NYPL Blogs

Meet the Neighbor, and Artist: Fred Gutzeit

Sherri Liberman, Mulberry Branch — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:46:08 -0400

One of the goals of exhibiting art in our library is to highlight the talents of local community residents. Fred Gutzeit is not only a frequent library patron at the Mulberry Street Library, but a vibrant visual artist who wanted to contribute his work so that other library-goers could enjoy and contemplate art during their visits here. Fred's been making art in this neighborhood for over 40 years. Much of his work has been heralded by the press, and exhibited in galleries in SoHo and the East Village. I spoke with Fred about his work.

Your work brings to (larger than life) what one might say are 'ordinary' objects—a discarded glove, a leaf on the ground, gravel-like texture. What provides the inspiration for highlighting these often overlooked objects?

After a failed bout with abstraction (I've been struggling with it all my life), in the 1970s, I returned to representational painting. I had been working with "found objects", and making paintings out of unlikely "art" subjects—discarded work gloves, chain link fences, industrial leftovers. My idea was to use them for "art problems." So, the four large paintings in the lower level are about:The Leaf was a way to get at "real" color, Twine and Torn Paper was a play with pattern, The Work Glove was a human note on industrial society passing and products made, and Sunshine Neon was about doing line as light and text, and all were a play with and against flatness.

How did the series of dog portraits come about? Do you have a dog, too?

The "Dog Paintings" represented by the prints in the upper level (done about 20 years later than the "discard" paintings), were again an effort to get in touch with our immediate world—and the dogs, themselves, were viewed as "found objects" just sitting there. Some I had just come upon in the neighborhood, others were friends' pets. My idea again was to put them "in context." In my constructing the paintings, the background was a kind of a felt, intuitive match (they weren't the settings that I had found the dogs in). They were instances of things I had come upon and didn't know how to cast as paintings–how could I paint graffiti or a scene of lower Manhattan? They were found objects, but not inanimate things; they represented, in a way, "states of being." They were about "feeling" in painting, and dogs don't react to things intellectually. There was also in the '80s and '90s art world a lot of "big painting." My dog paintings were watercolors, which is an intimate medium at a small size: 13 by 10 inches. I never really had a dog. I thought that my 30 or so "dog" paintings were for people who didn't have pets and would have the paintings instead. The reality was that people didn't particularly want to own a picture of someone else's dog. They wanted a picture of their own pet.

Who are some of your favorite artistic influences?

When I was in art school a young painting teacher taught me the painting techniques of Willem de Kooning; I liked that. But when I settled in New York for good in 1967, Claes Oldenburg was the most interesting artist for me. He was my kind of "Pop Artist." I liked his worldview and transformation of the everyday, and the emotion–humor of it. Another artist, who is a contemporary of mine, that I've thought of through the years is Chuck Close. We met when we were students in summer school–exchanged studio visits when we met up again in New york. He says his work is about process; I experience this as a transformed kind of realism. I think of myself as a "realist" (not a classicist or romantic). Well, Chuck liked Willem deKooning when he was a student and deKooning has been an inspiration to me all my life. At this point in my life, it is his late work that moves me most. Johannes Vermeer, for the solitude and spiritual presence in his paintings, is my guiding old master. But I've also loved Pieter Brughel the Elder all my life–and made a special trip to Detroit to see his "Wedding Dance." I must mention two more artists whom I have been most interested in. I did a tribute installation in Bushwick in 2008, to Lee Lozano, who affected me deeply in 1970. Her painting then had evolved through sexually-charged tools, through psychological machine parts, to painting which was tracing of her own physicality, mathematically expressed ("Wave Paintings), finishing with her abandoning painting and disappearing from the art world. And currently, a young artist whose painting I always look forward to seeing and get a charge from is Dana Schutz.

When did you start painting?

As a child I liked to draw cars, and my elementary school principal told my mother that she should take me to the Cleveland Museum for art lessons. My mother did, but I wasn't interested—not until I was 14, and my junior high school art teacher got me to take summer watercolor and Saturday figure drawing classes at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Then, I did my "first paintings," and these were watercolors of the old neighborhood outside of the art school then. From those, as a teenager I went on to where the steel mills and ore boats were in Cleveland and there, did watercolors on my own and sometimes with teenage painting buddies. I'm still doing watercolors and am teaching watercolor and figure drawing at City College.

You are also a teacher of art, what do you try and instill in your students?

In teaching, I try to share my experience as an artist, but there are ideas that moved me when I was a student and I like to pass those on. In figure drawing (and watercolor I have to treat a bit differently), my idea is to "draw from the inside out". This idea came from my printmaking teacher, Carroll Cassill, at the Cleveland Institute of Art in the early '60s. Two aspects of this idea in figure drawing are to express the "dynamics" of a pose and anatomy study. With watercolor, it is understanding it as a form to work with: Watercolor is to oil painting, as writing a play is to writing a novel. Over-all my goal is to teach how to "think with materials."

Why did you want to show your art in a public library?

I was thrilled when the Mulberry Street Library opened around the corner from where I have been living and working on the Bowery for 40 years, and cherish the opportunity to show my work there. Especially this work which was influenced by the neighborhood—early 1970s on the Bowery and then 1990s including "Little Italy" (now Nolita). I think the library is a wonderful place to show artwork–akin to showing in a museum. It is a serious place for contemplation. I love the library, It brings me books, films, music, things I need for my artwork or life in general. I feel that the public library is the city and society's most vital resource; you need healthcare, transportation, and other services, but over all you need information. I'm glad now to be able to make some small contribution by sharing my artwork with the library community. Thank you.

The Mulberry Street Library thanks YOU, Fred Gutzeit, for your inspiring images and words!

Fred's work will be on display through the end of August 2013.

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Jay Barksdale, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, General Research Division — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:55:44 -0400

Last month, while reading the ever-elegant obituaries in The Economist, I ran across RPJ's. I knew the name through the Merchant/Ivory movies, but she was a writer-writer as well as screen-writer. She wrote over a dozen novels, with a "heroine [who] was almost always herself: trapped in a cross-cultural marriage, tipping between the old world and the new, observing from the outside some bewildering place." As so often happens, the next day I stumbled on a mention of her in the journals of the great Leo Lerman, who knew everyone, and enjoyed the rare gift of description in a paragraph.

"Ruth Prawer Jhabvala came to lunch (as did James Ivory) with us in the Rose Room of the Algonquin. She was one of the few writers I have been curious to be with. I was not disappointed. She is more Indian than Polish—although the Polish Jew is there—a sort of allusive atmosphere. Ruth P.J. is very small (or small seeming), very quiet—her special quiet, running smoothly over submerged pebbles and rocks and shards of laughter. She said she went nowhere, did nothing save be at home, take care of the family, and write. When I said that we thought of her always at parties gathering material for her comedies of manners, she answered: 'One party goes a long way!' She did say that years ago she had gone out a lot. We liked her deeply."

Perhaps I'll start with Heat and Dust, which won the Booker Prize in 1975. It must be holding its own, for there are 19 holds on 2 copies. Maybe in the meantime read her last story to appear in The New Yorker, The Judges's Will, (March 25, 2013—thank you New Yorker)? Any suggestions?

On-Site Recruitment: Port Authority Police Officers

Magdalene Chan, Science, Industry and Business Library — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:46:39 -0400

The New York State Department of Labor and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey will present an On-Site Recruitment for Police Officers.

Requirements

EDUCATION: In order to take the Port Authority Police Officer exam, you must have earned at least a high school diploma or a GED. Further, if you pass the written exam, you must have completed either of the following by the date an invitation is made to you to continue the screening process:

A. A minimum of 60 college credits from an accredited college or university; or

B. An honorable discharge from the United States Military after serving a minimum of two full years of continuous active duty.

AGE: You must be at least 19 years of age to take the test. At the time of appointment to the Police Academy Training Program, candidates must be at least 21 years of age and not have reached their 35th birthday. If you are a Military Veteran who might be 35 years of age or older at the time of appointment to the Police Academy, for the next 3 years, the port Authority will allow veterans to deduct up to six years of active military service from their age.

PAY and BENEFITS: The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey offers a competitive starting salary $32,361 with contractual step increases to $90,000 after completing five years of service (based on the current contract), and an outstanding benefits package.

MUST BRING I.D. & AT LEAST TWO COPIES OF YOUR RESUME

On-Site Recruitment is on Friday, June 7, 2013, from 10:00am - 3:00pm at New York State Department of Labor, Bronx Workforce 1 Career Center at 400 E. Fordham Road, 7th Floor (Classroom #2), Bronx, N.Y. 10458.

Public transportation to 400 E. Fordham Road (Entrance at 400 Webster Ave.):
Buses: BX 9, BX 12, BX 15, BX 22, BX 41 or BX 55 (to Fordham Road/Webster Ave. Hub)
Subway: 4, B, D (to Fordham Road station) Train: Metro North (to Fordham Road station)

For more information on on-site recruitment, please visit Job Search Central at 188 Madison Avenue and 34th Street.

Musical of the Month: Barefoot Boy With Cheek

Doug Reside, Digital Curator of Performing Arts, Library for the Performing Arts — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:32:07 -0400

A guest post by Ben West

“A young alumnus of the University of Minnesota and an old hand from Harvard and Broadway have turned out a wonderfully amusing musical comedy called Barefoot Boy With Cheek. A horde of exuberant young singers, dancers and actors, all of them bursting with vigor and brimming with talent, bounced it around the stage of the Colonial Theatre last night and rolled the customers out into the aisles. It’s the newest of the hits and one of the happiest.”

