NYPL Blogs: Interviews

Interview: Roman Coppola on Film, Books, & Libraries

Ariana Csonka Kaleta, Senior Librarian, Tremont Library — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 11:48:54 -0500

Image courtesy of Roman Coppola

Roman Coppola grew up in a filmmaking family and surrounded by the arts. In one capacity or another—actor, writer, director, producer— he has worked in film and video since childhood and has built a varied and successful career, often in collaboration with family and friends. His latest film project, The French Dispatch, which he helped develop the story for with Wes Anderson, Jason Schwartzman, and Hugo Guinness premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in July and was released in the U.S. this October.

In addition to speaking about his craft and the ideas and inspirations that fuel his work with his production company, The Director's Bureau, Coppola spoke with NYPL about books and authors that have been influential to him, memories of libraries, and the importance of following your curiosities.

NYPL: First of all, thank you for taking the time from your multifaceted, Renaissance man lifestyle to talk with us. It’s always fun to interview members of the artistic community, especially those whose work intersects with the New York Public Library as well as the performing arts world in general.

RC: Thank you for including me. I’m flattered to be doing something with the Library. I have a special affection for libraries in general and the New York Public Library is iconic and incredible.

NYPL: What is your favorite part of your work: the research, script development, shooting, editing process, working with the cast, picking the score?

RC: This is a tricky question. Of course, when you’re in any given moment, you sort of love it and hate it at the same time, in that you just want to get through it to the next phase and then you look back and you recall how much you enjoyed that phase you just passed through. There is something especially pleasurable about that early gestation—that first moment that you’re considering a project. You’re free-associating. You’re doing research or finding things that relate and there’s just all this potential. So, that early phase of writing, kind of even before you’re writing but just reflecting on an idea is really fun. It does relate to the library in general in that you’re populating your imagination with research and things, and I find that when there is a project that I’m involved with in that early phase, that anything I might come across—whether it’s a movie or a book or an experience—if you’re really in that moment of early creation, everything becomes relevant. Even things that are irrelevant to your project. For example if I’m thinking of a movie idea and I see a film and I see a sequence that has some particular shot or some particular idea, I'll think to myself, “Wow, I could use a shot like that in the thing I'm doing," or "Wow, I could have a character that resembles this character in that way.” Or if you see a movie that doesn’t relate at all, you think to yourself “Ah, well, this is really good because my movie will not at all be like this one and I will never have a character like that or a situation like that.” So, when you’re in that early bloom of daydreaming about an idea, input whether it's something you read or that you watch, you filter through the project at hand and it becomes an aid.

NYPL: Do you have any weird quirks that help you when you are stuck in a screenwriting session or having trouble creating fluidity during the editing process?

RC: Yes, often I will work with a collaborator—whether it’s my cousin, Jason [Schwartzman] or my good friend, Wes Anderson and sometimes what we’ll do is say, "Okay, what’s the terrible Hollywood version?" Say, we’re stuck on a scene and we’re trying to think of what happens next... so, we’ll say, "Okay, what’s the worst, you know the most cheesy, stupid version?" Sometimes that really frees up your imagination and you’ll say, “Okay, that’s the worst idea ever but maybe, this could happen...” And you’ll say, “wait, that’s pretty good. Let’s follow that.” So, I think it’s really just a little trick where you allow yourself the freedom to not be precious and sometimes in a kind of corny, obvious or kind of typical idea, you can flip it on its head and find something that makes it more relevant to what you are doing. So, that’s a little trick—to ask “what’s the bad version” of what you are trying to find and it can lead you to the good version or sometimes the bad version is not bad at all.

NYPL: Do you have any special memories of the library or library-related anecdotes from any of your films, tv shows, or commercials?

RC: Like many people, I love the library: the stacks of books, the smell, the fact that it’s quiet and I have a very vivid recollection of going to my local library down in the Marina District. Taking the bus down as a kid, maybe being eight, nine, or ten years old, and discovering this section of magic and ventriloquism and this type of thing and I remember checking out this book, Ventriloquism for Fun and Profit by Paul Winchell. I kept checking it out and checking it out again. It kind of became my book, because I kept re-checking it out. It’s very vivid in my mind’s eye. I can remember it was on a low shelf, to the right on a certain stack.

It’s intoxicating—this array of books and all the possibility and all the things to discover.

I belong to a library in San Francisco called the Mechanic’s Institute, which was founded a long time ago and has a wonderful ambience. So, yes, I am a fan of libraries in general and for my work. Although I can’t say in recent times since we’ve all been pent up, that I haven’t been able to go out to a public library. It is a setting that is very wonderful.

I remember working on a project and I was driving across country with a friend and we were working on a writing project together and we would stop at the public libraries along the way and there’d be a quiet room. There’d be a place to set up. It’s such a wonderful asset, the library system, and we have to thank Ben Franklin for that.

NYPL: What are your favorite books?

RC: Well, there are different episodes of different favorite writers and books. The first book I really read on my own and really was absorbed in and read the sequel to was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Roald Dahl, (James and the Giant Peach) I think as a writer—and the tone that he had and those books that he created— are particularly something that comes to mind. I still remember I had a children’s book that was given to me by my grandmother called Miss Suzy, which is about a squirrel who has a tidy little house and gets kicked out by a bunch of thug squirrels. Anyway, that’s more of a children’s book.

In more mature times, I remember meeting socially Richard Brautigan in San Francisco. He was a San Francisco poet and writer and I remember meeting him just as a kid. I didn’t know any of his writing, but he was very kind to me and he had a warmth and charisma and he gave to me a little slip of paper that had his signature and he said “This will be worth something someday.” It was a little autograph and I remember thinking, “Wow, this is great, I got something valuable.” And I put that in my little treasure box—and I lament that I can’t find that but—I remember just feeling a relationship to this man, who was kind and very tall and had that charisma. Later, I picked up his books... specifically The Hawkline Monster, In Watermelon Sugar, Trout Fishing in America, Willard and his Bowling Trophies...all the books. He wrote many books like Dreaming of Babylon.

I became very drawn to his style and his books. I think because I had met him, I had a special relationship, but then also because I love the writing. One of the reasons is that the books are generally short and he would work in these chapters and episodes that are little poems. It’s kind of cinematic the way that the books are often composed of these scenes. In my writing, for some personal screenplays, I’ve kind of emulated a bit of his style, where I’ll put a title to the scene and describe some of the essence of it, then sketch it out again in a Brautigan way, which gets to the core of it. That was someone who influenced me and with whom I had a relationship as an individual and then loved his books. He’s certainly quite known, but it’s fun when you meet a person who’s not acquainted and you can share a book that’s so unique.

NYPL: Is there an author or book who influenced you during your formative years?

