Connections Winter 2008

THE PRINCETON PUBLIC LIBRARY MAGAZINE Winter 2008-’09

Interviews Author Lise Funderburg Actress, author, child advocate Victoria Rowell Filmmaker Michael Showalter

Fret Fest A special series of guitar programs

Henry Louis Gates Jr.

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events

CALENDAR

December

Experience the Inauguration with the Princeton community

5 Friday Night Live at the Library, 8 p.m.

6 Go-Between Club, 10 a.m.

Princeton Area Homeschool Choir, 11 a.m.

Teen Advisory Board, 11 a.m.

7 to 8 Club, 2:30 p.m.

For special events at the library, see the January edition of the

7 Princeton Writers’ Block

Sign up at www.princetonlibrary.org

8 Noodle Talk, 7 p.m.

9 Storytelling Circle, 7:30 p.m.

Screening: Confidences trop intimes, 7:30 p.m.

10 Home School Book Discussion Group, 9:15 a.m.

DataBytes, 1 p.m.

Origami Club, 7 p.m.

Readings Over Coffee, 10:30 a.m.

U.S.1 Poets Invite, 7:30 p.m.

January 2-11 Princeton Environmental Film Festival

2 Mystery book discussion, 7:30 p.m.

5 Mystery book discussion, 7:30 p.m.

3 Digital Video Production Workshop, 4 p.m.

Tuesday Technology Talks, 7 p.m.

8 Contemporary fiction, 10:30 a.m.

10 Go-Between Club, 10 a.m.

Teen Advisory Board, 11 a.m.

13 Soundscape Jazz Concert, 3 p.m.

12 Digital Video Production Workshop, 4 p.m.

Crafts for Little Bookworms, 6:30 p.m.

Olen Kalkus Lecture, 7:30 p.m.

16 Guys Read, 7 p.m.

McCarter Live at the Library, 7:30 p.m.

19 Home School Book Discussion Group, 9:15 and 10:30 a.m.

20 Word for Word, 2:30 p.m.

Just Added

20 Puppetarium Frog Prince, 3:30 p.m.

23 Socrates Café 7 p.m.

1 Victoria Rowell, 2 p.m.

3 7 to 8 Club, 2:30 p.m.

11 Contemporary Fiction, 10:30 a.m.

Writers Talking, 7:30 p.m.

14 Eric Mintel Quartet, 3 p.m.

February

13 Film: Ben X, 7:30 p.m.

Storytelling Circle, 7:30 p.m.

Writers Talking, 7:30 p.m.

14 Home School Book Group, 9:15 a.m.

DataBytes, 1 p.m.

Origami Club, 7 p.m.

Ask a Lawyer, 7 p.m.

Art Talk, 7 p.m.

15 Film: Les Paul: Chasing Sound, 7 p.m.

4 Thinking Allowed, 7:30 p.m.

5 Engaged Retirement, 7 p.m.

6 Guitar Hero Jam, 6 p.m.

7 Go-Between Club, 10 a.m.

Teen Advisory Board, 11 a.m.

7 to 8 Club, 2:30 p.m.

8 Cardmaking Workshop, 1 p.m.

Scrapbooking Circle, 2-5 p.m.

9 Crafts for Little Bookworms, 6:30 p.m.

Writing and Working, 7 p.m.

Guitar Summit, 7:30 p.m.

10 Book Journeys, 7 p.m.

Storytelling Circle, 7:30 p.m.

11 Home School Book Discussion Group, 9:15 a.m.

Readings Over Coffee, 10:30 a.m.

DataBytes, 1 p.m.

Origami Club, 7 p.m.

Superfoods, 7:30 p.m.

27 Snow Day Stories for a Winter’s Day, 3:30 p.m.

16 Home School Book Discussion, 9:15 & 10:30 a.m.

Scrapbooking Circle, 5-9 p.m.

28 Kenny Woods, 3:30 p.m.

Family Coloring, 4:30 p.m.

17 Independent Author Afternoon, noon 4 p.m.

Word for Word, 2:30 p.m.

29 Snow Day, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

18 Virago concert, 3 p.m.

12 Contemporary Fiction, 10:30 a.m.

Film: The Baxter, 7 p.m.

Just Added

20 Digital Video Production Workshop, 4 p.m.

Guys Read, 7 p.m.

13 Henry Louis Gates Jr., 7 p.m.

30 Screening of Wall-E, 2 p.m.

21 Community Options for Seniors, 7 p.m.

Arlon Bennett concert, 7:30 p.m.

22 Book Journeys, 7 p.m.

Stanley Alexandrowicz concert, 7:30 p.m.

Schedule changes Wednesday, Dec. 24

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

24 Eyes Spy Game, 3 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 25

Closed

25 Ken Lelen, 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 31

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 1

Closed

Monday, Jan. 19

Closed

26 Crafts for Little Bookworms, 6 p.m.

Writers Talking, 7:30 p.m.

27 Digital Video Production Workshop, 4 p.m.

Socrates Café, 7 p.m.

De-Clutter Your Kitchen, 7:30 p.m.

28 DataBytes, 1 p.m.

U.S. 1 Poets Invite, 7:30 p.m.

15 Jewelry Workshop, 1 p.m.

Early Music for Children, 3:30 p.m.

16 Writing and Working Workshop, 7 p.m.

17 Guys Read, 7 p.m.

Writers Talking, 7:30 p.m.

18 Managing Your Career and Financial Risks, 7:30 p.m.

19 Book Journeys, 7 p.m.

20 Home School Book Group, 9:15 and 10:30 a.m.

Tiger Team Readers, 3:30 p.m.

21 Word for Word, 2:30 p.m.

23 Crafts for Little Bookworms, 6:30 p.m.

Writing and Working Workshop, 7 p.m.

29 Thinking Allowed, 7:30 p.m.

24 Socrates Café, 7 p.m.

U.S. 1 Poets, 7:30 p.m.

31 Chinese New Year Celebration, 3 p.m.

26 McCarter Live, 7:30 p.m.

PRINCETON ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL

cover story

Environmental impact

The Princeton Environmental Film Festival emphasizes the connection between people and planet

By ANNE LEVIN Connections Staff Writer

Most film festivals about the environment are focused on the natural world. But viewers at this year’s Princeton Environmental Film Festival, at the library Jan. 2-11, will see more trash and decay than sparkling streams and verdant woodlands. The screenings and talks at the third annual festival are more about damage that has already been done to the environment than what has yet to be destroyed.

Take the oceans, for example. In Ian Connacher’s provocative film Addicted to Plastic, audiences will see the devastating effect that decades of plastics have had on a huge section of the Pacific, 1,000 miles off the California coast. In Burning the Future: Coal in America, writer-director David Novack looks at the toxic toll that the coal industry has taken on residents of West Virginia. Greetings from Asbury Park shows the sad state of affairs for this former Jersey Shore paradise, where hundreds of homes and businesses are being seized by eminent domain for ersatz, luxury developments.

“It’s not your typical environmental film festival,” says Susan Conlon, the library’s Teen Services Librarian and coordinator of the festival. “We all make choices, and this is about the connections between how we live and what we do. It’s about everybody’s role in the environment.”

Eighteen films are included in this year’s festival, which continues to grow in popularity. Film festivals about the environment are held all over the country, warning people about what needs to be protected, threats to the environment, and sustainable solutions. This year’s roster for the Princeton event is “provocative,” says Conlon. “These are very interesting films about what we’ve built and the world we want to see. It’s about new ways to build things, and sustainability.”

Connacher’s Addicted to Plastic has been described as an “eco-horror movie” that presents viewers with a grim look at how the food chain is being affected by the plastic confetti that pervades not just the oceans, but much of the earth.

Connacher was inspired to make the film by the shocking display he witnessed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It wasn’t just the big pieces of plastic floating in the water – buckets, a paint-roller, a light-switch cover – but the tiny pieces of plastic “confetti” broken up by waves and sunlight that were most disturbing.

“It’s so far out of sight that I think it’s hard for people to relate to,” Connacher says. “It’s almost like a giant toilet bowl. I traveled the world for two years looking for solutions. The ocean will eventually clean itself, but there is no magic bullet. My goal was just to get the debate going. We have to put a stop to what is going on.”

Several young, emerging filmmakers are part of the festival’s lineup, and many will be on hand for the screenings, including Connacher. Among other films included in the festival are the opening night film Radiant City, a scathing and often humorous reflection on life in the suburbs; and Green Builders, about the quiet, green revolution in the architectural and building world.

Author Elizabeth Royte will speak about her books Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash and Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It. “I’ve been asked why we hold this the first week in January,” says Conlon. “It’s because we want to have a community event at a time when many young people are home for winter break. And I like the bridge between high school and college students and adults. Its a real convergence of people.”