If this deliciously zany 1947 romp, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, was not previously on your radar, it is likely because Barefoot Boy chalked up a Broadway run of only 108 performances, despite Elliot Norton’s rave review in the Boston Post – not to mention those from the Boston Herald (“smash hit”), Billboard (“zippy, tuneful and altogether delightful”) and the other news outlets that covered the musical’s pre-Broadway engagements. It seems the New York critics were less taken with the show than their regional counterparts. But first things first...

“It was [Pulitzer Prize-winning composer] Morton Gould who gave me the idea of doing a musical with Max Shulman’s book as its base,” veteran producer-director George Abbott recounted in an interview. “Then there was the question of getting the right people to do the score, and all at once I remembered Sidney Lippman and Sylvia Dee [of “My Sugar is So Refined” and “Too Young”], who had submitted some work to me in the past.”

An outrageous satire of college life at the ‘fictitious’ University of Minnesota, Barefoot Boy With Cheek is a thoroughly nutty musical farce in the grand Broadway tradition (and written by three Broadway neophytes, no less). With a smart, tuneful score by Mr. Lippman and Ms. Dee and a sharply comic book by Mr. Shulman, steeped in his signature drollness, it is one of those rare musical comedies in which all of the elements – book, music, lyrics – come together seamlessly to create an exciting, genuinely engaging narrative told in a stunningly specific style and inhabited by an array of colorful, unique characters.

Moreover, the musical is superbly structured. Sun columnist Betty Brown’s 1947 article about the show noted, in fact, that Mr. Shulman “[rewrote] the script nine times” since it had been “grabbed for Broadway.” That Barefoot Boy is so tightly constructed is no small feat when you consider the story centers on freshman Asa Hearthrug, his trio of love-starved coeds (Clothilde Pfefferkorn, Noblesse Oblige and Yetta Samovar, the resident communist), the frat boys who con him into pledging their bankrupt fraternity (Roger Hailfellow, Shylock Fiscal), the smoother-than-smooth senior he unwittingly challenges (Kermit McDermott), his sardonic, over-the-hill professor (Schultz) and the rest of a rowdy gang, all set against the backdrop of a raucous student government election and an over-budget Pan-Hellenic dance. Absurd? Absolutely. Blissfully so!

If my aggressively positive characterization of this decidedly forgotten musical seems somewhat over-the-top, there could be three explanations: 1) in the short time I have known it, Barefoot Boy has become one of my favorite musicals; 2) I believe Mr. Shulman’s libretto to be among the best ever written for a musical comedy; or 3) it really is that good.

With a cast including Red Buttons, Ellen Hanley and celebrated comic actress Nancy Walker, Barefoot Boy journeyed to Boston and New Haven for its exceptionally well-received out-of-town tryouts, with essentially the sole criticism being the need for minor trimming and tightening. Its construction, however, was clearly sound. (Incidentally, my research has found only two unused musical numbers that had been written for the show: “Don’t Spoil the Party”, originally intended as the act one finale; and “Put ‘er There, Pal”, the lyric of which appears in an early draft of the libretto, though it is unclear if any music was ever composed for it.) With only a few minor changes on the road, namely “After Graduation Day” shifting positions, the stars seemed to be aligning for Broadway’s newest hit.

Yet, when Barefoot Boy ultimately opened in New York on April 3, 1947, the reviews were distinctly less enthusiastic, however favorable, to be sure. It seems most main stem critics were preoccupied with taking Mr. Abbott to task for presenting yet another collegiate satire filled with what the World-Telegram called the “same old campus humor.” Reviewing the musical in The New York Times, Brooks Atkinson acknowledged its talented cast, clever lyrics and buoyant atmosphere, but summed up his comments by noting that “in his association with embryo citizens Mr. Abbott has had more real fun in the past.”

Still, the old-school entertainment had its fans, and Mr. Abbott and his team got encouraging news in the musical’s first full week of Broadway performances when it pulled in the highest one-week box office gross in the twenty-three year history of the Martin Beck Theatre: $34,232. But the momentum did not last. Barefoot Boy ended its brief run on July 5, an unfortunate victim of timing, as I see it, having been the latest in a string of youth-driven George Abbott musicals like Too Many Girls and Best Foot Forward, to which some critics compared it. Had Barefoot Boy been produced a few years earlier, or even later for that matter, I suspect the situation would have turned out differently.

Regardless, Barefoot Boy With Cheek remains a first-rate musical comedy. And from one of my favorite authors. A prolific writer across virtually all mediums, Mr. Shulman’s resume boasts numerous best-selling satirical novels (Rally ‘Round the Flag, Boys!), a series of successful short stories introducing the Dobie Gillis character, a popular television program (“The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis”), a handful of hit film adaptations (The Tender Trap) and a Tony-nominated Broadway musical (How Now, Dow Jones). Yet, virtually all of his work is now out-of-print and overlooked, particularly his theatrical endeavors.

But the tides are hopefully turning. In January 2011, my not-for-profit production company UnsungMusicalsCo. (UMC) began exploring Barefoot Boy through its developmental reading series. Though we have made a few minor musical and textual edits (which include restoring “Don’t Spoil the Party” as the act one closer, adding a musical moment for Professor Schultz and shifting “After Graduation Day” to its original position), the libretto we are using remains substantially as Mr. Shulman wrote it. I very much look forward to bringing today’s audiences a fully realized production of this extraordinary musical comedy in the not-too-distant future. Until then, I leave you with the Author’s Note from the novel upon which this daffy delight is based:

“All characters and events in this book are fictitious. The University of Minnesota is, of course, wholly imaginary. I think it would be of some interest to the reader to know how I happened to pick the name ‘Minnesota’. It is a combination of two Indian words – ‘Minne’ meaning a place where four spavined men and a minor woman ate underdone pemmican, and ‘sota’ meaning the day the bison got away because the hunter's wife blunted his arrows in a fit of pique. The combination of these two words means little, if anything, but the reader must consider that they are the only two Indian words I know.” –Max Shulman

A note from Doug

Like Ben West's other guest blogs, this month's Musical of the Month differs from our usual practice in several ways. As West describes above, the script included with this post is not the original version but a revision made for the the UnsungMusicalsCo production. Further, both the original and UnsungMusicalCo version remain under copyright protection, and the PDF of the new version is offered here for research use only with the permission of the rights holders. If you are interested in producing this script, please contact UnsungMusicalsCo at info@unsungmusicals.org

All photos in this blog entry are used with the permission of Eileen Darby Images, Inc.

Download the Libretto (PDF only this month)

Matinee Memories: Annie

Ronni Krasnow, St. Agnes Library — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:23:25 -0400

In my "real" life, I work here at the Morningside Heights Library, but outside of work, theater is my "thing." And, everyone says if you are going to write a blog, it should be about something you feel passionately about. So, every other Wednesday (hopefully) I plan to share some of my favorite theater-going memories and experiences, and point you towards some library materials that relate to those experiences. It will be interesting to see if readers share my tastes, and hopefully I can introduce you to new plays, musicals, actors or writers you may not know.

I consider myself lucky in that my parents introduced me to theater at a young age, and in the right way. Like many people of my generation, the first Broadway show I saw was Annie, when I was 10. My father brought home the LP well in advance of our attendance, and by the time we saw the show, I knew all the songs by heart. And, like every ten year old girl in that audience, I wanted to BE Andrea McArdle, who played the title role. Over the years, Annie's reputation as a show has suffered, I think, due to a combination of overexposure, and the perception that it is "only a kids' show." But, the score and the book for Annie are far more sophisticated than people give it credit for being. The book marked the Broadway debut of Tom Meehan, who went on to write many successful Broadway shows, including The Producers. And, the score by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, includes "Tomorrow," which is probably the most over-exposed song in all of musical theater, but also contains some really well crafted songs like "Little Girls," sung originally by the enormously gifted Dorothy Loudon, "Easy Street," and "We'd Like To Thank You," which are decidedly NOT kiddie songs.

Annie is back on Broadway now, and because I wanted to introduce my nine year-old niece to the show, I decided I would see it. In the past 30 years, I've only seen one other production of Annie, because I didn't want anything to tarnish my memories of the original production. Perhaps predictably, I had a fairly negative reaction to this revival. I didn't care for director James Lapine's supposedly "edgy" interpretation of the material, and while Peter Gennaro's choreography in the original production was so memorable, I found Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography bland and messy. Last week, Jane Lynch of "Glee" fame stepped into the role of Miss Hannigan. Personally, this "stunt casting" sends me running in the opposite direction, so I won't be revisiting the show, but if it encourages someone else to re-evaluate it or see it for the first time, so be it. And, I am glad the revival is here, if only because I got to share the experience with my niece, who did love the show.