RC: I would say that would be the write J.D. Salinger with Nine Stories and The Catcher in the Rye, but particularly in Nine Stories. I am a huge fan of "The Laughing Man," which is one of my favorite pieces of writing. You know the way he writes in such an intimate way that the reader just feels like a kinship—there's some kind of magic that he's able to convey—that sort of closeness you feel to the author. "The Laughing Man" I love in particular because it blends fantasy and memory and reality, and it’s touching and fun. There’s a line in there that's something to the effect that the Laughing Man would cross between the Shanghai/Paris border in his adventures. I thought that kind of child-like impossibility taken for fact is something I really admire and I love that story.

NYPL: What are you reading right now?

RC: I tend to read more nonfiction. I am actually on a kick to try to learn Italian. So I’m reading a lot of Italian verb conjugation books and that’s maybe not what you expected. Recently, I read a book called The Swerve which discusses the humanities and certain writings that have been lost and libraries of times past...specifically, Lucretius and the thinking and writings of Epicurus.

It was very stimulating and led me on a bid of curiosity to learn more about the humanities. There is an area I want to inquire more about which is more classical writing and classic literature. Also, for a point of contrast...rather than talking about The Catcher in the Rye and things that are so known, the last book—it's been two or three years—that doubled me up with so much laughter, I couldn’t breathe (literally) from laughing so hard is this totally absurd, ridiculous book, which is called The Stench of Honolulu by Jack Handey. It is just the most absurd, ridiculous thing that makes me smile just thinking about it.

NYPL: People don’t realize how much reading books and scripts and watching films are involved in the creativity process behind filmmaking. How much of your time is spent finding inspiration and developing ideas through screenings or reading?

RC: I don’t really track it. I’m just a curious person, so I’m always wanting to see things that are stimulating or read things or come across things or have interesting conversations. Certainly, the act of making things is just fueled by things that you consume and inspire you. Sometimes I’ll do a talk at a film festival or film school and young, aspiring filmmakers will ask "What’s your advice?" or " What’s the direction to take to have a life in this creative world?" It may be a generic thing to say, but I say to become cultured, and to develop your taste and fill the well of your mind with ideas and works that you can draw on. So being curious and seeking out things that inspire you—it’s an obvious thing to say, but it is a good path.

An offshoot of that is, people ask, "What is a good characteristic to have to be a filmmaker?" My response is having good taste. Because if you have good taste and you develop that, if you have good taste in literature or in music, you can draw upon that. Someone who has good taste to select good material, to select good actors, to find suited locations, to have a good sense of photography, etc. So, not just to know how to do it, but to be discerning with good taste is a great tool to have and I think that can be developed at the library through research and study and following your curiosity.

NYPL: If you could choose any author to have lunch with, living or dead, who would it be and where?

RC: I would be most curious to have lunch with Marcel Proust just because he’s so iconic. I’ve not read the entirety of his novel, but I did read Swann’s Way and it was incredibly impressive and the nuance of his memories and the way he describes things is so remarkable. He’s such a peculiar person or has that reputation for being so peculiar. So to have a chance to have a lunch at Lapérouse or to visit his bedroom and to see that picture would be incredible.

NYPL: Like many auteurs, you seem to steadily work with a usual team, many of whom happen to be family members. Does that ever get weird? Do you have any funny memories of being on the set for too long or so many takes that everyone gets a bit silly? Is there something that one of you always starts doing when they get too tired and you can tell when that is starting?

RC: Yes, it’s hard for me to recall a specific anecdote. I do enjoy working with people in my family—my sister, my cousin, good friends and the nature of a film crew is very much a family. As a kid growing up in the world of filmmaking a lot of the people on the team—the art directors, the photographers—were like aunts and uncles and all the different kids were like cousins. So there is a family thing to which I can definitely relate.

I can also recall that feeling of familiarity to the point of exhaustion where you get a little delirious. Certainly with writing, my cousin Jason and I did a bunch of writing, producing, and directing forMozart in the Jungle (our television show) and we had some crazy deadlines where we had to generate scripts overnight and rewrite things and to adapt. That definitely brought about some delirium of staying up till the crack of dawn to write something that was going to be produced and shot the next day. That comes to mind...where we had a lot of fun and it was totally exhausting and you just wanted to get through it, but looking back that brings some great memories.

On a set, generally there’s a kind of almost militaristic strictness. People are rolling and shooting and quiet on the set. It can be playful certainly, but generally when you are on the set, there’s a whole team of people to get things done and it’s a little less delirious but it can be at times especially if you are working long hours.

NYPL: Do you have a favorite library?

RC: I’ve been living in Napa over COVID and we have a very remarkable library that is the RKO research library from the film studio RKO and we folded in some MGM acquisitions and Warner Brothers. We have this wonderful and pretty complete research library right here in Napa. I have an office in that space and I’ll peruse the files. There are a lot of image files and production books from old productions. So that is sort of my favorite library due to my proximity and how kind of rare and unusual it is, in that it is a cinema-based research library, which all the studios used to have and they’ve dispensed with them. Now, luckily, my father and George Lucas are the two major holders of the classic movie library collections.

The Mechanics Institute of San Francisco is a favorite library. The New York Public Library, which is so iconic, and my local library in the Marina District of San Francisco, for reasons of going there when I was a kid.

Lorenzo Da Ponte. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 1147618

There is also a private members Library on the Upper East Side of Manhattan founded by Lorenzo Da Ponte. I read the biography of Da Ponte who was a very interesting raconteur. For those interested in libraries and, especially, Italian culture, he is someone to know about since he founded the core collection of this particular library in New York. He led a remarkable life. He was a contemporary of Casanova. He did the libretti for Mozart and he was a book dealer and a language scholar, who was in America in those early days and led a kind of insane life of adventure. So, that’s a little library lore for those interested to learn about him and the library he founded. So I went to that library to pay tribute to the fact that he founded it and when I went I talked to the clerk there and said, “Wow, this is the library founded by Lorenzo Da Ponte,” and they didn’t know who that was...but maybe they’ll read this and become acquainted.

NYPL: Many people know that you are part of a family of filmmakers, but not everyone knows that you also have ties to the world of classical music. You are also related to the conductor Anton Coppola and the composer Carmine Coppola. Did opera or classical music play a part in your development growing up?

RC: It did. I can remember Sunday mornings there was the sound of opera blaring: Madame Butterfly, La Bohème. So, I think of the sounds of the espresso machine grinding beans and opera blaring through some classic JBL speakers as a kid, when my dad was home, and we had a sort of a lazy Sunday. So music is definitely a part of my life. My uncle, Anton Coppola, was very iconic in our family. He lived to be 102. He was composing and conducting right up until the end. There was a lot of discussion of music and we’d have what was called a "musicale," which is a little musical lecture at times, where he’d play themes and we’d share that. So, definitely we had an appreciation for classical music in our family. When Jason and I did Mozart in the Jungle, it was an occasion to learn more about it and inquire. I’m not an expert by any means but definitely have an appreciation for it.

