel addicts will have the opportunity to learn the secrets behind the role of comedy in traditionally dark and macabre stories through The New York Public Library’s panel program “A Panel of Mystery Writers: YOU’LL DIE LAUGHING!” on March 22 at the 96th Street Library. The panel of bestselling authors will include Chris Grabenstein, Rosemary Harris, Jack Getze, and Jonathan McGoran. The Library presents more than 20,000 free public programs throughout its 88 branches in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island annually, complementing its broad collections and other services.  A complete listing of events is available at www.nypl.org/events. More information on young adult programs at the Library is available at http://teenlink.nypl.org

Highlighted Programming for The New York Public Library in March

Book Brunch with Dr. Danielle Ofri
Saturday, March 13, 10:30 a.m., Kips Bay, 446 Third Avenue, Manhattan
Dr. Danielle Ofri, an acclaimed essayist, Editor-in-Chief of the Bellevue Literary Review, professor at NYU School of Medicine, and physician at the largest public hospital in the nation, Bellevue Hospital, will be welcomed by the Kips Bay Library to discuss her experiences with medicine and its relation to literature. Her work with the Bellevue Literary Review exemplifies her dedication to literature engaging readers in the mysteries of the human body, illness, health, and healing. The Book Brunch will give attendees the chance to understand Dr. Ofri’s experiences at a hospital known for its variety of patients representing diverse cultures, languages, and traditions. Light refreshments will be served during this program.

Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series presents Indian Diva Falu
Saturday, March 20, 2:00 p.m., Bronx Library Center, 310 East Kingsbridge Road, Bronx
The Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series presents Falungi Shah, known as Falu, an Indian singer who has developed a songwriting style combining Indian classical music and rock music, also known as “Indie Hindi.” Originating from Bombay, where she studied the Jaipar gharana musical tradition, Falu’s experience as a foreign artist in the United States has allowed her to experiment with this East and West hybrid style. Although Falu’s work is typically developed under her self-titled band, as a soloist Falu has worked with notable musicians of all backgrounds such as Yo-Yo Ma in the Silk Road project, rapper Wyclef Jean, and most recently Jason Miles and DJ Logic for the contemporary jazz collective Global Noize.

A Panel of Mystery Writers: YOU’LL DIE LAUGHING!
Monday, March 22, 5:30 p.m., 96th Street Library, 112 East 96th Street, Manhattan
The New York Public Library joins the Mystery Writers of America’s New York Chapter in welcoming four bestselling mystery writers for a panel discussion on the role of humor in mystery literature. Chris Grabenstein, recipient of the Anthony and Agatha Award for his John Ceepak Jersey Shore mysteries, will moderate this discussion between four mystery writing enthusiasts as the participants present their views on the intersection of comedy and humor with traditionally dark and macabre plotlines. Participating authors include: Rosemary Harris, author of Pushing Up Daisies, an Anthony and Agatha Award nominee and book placed on Library Journal's Best First Fiction 2008 List; Jack Getze, editor of Spinetingler Magazine and an author who incorporates his extensive reporting experience at papers such as the Los Angeles Times into his series about NJ stockbroker Austin Carr; and Jonathan McGoran, who also publishes under the pen name D.H. Dublin, a short fiction participant on www.variantfrequencies.com and crimewav.com podcasts and author of forensic crime thrillers  Body Trace, Blood Poison, and Freezer Burn. Mystery novel readers will not want to miss this opportunity to uncover tantalizing and comedic secrets behind the development of these fascinating, plot-twisting stories.

An Art Book: Shared Space: The Joseph M. Cohen Collection
Wednesday, March 24, 6:00 p.m., Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, Manhattan
Editor Ray Merritt and philanthropist Henry Buhl will join art collector Joseph M. Cohen to discuss the publication of Shared Space: The Joseph M. Cohen Collection. Cohen’s personal collection, a product of four decades of art collecting, is celebrated in Shared Space for its variety of diverse paintings, carrying personal significance as well as cultural significance in the art industry.  Cohen will discuss his aspirations and stories behind these acquisitions, providing a charming view into the process of art collection. Among the highlights of this collection are paintings by Tiepolo, Degas, Matisse, Picasso, Chagall, Balthus, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, Joan Mitchell, and David Hockney, and photographs by Atget, Dorothea Lange, Irving Penn, Avedon, Sugimoto, and Chuck Close. The program series An Art Book is a celebration of the essential importance and beauty of art books. The events showcase book presentations by world-renowned artists, critics, historians, curators, and writers. This event will be held in the Margaret Liebman Berger Forum.