If you have steered clear of Annie because of its saccharine reputation or because you once saw some reallly bad community theater production, I highly recommend giving a listen to the Original Broadway Cast Album; you just may be surprised. Also, if you want to better understand hold this particular show has on women of my generation, check out Life After Tomorrow, a fascinating documentary that features interviews with many of the women who played the original orphans either on Broadway or in a subsequenting touring company of the show. They talk about how the show changed their lives, changed Broadway, and about the joys and perils of being "famous" at such a young age. Lastly, for an even more intimate and first hand account of the show's development and impact, you can peruse Dorothy Loudon's personal papers, in some of which she reminisces about her journey with Annie, at the Performing Arts Library or in this online exhibition.

I will always love Annie, because it's the show that began a lifelong love of theater; the first one that left an indelible impression. After more than three decades of theater-going, there are shows that I love more now, but Annie was the first, and will always hold a special place in my heart. Are you an Annie friend or foe? And, do you have a show that started it all for you? Let me know.

The Adagio Dancers, the Ballroom Dancers and Richard Stuart

Valerie Wingfield, Manuscripts and Archives Division — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:50:57 -0400

Today, the word adagio is rarely used to describe ballroom dancing. If you told someone that you were going adagio dancing, most likely, this would draw a blank stare. Substitute the words adagio dancing with ballroom dancing, the recognition factor would increase tenfold.

The widely accepted definition of adagio is acrobatic balance with counterbalance. It is an action, or series of actions, where one partner is hoisted up in the air and the other partner acts as the base. Some dancers, who describe their style as adagio, use a combination of acrobatics with circus arts. In the competitive sport of pair figure skating, the skaters demonstrate some adagio moves.

The word Adagio is Italian in origin, and also has the distinction of being defined as a musical term. The adagio tempo marks that the music is to be played slowly and stately.

Vernon and Irene Castle, Dancing Couple Extraordinaire

Vernon and Irene Castle were recognized as the couple that inspired couple's dancing with innovative and original dance techniques. Before their marriage, both had performed separately. Irene (nee Foote) was an amateur dancer, and Vernon (a native of England, who emigrated to the United States) danced professionally in vaudeville. In 1911, after their marriage, the talented couple went abroad to perform in Paris.

While in Paris, the couple showcased the latest dances including the popular Ragtime. In 1912, the Castles returned to America, after their dance exhibitions. The success of their dance exhibitions opened up new opportunities. The Castles appeared on Broadway in Irving Berlin's musical "Watch Your Step" and and in the film as themselves in the "Whirl of Life" (1915). The superstars of the day, Irene and Vernon Castle were credited to raising the class and elegance of couple dancing. Unfortunately, the Castles would suffer a tragedy. When World War I broke out, Castle enlisted in the Canadian Air Force. His skills as a pilot led to being assigned as an instructor to train American pilots in Texas. In 1918, Vernon Castle would die from a civilian plane crash in Texas. After Irene Castle recuperated from the loss, she would continue on with her life and career.

The following comments were made about the Castles:

Together, they made a wonderful team, and although there have been hundreds of couples who, following after them, have achieved a certain fame and notoriety in ballroom exhibition dancing, the Castles were never equalled, let alone excelled, neither have been replaced.
(unidentified publicist, Richard Stuart papers. Jerome Robbins Dance Collection)
On Sunday, May 28, 1911, there was a wedding in the New York suburb of New Rochelle... If you had whispered to the wedding guests that within three years the bride and groom would be the most brilliantly successful and admired couple in America, and that they were destined to influence profoundly the temper and social life throughout the country, bringing about changes in customs and attitudes which would still affect our daily life twenty-six years later, you would surely have been considered a little touched in the head.
Frederick Lewis Allen, When America Learned to Dance. Scribners Magazine, 1937. Richard Stuart, adagio dancer

Richard Stuart may have been inspired by the Castles to become an adagio/ballroom dancer. Stuart was a professional exhibition dancer. Born, Richard Stuart Mackell, in Fairmont, West Virginia in 1901, Stuart described himself as an adagio dancer. Stuart's career spanned from the mid 1920s to the 1950s. Stuart teamed with two partners, Claire Lea, his first wife, with whom he danced from 1927 through the 1930s.They were know professionally as "Stuart and Lea." For a short time, Stuart continued under the name "Stuart and Lea" with his second partner Flora Ossana for professional recognition. Eventually, after their marriage, the couple would be known as "Richard and Flora Stuart."

Stuart's trained in ballet, and worked with professional coaches to polish his skills. In the following excerpt from "A Tribute to Alberto Gallo." Stuart described adagio dancing and voiced his frustration about the term "ballroom dancing."

The one person who did more to revolutionize the style and trend of Exhibition Ballroom Dancing, was Alberto Gallo. He took adagio out of the realm of acrobatics and placed it into an easy flowing, effortless, effective style, and raised it to the epotome of refinement and culture, all cloaked in an atmosphere of Love and Romance. The male half of the team must be dressed in impeccable evening attire, and his partner more beautifully gowned and coiffured than the most social or socialite spectators... Another outstanding mark of his invectiveness, was the fact when he began creating an adagio sequence, it was apt to go through two or three evolutions, each evolling [sic] into a higher and higher form, ending in a breathtaking climas [sic]... When one speaks of ballroom dancing, one imagines a couple out for an evening, either at a private or public affair dancing for the pure enjoyment of a social evening.

Therefor [sic] the term "Ballroom Dancers" never seemed the proper category in which to place a couple who spend hours, to say nothing of the expense, rehearsing to perfect form of technique no ordinary couple could possibly execute on a ballroom floor at a social gathering. And so for the lack of a better catagory [sic] they will always remain BALLROOM EXHIBITION DANCERS.

Richard and Flora Stuart dancing their famous cape dance!

Coincidentally, Stuart retired from the profession as ballroom dancing lost popularity. Around 1980, Richard Stuart and Marian Horosko, a dance historian, started to work on a book about dancing couples that never made it to print. Horosko penned that "during the 1920s and 1930s, the variety of dance with movies and musicals made the dancers famous [i.e. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers]. Factors that hasten the demise of the dancers were the big bands with a singer, the decline of vaudeville, and the 1950s start of dance competitions. This was followed by rock and roll of the 1960s and 1970s."

"When the music changes so does the dance." —Hausa proverb.

If you are interested in learning about the history of ballroom dancing, The New York Public Library is a great place to start your education. Most of the images for this blog were culled from the Digital Gallery. Visit or contact The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts for a wealth of information about the performing arts.

Explore!

America Dances! 1897-1948 DVD
Culture and Costume in Competitive Dance by Jonathan S. Marion
Dancing to a Black Man's Tune:The Life of Scott Joplin by Susan Curtis
Exhibition Ballroom Dance: Origins to the Castles Film
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (portrayed by Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire) DVD
Scott Joplin and the Age of Ragtime by Ray Argyle
Vaudeville: The Birth of Show Business by Judy Alter
Vernon and Irene Castle's Ragtime Revolution by Eve Golden

The New York Public Library. Discover, Connect, Get Inspired.

Stop the Cuts!

New Plant Patent Color Images at SIBL: Through May 14, 2013

Kenneth Johnson, Science, Industry and Business Library — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:17:59 -0400

Here are scans of the color plates of U.S. Plant Patents received at SIBL for the weeks of April 23, 30, and May 7 and 14, 2013.

Plant Patent plates for 2012 and 2013 have been listed, with links, in the table posted here.

As before, please be careful in using these—they're really not appropriate to use for prior art or other similar searches. Otherwise, please enjoy!

United States Plant Patents: Patents Published April 23, 2013; Nos. PP23546-PP23568

Date Patent Number Inventor Title Text Color Image April 23, 2013 PP23546 Kordes Shrub rose plant named 'KORbutte' USPTO PP23546 April 23, 2013 PP23547 Kordes Shrub rose plant named 'KORjuwko' USPTO PP23547 April 23, 2013 PP23548 Kordes Shrub rose plant named 'KORsixkono' USPTO PP23548 April 23, 2013 PP23549 Sproul Shrub rose plant named 'Sprothrive' USPTO PP23549 April 23, 2013 PP23550 Kordes Hybrid tea rose plant named 'KORbatam' USPTO PP23550 April 23, 2013 PP23551 Meilland Grandiflora rose plant named 'Meikanaro' USPTO PP23551 April 23, 2013 PP23552 Olesen Rosa hybrid variety denomination 'Poulpal031' USPTO PP23552 April 23, 2013 PP23553 Kordes Hybrid tea rose plant named 'KOR052700' USPTO PP23553 April 23, 2013 PP23554 Kordes Hybrid tea rose plant named 'KOR981457' USPTO PP23554 April 23, 2013 PP23555 Kordes Floribunda rose plant named 'KORfriedhar' USPTO PP23555 April 23, 2013 PP23556 Meilland Floribunda rose plant named 'Meimasula' USPTO PP23556 April 23, 2013 PP23557 Olesen Compact floribunda rose plant named 'Poulcas033' USPTO PP23557 April 23, 2013 PP23558 Kordes Floribunda rose plant named 'KORfloci23' USPTO PP23558 April 23, 2013 PP23559 Whitcomb et al. Crapemyrtle plant named 'WHIT IX' USPTO PP23559 April 23, 2013 PP23560 Dirr Crapemyrtle plant named 'GAMAD IX' USPTO PP23560 April 23, 2013 PP23561 Smith Chrysanthemum plant named 'Symild Yel' USPTO PP23561 April 23, 2013 PP23562 Smith Chrysanthemum plant named 'CIFZ0002' USPTO PP23562 April 23, 2013 PP23563 Adam, Jr. Chrysanthemum plant named 'Pink Dawn' USPTO PP23563 April 23, 2013 PP23564 Bartels Phlox plant named 'Barseventyfour' USPTO PP23564 April 23, 2013 PP23565 Meyer Hosta plant named 'Wheee!' USPTO PP23565 April 23, 2013 PP23566 Nishikawa Delosperma plant 'Jewel of Desert Peridot' USPTO PP23566 April 23, 2013 PP23567 Korlipara Gaillardia plant named 'TNSF' USPTO PP23567 April 23, 2013 PP23568 Egger Heuchera plant named 'Pear Crisp' USPTO PP23568