Anton Coppola Conducts Puccini/Angela Gheorghiu. Listen with your library card via Naxos Music Library.

NYPL: Although the dramatized onscreen lifestyle could be a lot riskier than most classically trained musicians' daily lives...one can’t help but wonder, were there any characters in Mozart in the Jungle based on people you know or knew growing up and could you share any stories about them?

RC: There weren’t so many stories based on people I know, personally. We heard a lot of lore and I think when you start getting in the mix of the world of musicians, they start spilling the beans and telling stories and you hear about things and you read about things. I can’t say I had such a personal experience or memories or stories that we used, but we certainly became acquainted with all the people on our team and the world of musicians and used all the stories, not to mention the source material, which is Blair Tindall’s book and all those anecdotes. So, to be honest, less from my own personal life, but more from people we met during that production.

NYPL: Who is your favorite character out of any of your films that you would like to hang out with in real life? Drinking with Charles Swan or a night of dancing with Dragonfly?

RC: You know, both of those sound great. I would love to meet up with Dragonfly on her spaceship and have a little Curacao cocktail. Just thinking about it is very pleasant. It’s true that Charles Swan is a character who I’m so close to that it’s hard to imagine it as another person. It’s kind of a reflection of me and Charlie Sheen and other people I’ve known but, yeah, to go to the bar at Musso and Frank and order a Brandy Alexander with Charles Swan would be quite a blast. So, both of those I would say yes to, for sure!

NYPL: What do you think has helped you be able to shift (to the outside eye) so seamlessly between commercial work, film, and the occasional tv series? Do you use the same approach, or what do you take into consideration when starting a project?

RC: You know I basically just follow my intuition and my curiosity. I’m not very conscious about these things. It’s just sort of things come my way and generally, if I haven’t done it, I’ll tend to say yes. So if I haven’t done a television serialized show—"oh, I’d like to try that." Or if I haven’t done a commercial, I’d like to try that or a video. Over the years, I’ve become acquainted with different forms: short form, long form, cinema, and different things. I think, it’s just sort of my nature, being curious, and enjoying getting swept up into the worlds that are intriguing to me and certainly working with Wes [Anderson] or Jason [Schwartzman]. These friendships and these adventures we have together, whether it’s going to India to work on Darjeeling, or digging deep into the world of classical music with Jason, I’m just interested in satisfying my curiosity and being exposed to things and following my intuition.

My main tool in my work is my intuition. When I have a problem with writing or trying to figure something out of who should I cast or what should I do, I just kind of close my eyes and I'll say, "Well, what does your intuition tell you? Who’s the right person for this? What’s the right tone or the right type of idea that would be correct?" And you kind of just ask yourself that and if you can get a good direct line of communication to your intuition, I think that’s a really valuable tool. One little trick that relates to this—if people are having a hard time visualizing—sometimes, there are people in your life that can be that sort of help to help you resonate and get in line with your intuition. My sister, Sofia and I are very close and I’ll have an idea for a film and I’ll start to describe it and the way I describe it to her will frame kind of what I want to do. There’s a tendency when you describe it to someone you trust and that you know is not trying to influence what you are doing , but is just wishing for you to do what you want to do, truly. To get advice from someone who’s trying to influence you can be tricky. But when you’re trying to get advice from someone who’s really hoping that you’ll find what you’re looking for—that’s a great thing to find in your life. But it’s the same kind of little trick, of like if you say, "Well, should I do this?," and you say, "Well, I’m going to flip a coin and before looking at it—the coin—you say, well, which do you hope it is 'heads or tails'"? It’s the same kind of thing that sometimes questions and paths and what to do next can be guided by this intuitive sense. You have to (I believe, for me at least), you have to get in touch with that intuitive sense so you can have a good direct conversation with it.

NYPL: You have now worn most of the hats involved in the film industry from child actor to under the line jobs, director, screenwriter, producer, and even impresario with The Directors Bureau. Yet, you seem to have found a way to live just within range of the spotlight without getting burned. Is there a secret to maintaining your "not quite under the radar" but "never too exposed" existence in the industry? Do you think that has developed from growing up in a household with a history in the performing arts? Or is it a skill you developed on your own?

RC: Well, that’s a flattering question. You know, I never seek out the spotlight but this invitation, for example, to share some thoughts and be asked intelligent questions from the folks at the Library—that’s a nice thing to participate in and I’m not reticent to share things and chat about what I’m doing. You know, luckily I work in a field that’s not so scorching a spotlight. I’m not so much in the public eye and I tend to prefer it that way. You know, it’s nice when you have a reputation or are noted in some way. It gives a certain leverage to accomplish what you wish to do. It’s nice to have a bit of recognition, so that if I’m trying to get something made or hoping to do something it might open some doors. But I don't really think about that. I just sort of do my thing, follow my nose.

But to answer your question, I don’t really think about how to maintain being under the radar or not. I just sort of take it one day at a time and sort of see what unfolds and try to get in the mix of things that are stimulating and are worthwhile. So when you spend the day doing something, you value it and feel like it wasn’t a waste of time.

Palme D'Or [Cannes Film Festival Award]. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: TH-42682

NYPL: Which is your favorite film festival?

RC: You know, I’m not a habitué of film festivals. I’ve been to different festivals over the years and each one has its attributes. The Telluride Film Festival is very iconic as one of high quality. I remember going there as a kid over the years and seeing so many stimulating movies. Cannes is so iconic in its way and the setting is so beautiful and the history is extraordinary and it’s sort of a premiere festival. The festival in Venice is very romantic. It’s such a beautiful city. I‘ve had experiences there that were really memorable with Darjeeling and when Sofia brought Lost in Translation there with lots of accolades. So I don’t have a specific favorite but I’ve had different experiences over the years at those festivals. I was greeted warmly at the Rome Festival and of course Rome is a city which I love dearly.

NYPL: What are some of your current projects?

RC: I’m working on Wes’s new film. It’s not my place to speak about it specifically. And then I continue to do my work with The Director’s Bureau and have various projects that I am gestating in various phases of completion. I recently did a video for my wife who is a musician. Her band's name is Spring Summer and we did a video together that I was quite proud of and it’s called “Oh Brother.” We did it during lockdown and it is done in an animation style which I've never worked in before.

"Oh Brother" by Spring Summer

NYPL: Thank you so much for giving us your time today. It’s been a very amusing and interesting interview. I wish you all the best with your upcoming work.

What Are You Reading? Matt Ruff Edition

NYPL Staff — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 14:05:15 -0500

Matt Ruff Showing off his Seattle Public Library card

This past October author Matt Ruff sat down with NYPL's own Alexandria Brown for a conversation about his book Lovecraft Country and the highly bingeable HBO show it spawned. The story follows the magical, often dangerous adventures of the protagonist family as they navigate both the horrors and violence of Jim Crow America as well as witches, warlocks and their many-eyed and -tenticalled pets. Rumors are swirling about whether the show might get picked up for a second season and it seemed like a great opportunity to reach out to the author and ask:

What are you reading at the moment and what was the last thing you read?

