Friday After Hours Movies

 So, Oscar time has come and gone, and once again you’ve missed seeing any of the nominated movies. What now? Hope that it’ll be at the local video store when you find time to go there? Wait your turn on a library reserve list that has 200 people ahead of you? Fear not. Evanston Public Library will be showing some Oscar nominated movies in special after hours screenings on select Fridays in April, May and June. The price is right for everyone’s budget because admission is free. Refreshments will be supplied courtesy of Whole Foods.

And the movies are…..

The Social Network (2010,  121 min, PG-13), which was nominated for seven Oscars, will be shown on Friday, April 29 at 6 pm. It tells how Facebook got its start in 2003 when Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sat down at his computer and feverishly began working on a new idea. In a flurry of blogging and programming, what began in his dorm room soon became a global social network and a revolution in communication, and made Zuckerberg a billionaire.

 

 

True Grit (1969, 127 min, G) will be shown on Friday, May 27, at 6 pm. U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne, in an Oscar winning performance) helps a headstrong young girl (Kim Darby) find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings into Indian territory. When Rooster’s employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. The situation goes from troubled to disastrous when an inexperienced Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell) joins the party.

 

True Grit (2010, 128 min., PG-13) This Coen brothers’ remake of the classic John Wayne movie will be shown on Friday, June 24,  at 6 pm and tells the story from the perspective of 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), who joins U.S. marshal Rooste Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and another lawman (Matt Damon) in tracking her father’s killer into Indian territory. This version sticks more closely to Charles Portis’s novel than the 1969 adaptation.

Rediscovered Seuss Stories to be Published

Several Dr. Seuss stories which were only seen in a magazine 60 years ago will appear for the first time as a book. Random House Children’s division says the material last saw the light of day in 1950-1951. The collection of seven stories, titled The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories, should be released in September.

Shira S.

Booker International Prize Finalists Announced

The finalists of the Man Booker International Prize have just been announced:

• Wang Anyi (China)
• Juan Goytisolo (Spain)
• James Kelman (UK)
• John le Carré (UK)
• Amin Maalouf (Lebanon)
• David Malouf (Australia)
• Dacia Maraini (Italy)
• Rohinton Mistry (India/Canada)
• Philip Pullman (UK)
• Marilynne Robinson (USA)
• Philip Roth (USA)
• Su Tong (China)
• Anne Tyler (USA)

PS to Haggadah Post …

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (who won a Pulitzer for her 2006 work March) is a work of fiction based on the Sarajevo Hagadah. This is the only significant novel about hagadot I was able to find. One of the earliest illuminated Jewish manuscripts, the priceless antique haggadah serves as the vehicle for a 500-year worldwide journey tracing its ownership in an exciting adventure that takes Hanna Heath, an Australian rare book expert, to Europe in 1996. For more details, click on the author’s name above. Click here for the NY Times review in 2008.

Shira S.

A New Take on an Old Tradition: the Latest Maxwell House Haggadah

The Passover or Pesach (in Hebrew) holiday begins Monday evening April 18 and continues until the 26th. Maxwell House is printing a new edition of its haggadah which appeared originally in the 1930’s. Different articles have been circulating about people’s memories and nostalgia associated with family gatherings where the haggadah was recited at the annual Seder. Then there’s the photos and blog posts about last year’s Passover observance at the White House, where the Maxwell House version was used. Another sign of the times: here’s an article about downloadable haggadot!

EPL has a few haggadot in our collection and it’s possible to greatly expand your choices by searching through WorldCat, where I found thousands of hits. For a variety of traditional haggadot with in depth commentaries try Artscroll.com or Feldheim.com. If you’d like to browse in an actual bookstore, Rosenblum‘s recently moved from its old location on Devon Ave in Chicago to 9153 Gross Point Road in Skokie, across the street from the Skatium Ice Arena. Whichever haggadah you choose, enjoy the holiday!

Shira S.

link to “30 Minute Seder”

An Interview with Leonid Osseny

"Self Portrait" by Leonid Osseny

Leonid Osseny is an architect, designer, teacher, and the latest artist to be featured in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL.  His show  – titled 36 Views of Ulysses – is currently on display on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Branch and insightfully interprets scenes from James Joyce’s landmark novel with a stunningly original collection of inventive graphic works.  You can catch 36 Views of Ulysses through April 5th and also learn more about Mr. Osseny’s work at the website for his Lincoln Terrace Art Studio and Gallery.  What’s more, you can meet Mr. Osseny in person and hear him speak about 36 Views of Ulysses when he visits EPL’s 1st Floor Community Meeting Room on Tuesday, March 29th at 6:30 p.m.  In anticipation of his visit, we recently spoke with him via email about his artistic beginnings in Belarus, his experiences at the 2004 International James Joyce Symposium in Dublin, and his future plans as an artist and writer.

Writers on Writing

“Why do writers write? What influences their work? Where do they find inspiration? ” Some of the United Kingdom’s most celebrated writers answer these questions and more for the National Life Stories’ Authors’ Lives project archived at the British Library. You can read and listen to excerpts at the Guardian (both here and here), or purchase the complete CD of The Writing Life from the British Library Shop online.

Maurice Sendak Writing New Book

The latest creation of Maurice Sendak, renowned children’s author and illustrator, will be released in September. HarperCollins said that “Bumble-Ardy,” a fun-loving pig, will see an initial printing of 500,000.  Not child’s play!

PS- If you remember, he worked on a Chicago Lyric Opera a few years back (2003). Here’s a link to Brundibar (2009). Shira S.

Microsoft Sues BN over Nook

Barnes and Noble may be doing extremely well in sales (see recent post), however, it now has to fend off Microsoft in a lawsuit over possible patent infringements. Bill Gates is famous for his aggressive attitude in marketing his products and defending them, so it’s no surprise that Motorola has also been sued over Android handsets. We’ll see how this shakes out-

Shira S.

Judge Pulls Plug on Google’s Digital Library

A NY judge decided yesterday that the $125 million dollar deal between Google and the book industry smacked of anti-trust problems, despite the appeal of making so many works available to the public. Google has prepared 15 million(!) books for this project. He also expressed concern about Google’s ability to use books without consent of many authors. This promises to be an ongoing discussion as the authors, booksellers, and Internet community attempt to compromise.

Shira S.