United States Plant Patents: Patents Published April 30, 2013; Nos. PP23569-PP23578

Date Patent Number Inventor Title Text Color Image April 30, 2013 PP23569 Radler Shrub rose plant named 'Radsouth' USPTO PP23569 April 30, 2013 PP23570 Kordes Hybrid tea rose plant named 'KORsteflali' USPTO PP23570 April 30, 2013 PP23571 Kordes Floribunda rose plant named 'KOR951721' USPTO PP23571 April 30, 2013 PP23572 Bell Blueberry plant named 'Ridley 1111' USPTO PP23572 April 30, 2013 PP23573 Dorsey Late harvest avocado tree USPTO PP23573 April 30, 2013 PP23574 Bergman Chrysanthemum plant named 'CIDZ0012' USPTO PP23574 April 30, 2013 PP23575 Stemkens Verbena plant named 'VEAZ0009' USPTO PP23575 April 30, 2013 PP23576 Egger Heuchera plant named 'Apple Crisp' USPTO PP23576 April 30, 2013 PP23577 Giesen Lobelia plant named 'LOBZ0002' USPTO PP23577 April 30, 2013 PP23578 Richards et al. Salvia plant named 'Amistad' USPTO PP23578

United States Plant Patents: Patents Published May 7, 2013; Nos. PP23579-PP23591

Date Patent Number Inventor Title Text Color Image May 7, 2013 PP23579 Meilland Groundcover rose named 'Meipicdevoj' USPTO PP23579 May 7, 2013 PP23580 Sproul Shrub rose plant names 'Sprolem' USPTO PP23580 May 7, 2013 PP23581 Sproul Shrub rose plant named 'Sprolempink' USPTO PP23581 May 7, 2013 PP23582 Radler Floribunda rose plant named 'Radprov' USPTO PP23582 May 7, 2013 PP23583 Beckman et al. Peach rootstock named MP-29 USPTO PP23583 May 7, 2013 PP23584 Smutzer et al. Pieris plant named 'Greprs' USPTO PP23584 May 7, 2013 PP23585 Clark et al. Coleus plant named 'UF0843' USPTO PP23585 May 7, 2013 PP23586 Clark et al. Coleus plant named 'UF08174' USPTO PP23586 May 7, 2013 PP23587 Bergeron Hosta plant named 'American Hero' USPTO PP23587 May 7, 2013 PP23588 Giesen Diascia plant named 'Dala Depsam' USPTO PP23588 May 7, 2013 PP23589 Giesen Diascia plant named 'Dala Triwhi' USPTO PP23589 May 7, 2013 PP23590 Korlipara Rudbeckia plant named 'Little Henry' USPTO PP23590 May 7, 2013 PP23591 Egger Tiarella plant named 'Pacific Crest' USPTO PP23591

United States Plant Patents: Patents Published May 14, 2013; Nos. PP23592-PP23600

Date Patent Number Inventor Title Text Color Image May 14, 2013 PP23592 Kordes Climbing rose plant named 'KORuetroko' USPTO PP23592 May 14, 2013 PP23593 Banados et al. Raspberry plant named 'Pacific Majesty' USPTO PP23593 May 14, 2013 PP23594 Bruinen Zamioculcas zamiifolia plant named 'LUCKY' USPTO PP23594 May 14, 2013 PP23595 Hanes Verbena plant named 'VEAZ0007' USPTO PP23595 May 14, 2013 PP23596 Stemkens Verbena plant named 'VEAZ0003' USPTO PP23596 May 14, 2013 PP23597 Fischer-Toehl Geranium plant named 'Sil Baldo 448' USPTO PP23597 May 14, 2013 PP23598 Velderman Hosta plant named 'Hudson Bay' USPTO PP23598 May 14, 2013 PP23599 Hanes Petunia plant named 'PEHY0001' USPTO PP23599 May 14, 2013 PP23600 Bowyer Helichrysum plant named 'Ember Glow' USPTO PP23600

My Library: Helen

Rabecca Hoffman, Kingsbridge Library — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:09:34 -0400

We will soon be wrapping up Writing Through Memory: Memoir and Storytelling, a ten week workshop we have been hosting at the Kingsbridge Branch, brought to us through the Creative Aging program from Lifetime Arts. After a recent class, I caught up with one of the students, Helen.

What brings you to the library today?

I'm here for another session of the Memoir Workshop taught by a fantastic teacher, Lauren Jost.

What made you take the memoir class?

I actually looked into it for a neighbor of mine who said she wanted to write her own memoirs. At the time, I didn't think my own stories were anything special, so what would I have to write about? But I like writing poetry about other people and history. Nearing sixty years old, I've gone back to college to get an MFA in creative writing and after talking to Rabecca who was so very enthused about the program and Lauren who taught it last year, she convinced me that I would indeed have a great time. And she's right!

How has the experience been? What have you most enjoyed about it?

I love everything about it: the chance to write; Lauren, our awesome, bright, insightful fun teacher; my classmates (they are so smart and sharp and want to be there, want to write too; I laugh and cry over their stories and many anecdotes and feel so fortunate to be with these wonderful people—how passionate each one is about their project, their stories—and their lives.)

And I love the space of the new Kingsbridge Branch: the community room is intimate with its warm-colored wood walls and carpet, yet large enough not to feel crowded. And when we're done: I go out onto the library floors and enjoy reading the books. Rabecca is such a rad librarian: so calm, so helpful in getting material for me. So is the rest of the staff.

What else do you come to the library for?

I am a bibliophile, a lover of books. I love to be surrounded by books. I just love the feel and touch and smell of books—not to mention their reading contents!

Ever since I was little, one of my favorite places to be was in a library. Imagine: my local branch was L-shaped, with the two strokes opening out to a terrace (called a "lanai" in Hawai'i.)

The view from this library terrace was of these beautiful mountains in Honolulu called Tanatalus and Punchbowl (yes, actually looks like a punchbowl viewed from the sky). A gentle wind would continually waft through the fragrant plumeria flower trees. I'd sit out there when the sun wasn't overhead: reading. Or when it rained this gentle soft Hawaiian rain, the sides of the library facing out to the terrace were wall-to-wall/floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, left open, so we could get the fresh air even if it was raining.

Because I am in school, I do use the library to do research. Last semester I took a children's literature class and read a lot of children's books because of this.

I do appreciate the opportunity one can have to use the computers but since I have one at home, and I so do love books, I haven't used the technology available.

I so appreciate that every book I have requested a hold on was in the library system and I could pick up these publication at the branch of my preference—so far I've used the Kingsbridge, the Mosholu, the 145th St. branch in Manhattan for this service.

And I don't just use the Kingsbridge Branch. Since I love libraries, I plan to visit almost all the libraries in the NYPL system, both the Bronx and Manhattan, and perhaps a few on Staten Island.

How long have you been writing?

Since I was in the third grade, on and off.

What do you like to write about? What inspires you?

I am from Hawai'i and miss it very much. I've been writing a very long poem about the place I came from. When I was a kid, I didn't hear a history of this place, even told "it didn't have a history except for the sugarcane." But it has a very rich history that goes back to the ancient Hawaiians and then to geological time. Even the times I lived there, my family, it being along the famous Pearl Harbor (where WWII in the Pacific began) is part of that history story.

With school ending for the spring semester, I am looking to work on this manuscript during the summer.

Would you share a piece of your writing with us?

Thank you for letting me share. This is an acrostic poem: the first letter of every line spells a word when arranged chronologically; in this case it's "poetry."

POETRY

Please, put the dinner
On the table
Even though I might be late. Oh, please,
Try to wait for me.
Read by the open window; unlatch the gate; expect me.
You, my communion, my Eucharist, my feast.

What are you reading right now? Any favorites?

Because my MFA concentration is in poetry, I do read a lot of poetry books. Currently, I am so enjoying the poet David Ferry's own poetry and his translations of the Greek and Latin classicists.

I also took a 17th century poetry course this spring and discovered I love the poetry of that era. Those poets were so smart: weaving the classics and allusions to myths into their work as well as their concerns and convictions of their history, politics, social and sexual issues, they writing so well that I just want to read more and more of their work.

Any other projects you are working on right now you'd like to share?

I'm hoping to curate a poetry reading program, here in the Bronx, featuring Bronx poets, famous and emerging, young and old, poets of Latino and other cultural groups, slam, hip-hop.

I'm also working with City College's Poetry Outreach Center where they send poets into the classrooms. I just finished training for something similar with Community Word Project who send poets, visual & performing artists into classrooms, afterschool and other child-oriented programs—and programs similar to the memoir class here at Kingsbridge.