Like a lot of people I know, I’m having trouble focusing enough to get any serious reading done this year. The last book I actually finished was Christopher Moore’s Island of the Sequined Love Nun, which I read just before a Zoom event I did with Chris last month (and which was very good). Books on my current kinda-sorta-reading pile include:

volume one of H.P. Lovecraft: Letters to Family and Family Friends
Leslie Marmon Silko’s Almanac of the Dead
Robert Shearman’s We All Hear Stories in the Dark
Kat Rosenfield’s Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone
Ted Chiang’s Exhalation
Peter P. Greweling’s Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner

(Re: that last, if America doesn’t survive 2020, at least I’ll go into the apocalypse knowing how to make my own candy bars.)

The writing bug bit you at a very young age. What was it that made you wake up and say "I want to write fiction," and what books (or other media) most guided you along the path?

In my author bio I say that I decided to become a novelist at the age of five, but the truth is I don’t recall ever making the decision. I’m just one of those people who came wired from the factory knowing what they wanted to do with their lives. To the extent that it’s inherited, I probably get it from my mother, who was a great storyteller in her own right, and my maternal grandfather, the missionary Albert Lehenbauer. Grandpa Lehenbauer died before I was born, but when I read his memoir, Roughing it for Christ in the Wilds of Brazil, the writing style feels very similar to my own.

I was a voracious reader as a kid, and my parents indulged me—in addition to covering my late fees at the library, they let me order whatever I wanted from the Scholastic Book Club. I’ve still got a lot of those books, and scanning my shelves, some of the names that jump out as having left a lasting impression are

E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth
Clifford B. Hicks's Alvin Fernald books
Judy Blume
Thomas Rockwell's How to Eat Fried Worms, and
Bertrand R. Brinley whose Mad Scientists’ Club stories remain an all-time favorite.
I used to have a full set of The Hardy Boys too, in hardcover—an early birthday present—but that got weeded out somewhere along the way to make room for newer passions.

**Your latest novel, 88 Names, delves deep into the MMORPG gaming world. Was your research hands on? What game or games are you into at the moment?**

Yes, my “research” into video games, which has been lifelong, is one of the reasons I’ve only published seven novels so far, despite my early start. My current gaming obsessions include Hearthstone, Marvel Puzzle Quest, and Oxygen Not Included.

You've talked about how you have enjoyed some Lovecraftian fan-fic. Do you have a favorite story or anthology of Lovecraft-lit not written by Lovecraft himself?

I’m a huge fan of T.E.D. Klein’s Dark Gods, a collection of four Lovecraft-inspired novellas that was published in 1985. A year earlier, Klein had published a Lovecraftian novel, The Ceremonies, so I was looking forward to much more from him, but after Dark Gods he dropped off the radar. Other than a limited-edition collection of his other short work that came out in 2006, he hasn’t published since.

You have pointed to both The X-Files and Stephen King as sources of inspiration, and I must say their influences subtly shine through Lovecraft Country in excellent ways. In 1995 the late great Alex Trebek brought David Duchovny and Stephen King together for an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! which resulted in an episode of The X-Files written (mostly) by that night's Jeopardy! winner: King. The episode ended up being heavily rewritten by Chris Carter and King later spoke positively about the process. How do you find the process of turning your words over to the team at HBO and seeing their vision mix with your own on screen?

I’ve really enjoyed it. I think the series does an amazing job of capturing the spirit of the novel while not being afraid to make changes that take the story in interesting new directions. For me, the show is a glimpse into a parallel universe, where everything is recognizable but different in large and small ways. And what’s hilarious is that showrunner Misha Green and her writers’ room independently came up with the same metaphor and made it concrete—in the HBO series,
there really are parallel universes, and at one point the characters get a copy of an alternate version of their family history that is clearly a shout out to my Lovecraft Country. So that was great.

Growing up as an aspiring fiction author in New York, did you spend much time at the New York Public Library? Do you have a favorite branch?

I lived in Queens, so my main library hangout was the North Forest Park branch of the Queens Borough Public Library. I did sometimes make the pilgrimage to NYPL’s Central Branch in midtown, especially once I started attending Stuyvesant High School.

Bonus question: What was your favorite 1980's Tribeca haunt?

I must confess that I was never a big haunter of lower Manhattan. Other than Stuyvesant—which in my day was located on East 15th Street just off First Avenue—my main hangouts in the city were the Strand Book Store, the Forbidden Planet comic shop, and the Compleat Strategist game store on East 33rd Street.

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

What Are You Reading? Nataly Kogan Edition

NYPL Staff — Mon, 25 May 2020 15:43:53 -0400

Earlier this year the Science, Industry & Business Library (SIBL) hosted Nataly Kogan for a CEO Series lecture which you can watch here.

Nataly Kogan speaking at NYPL SIBL.
Photography by Arieh Ress

Nataly Kogan is the author of Happier Now : How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Everyday Moments (Even the Difficult Ones) and CEO of Happier which aims to "help millions of people thrive in work and life by improving their emotional health with science-backed skills and practices." She has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences, and her TEDx talk strives to take the stress out of the pursuit of happiness.

Just before The New York Public Library closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, I asked her some questions that ended up being very timely:

What are you reading, and what's next?

Two books at the same time, if you can believe it.

I take a daily walk and usually listen to an audiobook (vs a podcast or music) and right now my walking reading is Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

And at home I’m reading Ellen Langer’s On Becoming an Artist.

I’m not sure what’s next—when I’m ready for another book I kind of just meander around the house, looking at bookshelves until one strikes me. Or I read about a book I’m interested in and then I order it.

Was there a go-to book your daughter wanted you to read to her over and over again?

When she was little it was either Knuffle Bunny, Olivia, or Pinkalicious. We even made Pinkaliciou s cupcakes because she was so in love with it!

You have spent years becoming a happiness expert. What book, movie or other media do you return to again and again that brings you joy?

Oh, I don’t know if I’d call myself a happiness expert. I think the journey I’ve taken has been more to learning how to live life more fully, which perhaps is the same. And I’m very much still a student.

I have a small bookshelf in my home office which I call my sacred bookshelf because its top two shelves are filled with books that have been instrumental on my journey and those that I come back to, over and over again. A mix of psychology and spiritual writing, if I had to put it in a category. As examples of what’s on there: Polishing the Mirror by Ram Dass and Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer. These books make me feel better about being alive, which is very joyful.

On a totally different note, there are two movies I can watch any time—and have watched dozens of times—that I just enjoy so much, without abandon. The American President and The Thomas Crown Affair.

#5 in your 40 Lessons In Happiness For My Younger Self is "Read the entire recipe before you start cooking." Both literally and metaphorically that's some very solid advice, but skewing literal: do you have a favorite dish to cook or a go-to cookbook to use? What comfort food makes you happiest?