1/2-11

For details of all festival events, visit www.princetonlibrary.org/peff

PROFILE Elizabeth Royte The author of Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It, Elizabeth Royte will speak Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Princeton Environmental Film Festival. An award-winning writer about science and the environment, Royte has written for Harper’s, National Geographic, Outside, The New York Times Magazine, and other national publications. She is a frequent contributor to The New York Times Book Review, a contributing editor for OnEarth, and a correspondent for Outside magazine.

Among Royte’s other books are Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash and The Tapir’s Morning Bath: Solving the Mysteries of the Tropical Rain Forest. Asked in an online interview about Garbage Land the most important change people can make in their buying habits to help the environment, she said, “Buy less new stuff. When you do buy, consider what kind of trash something will eventually make: is the product and its packaging reusable or recyclable? Will it soon break or become obsolete? Can you repair it? Is it toxic? If you’re talking

about food or household products, can you buy them in larger sizes to reduce the amount of packaging per use?”

Choosing paper or plastic bags when grocery shopping doesn’t make as much of a difference as we tend to think, she added. “According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, which makes exhaustive studies of consumers’ environmental impacts, the issues that have the biggest impact on planetary health are transportation, housing, and meat-eating.”

— Anne Levin

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events

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

2/13 7 p.m.

Wishes fulfilled Growing up in West Virginia, Henry Louis Gates Jr. wanted to be a Rhodes Scholar. That’s just one of many dreams he’s seen come true

By ANNE LEVIN Connections Staff Writer

Since the election of Barack Obama last month, Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. has become a familiar face on political television programs and a frequent commentator about the historic election on public radio shows. On Feb. 13, Gates will appear at Princeton Public Library, talking about the election, his new biography of Abraham Lincoln, and the public television programs he continues to host and produce.

Gates, a Harvard University professor and renowned author, riveted television viewers during the past few years with African American Lives and Oprah’s Roots. He recently announced another PBS series. The three new documentaries set to premiere in 2010, 2011 and 2012 will explore the meaning of race, culture and identity in America. A literary critic, editor, educator, scholar, writer, and public intellectual, Gates is Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard, where he directs the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research.

Gates’ list of accomplishments and awards is as long as it is varied. After graduating from Yale University in 1973, he was the first AfricanAmerican to be awarded an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship. He sailed to England on the QE2 the day after commencement, to study English literature at Clare College, the University of Cambridge. Once he earned his master’s and doctorate, Gates taught at Yale, Cornell and Duke universities before joining Harvard in 1991.

Book Journeys Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris This special event features a cooking demonstration by Nirit Yadin, chef at The Whisk & the Spoon, learning kitchen at Whole Foods Market, followed by a discussion of Harris’ book. Featured recipes will complement the book.

Thursday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m.

Whole Foods Market, Windsor Green Shopping Center,

Henry Louis Gates Jr. appears on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.

“When I was a kid growing up (in Piedmont, West Va.), my friends wanted to be Hank Aaron or Willie Mays,” Gates told National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Bruce Cole during an interview in 2002. “I wanted to be a Rhodes Scholar. I didn’t know why. I just wanted to go to Harvard or Yale and I wanted to go to Oxford or to Cambridge.”

Gates has reached his youthful goals, and then some. He has been awarded more than 50 honorary degrees. He received a 1981 MacArthur Foundation “Genius Award,” the 1993 George Polk Award for Social Commentary, the Chicago Tribune Heartland Award in 1994, and the Golden Plate Achievement Award a year later. He was named one of Time magazine’s “25 Most Influential Americans” in 1997, one of Ebony magazine’s “100 Most Influential Black Americans” in 2005, received the national Humanities Medal in 1998, and in 1999 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2006, Gates was inducted into the

Route 1, West Windsor. Please register at the Welcome Desk, or call 609.924-9529 ext.218.

Babette’s Feast A screening of the film, adapted from the short story collection Anecdotes of Destiny and Enrengard by Isak Dinesen.

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m. Community Room

Discussion of the short story Babette’s Feast and a cooking demonstration by Nirit Yadin, chef at The Whisk & the Spoon, the learning kitchen at Whole Foods Market.

Featured recipes will complement the book.

Thursday, Feb. 19, 7 p.m.

Whole Foods Market, Windsor Green Shopping Center, Route 1, West Windsor

Sons of the American Revolution after tracing his lineage back to John Redman, a Free Negro who fought in the Revolutionary War. Over the years, Gates has stressed the need for greater recognition of black literature and black culture. But he has never advocated a “separatist” black canon. Rather, he favors a greater recognition of black works that would be integrated into a larger canon. Gates has also argued that a separatist, Afro-centric education perpetuates racist stereotypes and he maintains that it is “ridiculous” to think that only blacks should be scholars of African and AfricanAmerican literature.

“It can’t be real as a subject if you have to look like the subject to be an expert in the subject,” Gates has said. “It’s as ridiculous as if someone said I couldn’t appreciate Shakespeare because I’m not Anglo-Saxon. I think it’s vulgar and racist whether it comes out of a black mouth or a white mouth.”

Gates has written several works of literary criticism, including Figures in Black: Words, Signs and the ‘Racial’ Self and A Theory of AfroAmerican Literary Criticism, winner of the 1989 American Book Award. His 1994 Colored People: A Memoir traces his own childhood experiences. Gates is co-editor of the encyclopedia Encarta Africana, published on CD-ROM and in book form.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS announced $12 million in funding for the three-part series of documentaries that Gates will co-produce and host. The project is “the first comprehensive series ever done about the whole sweep of the history of African Americans in this country between 1619 and the present,” Gates told the Harvard University Gazette last August. “Our audience ranges from schoolchildren to adults, representing all sectors of American society. I want these programs to help to educate all Americans about our fascinating and unusual history and therefore, about ourselves, about who we are as a people today.”

Mysteries

Led By Gayle Stratton. Conference Room.

Inspector Imanishi Investigates

by Seicho Matsumoto The name “Kameda” is the only clue Imanishi has to solve a murder taking place in 1960s Japan, where youth worships the new idols and ancient heritage fights with political upheaval. Monday, Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m.

Into the Blue by Robert Goddard When his young acquaintance disappears from the Greek island of Rhodes, a downat-the-heels caretaker suspected of killing her heads back to England to retrace her steps and learn the secrets memorialized on her last roll of photographs. Monday, Jan. 5, 7:30 p.m.

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz Izzy Spellman is trying to stay sane while working for her family’s private detective agency in San Francisco. She thinks she wants out, but takes on a cold case while dealing with her nightmarish teenaged sister and her parents who have no qualms about bugging their children’s bedrooms.

Monday, Jan. 5, 7:30 p.m

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LIBRARY HOURS Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. / Friday–Saturday , 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. / Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Michael Lemonick A journalist at Time magazine for two decades, Princeton native Michael Lemonick is an accomplished author with four books under his belt. His recently released fifth volume, The Georgian Star, is about how astronomers William and Caroline Herschel revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos. Lemonick is currently a contributor to Time, for which he writes a blog called Eye on Science. He has taught at Johns Hopkins, New York University, Columbia University and Princeton University and his focus is science and medical writing.

Thursday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m.

Thinking Allowed

Author appearances co-sponsored by the library and Princeton University Press

the Iraq War a result of liberal ideals about America’s right to promote democracy abroad? Led by Ikenberry, the Albert G. Millbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, the four authors ponder the challenges resulting from George W. Bush’s foreign policy and ponder America’s place in the international arena. Slaughter is dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Smith is a professor of political science at Tufts University. Knock is associate professor of history at Southern Methodist University.

Thursday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m.

Círculo de Lectura

Moderado por Lisi Barros-Sehringer Una noche en el Calchaquí por Lisi Barros-Sehringer Una reescritura de la travesía de los Reyes Magos en una leyenda latinoamericana. Los tres chamanes emprenden la búsqueda del Niño por las áridas tierras calchaquíes (Noroeste argentino), evocando en su andar un mundo mágico pleno de mitos y leyendas. Miércoles 10 de diciembre, mediodía Elena sabe, por Claudia Piñeiro Poco después de que Rita aparece muerta en la iglesia que suele frecuentar, la investigación se da por cerrada, y su madre es la única que no renuncia a esclarecer el crimen. Miércoles 14 de enero, mediodía

Entre dos aguas, por Rosa Ribas La novela nos traslada a Francfort, la ciudad alemana multicultural por excelencia, con todas sus sombras y contradicciones, en una obra absorbente e intensa con giros inesperados y personajes inolvidables. Miércoles 11 de febrero, mediodía

When author and National Public Radio journalist Stefan Fatsis spent a summer as a training-camp placekicker for the Denver Broncos, he was there from 7 in the morning until 9 at night. Unlike George Plimpton, who embedded with the Detroit Lions in1963 to write Paper Lion, Fatsis actually did what the players did: He kicked, lifted weights, recuperated in the ice pool and attended meetings. As a result, he gained the respect and trust of his teammates. His book

A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-foot-8, 170-pound, 43-year-old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL, tells about his experi-

The Crisis of American Foreign Policy Wilsonianism in the Twenty-first Century Featuring G. John Ikenberry and Anne-Marie Slaughter Is Woodrow Wilson’s legacy still alive in American foreign policy? Was

Stefan Fatsis

Ikenberry

Slaughter

ence as well as how an NFL team functions, from the front office roster machinations to the stress, pain, boredom and locker-room anxieties that govern the lives of the players. Fatsis is also the author of the bestseller about competitive Scrabble Word Freak and Wild and Outside. He has been a writer and commentator for ESPN and is the regular sports commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered.

