KC Public Library Blog
Darren Shan & the Demonata
Just in time for Halloween, bestselling young adult author Darren Shan discussed his many books on October 22 at the Plaza Branch. Discover Shan’s freaky worlds filled with vampires and demons.
Teen Read Week: Books with Bite
Read a few “books with bite” during Teen Read Week (October 12-18, 2008). These vampires will keep you turning the pages.
Let us now praise award-worthy Menn
The 30th Annual Thorpe Menn Award for Literary excellence was announced at a luncheon at the Kansas City Public Library’s downtown Central Library by the American Association of University Women’s Kansas City chapter.
Opening remarks were given by the Library’s CEO, R. Crosby Kemper III, who professed great admiration for all of the nominees and their work.
Pigskin?
You might not know it to look at me, but I love sports. Hedgeapple dunking, sheep bowling, and extreme hide-and-seek are my favorites. Some people might say I'm too stout to be a good athlete, but that's just part of my strategy. I'm not really fat...I'm fluffy. In a strong, superhero-pig sort of way.
Missouri Architecture
Local authors Cydney Millstein and Carol Grove discussed their new book Houses of Missouri, 1870-1940 on October 26 at the Plaza Branch. Explore the architecture of Missouri and the architects who worked here in these books and resources at the Library.
Celebrating Art Blakey
As Kansas City celebrates the legacy of jazz great Art Blakey, get in on the action with these examples of jazz on DVD available at The Kansas City Public Library.
Hispanic Heritage: Books for Kids and Teens
Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15) with some great books for kids and teens. Read a book with your children in both Spanish and English or pick up an award-winning novel for teens.
In celebration of that other Willie Nelson
Anyone listening to the radio in the 1970s certainly heard a song or two by the Red-Headed Stranger. Anyone reading the local Kansas City daily newspaper anytime from 1880 to the present is familiar with the name of its founder, William Rockhill Nelson.
Floored by Gourds
Lots of things are growing on the farm where I live. Strange things. Pumpkins make me think of Halloween monsters. They grow in all sizes and many colors: reddish and warty, orange and ribbed, or smooth grayish white. I've seen gourds that look like little blue-green aliens that just hopped off of a spaceship.
What are gourds, anyway? Botanists, or people who study plants, say that gourds are fruit, like melons, cucumbers, and pumpkins.
Writing and Getting Published
Are there any aspiring writers out there? In October and November 2008, acclaimed writer Ann Hagedorn presented four talks for hopeful authors. On October 15, she provided an introduction to this four-part writing course. On October 22, she focused on the technical aspects of writing. On November 5, Hagedorn discussed storytelling and structure. Her final session on November 12 featured tips on pitching your book and finding a publisher. Get ready with these books on writing for publication and how to get published.
A Paul Newman Salute!
It’s difficult to pick only a handful of Paul Newman movies that encompass the scope and extent of his long and varied career, but these titles represent a sampling of him at his onscreen best. They’re all available on DVD at the Kansas City Public Library.
Banned Books Week 2008
Celebrate your freedom to read during Banned Books Week this year (September 27 – October 4, 2008). These books were the top ten books challenged last year, a “challenge” being a request to remove the book from a school or library. To find out why these books were challenged, visit the American Library Association’s page on the Most Frequently Challenged Books & Authors in 2007 or read additional details in the Illinois Library Association’s brochure, Books Challenged or Banned in 2007-2008 (pdf).
Taste Off @ Central
The teens at Central Library recently ate their fill at the first in a "Taste Off Series"! Hungry mouths from all over the city spent a Saturday sampling six different salsas from Kansas City businesses. Throughout the event, the most common response seemed to be the panting and airing of the tongue. Even with tongues a bit scorched, the teens managed to vote for their favorites.
Historic Preservation & Sustainability
On October 8 at the Central Library, Richard Moe explained how the preservation of historic and older buildings should be an important component of sustainable development efforts. Explore a few books about historic preservation, green remodeling, and architectural styles before his talk.
Rich Pig
Pigs are savers. I save letters from friends, stickers in my scrapbook, and funny noises. My computer has software that can record sounds. When I'm in my wheel barrow and writing to you, I might hear a frog croak, a bird whistle, or a beaver's tail slap the water in the stream. I record those sounds and save them. I like listening to them later. That's what's great about saving--you have something that you can share with someone else.