Oh, my, this answer could get really long so I’m going to discipline myself. I love to cook and I cook A LOT—most nights of the week, since my daughter was born almost 16 years ago (but rarely on weekends, I take a break.)

I have a bunch of cookbooks that are my go-to but currently three are in heaviest rotation:

Sababa by Adeena Sussman (we love Israeli food and most of my family actually lives in Israel, where they immigrated from Russia when we came to the US as refugees).
Buvette by Jody Williams (we have the same book agent, who sent me this cookbook and after going to Jodi’s restaurant a few times with my husband and loving every bite, it’s become a regular kitchen reference for me).
Japan: The Cookbook by Nancy Singleton Hachisu (I lived in Japan during college and it’s been so wonderful to bring Japanese home cooking to my family again).

As for comfort food, I hope I’m the first person to answer this way: Black Russian bread, toasted, with Irish butter spread on so thick you’d think the bread was the topping (I could literally eat this and nothing else for the rest of of my life and be so happy!) or Sirniki, these small Russian pancakes made with farmers cheese, with ridiculous amounts of sour cream (the ones made by my mom are the best.)

You once Tweeted advice you'd heard that "A piece of writing is never finished, but simply delivered to a deadline" and wrote that "creating a process works better than setting a goal." What is your writing process like and what advice do you have for aspiring writers?

My process is a beautiful mess, but I think that might be true for every author. There’s a period where I’m forming ideas, collecting ideas, gathering input, reading research. This goes on basically, daily. Then, I try to organize my thoughts in some way—in themes, more than anything. Then comes a moment when I decide nothing I have to say is interesting or unique or valuable and I should just forget the whole thing (this moment returns at regular intervals as I write.)

At some point I begin writing. And I have this momentum worked out:

When I’m writing a book, I block out a certain number of hours in my day to write, say 4-6. I try to do nothing else but write during that time, which sometimes means I write a ton and sometimes, nothing. But the goal is to just focus on writing.

I spend the first few hours of each day just marinating—I can actually feel the thoughts moving around my brain, trying to find the other thoughts they want to connect with. While this happens I might just be sitting or walking or just looking like I’m doing nothing.

And then, there’s this awesome moment: I have it!

An idea, a piece, a section just comes together and I need to get it down, in words. I love when this happens, I type really fast and just try to capture the thoughts in my head.

And then there’s revising, cutting, changing, agonizing, more research, more revising… until at some point, I have a draft of something that feels real and feels good for a bit, until I send it to my editor and then I start the whole process over again.

My advice to aspiring writers is advice I’ll borrow from my dad. When I was younger, I told him I wanted to be a writer (I had no idea what that meant). He said: “There’s a saying in Russian ‘To write is like to pee, you should only do it if you can’t hold it anymore.”

I think this is brilliant advice. Writing is really hard and really amazing. It’s cathartic. I learn so much about myself and the world when I write. But it can be brutal at times. So you should only do it if you can’t hold it anymore, if you really feel compelled to do it.

These are uncertain times, to say the least. You recently tweeted "3 practices that can help":

Acknowledge how you feel.
Practice gratitude—it’s a huge source of resilience.
Be kind more often—you’ll feel more connected to others, especially important when you’re going through a challenge.

These are, I believe, excellent things to practice these days, and in general. My last interview was with another CEO Series participant, A.J. Jacobs, who would especially agree with #2 as his most recent book, Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, was a deep exploration into the path of gratitude. What is one thing you are especially grateful for today, and what is your best advice on remaining self aware, grateful and kind in an especially panicky news cycle?

Today, I’m incredibly grateful to be stuck at home with two people I love and like—my husband, Avi (we met in college 20+ years ago and still like each other!) and my daughter, Mia, who is turning 16 in a few weeks and is my best friend. (We actually just wrote an essay together for The Washington Post with advice for parents of teens and teens themselves about surviving through this storm.)

As for advice for remaining sane and grateful and kind amidst this difficult time we’re living in, the most important advice I have is to be kinder to yourself. The way we treat others is rooted in the way we treat ourselves. If we can soften our expectations of ourselves, if we can treat ourselves with humanity and compassion, we will also bring that to every single interaction we have with others. And compassion is how we heal.

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
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What Are You Reading? A.J. Jacobs Edition

NYPL Staff — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 12:45:41 -0400

In December 2018, journalist, author, and self-proclaimed human guinea pig A.J. Jacobs came to the Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) to talk about, among other things, his new book Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, in which he decides to find and thank everyone involved in his morning cup of coffee. From the bean growers to the warehouse workers to the shippers, Jacobs's journey was one of transformative gratitude and interconnection, all centered around a relatively small thing most people take for granted.

A.J. Jacobs signing at SIBL
Photo by Arieh Ress

I caught up with the author and asked him:

What are you reading? What's next?

I don’t practice monogamy when it comes to reading books. I’m quite promiscuous. Or maybe that’s got a negative connotation. Let me rephrase: I’m polyamorous with my books. I read several at one time. Right now, I’m reading a history of the census called The American Census by Margo Anderson. I learned the questions used to be massive invasions of privacy, asking whether you were "crippled, maimed or deformed," "defective of mind," or had any debts.

I’m also reading, in no particular order: The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker (a book on writing), Public Opinion by Walter Lippman (my next book is about truth and facts, and this is helpful), and Night of the Gun (by late New York Times reporter David Carr).

Were there go-to bedtime stories your sons made you read them over and over again, and did the twins have different favorites or did they share one?

We were all big fans of Dr. Seuss—despite the fact that I found parts of his work problematic. For instance, The Cat in the Hat. It’s an insane book. The kids are alone in the house and let in this stranger, then decide not to tell their parents. The true hero is the fish, who is rational and responsible and opposed to the whole caper.

We’re also big Mo Willems fans, especially his Elephant and Piggy books. There’s one called We Are In a Book! that, as a friend of mine pointed out, is the most existentially terrifying book ever. The two characters—Elephant and Piggy—realize they will disappear if you close the book, so they beg you (the reader) to go back to the start and read the book over and over in an infinite loop. It’s like a Beckett play.

In your most recent book, Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, you traveled around the world on a mission to thank everyone involved in producing your morning cup of coffee. What was one interesting thing you never expected to learn along the way, but did?

I was surprised by how many people it takes to produce even the simplest object in our lives. My coffee requires the combined work of literally hundreds of people from all over the globe—farmers, biologists, truckers, weather people, box makers, politicians, and on an on. You know that little cardboard sleeve that goes over the coffee cup to keep our fingers from being burned? First of all, I learned it has a name: Zarf. That's the official word. Second, the project drove home that someone had to design the zarf, manufacture it, deliver it. As I say in the book, it doesn't take a village to make a cup of coffee. It takes the world.