Monday, Jan. 26, 7:30 p m.

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events

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

2/17

7:30 p.m.

A journey of understanding Lise Funderburg traveled South to discover her father

By ANNE LEVIN Connections Staff Writer

When Lise Funderburg began researching the book that would become the novel Pig Candy: Taking My Father South, Taking My Father Home, her focus was on the history of the fading, rural American South. But Funderburg’s approach changed as she began to interview her father in conjunction with the project. His stories – some disturbing recollections about the racism and oppression he experienced as a young African-American man; others fond memories of rural life – were haunting.

“I started out with much more of a bent toward history, but as I talked to my dad I could see he was history writ small,” says Funderburg, one of three daughters of a black father and white mother. “He was part of the great migration.”

Funderburg will discuss the book on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the library.

Something else colored Pig Candy. A few years into her research, Funderburg learned her father had been diagnosed with late stage prostate cancer. Suddenly, there was an urgency to the project. “That was a wake-up call for me,” she says. “People like me, reaching middle age, realize that here is this rich treasure trove of per-

Contemporary Fiction Led by Kristin Friberg Conference Room, second floor

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz New Jersey ghetto nerd Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R. Tolkien and finding love but a curse interferes until the fateful summer when he takes action.

Thursday, Dec. 11, 10:30 a.m.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks This book by the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author traces the journey of a rare Hebrew manuscript from Spain to Australia.

Thursday, Jan. 8, 10:30 a.m.

The Ha Ha by Dave King An acclaimed first novel about family, silence, the cost of war and the value of connection.

Thursday, Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m.

sonal history and world history you have access to. It changes things.”

Funderburg was raised in an integrated neighborhood of Philadelphia. She still lives in Philadelphia today, where she teaches creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania. Her previous book, Black White, Other, explored the pressures and prejudices confronting biracial individuals in America. She has been a regular contributor to O, The Oprah Magazine since 2001 and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Nation and Salon.

Pig Candy became a memoir. Funderburg accompanied her father on several trips from Philadelphia to Monticello, Ga., a town she knew held a mix of memories for him. “His hometown was such a mystery to me,” she says. “This place had seemed so horrific for me growing up. I thought of it as a place of discrimination, racism. But he loved to go there and had always tried to get my sisters and me to go with him. Now he needed help getting there, and since as a writer I had the most flexibility, I was the one.”

George Funderburg had always been an enigma to his daughter. He was distant, and for much of his life avoided any discussion of his childhood.

But in late middle age, he inexplicably bought a farm back in his home county in Georgia. His daughters accompanied him now and then to the farm over the years, but it wasn’t until his

Thinking Allowed

illness that Funderburg began to spend extended time with him there. She began to learn about the people and places that shaped him. She also started to understand how bigotry sometimes coexists with humanity.

Her father’s illness is a central theme of the book. “His diagnosis began to color the experience of writing the book,” she says. “It became a kind of hybrid of this journey with my dad through his illness, and the history of it. I think you can intellectually understand what it will be like when your parent is going to be sick, but you can’t really comprehend it until you live through Continued on next page

tions about the history of cities and the relationship of technology to the urban experience.

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m.

Author appearances co-sponsored by the library and Princeton University Press

New York Nocturne The City After Dark in Literature, Painting, and Photography, 18501950 by William Chapman Sharpe A professor of English at Barnard College, Sharpe describes how gaslight and later electricity transformed Manhattan at night.

The brilliantly lit streets and glittering skyscrapers have become the city’s visual signature. Sharpe explores key metaphors of the nighttime city and tells how the advent of artificial lighting created not only new forms of life and leisure, but also new ways of perceiving the nocturnal experience.

The abundantly illustrated book includes original readings of works

by Whitman, Poe, Whistler, Riis, Steiglitz, Weegee, Ellison, and many others and raises important ques-

Lise Funderburg appears Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Sharpe

DiBattista

Imagining Virginia Woolf: An Experiment in Critical Biography by Maria DiBattista How do we read the works of specific writers? Where many works of literary criticism explore how we read a book, DiBattista delves into how to read an author. This work is not about Virginia Woolf, the person who wrote the novels, criticism, and the famous diary, but someone else DiBattista identifies as “the figment of the author.” This is the Woolf who lives intermittently on the pages of her writings and in the imaginations of her readers. DiBattista reveals a writer not of one personality, but a cluster of distinct, yet complementary identities.

Wednesday, Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m.

7 Richard Fleming

McCarter Live at the Library

Since graduating from Princeton University in 1987, this inveterate traveler, photographer, amateur musicologist and self-described “rabid birdwatcher” has been enamored of the culture of the Greater Antilles. He has been around the world with Kofi Annan, flown missions over Kandahar and camped with geologists in Antarctica. He’ll talk about Walking to Guantanamo, his first book.

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m.

Mrs. Warren’s Profession British actress Suzanne Bertish joins McCarter Theatre artistic director Emily Mann in a discussion about McCarter’s upcoming production of George Bernard Shaw’s witty comedy. Written in 1893, the provocative play about a 19th century woman who turns to prostitution to support a comfortable life scandalized audiences in its time, and still hits home with its relevance today. Bertish is a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, with which she appeared in their marathon eight-and-a-half-hour version of Dickens’s The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, She was also seen in the BBC’s production of Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors” and recently had a recurring role in the cable television series “Rome.” Tamsen Wolff, professor of drama at Princeton University, will moderate the discussion.

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Readings Over Coffee

Holiday Potpourri Pat Connor, Dick Swain and Mary Greenberg will present an array of readings representing a variety of December holidays, including (but not limited to) Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the ringing in of the New Year.

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 10:30 a.m.

Radio plays from Yesteryear Mary Greeenberg and the Writers’ Block present vintage radio scripts from the 1940s featuring Sorry, Wrong Number, scatterbrain Jane from Easy Aces and hardboiled girl detective Candy Matson.

Wednesday, Feb. 11, 10:30 a.m.

Twelfth Night Director Rebecca Taichman discusses Shakespeare’s comedy about a girl shipwrecked in a foreign land without family, friends or possessions. Touching on unquenchable desire, self-deception and misdirected love, the play is coproduced with the Shakespeare Theatre Company of Washington, DC. Taichman’s work has been on view at major theaters across the country including Yale Repertory Theatre, the Wooly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Prince Music Theatre. She is a recent Barrymore Award winner and a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

Thursday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.

Princeton Writers’ Block will be featured in this program on Dec. 7 at 3 p.m.

Funderburg

Continued from previous page

it,” she says. “It’s like having a child. You can’t really know what it will be like until it happens.”

It took Funderburg seven years to research and write Pig Candy. She recorded hours of interviews with her father, and in the process became somewhat of an expert on topics as diverse as porkladen cuisine, the peach-canning industry and the luxury boats that used to ply the Great Lakes (her father had been a waiter on one of them). “I went to Mackinac Island (in Lake Michigan), and traveled the same path he did,” she says. “It was fascinating. Ultimately I had to leave out a lot of my research. I spent a week researching the night boats but ended up with only a page and a half about them in the book.”

Funderburg is frank in the book about the rigors of the chemotherapy her father endured, and she doesn’t hold back about the ravages of his disease. But humor also figures into her account their complex relationship. So does the deep emotion of watching a parent’s decline, but Funderburg handles it without descending into overwhelming sentimentality.

“I wanted to preserve his dignity,” she says.

U.S. 1 Poets Invite

Co-sponsored by the library and U.S. 1 Poets Cooperative

Kathe L. Palka and Maxine Sussman Palka is the author of two chapbooks, The Grace of Light and Faith to See and Other Poems, and her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in several print and online publications. Sussman has published recently in Ekphrasis and other outlets. She teaches at Caldwell College and gives poetry workshops at the Highland Park Public Library.

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m.

Penny Harter and Dave Worrell Publised widely in journals and anthologies, Harter’s recent books include The Night Marsh, Along River Road, Lizard Light: Poems From the Earth, and Buried in the Sky. Dave Worrell’s poems have appeared in Mad Poets Review, US1 Worksheets and Wild River Review. He has performed at Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia and Café Improv in Princeton.