Thank you so much Helen for taking the time to talk with me today! If you'd like to hear more from Helen and other writers from the memoir workshop, please join us for the culminating event Wednesday, June 5th, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Participants will be sharing excerpts of their memoirs created during the class through readings and storytelling.

Also, please show your support for our libraries and programs like this by signing a letter to help the Library fight a $47 million City budget cut!

New Plant Patent Color Images at SIBL: Through April 16, 2013

Kenneth Johnson, Science, Industry and Business Library — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:33:39 -0400

Here are scans of the color plates of U.S. Plant Patents received at SIBL for the weeks of April 2, 9, and 16, 2013.

Plant Patent plates for 2012 and 2013 have been listed, with links, in the table posted here.

As before, please be careful in using these—they're really not appropriate to use for prior art or other similar searches. Otherwise, please enjoy!

United States Plant Patents: Patents Published April 2, 2013; Nos. PP23506-PP23513

Date Patent Number Inventor Title Text Color Image April 2, 2013 PP23506 Ferguson et al. Strawberry plant named 'DrisStrawTwentyOne' USPTO PP23506 April 2, 2013 PP23507 Kardos et al. Gardenia jasminoides plant named 'Double Mint' USPTO PP23507 April 2, 2013 PP23508 Hanes Verbena plant named 'VEAZ0006' USPTO PP23508 April 2, 2013 PP23509 Hanes Pelargonium plant named 'PECZ0003' USPTO PP23509 April 2, 2013 PP23510 Hanes Petunia plant named 'PEHY0002' USPTO PP23510 April 2, 2013 PP23511 Nielsen Osteospermum plant named 'DAOSFEMTEN' USPTO PP23511 April 2, 2013 PP23512 Benzur Cordyline plant named 'CORBZR01' USPTO PP23512 April 2, 2013 PP23513 Korlipara Echinacea plant named 'Secret Pride' USPTO PP23513

United States Plant Patents: Patents Published April 9, 2013; Nos. PP23514-PP23528

Date Patent Number Inventor Title Text Color Image April 9, 2013 PP23514 Kordes Shrub rose plant named 'KORelfkolo' USPTO PP23514 April 9, 2013 PP23515 Kordes Climbing rose plant named 'KORtempora' USPTO PP23515 April 9, 2013 PP23516 Fazio et al. Apple tree rootstock named 'G.214' USPTO PP23516 April 9, 2013 PP23517 Ferguson et al. Strawberry plant named 'DrisStrawTwentyTwo' USPTO PP23517 April 9, 2013 PP23518 Kardos Lagerstroemia plant named 'Plum Magic' USPTO PP23518 April 9, 2013 PP23519 Smith Chrysanthemum plant named 'Syhes Hored' USPTO PP23519 April 9, 2013 PP23520 Hanes Verbena plant named 'VEAZ0005' USPTO PP23520 April 9, 2013 PP23521 Leue Angelonia plant named 'Balarcink' USPTO PP23521 April 9, 2013 PP23522 Leue Angelonia plant named 'Balarcpur' USPTO PP23522 April 9, 2013 PP23523 van Kleinwee Bidens plant named 'BIDZ0002' USPTO PP23523 April 9, 2013 PP23524 MacKenzie Brunnera plant named 'Nonurb' USPTO PP23524 April 9, 2013 PP23525 Korlipara Echinacea plant named 'Aloha' USPTO PP23525 April 9, 2013 PP23526 Korlipara Echinacea plant named 'Leilani' USPTO PP23526 April 9, 2013 PP23527 Saul xHeucherella plant named 'Cumberland' USPTO PP23527 April 9, 2013 PP23528 Stemkens Lavandula plant named 'LAAZ0001' USPTO PP23528

United States Plant Patents: Patents Published April 16, 2013; Nos. PP23529-PP23545

Date Patent Number Inventor Title Text Color Image April 16, 2013 PP23529 Kordes Shrub rose plant named 'KORhopiko' USPTO PP23529 April 16, 2013 PP23530 Bradford Peach tree named 'June Time' USPTO PP23530 April 16, 2013 PP23531 Cain Grapevine 'IFG Six' USPTO PP23531 April 16, 2013 PP23532 Walker Nematode resistant grape plant rootstock '9407-14' champinii 'c9021' USPTO PP23532 April 16, 2013 PP23533 Hammett Dianthus plant named 'Angel of Desire' USPTO PP23533 April 16, 2013 PP23534 Hammett Dianthus plant named 'Angel of Charm' USPTO PP23534 April 16, 2013 PP23535 Hammett Dianthus plant named 'Angel of Forgiveness' USPTO PP23535 April 16, 2013 PP23536 Hammett Dianthus plant named 'Angel of Peace' USPTO PP23536 April 16, 2013 PP23537 Hasegawa Carnation plant named 'CFPC Mele' USPTO PP23537 April 16, 2013 PP23538 Hasegawa Carnation plant named 'CFPC Mana' USPTO PP23538 April 16, 2013 PP23539 Smith Chrysanthemum plant named 'Syema Oranbi' USPTO PP23539 April 16, 2013 PP23540 Pesteil Chrysanthemum plant named 'Plum Crazy' USPTO PP23540 April 16, 2013 PP23541 Smith Chrysanthemum plant named 'Symarj Col' USPTO PP23541 April 16, 2013 PP23542 Hatch Agapanthus plant named 'Pavlova' USPTO PP23542 April 16, 2013 PP23543 Leue Angelonia plant named 'Balarcwite' USPTO PP23543 April 16, 2013 PP23544 Uebelhart Gaillardia plant named 'Lucky Wheeler' USPTO PP23544 April 16, 2013 PP23545 Egger Heuchera plant named 'Delta Dawn' USPTO PP23545

Not For Sale: The Iconic Brooklyn Bridge Celebrates 130 Years

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:19:20 -0400

For 130 years, the Brooklyn Bridge has been an icon of the New York City landscape—longer if you account for the 13 years required to construct it. This beloved connection between boroughs is still in use while many of its contemporaries have been replaced or dismantled worldwide.

When the bridge opened in 1883, New York was a different sort of town. Also referred to as either the New York Bridge or East River Bridge until its official naming in 1915, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was built. New York and Brooklyn were still separate cities. Streetcars, horse drawn carriages, and elevated trains were the primary form of NYC transit. Electric light bulbs and phonographs were new, "sky-scrapers" were just becoming popular, and it was the first season of the New York Gothams, the baseball team that evolved into the New York (and later San Francisco) Giants.

Thousands attended the opening ceremony on May 24 of that year. Ships filled the East River for the occasion. U.S. President Chester A. Arthur and New York City Mayor Franklin Edson crossed the span to celebratory cannon fire and were greeted by Brooklyn Mayor Seth Low when they reached the Brooklyn-side tower. The New York Times ran several articles on the day, including "To-Day's Great Ceremony: Everything Ready For the Opening of the Bridge" and "The Building of the Bridge: Its Cost and the Difficulties Met With—Details of the History of a Great Engineering Triumph," along with several articles describing the bridge's construction (read them in the New York Times here). You can read all of the speeches given on opening day via Google Books, Project Gutenberg, Archive.org, or HathiTrust.

Building the Brooklyn Bridge came at a high price. An estimated twenty-seven to forty men died during its construction. Its designer, John Augustus Roebling, crushed his foot while conducting surveys for the bridge project—an injury that led to amputation of his toes and a tetanus infection which resulted in his death. Before his passing, he placed his son Washington Roebling in charge of the project. During this time, medical professionals discovered an entirely new affliction, decompression sickness—originally called caisson disease or "the bends," which workers digging out the huge caissons suffered en masse. Washington was affected by the bends to the extent that it kept him away from the bridge's construction site, which was ultimately overseen by his wife, Emily Warren Roebling, who was technically the first New Yorker to walk across the bridge.

On May 30, 1883, six days after the opening, a rumor that the crossing was going to collapse caused a stampede, which was responsible for crushing and killing at least twelve people. About one year later, on May 17, 1884, P. T. Barnum held a famous publicity stunt that led a parade of 21 elephants over the bridge, which helped stifle doubts about its stability.

It didn't take long for the bridge to embed itself into American popular culture. Not long after its opening, a successful scam artist managed to "sell" the Brooklyn Bridge to several gullible victims. The expression "if you believe that, then I have a bridge to sell you" has since become a fixture in American slang to highlight someone's naïvety.

The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge is detailed in the 1978 book The Great Bridge by David McCullough, and in the first PBS documentary film by Ken Burns. There are hundreds of items in the library catalog about the Brooklyn Bridge, ranging from children's picture books to adult picture books, and from middle school fiction to rare books of poetry. Images of the bridge abound in the NYPL Digital Gallery, including several photographs of its construction, stereoscopic views, and vintage postcards. Celebrate its anniversary with a stroll along the pedestrian walkway.

Reader's Den: The Contract With God Trilogy by Will Eisner - Week 2

Thomas Knowlton, Mid-Manhattan Library, Language and Literature — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:35:48 -0400

Welcome back to our online discussion of Will Eisner's The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue. Throughout May, we'll be discussing the book as part of both Reader's Den and NYC Summer.