You spent a year reading the entire encyclopedia and for The Year of Living Biblically you read through several versions of the Bible. Both are lengthy and have stretches of text that aren't exactly page-turning. What is your secret to plowing through very long books with sections that are not especially stimulating? Do you have a natural ability to retain information from such lengthy texts or is there a trick you utilize?

Good question. Two thoughts come to mind: First, I’m a fan of curiosity. I think it’s one of the great virtues of humankind. I once interviewed Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, and he told me something that I loved. He said, "I’m curious about everything—even things that don’t interest me." I loved that. It makes no sense, but I love it and relate to it.

Second, I have a file on my computer desktop called "One Thing." And after every conversation or podcast or movie or dinner, I try to write One Thing I found especially interesting or memorable. For instance, I listened to a podcast about Michelangelo, and learned that he was extremely insecure about the Sistine Chapel. He wrote his friends about how he thought it was a disaster. He’s a sculptor, not a painter. He thought it was a huge mistake. This is the Sistine Chapel—one of the great works of Western art. It’s heartwarming to realize even he was filled with self-doubt.

Anyway, I put that in my "One Thing" file, and I occasionally open it and skim it. Otherwise, I find that I’d forget everything and it’d all be a blur.

Does your writing process differ when approaching your books vs. the articles you have written?

I find writing books massively intimidating. Sometimes I try to picture it as if I’m just writing a series of articles. I have to break it down into chunks, and then at the end I figure out how to link them together seamlessly. It’s sort of similar to what Anne Lamott talks about in Bird by Bird. When she was a kid, she had to do a report on all the birds of North America, and she was overwhelmed. She asked her dad what to do, and he said that she should just do it "bird by bird." So that’s how I approach it: Chapter by chapter.

What was the most bizarre/interesting thing you learned writing for Mental Floss?

I write a column for Mental Floss with the theme that the Good Old Days weren’t good. They were terrible. They were violent, unhealthy, racist, sexist—not to mention smelly. Each issue I write about a different topic, such as foods in the past, or courtship in the past. I remember the one about child-rearing in the past. In the 19th century, exhausted parents were encouraged to give their kids medicine to calm the toddlers down. Specifically: Opium. Parents could buy opium-filled lozenges to give to their offspring. I know giving iPads to kids is bad, but this does seem significantly worse.

Bonus Question: How does one go about renting a sheep in New York City?

Ha! Well, that was surprisingly easy. The publisher wanted to do a photo shoot for The Year of Living Biblically in Times Square with me looking maximally biblical: Beard, white robe, sandals… and a sheep. So they found an agency that rents all kinds of animals for the day for movies. They actually rented two sheep—one main sheep and one body double sheep in case it was needed. It wasn’t. As they were taking the photo, a crowd of tourists formed trying to figure out what was up. I was a block away from the Naked Cowboy, and got more gawkers than he did. So I’d say that was the zenith of my fame right there.

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
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Let us know in the comments!

What Are You Reading? Emilio Estevez Edition

NYPL Staff — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 15:18:38 -0400

Emilio Estevez and Rhymefest; photo courtesy Emilio Estevez

Early in his career, Emilio Estevez and other Brat Pack members found themselves detained in a library in The Breakfast Club, where they begrudgingly learned more about themselves than they perhaps bargained for. Today marks the release of Estevez's new movie The Public, in which the actor (who also wrote and directed) again finds himself locked in a library, this time in a life-saving effort to protect the homeless patrons of a Cincinnati Public Library branch from sub-zero temperatures.

From The Public, the public might learn more about what it's really like to be a public librarian than they bargained for: the movie has played to enthusiastic crowds of librarians at library conferences over the past year where Estevez was asked ‘how did you get us so right’?

I reached out to the man behind the movie and asked:

What are you reading and what is up next?

America, the Farewell Tour by Chris Hedges. On deck and next: The Man Who Came Uptown by George Pelecanos.

When your children were little, were there books they wanted read over and over again?

They often asked me to read E.B. White's Stuart Little. Sometimes, I would finish the last page and they would plead for me to start again from the beginning, and they loved that I still owned the copy my folks gifted me in 1970.

You have been writing, directing and acting since your high school days. What three books (or other media) inspired you the most? Do you have a favorite role, or piece of writing or directing from your own career?

The PBS documentary called The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and journalist Bill Moyers was a game-changer for me. After binge-watching the series (in the late 80s, before it was called "binge watching"), I began a deeper dig into Campbell's work and was inspired by The Hero With A Thousand Faces.

I find it difficult to look back on my career and films, and choose any singular role or film that I would define as my "favorite." There are some performances and pictures that I am proud to have been a part of, but there are others I wish I could remove from my filmography.

I suppose I am fond of my last two efforts: The Way has resonated with audiences all over the world and has inspired tens of thousands of people to travel to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage since its release in 2011. I am also very proud of The Public, which opens this week.

From what I've seen of The Public, it is clear that you have spent some time in public libraries. A lot of the day-to-day scenes ring true for many of us who work in them. What was your inspiration for the movie? What role have libraries played in your life and is there a branch that you'd like to give a shout-out to?

First, a shout-out to both the Downtown Central branch of LAPL and the Downtown Cincinnati Library. Both for very obvious reasons. While the film was shot on-location in a working library in Cincinnati, Ohio, The Public was originally inspired by an essay which was printed in the LA Times 12 years ago this week.

The essay, called Written Off , by an outgoing Salt Lake City librarian named Chip Ward, examined how libraries had become de-facto homeless shelters and how modern-day librarians had become first responders and de-facto social workers. After reading the article, I visited the Central Library Branch in Downtown Los Angeles to see if this was indeed the case. Of course, this wasn't an isolated issue that was only happening in Utah; the truth of Mr. Ward's piece was evident in Los Angeles and all across the United States.

Emilio Estevez's actual library card!

The Public hits theaters today. If you are interested in what you can do to help libraries help the underserved and at-risk, or just want to understand the issues libraries face, The Public Library Association has a great list called Resources for Public Libraries Serving Persons Experiencing Homelessness.

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
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What Are They Reading? Michelle Obama Edition

NYPL Staff — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 09:47:40 -0400

Last month, I was fortunate to attend the opening session of The American Library Association’s Annual Conference in New Orleans. The conference started out in New Orleans style, with a few songs by the Trombone Shorty Foundation & Trombone Shorty Music Academy, led by Grammy-nominated, Coretta Scott King Book and Caldecott Honor Award winner, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews.

He was followed by several speakers, including the first female mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell, who brought the massive auditorium, filled to capacity with librarians, to its feet when she declared "Libraries are not just books, they are communities!"

Finally, it was time for the main event: Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden (see what she was reading in a 2017 interview) with former First Lady Michelle Obama, whose book Becoming will be released in 24 languages this November. While I usually conduct my own interviews for "What Are You Reading," my chances of landing a sit-down with Mrs. Obama are slim. Luckily, she answered many of the questions I usually ask in this series. (ALA photos courtesy the author.)