Wednesday, Jan. 28, 7:30 p.m.

Betty Lies and Sara Walsh Co-founder of Princeton’s Cool Women Poets, Lies is the author of four books of prose and the recent poetry collection The Blue Laws. Walsh studied philosophy at Wellesley College and earned a master’s degree from the University of Texas.

She works for Legal Aid and her passions include mambo, gardening and singing as well as writing.

Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m.

Palka

Sussman

Harter

Worrell

Lies

Walsh

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events

MUSIC AND FILM

Six strings, a multitude of sounds A series of programs on the guitar highlights winter’s music offerings

By ANNE LEVIN Connections Staff Writer

The guitar takes center stage on this season’s roster of music programs. The schedule features three performances, a talk about vintage guitars, an all-ages tournament spotlighting the video games Guitar Hero and Rock Band, a Guitar Summit of several area guitarists including an open mic and a film about guitar legend Les Paul.

“We definitely wanted to focus on different styles,” says Janie Hermann, the library’s programming coordinator. “I’ve had a lot of different guitar artists contact me about wanting to do events here, and it dawned on me to put them together in a festival.”

The series starts Jan. 15 with a screening of Les Paul: Chasing Sound.

It continues Jan. 18 with

Les Paul: Chasing Sound The renowned guitar wizard and inventor tells his own rags-to-riches story in this documentary film, which includes interviews with top contemporary guitarists.

Thursday, Jan. 15, 7 p.m.

Virago This duo merges Latin, rock and blues into a unique blend of sounds. Amy Schindler plays acoustic guitar, and Maire Tashjian plays congas and a Brazilian drum in their own

compositions as well as cover tunes. Sunday, Jan. 18, 3 p.m.

Arlon Bennett A guitarist-songwriter who likes to “reach, not preach” Bennett’s songs tell a story in his own voice. His emergence in the folk/ Americana arena began after early influences such as Harry Chapin, James Taylor and Don McLean.

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.

Stanley Alexandrowicz This classical guitarist’s range spans centuries. Alexandrowicz will perform works from the court

Eric Mintel Quartet Just in time for the holidays, the Eric Mintel Quartet returns to the library for a concert that will include Vince Guaraldi’s wellknown music from A Charlie Brown Christmas as well as other selections. The jazz quartet has just released a new album and is gaining popularity on the jazz scene. The ensemble has performed at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and Washington’s Kennedy Center. Last year, they brought their Dave Brubeck tribute to the library and packed the house.

Sunday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m.

Virago, a duo combining guitar and drumming in a mix of Latin, rock and blues. Next on Jan. 21 is songwriter Arlon Bennett, described by a fan as writing songs “the way Norman Rockwell would paint.” The series continues with classical guitarist Stanley Alexandrowicz on Jan. 22, followed by vintage guitar expert Ken Lelen on Jan. 25. The All-Ages Guitar Hero and Rock Band Tournament is Feb. 6. The festival concludes with the Guitar Summit Feb. 9.

The range of guitar genres is intentionally wide and each event will be different. At Virago’s performance, the audience will be encouraged to participate.

“We love it when people from the audience join us and take a chance,” says Maire Tashjian, drummer in the duo. “And we like to get creative.” Tashjian plays a kind of ethnic percussion, using a pair of congas and a Brazilian drum. Partner Amy Schindler plays an amplified acoustic guitar for the pair’s selections, which range from covers to Spanish ballads.

Classical guitarist Alexandrowicz plans to play music ranging from the Baroque to something written for him just a few months ago.

“I am always looking for substantial music that isn’t so often played,” he says. “I’ll play some compositions from the Romantic period, including something by Luigi Legnani, who gave duo concerts with the great virtuoso violinist Paganini and wrote numerous duets for this combination.”

Hermann is especially enthused about the festival’s culminating event, the Guitar Summit. “This will be a gathering of guitarists, where people can exchange information and learn from the experts,” she says. “It will really round out the series.”

of Louis XIV, 19th century France and Italy before fast-forwarding to contemporary composers Ernst Bacon, Brian Fennelly, Kendall Kennison and Eric Sessler.

Thursday, Jan. 22, 7:30 p.m.

Ken Lelen Lelen is an expert in vintage guitars as well as songs from the 1920s-‘40s.

The program includes music as well as talk about guitars from his impressive collection.

Sunday,Jan. 25, 3 p.m.

All-Ages Guitar Gaming Tournament Aspiring rock stars young, middle-

aged and beyond are invited to show off their skills in this now-famous game.

The tournament will be a competition for multiple players with tracks from the 1960s to the present.

Friday, Feb. 6, 6 p.m.

Guitar Summit Grab your favorite guitar and head to the library to mingle with other enthusiasts.

Several area instructors will be on hand to give short demonstrations of a favorite lick or technique. Everyone can participate in the open mic session that ends the evening.

Monday, Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m.

Soundscape Jazz Concert Local advanced jazz students will perform with professional jazz musicians in a concert that culminates a jazz workshop series held in Hopewell. Craig Thomas, professor of bass at the University of Delaware, and Joe Falcey, international touring drummer and music educator will perform with the students.. The workshops are led by pianist Tara Buzash.

Saturday, Dec. 13, 3 p.m.

9

World Cineclub

Becoming The Baxter In Michael Showalter’s film, Mr. Wrong turns into Mr. Right

By ANNE LEVIN Connections Staff Writer

Confidences trop intimes (Intimate Strangers)

When Anna accidentally enters the office of a financial adviser instead of a psychiatrist, she ends up confessing her deepest sexual and emotional secrets to a man more accustomed to analyzing tax returns that psyches. He turns out to be a guarded loner with relationship troubles of his own. Patrice Leconte directed this 2004 film, in the vein of Hitchcock but with a Gallic twist.

Tuesday, Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m.

1 hour, 44 minutes In French with English subtitles

Ben X

Ben has Asperger’s Syndrome. In the fantasy on-line gaming that consumes him, he is a courageous hero.

But in daily life, bullies torment him and teachers ignore his needs. When the relentless attacks push him over the edge, his online dream girl appears to help him devise a perfect plan for revenge.

Director Nic Balthazar’s debut is based on a true story and won the Grand Prize, Audience Award for Most Popular Film; and the Ecumenical Jury Prize for exploration of ethical and social values at the Montreal World Film Festival. The film was also Belgium’s official entry for the Academy Awards.

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m.

In Flemish with English subtitles 1 hour, 33 minutes

Series co-sponsored by the library and L’Association Francophone de Princeton

Like mostly everyone else, Michael Showalter has been unlucky in love. The 38-year-old Princeton native, a comedian, actor, writer and director, turned his experiences with angst into a film in 2005. The Baxter will be screened Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. and Showalter will be on hand to speak and answer questions.

“This is the one project I did that wasn’t a collaboration,” he says. “I wrote and directed it on my own. It’s tonally a little different from other things I’ve done. It’s quieter, more personal. It’s a story about a guy who is always the wrong guy in every relationship. It’s a story about Mr. Wrong becoming Mr. Right.”

Showalter is one third of a sketch comedy trio known as Stella, and was a cast member of MTV’s The State from 1993-95. He co-wrote, with David Wain, the 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer. He is the host of a webshow on Collegehumor.com called The Michael Showalter Showalter and he teaches screenwriting at New York University.

The Baxter stars Michelle Williams, Justin Theroux and Elizabeth Banks, actors with whom Showalter has worked many times. “We’re all really comfortable working together. We know each other well and it works really well,” he says.

Also in Showalter’s circle of friends and frequent collaborators are Paul Rudd, Michael Ian Black, Andy Samberg, and Michael Cera. With Black, he has teamed up for a Comedy Central television show Michael and Michael Have Issues.

Though he hasn’t lived in Princeton in years, Showalter has fond feelings for the town and looks forward to coming back for the screening.

His mother, Elaine Showalter, was chairman of Princeton University’s English department. She and his father, French literature professor English Showalter, are both retired.

“I haven’t been to Princeton in a while so it will be really great to come back,” he says. “I’m

10

events

ENRICHMENT 2/1

2 p.m.

Fostering a sense of self In her memoir, Victoria Rowell tells of the importance of foster parents and the arts – and of giving back

By ANNE LEVIN Connections Staff Writer

Since it was published last year, Victoria Rowell’s memoir The Women Who Raised Me has been through seven printings in its original hard-

cover, and five printings in paperback. This touching tribute to the foster mothers – official and otherwise – who brought Rowell up when her own parents could not has clearly hit a nerve.

“People want to read about these heroic people raising foster children,” says Rowell, who will speak at library on Sunday, Feb. 1 at its Victoria Rowell appears at the National African American Read-In on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. in celebration of the National African American Read-In. “And they want the Community Room to read about how the arts can change a child’s life, how the arts can be a lifeline.”