Below is our schedule, but please feel free to comment on any post over the course of the month:

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: A Contract With God (p. 3-180)
Week 3: A Life Force (p. 181-322)
Week 4: Dropsie Avenue (p. 323-498)

Last week, we talked about Will Eisner, The Spirit, and the Eisner Awards. We now turn to the first book in the trilogy, A Contract With God and Other Tenement Stories, which was originally published in 1978, and is made up four stories: "A Contract With God", "The Street Singer", "The Super", and "Cookalein".

"A Contract With God" immediately grabbed me with its tale of the dark descent of Frimme Hersh, from beloved orphan in the poor Jewish community of Piske to ruthless New York City landlord who dies at the very moment he has attained peace. I particularly liked the ambiguity of the narrative: one could interpret his heart attack (and subsequent fire) as either divine retribution or senseless tragedy. Also, Hersh's loss of faith after the death of his daughter takes on a new resonance in light of the fact that Eisner began the book shortly after he lost his own sixteen-year-old daughter to leukemia.

While the first story offers a sad, but almost classic arc of failed redemption, "The Street Singer" and "The Super" seem to venture into even bleaker territory and seem particularly grounded in the reality of the Bronx during the Great Depression. In the former, we have the rather unsympathetic street singer protagonist, Eddie, who is drawn as a violent, lost man who glimpses a brighter future only to forget the address of the opera singer who is his ticket to fame. The latter is interesting in that it initially presents Mr. Scagg as a racist and sexually deviant cartoon of a man, only to later paint him as a rather heartbreaking character, after his dog is poisoned and he is driven to suicide.

Lastly, "Cookalein" manages to capture that ineffable feeling of freedom in escaping the city during the summer. In my mind, it seems to combine the universal aspect of "A Contract With God" with the raw, messy observatons of life found in both "The Street Singer" and "The Super". This final story presents an archetypal "loss of innocence" story through the character of Willie, while not shying away from the sexuality and violence that accompanies it.

Some discussion questions:

Which was your favorite of the four stories? Why were you drawn to that one in particular?
Did you find the characters, like Frimme Hersh and Mr. Scaff, sympathetic despite their obvious character flaws?
Do these four stories feel modern to you or do they feel tied specifically to New York City in the 1930s?

On-Site Recruitment: Home Health Aides

Magdalene Chan, Science, Industry and Business Library — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:55:06 -0400

The New York State Department of Labor and New Partners, Inc. will present an on-site recruitment for Home Health Aides.

Job Summary

Trained and certified health care worker who provides assistance to a patient in the home with personal care (hygiene and exercise) and light household duties (meal preparation). Free Home Health Aide training is available!

Job Requirements

Must be able to speak English. Pre-employment exam will be given. Must be caring individuals who are willing to work with a diversity of people. There are no educational requirements.

Wages

$9.50 per hour.

Hours

Full time.

Job Location

Work available in all five boroughs.

Benefits

Life Insurance
Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
Vacation, Holiday and Sick Pay
Pension Plan
Employee Referral Bonus
Uniform Allowance
1199 Union Position

On-Site Recruitment is on Friday, May 24, 2013, at 10 a.m. at New York State Department of Labor, 400 E. Fordham Road, 8th Floor, Bronx, N.Y. 10458.

Directions

Bus Bx 41, 15, 55, 9,17, 22, 12 to Fordham Road

#4, B or D train to Fordham Road

Metro North to Fordham Road

Entrance on Webster Avenue.

To Apply

Apply in person at 10 a.m. (appointment is not required).

You can learn more about the occupation of Home Health Aides from the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2013.

This occupation is listed as one of the fastest growing occupations and one of the occupations with the largest job growth in the Employment Projects of U.S. Department of Labor 2013.

For more information on On-Site Recruitment, please visit Job Search Central at 188 Madison Avenue and 34th Street.

Following Cheryl Strayed's Journey on the Pacific Crest Trail

Jenny Baum, Jefferson Market Library — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:17:50 -0400

How interesting could a book about a long walk possibly be? In the case of Cheryl Strayed's book Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, the answer is very. Some may have foolishly initially shied away from this book because it's an Oprah's Book Club selection and a memoir, a combination that proved problematic for James Frey's A Million Little Pieces. Oprah's Book Club 2.0 is not alone in liking it, as Time magazine named it one of the ten best nonfiction books of 2012.

Cheryl Strayed is the author of Wild and Torch and, most recently, Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar. Tiny Beautiful Things is a collection of Cheryl Strayed’s online advice columns for The Rumpus. One wonders whether walking a long, meandering journey helped prepare her for giving advice or if the opposite is true. The title comes from a quote in the book, where Strayed writes, "[...] a little girl will get on the bus holding the strings of two purple balloons. She'll offer you one of the balloons, but you won't take it because you believe you no longer have the right to such tiny beautiful things. You're wrong. You do."

In Wild, her younger self is at a crux in her life where she can't seem to move forward after the death of her mother. She buys a Pacific Crest Trail guidebook and a fateful pair of boots and sets out down the trail and down a path of self-discovery. Before publishing Wild, Strayed sharpened her memoir with reviews and criticism from "the hottest writing group in Portland" which included writers like Chuck Palahniuk and Chelsea Cain. Recently, author Nick Hornby wrote the script adaption for the film version of Wild, slated to be released in 2014.

Read and listen to Cheryl Strayed from the Biography in Context database.

Another recent release about amazing journeys by women is Learning to Fly: An Uncommon Memoir of Human Flight, Unexpected Love, and One Amazing Dog by Steph Davis. Other travelogues that come to mind are The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson and The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind and Nearly Found Myself on the Pacific Crest Trail by Dan White. Also, 2007 Books for the Teenage selection The Places in Between by Rory Stewart, a somewhat unlikely readalike in which the author walks "across Afghanistan—surviving by his wits, his knowledge of Persian dialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of strangers." Some of the similarities involve the crossing of snowy terrain and the encountering of strangers (and strange dogs, in Stewart's case); regardless, both books make nice companion reads.

On Bibliocommons, I found lists created by users that suggest readalikes and did the heavy lifting for me: Walks Worth Reading and Books burned on the PCT.

Here's the appendix from Wild, "Books burned on the PCT," with links to our catalog.

The Pacific Crest Trail, Volume 1: California, Jeffrey P. Schaffer, Thomas Winnett, Ben Schifrin, and Ruby Jenkins. Fourth edition, Wilderness Press, January 1989.
Staying Found: The Complete Map and Compass Handbook, June Fleming.
*The Dream of a Common Language, Adrienne Rich.
As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner.
**The Complete Stories, Flannery O'Connor.
The Novel, James Michener.
A Summer Bird-Cage, Margaret Drabble.
Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov.
Dubliners, James Joyce.
Waiting for the Barbarians, J.M. Coetzee.
The Pacific Crest Trail, Volume 2: Oregon and Washington, Jeffrey P. Schaffer and Andy Selters. Fifth edition, Wilderness Press, May 1992.
The Best American Essays 1991, edited by Robert Atwan and Joyce Carol Oates.
The Ten Thousand Things, Maria Dermoût.

*Not burned. Carried all the way.

**Not burned. Traded for The Novel.

RecruitMilitary: New York Veteran Job Fair

Magdalene Chan, Science, Industry and Business Library — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:37:49 -0400

RecruitMilitary is a leading full-service military–to-civilian recruiting firm in the United States. They use online and offline products to connect employers, franchisors, and educational institutions with men and women who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life, veterans who already have civilian work experience, members of the National Guard and reserve forces, and military spouses. They serve veterans of all ranks, rates, and branches of the armed forces, and their services are free to all men and women who have a military background.

RecruitMilitary is veteran-owned, veteran-operated, and veteran-advised. They have established working relationships with industry associations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.

RecruitMilitary provides important resources which include the following to their clients:

Search and Employ Magazine is a bimonthly, "super-sized" magazine designed to help transitioning and veteran military and their spouses find outstanding civilian jobs, business opportunities, and continuing education programs.

A Job Board which is exclusively for those who will be transitioning from or have served at any time on active duty in the U.S. Military, in the National Guard or Reserves, or are a spouse of those who have served.

Veteran Opportunity Expos which is a schedule of hiring events nationwide.

RecruitMilitary has held 11 events in New York, drawing 3,488 attendees and 373 exhibitors. The next Veteran Job fair in New York will be on

Thursday, May 23rd
11:00am-3:00pm
New York Hotel
481 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10001

To Register:

Veteran and Spouse Registration

In November 2011, RecruitMilitary was pleased to received the first Annual Lee Anderson Small Business Veteran and Military Spouse Employment Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Chamber recognized the company as a business that has "gone above and beyond to honor the sacrifices our military families make in the service to our nation." In February 2012, RecruitMilitary received the first annual One More Way Award from The Sierra Group Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is "to drive up employment for people with disabilities, including veterans."

For more information on veteran job fairs, please visit Job Search Central at 188 Madison Avenue and 34th Street.

Rikers

Alice Gavin, Correctional Services Volunteer — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:02:41 -0400

The prison is a structure. It has walls and it has smells and there are sounds you hear inside the prison. There are people who work and who live there. There are rules and there are gates and there are also friendships, and barbershops, and rabbis. I have been going to Rikers Island, which is a piece of land, on one end of a bridge, at the edge of the world.

There are fourteen thousand prisoners in ten jails. Most stay about 45 days, some much longer, and many will journey on upstate, to places I haven't seen but where I do know, at least, that there is time, and time, and time.