Michelle Obama’s love of the library started early: “I remember my first experience with going to the library. I was four and it was like the first official time I got an ID. You know: you felt like a big time person getting something with your name on it… That was sort of my first major big-girl thing I could do, was get my library card.”

Mrs. Obama spent a lot of time in the colorful childrens section of the library down the street from her apartment in Chicago, reading the ubiquitous Babar and Dick and Jane books, and dreaming of the day she would "graduate" and be able to read the serious books upstairs in the adult section.

During high school, she didn’t stray far from the literary world, taking her first real job at Bob Goldman’s Book Bindery, as she explains her bindery work. "Take the metal thing, put it in the hole, pass it, repeat. All day, every day. After weeks of that I was ready for college!"

But Mrs. Obama said she has nothing but respect for all the men and women who do that day in, day out so we can enjoy and better ourselves with books!

Once in the White House, it was hard for the First Lady to find time to read. She began to look forward to longer trips because, among other things, they provided her enough downtime to read. She spoke of the importance of self-care as well: it’s hard to make time for yourself when you are not only First Lady, but raising children to boot. You have to take the time to get away, and spend time on and with yourself.

"Reading helps me get out of my story for a bit and get into someone else's" she says. She shared that It’s vital not only for yourself, but for building the empathy, knowledge and understanding that make you a better parent and person.

So what does Mrs. Obama like to read?

PEN/Faulkner Award and Orange Prize winner Ann Patchett’s novel Commonwealth, the tale of a kiss at a wedding and the five decades of consequences that follow.

She loves anything by best-selling British author Zadie Smith who once said, "A library is a different kind of social reality (of the three dimensional kind), which by its very existence teaches a system of values beyond the fiscal."

Mohsin Hamid’s novel on emigration and the problems faced by refugees, Exit West, has been an especially important read for Mrs. Obama lately. "In this group," he writes, "everyone was foreign, and so, in a sense, no one was."

Kristin Hannah wrote The Nightingale as historical fiction about two sisters resisting the German occupation of France in World War II, having been inspired by the real life of a Belgian woman named Andrée de Jongh. The book is scheduled for a big-screen adaptation in early 2019.

Mrs. Obama is also a big fan of Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s work. Her TED Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story," has been viewed more than 15-and-a-half million times. "The single story creates stereotypes," Adichie says, "and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story."

As for her own book, Mrs. Obama describes it is "a rehumanization effort." People tend to hold their idols up and feel that their own stories don’t matter, or even exist.

"Feel pride in your story!," she urges. "I am not a unicorn. There's millions of kids just like I was out there. Everyone is trying to live their lives and do good. We need to learn each other’s stories so we can humanize each other! There are people who do bad things but we are all just trying to work things out; empathy, openness and speaking to each other are vital!"

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

What Are You Reading? Dolly Parton Edition

NYPL Staff — Wed, 30 May 2018 10:22:29 -0400

Photo courtesy of The Imagination Library

Many celebrities support libraries and literacy, but perhaps none more prolifically than Dolly Parton. The country music legend started The Imagination Library in 1995, providing free books to children around the world.

By 2016, the organization was sending out one million books a month. This past February, the 100 millionth book from The Imagination Library was dedicated, this time to the Library of Congress. Hearing of this amazing achievement, I reached out to Dolly Parton through the organization and conducted this quick interview with the country music and songwriting legend.

What are you reading at the moment or what is next on your list?

At the moment, I am all into the book Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. When I first read the book, I just loved it and this year, I was given the opportunity to write the music for the movie based on the book. I am deep into writing and recording the songs for the soundtrack, so it is consuming me right now. It’s an exciting project and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

What books or other media do you keep coming back to again and again?

To tell you the truth, the book I return to time and time again is the Bible. I was raised on reading the Bible so it has been a part of life most each and every day.

What book or other media most contributed to who you are and how far you’ve come?

Asking me about my favorite book is like asking a mother who is her favorite child. I might know but I ain’t telling! I can tell you that The Little Engine That Could has always been a special book for me—so special I decided to create my Imagination Library around it.

Imagination Library is an amazing model for literacy-focused philanthropy, and you recently donated your 100 millionth book. Congratulations and thank you for this amazing feat! Can you tell us how you came up with the idea?

It was a tribute to my Daddy. He was such a smart man but he could not read or write. I saw how he struggled and I thought I should do something that would inspire kids to love reading and to love learning. He never had anyone that inspired him in such a way and, even if he did, he had to spend all of his time making a living for all of us.

I thought if we could give books to children through the mail with their name on it, books would always be a joyful moment. And if we could string together a whole bunch of joyful moments, we just might be successful in inspiring a child to love books.

Do you have a go-to album (yours or otherwise) for when you curl up with a good book?

There you go asking me about my favorites again. I spend more time writing music than I do listening to it!

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

Also, be sure to check out our April interview with author and commentator Sally Kohn.

Meet the Photographer: An Interview with Ner Beck

Sherri Machlin, Mulberry Street Library — Mon, 14 May 2018 17:02:04 -0400

Is that soapy water staring at me? Is that a banana peel or a jaunty old man? These are some of the questions you may encounter when pondering the latest body of work from photographer Ner Beck. Come on down to check out for yourself Ner Beck's dazzlingly colorful exhibit Looking Up, Down & Around Town through June 27, 2018 at the Mulberry Street Library (Ground Floor.)

Shattered City (Hell’s Kitchen), Bawling Building (Madrid), Day at the Beach (Brighton, Brooklyn)
[click to see larger]

What are some of your favorite haunts/neighborhoods to hunt for photographs?

Actually, I never pick a specific destination to explore and shoot in. Going hunting just to find new things to photograph in a street art situation always seems to be a failure for me. I have felt that the only way to find anything that is worth taking out my camera for is to have no discipline, and just partake in visual grazing every single day. Besides all five boroughs of NYC and other U.S. locations, I usually travel to Europe each year and take in the differences and similarities that other parts of the world and cultures have to visually offer. Over the past several years I have also wandered and searched neighborhoods in Prague, Barcelona, Madrid, and Budapest for new subjects to include in my exhibitions.

What kind of camera do you use? Your latest exhibit just pops with color, contrast, and detail! Do you use any computer programs to enhance the effect?