Children’s Rights and the Children’s Defense Fund. Numerous awards Rowell was just 8 when her foster mother noticed her dancing around for these efforts have come her way. the house and hoisting herself up, in her sneakers, onto her toes. Before The Women Who Raised Me was Rowell’s first book, but she has been long, she had arranged for Rowell to leave their home in Maine to stay writing since she was a child. “It was my first published book,” she says. with relatives near Cambridge, Mass., where she began serious study of “But I have been a diligent writer since I was small. It’s always been a ballet. natural for me, because the women who raised me encouraged me to Rowell would later become a professional ballet dancer, appearing write to them all the time. That’s how I got my writing chops.” with such companies as American Ballet Theatre II and Ballet HispaniShe has traveled the world to talk about her book, including co, before turning her attention to acting. A longtime gig on the daytime recent trips to India and Germany. Always when she speaks, Rowell drama The Young and the Restless and a stint on the prime time show Diemphasizes her conviction that the arts are vital to children’s lives. agnosis Murder turned her into a familiar face on tele“That we have to fight tooth and nail to keep the arts vision. She has appeared in several films with such in our schools is an abomination,” she says of the About the Read-In actors as Samuel L. Jackson, Eddie Murphy and Will national trend to eliminate public arts programs as This is the 20th year of the African American Read-In, Smith, to name a few. celebrated in communities across the nation. Initiated budgets are trimmed. “Something is very wrong.”

Her road to fame was full of bumps and pitfalls. by the Black Caucus of the National Council of As a child growing up in the foster care system, But Rowell always knew she wanted to give back.

Teachers of English, the Read-in focuses on literacy and Rowell was especially devoted to her ballet teachers black literary culture. The library event is co-sponsored On firm footing by 1990, she founded the Rowell by the library and the New Jersey Chapter of the because of the discipline and strength they taught Foster Children’s Positive Plan, to enrich the lives Black Caucus of the American Library Association and her. “Ballet became a lifeline to me,” she says. of foster children through artistic and athletic exthe following Princeton University organizations: The “Regardless of what was going on outside that pression. She has continued her work for that and Center for African American Studies, the Carl A. Fields classroom, I knew I had a place at that ballet barre.

Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding and the other charitable and arts organizations, including the Women’s Center.

The arts saved my life.”

NAACP, New Yorkers for Children, the Alliance for

Engaging Boys in Reading and Learning Olen Kalkus returns to Princeton Public Library to speak about boys and learning. As headmaster of the boys’ school Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, he has studied and observed how boys learn differently than girls and will share his experience with parents and other interested adults. Kalkus was also principal at a Chicago all-girls school and has experience in co-educational environments.

Monday, Jan. 12, 7:30 p.m.

Art Talk by Rebecca Sylvan In this talk co-sponsored by the Arts Council of Princeton in conjunction with the exhibit in the library’s Reference Gallery, Sylvan will talk about the four distinct phases of her development as an artist.

Her work is in oils and pastels, primarily, bus she has also created a major work The Odyssey, in clay and bronze. Her work has been exhibited at the Lawrenceville School, Stuart Country Day School and George School, and in other venues.

TALK: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m.

Community Room

EXHIBITION: Through March Reference Gallery, second floor

Princeton Area Homeschool Choir Hear a preview of the ensemble’s holiday concert, planned for Nassau Presbyterian Church on Dec. 15. The choir celebrates nine years of music-making this year.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m.

Marbleizing Workshop Learn the beautiful, ancient art of Ebru, better known as paper marbleizing, in this interactive program for ages 10 and over and adults.

The session is led by Nancy Lee Leary will have a Mardi Gras theme.

Saturday, Feb. 7, 2 p.m.

11

Help

Self Expression

Kim Suez Create Your Own Jewelry Workshop Self-taught jewelry designers Kim Suez and Sharon Vogel use stringing, wire-wrapping, and wire-working techniques along with a variety of semi-precious metal, crystal, and glass beads to handcraft bracelets, earrings, and other jewelry. Their workshop will focus on basic techniques. Participants will take home a bracelet and pair of earrings.

Sunday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m.

Call 609.924.9529 to register. A $5 materials fee is payable at workshop.

Sharon Vogel

Socrates Café No preparation is necessary for Socrates Café, just an enthusiasm for discussion. In the spirit of Socrates’ belief that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” participants ask questions of each other and listen to responses, raise challenges and consider alternative answers.

Everyone is invited.

Tuesdays, 7 p.m.: Dec. 23, Jan. 27, Feb. 24 Conference Room, second floor

Card-Making Workshop Linda Willimer of “Stampin’ Up!” demonstrates the art of making cards suitable for Valentine’s Day or any occasion.

Participants make four cards with matching envelopes using stamp sets and supplies, one with a special treat attached. Learn rubberstamping techniques, the latest stamping and scrapbooking trends, and take home some handcrafted cards.

Sunday, Feb. 8, 1 p.m.

Call 609.924.9529 to register.

A $5 materials fee is payable at workshop.

Scrapbooking Circle Assembling a scrapbook takes time and space to spread out. Both are offered at the monthly meetings of the Scrapbooking Circle. Participants can work on projects while meeting others who share their enthusiasm for preserving the past. The three-hour sessions feature tips, advice and a “make and take” lesson to create seasonal borders or other accents for the books’ pages.

The library supplies a cropping station; scrapbookers bring their own books, photos and other supplies.

Friday, Jan. 16, 5 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 8, 2 p.m.

Noodle Talks This program starts with a container of paper strips passed around the room.

Under the watchful eye of moderator Alan Goldsmith, participants select a “noodle,” each of which is printed with one or two questions about life.

While some questions refer to the past, others look to the future. Some are concrete, others are metaphorical.

Some inspire laughter, others move to tears. There are no right or wrong answers in these inspiring discussions: Just the truth of experience.

Mondays, 7 p.m.: Dec. 8, Jan. 12, Feb. 9 Quiet Room, first floor

De-Clutter and De-Junk Your Kitchen Professional organizer Ellen Tozzi and holistic health counselor Sandra Hoedemaker join forces to help participants get the clutter out of the kitchen. Overstuffed, disorganized pantries and refrigerators are often filled with old foods that can be harmful to health. These two experts will provide tips to get rid of the excess and start the New Year right by creating a healthy kitchen.

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m.

Superfoods Presentation The Fabulous Fourteen According to the national bestseller SuperFoods RX by Dr. Stephen Pratt, there are 14 foods that are nutritional powerhouses. Not only have they been shown to help prevent disease, but they can increase energy and possibly extend life span. This presentation by corporate wellness consultants Rosalie Phelan and Anastasia Slattery will highlight these 14 foods, which will help participants make immediate additions to their diets. The goal is show that small changes in eating habits can make large impacts on health. Recipes and handouts will be provided.

Wednesday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m.

Community Options for Seniors and Caregivers Adult day care programs, home health care, housing options and geriatric care management are the topics covered in this program featuring Jill Jaclin of Secure at Home, an initiative of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County; Hilary Murray of Buckingham Place Assisted Living & Adult Day Services and Buckingham Home Health Services; and Susan Hoskins, executive director of the Princeton Senior Resource Center.

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m.

Quiet Room, first floor

Engaged Retirement: Beyond Financial Planning Baby boomers nearing retirement age must plan not only for their financial futures, but for their lifestyles in general. This program from the Princeton Senior Resource Center addresses the issue, helping those approaching retirement to explore options, including time management, developing interests and staying active as a volunteer.

Thursday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m.

Conference Room, second floor

Ask a Lawyer Lawyers will be at the library for free private consultations on immigration and general legal issues. No appointments necessary; service on a first-come, first-served basis. Spanish translators will be available.

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m.

Conference Room, second floor Co-sponsored by the Princeton Public Library, the Latin American Task Force, Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, the Housing Authority of Princeton and the Mercer County Bar Association. For more information, call Lucia Acosta at 609.924-9529 ext. 316.

Have a party and help the library Our Community Room isn’t only for library events. The airy space makes a perfect setting for a party, and it can be rented on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings for events that will raise money for the library.

Inviting guests to make a cash gift to the library in honor of a celebratory event is a way to enjoy a gathering and help build the library’s endowment at the same time. Each cash gift will be matched, dollar for dollar, by one of our endowment challenge grants. Consider this: A recent 50th birthday party resulted in not only a great celebration, but a $5,000 gift to the library. For more details, contact Development Coordinator Lindsey Forden at (609) 924-8822 ext. 251.

12

events

ENRICHMENT

In the Technology Center Tuesday Technology Talks Holiday Gadget Guide: Tech Trends and Toys Learn about the most popular portable digital devices and other tech gadgets from “gadget guru” Douglas Dixon of Manifest Technology. An independent consultant, author and frequently published magazine writer, Dixon will do a round-up of what is hot this season, from big-screen TV sets to tiny media players; HD cameras and camcorders to mini wireless accessories. Several devices will be demonstrated during the session.