There are houses on Rikers Island, in pairs, and they remind me of railway tracks, the way they meet and then stretch out away from each other, evenly arranged: cell after cell after cell after cell after cell.

There is a room, at the end of a hallway, where water drips from the ceiling and blue paint comes away from the walls, and where there is a faded sign saying chapel. One day I passed by to see two people in there, marrying each other.

The prison is an idea. There are ways of speaking and ways of acting inside the prison. There are places that men must stand, legs apart, hands against the wall. Crossing over the bridge from Queens, Rikers Island comes into view as a relic: an old, low, crouching fixture on the landscape.

The library is also an idea. It is an idea about what we mean by public and about how we treat knowledge, and about how things might change. If the prison must exist, as an island, and as a whole world, and as a way of thinking, then so, we might say, must the library.

We push an unwieldy metal cart through the houses, and it is piled with books, which are precious objects. But inside the brick walls of the prison, they are even more precious ideas.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Career Fair 2013

Magdalene Chan, Science, Industry and Business Library — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:36:44 -0400

The New York State Department of Labor will present the Dr. King Career Fair in New York City on June 6 and June 13. Events will run from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and will be held at the following locations:

Manhattan

June 6
Harlem Armory
2366 Fifth Ave. (Between 142nd & 143rd)
New York, NY 10037

Staten Island

June 6
Petrides High School
715 Ocean Terrace Building C –Gym
Staten Island, NY 10301

Bronx

June 13
Bronx Community College
2155 University Avenue
Bronx, NY 10461

Brooklyn

June 13
Medgar Evers College
1650 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225

Queens

June 13
York College
94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd.
Jamaica, NY 11451

Meet with area businesses and discuss hundreds of job opportunities
Get resume assistance or attend a workshop
On-site interviews with participating businesses available

To Register:

Dr. King Career Fair-Job Seeker Registration

On June 6th and 13th, remember to bring your resume and dress for success!

Please visit Job Search Central at 188 Madison Avenue and 34th Street for more information on career fairs.

Memorial Day: Commemorating and Remembering Our Veterans and Those Who Serve

Raymond Pun, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, General Research Division — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:50:31 -0400

May 27th is Memorial Day. Did you know that this U.S. federal holiday goes as far back as the American Civil War in the 1860s?

Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, occurs ever year on the last Monday of the month of May and is the day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

For the past two centuries, the U.S. has been involved in many wars domestically and aboard. Many service men and women have put aside their jobs, families and lives to defend our country and principals of freedom during times of crisis.

Military history can be a deep and fascinating research area; many of our collections, specifically primary resources reveal the fervors and intensities of these wars and their outcomes: tragic losses, sufferings, fears and uncertainties. Our collections also focus on the roles and services of women, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans and LGBT in the military.

According to The Oxford Companion to American Military History, here are some statistics that show the numbers and rankings of American military casualties based on the wars of the 20th century:

World War II (1941-1945) Deaths: 291,557
American Civil War (1861-1865) Deaths: 214,938 (Union and Confederate soldiers)
World War I (1917-1918) Deaths: 53,402
Vietnam War (1955-1975) Deaths: 47,355
Korean War (1950-1953) Deaths: 33,746

To honor our fallen soldiers and veterans for their bravery and sacrifice, the U.S. government created a day to commemorate their dedications officially in 1971. Here are some other interesting facts about this holiday:

The first observance of Memorial Day (first called Decoration Day) was held on May 30th, 1868, to honor soldiers killed in the Civil War.
In addition to Memorial Day, our country also remembers and celebrates our veterans and servicemen and women (living or dead) in November for Veterans Day.
According to Time Magazine, "After the Civil War, General John A. Logan, commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, called for a holiday commemorating fallen soldiers to be observed every May 30. But due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which took effect in 1971, Memorial Day was moved to the last Monday of May to ensure long weekends."
Currently there are nine states that observe Confederate Memorial Day in various days; the soldiers who died fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War: Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia.
According to the American Automobile Association, Memorial Day Weekend is one of the busiest and most frequently traveled weekends in America; approximately 35 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more. This weekend also unofficially welcomes the summer season.

Additional NYPL Resources on Military and Veterans Studies:

Discover photos and images of American Veterans and Soldiers in our Digital Gallery >>
Interested in hearing more about veterans and their stories? Check out NYPL's NYC Veterans Oral History Project >>
Find books, films and online resources at NYPL on American military history and studies >>
Are you a U.S. veteran or know of one who needs work assistance? Check out the Workforce 1 Veterans Career Center at NYPL >>
Explore the Library of Congress Digital Collections of Civil War Soldiers >>
Looking for archival sources in American military history at NYPL? Check out the Find Archival Materials search tool for letters, papers and documents from American soldiers >>
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in NYC will host a series of public programs during Memorial Day Weekend >>
Making plans for the upcoming long weekend? Check out Time Out New York at NYPL to get some ideas! >>
Learn more about updates and services to veterans in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs >>

Booktalking "Wild Horse Scientists" by Kay Frydenborg

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:39:00 -0400

Horse reproduction! I never thought that I would learn so much about this subject by reading a book about wild horse scientists, but I guess that it makes sense. After all, managing the numbers of wild horses on islands, especially publicly protected land in which predators are few and far between, is a challenge.

And what to do with the excess horses that appear? No one wants to see them killed. Luckily, there are programs to promote the adoption of these horses. One such program on the island is managed by a horse trainer that pairs kids with foals to help the horses trust humans and learn basic ground manners before being adopted. Sounds like fun for the horses and kids, with proper supervision and training, of course.

Thanks to the National Park Service and wildlife biologists who have devoted their lives to protecting the social lives of the horses, they can live their lives in piece. No herds are torn apart by random removal of excess horses. The horses manage to maintain most of their wildness, and they live healthier lives. Before receiving the contraceptive vaccines, mares were living an average of 7 or 8 years. Now, without foals to feed, winters are easier for them. Besides, each mare is allowed to have one foal before receiving birth control, to keep the herd alive and well!

Wild Horse Scientists by Kay Frydenborg, 2012

Wild Horses: I love wild horses; they seem so free and beautiful, unadorned with the trappings of domestication by humans. This book has lovely illustrations of the horses of the Assateague Island on the beach and in the fields. Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick has worked with these horses for years. He and other wild horse biologists were also able to study the horses' behavior, and they were able to determine which mares were good mothers and which ones neglected their foals. Before domestication, horses were all the same dun color (light tan on the body with a black mane and tail and black stripes on the legs and back).

Reproduction: Kirkpatrick has a doctorate in wildlife reproductive physiology, and he worked for over two decades to develop an effective horse contraceptive vaccine that can be administered by darting the horses. It was a trial and error process, but it has caused the wild horse population to slowly but steadily decline. I was unaware prior to reading this book that contraceptive vaccines were used on wild horses. It is a fascinating idea.

At the annual "pony penning" event in Assateague, the wild horses are penned and the foals are offered for adoption. Unfortunately, the mares whose foals were removed are more likely to get pregnant again sooner than if they had kept the foals. Marguerite Henry wrote the novel Misty of Chincoteague in 1947 about the Assateague horses. Many people mistakenly thought that the horses lived on Chincoteague Island, even though they are actually from the Assateague Island.

Dangers: Flies and other insects plague the horses, but luckily some of them have formed symbiotic relationships with birds called cattle egrets, who pluck the insects from the horses' backs for a snack. Horses face other dangers on the Assateague Island. The publication of Misty of Chincoteague made watching the horses more popular. Consequently, some of the horses have lost their fear of people, and they engage in dicey activities like roaming parking lots looking for handouts from visitors, and they often graze immediately adjacent to roadways, which puts people and horses in danger. Luckily, members of the "pony patrol" educate visitors about the horses to prevent people from getting kicked or bitten and to keep the horses safe.

Steampunk: An Introduction for Teens

Anne Rouyer, Seward Park Library — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:01:05 -0400

What is Steampunk? For a way to explain a fantasy subgenre, Steampunk is not very descriptive. According to The Steampunk Bible (2011), it can be explained most easily by this equation:

Steampunk = Mad Scientist Inventor [invention (steam x airship or metal man/ baroque stylings) x (pseudo) Victorian (or Edwardian) settings] + progressive or reactionary politics x adventure plot. (p. 9)

Got that? So it's basically fantasy stories set in a Victorian-era England (although not always) with crazy scientists inventing fanciful and/or dangerous objects and contraptions, throw in some female characters that are doing it for themselves and you have got yourself one heck of an adventure story! Is that it? Not by a long shot. But it will do for now. The only way to truly understand this fantasy subgenre that is at once both "simultaneously retro and forward looking" (Steampunk Bible, p. 9) is to explore it for yourself. Luckily for you, Steampunk is in the middle of a renaissance especially when it comes to teen literature.

If you wanted to start at the very beginning you could try classic adventure stories by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Time Machine. Perhaps the Edgar Allan Poe short stories "The Balloon Hoax" and "The Spectacles" are more your speed? Or maybe you've already read Steampunk novels and not even realized it, such as: Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass series, Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series or the graphic novel series by Alan Moore The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. Or maybe you've watched the Japanese anime films Castle in the Sky, Howl's Moving Castle and Steamboy. All are considered types of Steampunk.