MOMA @ the Library presents Russian Avant-Garde
Monday, March 29, 6:00 p.m., Bronx Library Center, 310 East Kingsbridge Road, Bronx
MoMA Lecturer Masha Chelenova, an art historian with a Russian modern art focus, presents a lecture on modern art movements that influenced Russian artists during the early 1900s (approximately 1909-1933). This study of the Russian Avant-Garde will cover the works of various artists who shaped the art scene and the emergence of a modern style among social and political change. Artists discussed will include: painter Mikhail Larion, also known for his role as founder of the artistic groups “Jack of Diamonds” and “Donkey’s Tails” and for his collaboration with ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev in Paris on the productions of the Ballets Russes; Marc Chagall, a French-Russian artist who utilized many artistic mediums such as painting, illustrations, stained-glass work, stage sets, ceramics, and tapestries; Kazimir Malevich, art theoretician responsible for the Avant-garde Suprematist movement; the unique female painter  Liubov Popova; and Aleksandr Rodchenko, a Russian artist, sculptor, and photographer. The lecturer, Masha Chelenova, a PhD candidate at Columbia University, is currently working on her dissertation concerning the demise of the Avant-garde movement in Russia during the 1920s and 1930s.

Highlighted Movie Screenings for The New York Public Library in March

Foreign Film: The House of Flying Daggers (2003)
Wednesday, March 10, 1:30 p.m., New Amsterdam Library, 9 Murray Street, Manhattan
Set during the Tang Dynasty in Feng Tian County, House of Flying Daggers exemplifies the wuxia genre present in many contemporary Chinese romances and martial arts masterpieces. The plot centers around two local deputies, Jin and Leo, determined to end the reign of the problematic rebellion group House of Flying Daggers. Both deputies’ intentions become blurred as their plots become entwined with the blind dancer, Mei, a prisoner suspected to be involved with the rebellious group.

Persepolis (2007)
Saturday, March 20, 2:00 p.m., Van Nest Library, 2147 Barnes Avenue, Bronx
Persepolis, based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, details the complexities of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the war between Iran and Iraq and also the difficulties of assimilating to new cultures, through Satrapi’s limited stay in . Through Satrapi’s and French director Vincent Parranoud’s animation, audience members can view the repressive tyranny that developed after the Islamic Fundamentalists replaced the already cruel Shah, illustrating the political climate of a divided country.

21st- Century Women on Film Series: Maria Full of Grace (2004)
Monday, March 22, 6:00 p.m., Jefferson Market Library, 425 Avenue of the Americas, Manhattan
Director Joshua Marston in his film Maria Full of Grace, starring Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno, illustrates the difficulties of Colombian rural life through the eyes of pregnant seventeen-year-old María Álvarez. Maria, plagued by unsanitary working conditions at the strictly-run flower plantation, finds herself tempted into the Colombian drug trafficking business to combat poverty and  support her impoverished family.

About The New York Public Library
The New York Public Library was created in 1895 with the consolidation of the private libraries of John Jacob Astor and James Lenox with the Samuel Jones Tilden Trust. The Library provides free and open access to its physical and electronic collections and information, as well as to its services. Its renowned research collections are located in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street; The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem; and the Science, Industry and Business Library at 34th Street and Madison Avenue. Eighty-eight branch libraries provide access to circulating collections and a wide range of other services in neighborhoods throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Research and circulating collections combined total more than 50 million items. In addition, each year the Library presents thousands of exhibitions and public programs, which include classes in technology, literacy, and English for speakers of other languages. All in all The New York Public Library serves more than 17 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org.

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Contact: Jon Pace | 212.592.7710 | Jonathan_Pace@nypl.org
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