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 7 p.m.

Wonderful Web Sites According to a new search engine known as Cuil (pronounced “cool”), there are more than 124 billion web sites on the Internet. Some of these are wonderful; others are just plain weird. Joel May probably wastes more time than most of us searching out the standout sites. In this presentation, he will introduce about a dozen of the “weird,” and another dozen of the “wonderful,” and demonstrate how to seek them out. May, who has taught at the University of Chicago and the School of Public Health of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, has been using computers since 1961.

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 7 p.m.

DataBytes Lunchtime explorations of the library’s databases in the Technology Center, second floor

Biography Databases Journey through the library’s extensive collection of biographical databases in this session led by Kristin Friberg, Readers Service Librarian.

Friberg will describe how to choose the best database for your query and give you tips and tools on how to search them.

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 1 p.m.

Finding Company Information In this one-hour session, jobseekers and entrepreneurs will learn how to find company information that will allow them to effectively scope out their competitors and evaluate potential employers. Catherine Harper, Adult Services Librarian, will offer tips and tricks for doing this with library databases and some online resources.

Wednesdays, 1 p.m.: Jan. 14, 28

Internet Drop-In For an hour each week, the Technology Center welcomes visitors to drop in and practice their computer skills, learn about the Web, and get answers to questions about the Internet from a librarian or technology specialist. No sign-up is required for this “open surfing.”

Thursdays, 3 p.m.

Open Tech Time in the Lab The library’s Technology staff is on hand to provide hardware and software assistance.

Registration is not required; just stop by. Scan photos, test drive equipment from our Gadget Garage, or just work on projects using such software as DreamWeaver and PhotoShop.

Weekends and evenings; stop in to get the schedule.

Scanning Lab This one-hour drop-in lab is devoted to learning how to scan and save photos and documents using the Technology Center’s scanners. A member of the staff will be present and participants are encouraged to bring in a CD or Flash Drive to save their documents. No sign up is required.

Computer Classes All levels of classes are offered free by Princeton Public Library’s technology training program to residents of the greater Princeton area (preference is given to PPL cardholders). Classes range from Computer Basics to Microsoft Office Applications to Photo editing and sharing to Web 2.0, and are taught by highly qualified library staff in the second floor computer training lab. A schedule for these hands-on, practical classes is published monthly and is available online at www.princetonlibrary.org/reference/techcenter/. Schedules are also available at both the Welcome Desk on the first floor and the Reference Desk on the second floor. Most classes require students to sign up in advance.

Genealogy Technology Center, second floor

Genealogy 101 A two-part class for people just beginning to research their families. Learn how to collect family information informally, organize what you know and identify the gaps in your information. We’ll also take a brief look at some of the records you can use to fill in information and uncover earlier generations.

Sundays, 3 p.m. Jan. 4, 25

Please register

Introduction to Ancestry, Library Edition A first look at the contents, searching, and navigation of this very large subscription database.

Sunday, Feb. 22, 3 p.m.

Please register

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Literature Databases The library boasts an extensive collection of literature databases. Looking for criticism, bibliographies, or author information? Gayle Stratton, Adult Services Librarian, will show how to navigate the various literature reference sources that are offered.

Wednesdays, 1 p.m.: Feb. 11, 25

2 piso biblioteca publica de princeton 65 Witherspoon St. ` www.princetonlibrary.org/spanish/clases/computation.html

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MONTHLY LIBRAReNEWSLETTER Visit www.princetonlibrary.org to register for updated information via e-mail

13 2/18

7:30 p.m.

Managing your career and financial risks in an uncertain economy

Annemarie Segaric Adnan Shamsi

SCORE Counseling Service The 27 mostly retired executives and small business owners comprising the Princeton Chapter are available by appointment for counseling sessions four days each week for individuals who are considering starting a new business or are in business and are seeking advice. All counseling is free and confidential.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 p.m.

Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.

Tower Room, second floor. Call 609.393.0505 to schedule a session.

T

he past year has been marked by unprecedented events, intense market volatility and upheaval in the financial system. Job security seems to be a thing of the past. While landing a new job may be more of a challenge than in past decades, there are strategies to make an applicant stand out from the crowd.

At a special seminar on Wednsday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m., life and career coach Annemarie Segaric of The Career Change Company (and author of Step into the Right Career) and Adnan Shamsi of UBS Financial Services will help participants navigate the economic crisis in order to succeed in this market.

Segaric will share several tips, including the five biggest mistakes job seekers make and how to avoid them; how to take advantage of your network even if you think you don’t have one; the strategies to start immediately to uncover the next opportunity; and the seven steps to take in order to stand out and find work in a tight job market. Shamsi will talk about how the financial crisis evolved and how to survive the current economic turmoil.

Writing and Working The key topics in this interactive workshop are recognizing and using key principles of work-related writing, creating work opportunities, and writing for work. Leader Richard Trenner, a teacher, writer, editor, consultant and photographer, will invite participants to provide samples of their own work-related writing. As time permits, the entire group will offer friendly feedback on these documents while learning more about writing for work purposes.

Mondays, 7 p.m.Feb. 9, 16 and 23, Conference Room, second floor.

Registration is required. Call 609.924.9529 ext. 220.

14

events

CHILDREN

DECEMBER Stories for a Winter’s Day There is nothing quite like the phrase “Once upon a time” to set children’s imaginations to work. Members of the Princeton Storytellers Circle will do just that at Stories for a Winter’s Day. The storytellers will share their favorite tales with a winter theme. No pictures are necessary; their words are vivid enough.

Saturday, Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m.

Ages 6 and older and adults.

Kenny Woods Kenny Woods wants kids to know they are capable and competent. The singer, songwriter and storyteller will deliver his message at the library when he performs a special program for the whole family. Woods won the Best Children’s Music award at the 2007 Los Angeles Music Awards. He taught music in public schools for several years and has written jingles for Snickers and American Idol. Sunday, Dec. 28, 3:30 p.m.

Family Coloring Coloring helps develop coordination, artistic expression, and imagination. Spend time with family members coloring through famous American paintings.

Sunday, Dec. 28, 4:30 p.m.

Story Room. Ages 5-10 and adults.

Local Independent Author Afternoon Independent, self-published authors of books for all ages will gather to read from their books, which will be available for purchase. The authors will be available to talk about how they self-published, and representatives from several major publishing houses will be on hand to discuss how to have your book made available in stores.

Saturday, Jan. 17, noon For all ages

Snow Day Even if the weather is balmy, snow will be the theme all day on Dec. 29. The annual Snow Day is back by popular demand, bringing snow stories, snow crafts, snow films, a snow puppet show and snowflake cutting to kids ages 3 to 10. A complete schedule of activities will be available in mid-December.

Monday, Dec. 29, 10 a.m.

15

7 to 8 Club This club is for readers who are ages 7 and 8 at the beginning of the school year.

Saturdays, 2:30: Dec. 6, Jan. 3, Feb. 7 Conference Room, second floor

Word for Word Kids who were 9 or 10 at the beginning of the school year will enjoy this club.

Saturdays, 2:30 p.m.: Dec. 20, Jan. 17, Feb. 21 Conference Room, second floor

Home School Book Discussion Group This is a monthly gathering for home-schooled children to meet and discuss the best in children’s books.

Fridays: 9:15 a..m (ages 7-9) 10:30 a.m. (ages10-12) Dec. 19, Jan. 16, Feb. 20 Wednesdays: 9:15 a..m (ages 12 and older) Dec. 10, Jan. 14, Feb. 11 Study Room, third floor

Storytelling Circle Storytellers share their newest stories and some old favorites at this meeting of the Princeton Storytellers Circle, which is geared to adults and children ages 8 and up.

Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.: Dec. 9, Jan. 13, Feb. 10 Story Room, third floor

Origami Club This club is an opportunity to meet fellow origami fans and learn different patterns and seasonal designs.

Wednesdays, 7 p.m.: Dec. 10, Jan. 14, Feb. 11 Activity Room, third floor

John Singer Sargent Portrait of a Boy 1890

Tiger Team Readers Athletes from sports teams at Princeton University visit the library to share their favorite books with readers ages 5 to 8.

Eyes Spy America Game What can you spy with your eyes? Children ages 5-10 can participate by finding clues in the American art masterpieces that are part of the Picturing America exhibit. Prizes will be awarded to winners of the game.

Saturday, Jan. 24, 3 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20, 3:30 p.m.Conference Room, second floor

father-child book discussion group Guys Read You don’t need to be a father to attend this gathering, but you do need to have a child between the ages of 8 and 10 in tow. PPL employee and library student Tom Hammel runs these book discussions one evening a month. The group decides which title to read for the next month.