But what is out there right now and being specifically written for teens? A lot actually:

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress (2013): Set in Edwardian, England, three girls, Cora, Nellie and Michiko are all assistants to three powerful men who meet by chance at a society ball that ends in murder. Using their unique skills and abilities, the three of them team up to solve the crime(s).

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (2011): Finley Jayne, a commoner who lives with a beastly alter-ego inside of her, falls in with the young Duke of Greythorne's set, a group of misfits that includes a female engineer, an American gunfighter and a charming criminal. Together they work to take down a villain known as The Machinist, who wants to replace Queen Victoria with a sentient automaton. Sequels: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, The Girl with the Iron Touch.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (2009): Set in an alternate World War 1, Deryn, a Scottish girl, has disguised herself as a boy and joined the British Air Service. The transport she is flying runs into Prince Alek, who is on the run from the Clankers Powers, a group trying to take over the world using mechanical machines. Sequels: Behemoth, Goliath and the companion The Manual of Aeronautics.

Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey (2013): The only thing orphaned Meg has left of her clock making family is a beautiful watch. Now a maid, Meg discovers that her watch is actually a master key and the only way to destroy a dangerous invention. With the help of the stable boy, Will, Meg goes on a journey of unlocking clues and fighting mechanical creatures that will eventually lead her to the most dangerous machine of all.

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger (2013): In 1851 England, Sophronia would much rather dismantle clocks and climb trees than learn the proper ways of being a lady. Fed up, her mother sends her to a finishing school to learn dance, dress and etiquette but when she arrives Sophronia is surprised to learn she will also be learning about death, diversion and deceit. See also, the author's popular Steampunk novels for adults, The Parasol Protectorate series.

Riese: Kingdom Falling by Greg Cox (2012): Riese is a princess who'd much rather be fighting than sitting through lessons on court etiquette. Having escaped a lesson, Riese meets the mysterious Micah and she pretends to be a palace servant. When the sinister clockwork Sect infiltrates her mother's court and war from a neighboring country looms, Riese must choose between her duty and her heart. See also the SyFy Channel web series Riese.

The Peculiars by Maureen McQuarry (2012): Set in an alternate 1800s American West, Lena sets out to search for her missing father in Scree, a mysterious northern territory inhabited by exiled Peculiars. Along the way she meets a young librarian Jim and a handsome marshall, Thomas, who complicate her journey.

The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent (2012): In New London, science reigns supreme and witchcraft has been outlawed. Young Vespa, who has just discovered her magical powers, wants nothing more than to catalog items in her father's museum but he plans instead for her marriage. When an evil sorcerer/ inventor threatens the city, Vespa teams up with a young Tinker and a handsome warlock to save the day.

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve (2009): In a Future London, foundling Fever Crumb has been raised as an engineer although women are not seen as reasonable creatures. When she leaves to become an archaeologist's assistant she begins to learn the truth of her past and faces new dangers in the present. Sequels: A Web of Air and Scrivener's Moon. Fever Crumb is also a prequel trilogy to the author's Mortal Engines quartet.

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron (2012): After the family fortune begins to dwindle, Katherine is sent to the family estate to have her extravagant and reclusive uncle committed to an asylum. What she finds is a kind, childlike man who is also a genius inventor and the employer of hundreds of people. She must find a way to save the estate and her uncle before those around her would destroy them.

Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith (2010): Traumatized after a near abduction, Jack travels to London where he is handed a pair of goggles by a stranger. The goggles transport him to the apocalyptic world of Marbury where he struggles to protect two young boys and fight off a villain who looks a lot like his best friend Connor. Meanwhile, his visions begin to impede his grip on reality and the chance at a new romance. Sequel: Passenger.

Still want more? You can check out this longer list of available titles in Bibliocommons here. If you are interested in learning more about the origins and subculture of Steampunk (including history, cosplay, gears and rock bands) check out The Steampunk Bible and The Steampunk Gazette.

NYC Teen Author Festival at NYPL: March 22-23, 2013

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:31:41 -0400

Every spring, the NYC Teen Author Festival takes place at various locations around the city, including bookstores and NYPL locations. Teens, authors, librarians, and anyone interested in teen literature can attend for free and participate in the exchange of ideas about teen literature.

The NYC Teen Author Festival also includes reader's theatre. The panels are similar, but it is always great to get a chance to be exposed to new authors and different ways of thinking about teen literature. I learned about the writing process that authors of teen literature engage in. Over 90 authors participated in this year's festival. Luckily for us, David Levithan organizes the event, and he does a spectacular job.

That's So Nineteenth Century

On Friday, March 22, 2013, they had a "That's So Nineteenth Century" panel in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building about historical fiction featuring the authors Sharon Cameron, Stephanie Strohm, Leanna Hieber, Suzanne Weyn, and Sarah Beth Durst as the moderator.

One of the authors said that she went on a road trip to battlefields with her mother to research the time period for her novel. She likes to see things in person that she is writing about. Another author is also an actress, and she found it useful to wear costumes with corsets and engage in the same daily activities that people did in the era that she wrote about. She suggested that authors rent a costume from the era that they are writing about. Another author goes to London once a year to research and walk the places that her characters walked. One author wrote the majority of her novel that took place in Edinburgh, Scotland before visiting the city. She was so glad that she had one edit left after she went to Edinburgh because she changed the novel when she returned to the United States to reflect what she learned on her vacation. She now knew what the cobblestones are like and what the wind felt like. It makes such a difference to go to the places that you are writing about.

One author learned a lot for her novel about mental illness by reading the "Lunatic Laws" of England. She discovered how easy it was to get committed to an insane asylum. One author advised aspiring writers to read many books that were written in the time period that the want to write about. They are less dry than research books.

One author is writing a new book and she is making the language in her book more modern and accessible to teens.

Another author stated that using paranormal themes in her work allows her more liberties than she would otherwise have in writing historical novels. For example, having a character's soul meet the soul of a character in a painting brings new elements to the work.

Alternate World versus Imaginary World

There was an "Alternate World versus Imaginary World" panel on Friday, March 22, 2013, also in the "library with the lions," featuring authors Sarah Durst, Jeff Hirsch, E.C. Myers, Diana Peterfreund, Emmy Laybourne, Mary G. Thompson, Lauren Miller with moderator David Levithan. The authors discussed their latest books and their upcoming works.

Myers mentioned that she uses parallel universes in her works. For example, one could imagine a world where everyone goes to school on Saturdays and during the summer. Hirsch has his characters moving from one world to the next. He likes to explore the effect that society has upon individuals. Durst wrote about deserts so that she could visit one.

Peterfreund develops her works while writing them. For example, her visit to Rome changed her perspective of the city, and she consequently altered her book that was set in Rome. One author loves inventing worlds. She finds it to be such fun, and she urges other aspiring writers to try it.

Hirsch says that he invents aspects of the worlds he is writing about and the implications of such worlds. He has a repository of images and ideas from which to draw upon for the works. When you invent the constraints and rules of the world, you do not know if you will use all of the information that you create, but it is good to have it available to you just in case. It is also good to have the flexibility to change course while writing the book.

Thompson stated that one of her books emerged from a single character.

Durst mentioned that her literary exposure as a child can shape your perspective and inspire you. She will change the rules or events in the book so that the universe makes sense. The events have to abide by the universe's rules in order for it to work.

Defying Description: Tackling the Many Facets of Identity in YA - LGBTQ

On Saturday, March 23, 2013, there was another panel in the Berger Forum (Room 227) of the "library with the lions" entitled "Defying Description: Tackling the Many Facets of Identity in YA - LGBTQ" with authors Marisa Calin, A.S. King, Jacqueline Woodson, Aaron Hartzler and moderator David Levithan.

Calin mentioned that she had crushes on girls. She wanted to explore the difference between infatuation that does not develop into love and real love. She features a genderless best friend in her teen novel because she wanted the focus to be on love, not on whether the character is a boy or girl, etc.

Levithan mentioned that his novel Every Day is about a person who wakes up in the body of a different person every day. He enjoys writing from a variety of perspectives, including from male and female voices, etc. He is quite a versatile writer, and I find it extremely thought-provoking to read his works. He also is currently working on a book called Two Boys Kissing. This is about two boys who actually broke a record by kissing for 33 hours to protest the ban on same-sex kissing.

Calin never met a gay person until she was 18 years old. She mentioned that gay people are not attracted to all members of their sex; it is an individual thing, similar to heterosexuality.

Levithan said that people's identities are related to their humanity. Sex and love can be a part of this, but there are many other aspects that make up the constitution of particular individuals (their likes and dislikes, etc).

Woodson brought up that the Black community has been very accepting of LGBTQ identifying people, due to the other struggles that they have dealt with historically.

King loved reading the book Patience and Sarah when she was growing up. She does not remember much of the plot, but she recalls that many people noticed that she was reading the book.

Levithan mentioned that more voices about LGBTQ are quite welcome. No one book can cover all of the facets of LGBTQ identity.

Calin said that sexuality is just a part of people's individuality. For example, this person likes hockey, this person likes girls, etc. There is no need to make such an issue of people's sexuality if it is not heterosexual. Sexuality is simply one piece of people's identities.

Levithan sincerely hopes that society will change so completely that the books about LGBTQ that are being written in this age will become obsolete.

Calin says that she writes from her own experience and that she writes what she knows. She would love a society where people can say what is important to them without fear of retribution.