Tuesdays, 7 p.m.: Jan. 20, Feb. 17

STORY TIMES program

Fall 2008 ages

day, time

dates

adult

world languages

Lapsits

To 15 months

Tue., 11a.m.; Thu, 11 a.m.

Dec. 2-18; Jan. 6-Feb. 19

Must attend

Mother Goose Time

15 mos.-2 years

Wed., 10 a.m.; Thu., 10 a.m.

Dec. 3-18; Jan. 7-Feb. 19

Must attend

Saturday Stories*

2 to 8 years

Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.

Dec. 6-Feb. 28

Must attend if child is 5 or under

Sunday Stories*

2 to 8 years

Sundays, 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 7-Feb. 22

Must attend if child is 5 or under

Toddler Stories

2 to 31⁄2 years

Tue, 10 a.m.; Wed, 11 a.m.

Dec. 2-17; Jan. 6-Feb. 18

Must attend

Preschool Stories

31⁄2 to 6 years

Thursdays, 2 p.m.

Dec. 4-18; Jan. 8-Feb. 18

Must remain in the library

Folktales From Afar*

3 to 8 years

Saturdays, 2 p.m.

Dec. 13, Jan. 10, Feb. 14

Must attend if child is 5 or under

Stories in Japanese*

3 and older

Thursdays, 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 4, Jan. 8, Feb. 5

Must attend if child is 5 or under

Stories in Spanish*

3 to 8 years

Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 3, Jan. 7, Feb. 4

Must attend if child is 5 or under

Stories in Chinese*

3 and older

Fridays, 11 a.m.

Jan. 9, Feb. 13

Must attend if child is 5 or under

Stories in French*

5 and older

Saturday, 11:15 a.m.

Jan. 24

Must attend if child is 5 or under

Please register except where indicated by asterisk* Preference is given to library cardholders

16

events TEENS

Friday Night Live at the Library

This annual event features vocal groups from the four high schools in Princeton and Princeton University in a free night of fun planned by the Corner House Student Board, and co-sponsored by the library and Corner House. The library is open after hours for this event only to high school students attending Princeton schools.

Friday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m.

Funding for this program provided by the Princeton Alcohol and Drug Alliance through the Mercer County Office on Addiction Services and the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

Digital Video Production Workshop These sessions with instructor Allison Paz will introduce students to the basics of video production, including composition, lighting, scriptwriting, and editing. Participants will work on creating short documentary films as a final project. The workshop is open to students in grades 8-12, and they may use their own camera

Princeton Student Film & Video Festival Call for Entries Budding high school and college filmmakers (or those up to age 24) are invited to submit original films 20 minutes or less in length for the 6th Annual Princeton Student Film & Video Festival. Those who have films selected will be invited to attend an audience (teens and adults) screening of their work, which they will introduce and talk about following the showings. The submission deadline is June 19, 2009. Guidelines and entry forms are online at www.princetonlibrary.org/teens/media.

Event dates: July 22 & 23.

Clubs and Activities

Teen Advisory Board Participants in grades 8-12 meet monthly at the library to advise Teen Services Librarian Susan Conlon about the teen collection and talk about books, films and music. The sessions provide a say in library services and programs. Healthy snacks are provided and new people are always welcome.

Saturdays, 11 a.m.: Dec. 6, Jan. 10, Feb. 7.

Conference Room, second floor

Allison Paz

Go-Between Club New this fall, this club is for youth in grades 6 and 7. Monthly meetings will provide a chance to talk with librarians Susan Conlon and Martha Perry about reading and other interests, and to help with library events and plan programs.

Saturdays, 10 a.m.: Dec. 6, Jan. 10, Feb. 7.

Conference Room, second floor

or share one provided by the library.

Instructional materials will also be provided.

Tuesdays, 4 p.m.: Jan. 13, 20, 27 and Feb. 3.

The two-hour sessions will be scheduled for four consecutive weeks and students are asked to attend all of the sessions. Call 609.924-9529 ext. 240 to register.

What’s Green and Read All Over?

The Great American Book Drive Help plan the Great American Book Drive with Better World Books at the Princeton Public Library. This community service project for middle and high school students will help give used books a new life, raise funds to help a nonprofit of our choice, and help support library programs for teens. This is for middle and high school students from any school, and groups are welcome.

Contact Susan Conlon at 609.924-9529, ext. 247 or by email at sconlon@ princetonlibrary.org.

LIBRARY HOURS Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. / Friday–Saturday , 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. / Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

LIBRARY COMMUNITY

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A free loan that proved invaluable

Yao-chung Li found Interlibrary Loan a key tool for research

By KAYLIE NELSON Connections Staff Writer

If not for the library’s Interlibrary Loan service, it might have taken Yao-chung Li another five years to write The Dawn of the Gods and the New Beginnings of European Poetry.

When the Princeton resident set out to write the book in 2002, he had to travel to New York to do the research, which required the acquisition of a lot of specialized works. The book is believed to be the first anthology of Occitan lyric in Chinese translation, a subject that has never been given scholarly treatment in Chinese.

“I faced the common problem of an independent scholar: severely restricted access to specialized material,” Yao-chung said.

As a doctoral alumnus of Columbia, he

was able to use its library and also worked in the New York Public Library, but the monthly trips became costly and time-consuming. He turned to his local library for help and discovered the Interlibrary Loan system (ILL) in 2003.

“The ILL has been very helpful in getting material that I needed. I got more than 90 percent of the material I requested,” Yao-chung said. “Most importantly, ILL sometimes obtained books not available at other libraries.”

For five years, Yao-chung depended on ILL to do the research, saving him the trouble of trekking to New York to get what he needed, taking out either one book for a long while or two or three books every other week, depending on the tempo of his research.

“The ILL has been very helpful in getting material that I needed. I got more than 90 percent of the material I requested. Most importantly, ILL sometimes obtained books not available at other libraries.”

— Yao-chung Li

To express his gratitude for the ILL service, Yao-chung did volunteer work for the library and recently presented the library with a copy of his book, available in the Chinese collection.

The Red Bag

W

The bag spent considerable time in Belgium over the summer. Mady DispersynVan den bergh takes the bag to the farmers market in the small town of Lier, near Antwerp, which is known for the clocktower in the photo, the Zimmertoren. In the inset photo, Margret and Lucien Vloeberghs caught the bag looking to return to New Jersey. (Sorry, wrong Hoboken.)

From left, Robert Sehringer, Joe Stonaker, Julia B. Coale, Edith Griffin, Lisi Barros-Sehringer, Dixie Kirpalani, Barbara and Jerry Essig and Ed Griffin in the sacred indian citadel of Quilmes, Tucumán, Argentina.

MORE RED BAG PHOTOS See the back page

hile some declared 2008 the Year of the Staycation, that would be news to our Red Bag, which made appearances on four continents. In fact, the bag went so many places it’s in two locations in Connections: The back cover features the bag’s adventures with library staff. You can get a red bag of your own.

They’re still just $1 and are available at the Checkout Desk.

Chinami and Steve Nebesney bring their bag and their hopes for a bundle of joy to Tokyo’s Kiyomizudo Kannon Temple, where women wishing to become pregnant come to pray to the Goddess of Mercy.

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spotlight

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY

Who ya gonna call?

For help with homework, it’s the library

By EVE NIEDERGANG Friends of the library

It is 9:30 on a school night and your ninth grader is having trouble with his geometry homework. He begs you to help him with a problem; you stare at the triangle labeled “ABC” and try desperately to remember the rules about triangles with equal sides that you learned 30-odd years ago when you took geometry. The textbook offers no help, your spouse is as clueless as you, and the only math teacher you know does not take calls after 9 p.m.

What to do? The Princeton Public Library has the solution; it’s called Live Homework Help and it’s just a few clicks away on the library’s website.

Here’s how to get help: go to the library home page and then click on either “children” or “teens” on the red bar near the top of the page.

Once you’re on the “Princeton Kids” or the Teen page, look for the “Resources” option on the right hand side. Click on the arrow next to “Find a Resource” and select “Homework Help.” Then log in to Homework Help, using your library account number (it’s right on the back of your library card).

Once you have the “Live Homework Help” screen, select the grade (recently expanded from grades 4-12 to kindergarten–12 plus introductory college level and adult learner) and the subject (English, math, science, social studies for K-7, branching out to include writing, algebra, geometry, calculus, trigonometry, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, and social studies). After you’ve selected the grade and subject, you’re connected to an expert tutor who can provide help with that subject. Your tutor greets you through instant messaging and invites you to ask your questions.

For example, on a recent night, my seventh-grader and I experimented and asked math tutor Steven to help us figure out how to convert fractions into percentages. (My son already knew this, but I couldn’t remember at all.) Steven was able to explain this concept both by typing information in the instant messaging screen and also

by drawing on a whiteboard and showing us how to multiply the top number in the fraction by 100 and then divide by the bottom number. The whiteboard, which can be utilized by both the tutor and the person asking the questions, would be especially useful for subjects such as chemistry or, for example, drawing that pesky “ABC” triangle to explain a principle in geometry. My son was quite impressed with the whiteboard in particular and in general thought that Live Homework Help was a very useful resource. He bookmarked it to use the next time he had a homework question.

The library has two major resources to help Princeton students with their homework. The first is Springboard, which makes available experienced paid and volunteer teachers to tutor students at the library from 3:30 to 6 p.m. every Monday through Thursday when Princeton Regional Schools are in session. Springboard also hosts the popular Crunch Time extendedhours study session for high school students.

The second is the Live Homework Help, available from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day (including weekends) either from a library or home computer and staffed by real people from all over the world providing help in their area of expertise. Live Homework Help is a subscription service paid for by the library with funds from the Friends of the Princeton Public Library for the benefit of library cardholders.

Although the library’s costs increase as more students use the service, Youth Services Manager Jan Johnson explained recently that she would love to have more students use it. In a recent month, about 30 students used Live Homework Help, for an average of about 30 minutes each. In a survey taken after using Live Homework Help, students were very enthusiastic about the service. They indicated that they were glad that the Library offered the service, that they would recommend it to their friends, and that they felt the service was helping them to improve their academic performance and be more confident about their schoolwork.

All in all, it seems like a great resource for students with parents who can’t remember their high-school geometry (or history, chemistry, calculus, etc.) at 9:30 on a Thursday night. Of course, there are no rules to say that you have to wait till the last minute.

Boffo Book Sale Numbers!

The Annual Book Sale, held in October and run by the Friends, broke all records, not only for this century, but the last as well. Including a sponsorship from The Bank of Princeton, the sale made more than $22,300 for the Library. That’s a 131 percent increase over the receipts from just five years ago. Congratulations to all the dedicated volunteers who made this possible. “We put a lot of interesting books in the hands of the community,” says Eric Monberg, who headed the sale for the Friends.

“It is the best kind of recycling,” says Friends President Pam Wakefield.

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JOIN THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY Visit www.princetonlibrary.org/yoursupport/friends for more information

The place to ‘hunker down’

By PAMELA WAKEFIELD Friends President Times are tough and uncertain. Global and local economic decisions change the life in our community and in our homes. Chances are we’ll be buying and traveling less. Maybe shopping on Amazon.com or at Barnes and Noble is now a luxury and a family trip to the movies is not an automatic choice. It seems like a time to ‘hunker down’ and the good news is that Princeton’s best ‘hunkering’ place — the library — is up and running at full speed.

Drawn by the glow of the first-floor fireplace, readers curl up with journals on every subject in almost any language. In the Community Room, film lovers are challenged and entertained, jazz lovers listen and learn, local and national authors speak, community leaders raise and solve problems, poets meet and aspiring citizens are encouraged and informed. Satisfied borrowers wander through the stacks and fill their signature red bags with music, books and films.

On the second floor, more than 70 computers are in use as researchers explore science fact, science fiction and the latest on American politics and American Idol. In the Technology Center, users of all ages master cutting-edge software. In the Conference Room community groups meet, non-fiction authors share their work and philosophers pose questions.

Up on the third floor, a teen chess match draws onlookers, tutors help committed students complete homework, Princeton University athletes read their childhood favorites to captivated six-year-olds, and engrossed toddlers listen to stories in different languages.

This is A Day in the Life of the Princeton Public Library, really just a slice of a day.

Remember, this is your public library and one of the best community libraries in the country and one of the best ‘hunkering’ spots in New Jersey.

The Friends of the Princeton Library are committed to supporting the mission of this fine free and public library but this season that mission seems more crucial than ever. During troubled times people turn to libraries to learn and connect. Our number of daily users continues to rise.

Library lovers and users: we urge you to support the Princeton Public Library through a contribution (as generous as possible) to the Annual Appeal.

And please start and end your holiday shopping at our sensationally transformed Library Store – this is a great and gratifying way to show your support.

Seen at the Friends Benefit

Audrey Gould and Library Trustees president Katherine McGavern

Left to Right

Auction co-chairpersons Shari Black, Vivian Allen and Benefit Chairperson Ellen Pitts Evan Thomas, guest speaker

Friends Council President Pamela Wakefield and Past President Barbara Johnson

Alan Dybvig and County Executive Brian Hughes

Library Director Leslie Burger, Anne Seltzer and Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand

Benefit Committee member Debbi Gitterman and husband Benjamin

A window into the Library Store

By MARGARET SIECK Friends of the Library

Good stores and good books have much in common: dynamic natures, great surprises, a satisfying feeling at the end. The Library Store is that kind of store. Just in time for the holiday season, it has been reconfigured and reinvented, designed to intrigue the thoughtful shopper.

“We’re working on being ecofriendly and international,” says store manager Chris Canfield. “Given the shift of other stores around town, we want to reocus on new areas of opportunity while retaining old favorites.” While items for babies and children, particularly popular as gifts from grandparents, will still be available, so will more items for the ‘tween market (generally considered to be kids between the ages of 10 and 13) as well as housewares and intriguing gifts for adults. “Tweens are great shoppers,” noted Friends Council president Pam Wakefield. “There’s been a bit of a void for them in our community.”

In September, local newspaper stories that touched on the future of the store in a challenging economy brought forth a strong public response: Keep the store going! We’ll help! People like Jen Shue of the Palmer Square store Spruce; Betty Fleming, who ran a successful bookstore; and Liza Peck of Decked, across the street from the library, all offered support and advice. Then Friends Council member Betsy Hoover and Jen Shue both went to the New York gift show and came back with great ideas. Library Director Leslie Burger was on a trip to Paris and traveled around the city with notebook in hand, keeping track of things new and different for our store. Pam Wakefield toured the gift shops at the Museum of Modern Art and the Morgan Library. Everyone was pitching in to make the store The Place in town to find that unusual item, that wonderful gift that you can’t find anywhere else. “The library is now a destination and we want the store to be a destination in itself,” says Wakefield.

Wakefield noted, “[Store manager] Chris Canfield is unbelievable. She is talented, creative, and very well organized. She is also persistent, relentless in her search for things. We would mention something we’d seen and she could track it down.”

Some of the new items featured at the store are Table Topics, a clear acrylic cube that holds a stack of 135 conversation starters to get guests thinking and talking: perfect for the holiday season. A new look at recycling comes from The News, a company that makes cutting-edge gift and home accessory items out of The New York Times.

In the stationery line, the store carries the beloved Patience Brewster cards, as well as folded notes from Carrot & Stick Press, whose products have been featured in Vogue, Martha Stewart Living and The New York Times. There’s a great selection of high quality 3-D wooden puzzles. In addition, the children’s librarians have recommended their favorite books for small children, and the store will be carrying them. One new offering will be prepackaged gifts for under $25. Check to see what the store puts together and you can grab a gift and go.

“It may seem odd to have a store in the library,” muses Burger, “But it fits with many other things we have done to make the library experience more convenient. Customers can find a unique and special gift at the store. And of course, with all profits from the store benefiting the library, every purchase contributes to the acquisition of more books and library resources. We’ve worked hard to offer a wonderful assortment of unique merchandise.”

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THE RED BAG

LIBRARY HOURS Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. / Friday–Saturday , 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. / Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

MORE RED BAG PHOTOS See Page 17

PPL Director Leslie Burger’s Euro Libraries Tour took her to Paris, where this photo was taken near some sort of big tower they have there.

Sonja Vloeberghs, supervisor of the shelving staff at the library, brought her bag to protect her from the mists of Niagara Falls.

Shelver Tim Hadick’s family packed the bag as they headed west this summer, bringing it first to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, then to the Alamo.

Perhaps we’re gilding the lily, but the red bag seems right at home in the splendor of the Butchart Gardens near Victoria, British Columbia. That’s Barbara Ackerman from the Lending Services Department shouldering the load.

Non Profit Org.

Library Director: Leslie Burger Assistant Director: Elba Barzelatto Programming Coordinator: Janie Hermann Youth Services Manager: Jan Johnson Public Information Director: Tim Quinn Program Committee: Lucía Acosta, Leslie Burger, Elba Barzelatto, Susan Conlon, Kristin Friberg, Pamela Groves, Romina Gutierrez, Janie Hermann, Jan Johnson, Terri Nelson, Tim Quinn, Allison Santos, Barbara Silberstein Margaret Sieck (Friends of the Library) Graphics Assistant: Jenna Garrison Staff Writer: Anne Levin Editing and design: Tim Quinn

Frıends of the

Princeton Public Library

U.S. Postage PA I D Princeton, NJ Permit No. 4 Return Service Requested