My twelve year old digital camera, no bigger than a credit card, is a well-worn, beaten-up, half falling apart Nikon point and shoot, with a fixed lens, that has become my daily companion. It reminds me of Willie Nelson’s old guitar, with a big hole in the front, that he can’t ever give up. Remember the best lenses are right within our own eye sockets, ready to scan and evaluate a picture way before we ever hit the shutter. I shoot the originals at a neutral and flat setting to maintain the most amount of digital detail and then build from that point. My goal in color is to grab the viewer by the lapels and stop them in their tracks. I never rely on adjustments as visual tricks, but instead, try to enhance the feeling and emotion of the image, without crossing the “believable" line. Always being careful to stay within the range of all its special qualities that sucked me into wanting to photograph it originally. Most of my pictures are taken on overcast days or after the rain wets everything down, that is when normal color is most intense and saturated by nature. One color experience that hit me at an early age was as a grade school altar boy doing 6 am mass. Amazed by the brilliant and richly colored stained glass, glowing in that dark space stuck with me to this day. Also, in the optimistic 1950s, positive shades of color were everywhere, especially in those big American cars, dreamt up by Detroit, that were put out in an endless choice of flashy two-tone color combinations. When I first started photographing and processing street art back in 1962, I was trained at the Philadelphia College of Art in traditional methods and spent hours in the darkroom. Today, on my computer, I still use exactly the same old imaging adjustment methods, tools, and techniques that I first learned way back then. Except now I can process all my images with the lights on.

Golden Broom, Happy Birthday to Me, Kids Camel, Little Lost Shoe, Rising Peel, High Roller
[click to see larger]

What are some of the most surprising objects that you have encountered that are lost, dropped, or forgotten?

Almost every day brings a surprise, as the streets and sidewalks get a fresh coat of art options left by city foot travelers. It could be a wiry broom that has swept one too many sidewalks. A sad birthday cake eaten all alone by someone in a dark corner. A little kid’s slipper sadly lost on the way to ballet class. A playground concrete camel with paint worn off by a thousand riders. A dropped banana peel standing up for its rights. And a roller skate with many miles left to go before it is finally retired.

Who inspired you as teachers in your student years?

As a teenager, I studied painting at the Wyeth’s studio in Chads Ford, PA and gained an appreciation for the value that detailed rendering can add to a piece of art, bringing people to view at close range to absorb the story a picture can tell. Photography teachers who really got me started were Raymond K. Metzker and Sol Libsohn. The graphic print quality my photos now have were inspired by Avant-Garde artist and graphic designer Jim McWilliams, who taught me how to go against the grain, always turn a corner, and travel the opposite path you intended to take. I was always attracted to strong European graphics, (especially Graphis Magazine and Annual) and was also raised on 60s Pop Art and Abstract painting.

Have you ever experienced the photograph "that got away" before you could take a picture of it?

That happens all the time, usually when I am walking with friends and family, who get a little annoyed with my constant stopping to look and shoot every couple of feet. I try not to be so involved at those times, so those are the pictures that I skip over and “that got away.” Generally though, when I am by myself, I have learned to become very fast on the draw when getting my camera out, then shooting within a few seconds, and in that short burst of time it is usually all over. When I am closing in on something I spot, I actually turn my camera on in my pocket, even before it is taken out and aimed at the subject. Speed is so important on the street, because a cloud can make a reflection disappear, the wind can whisk away a lightweight object in a flash, and someone can pick up or quickly kick out of position a dropped possession. Urban travelers passing by can cast a shadow over a subject and spoil an image or composition. The one tricky component I always try to include are pedestrians, especially with their galloping shoes passing by, ignoring or missing the art that is all around them every day.

The Tragic Tree, Drip! Drip! Drip! Rusty Radiator
[click to see larger]

Do the faces in the photos speak to you as well? What do they say? Do they have names?

Yes, when I recognize an inanimate object that has a human face lurking within it they do speak to me. They may talk softly or shout. Some have gentle sweet voices and others can be quite aggressive. Sometimes they speak with humor and happiness, and other times they can voice sadness or anger. All of them have been given names. I always include a comments book and a sign asking “Which is your favorite picture?” then suddenly they are participating in and are part of the exhibit. This is the reason each one has a name listed below the picture to help identify it. Asking that question encourages people to spend more time thinking about how they personally relate to a specific image. I really enjoy this interaction with visitors.

How long have you been exhibiting at The New York Public Library? Tell me something about your past history and experiences with the branches, and how you got started?

My first visit to a New York Public Library was over 50 years ago. Now, I stop by almost every day at my local branch, the Bloomingdale Library on the Upper West Side. I had my own graphic design firm and worked as an Art Director for decades. Around seven years ago I retired and reignited my love of street photography, that I started doing in art college. My commitment to encouraging local artists to share their work with others in their communities started at this branch many years ago. I had noticed that a few libraries were having small art shows in glass cases. So I approached our library and suggested creating larger public gallery spaces for local artists to share their work and talent with neighbors. Well, one library led to another, and after all those years we were able to start large-scale exhibitions in six branches that never have had one. Now there is an endless stream of artists and photographers who participate in these programs, and that have new venues to display and share their talents with others.

The Optimist, Lobster Litter, Hit the Bullseye
[click to see larger]

Are there any new subjects in the works that you plan to show in the future?

Over the past few years I have been shooting Sanitation Department street corner litter baskets. You know, the ones that state “NO HOUSEHOLD TRASH” and “NO BUSINESS TRASH” along with a warning of a $100 fine. Well, that’s where all the weird and funny stuff lands every day and then suddenly disappears after pickups. It is estimated that there are over 20,000 of them. Imagine the endless supply of interesting and often goofy photo opportunities at my disposal (Get it?). I plan to display a new grouping of these street litter cans at upcoming shows. Maybe, someday I could have a exhibition at the Sanitation Department Headquarters. I would love that.

What Are You Reading? Sally Kohn Edition

NYPL Staff — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 09:33:57 -0400

Photo courtesy of sallykohn.com

A while back, I checked out Kick Axe, a lumberjack-themed bar in Brooklyn where you can play a modified version of darts—using axes.

Standing in the axe-throwing cage next to mine was Sally Kohn, an author and commentator who has appeared accross the news network spectrum. Her new book, The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide to Repairing Our Humanity was on its way (out today), so I thought I'd ask her:

What are you currently reading? What's up next?

I’m reading Nell Scovell’s Just The Funny Parts, which is as hilarious as its author, but also such an insightful look into misogyny in Hollywood and sexism in America in general. And did I mention it’s funny?

When I’m finished, I’m excited to get a copy of Michael Arceneaux’s forthcoming book I Can’t Date Jesus, which I expect will be a brilliant read and just the pointed memoir the world needs now.

Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, do you have a favorite? Any readers you particularly enjoy?

I’m not a huge audiobook reader honestly… is that even the right term, audiobook "reader"? Either way, honestly, my go-to audiobook is Jim Dale reading the Harry Potter series, which is our family favorite for long car trips. We’ll listen over and over again. And it was super intimidating to have Jim Dale as pretty much the only audiobook narrator example in my head when I went to go record my own audiobook. For a second, I tried to do voice impersonations too. Then I stopped. You’re welcome, listeners/audio readers.

Is there a book or other media you return to again and again?

I feel like I read and re-read Angela Davis at least once a year as a political north star, to remind me not only about what it means to be a great political writer but to be a great political leader through the written word. And there are parts of Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly that I read over and over again to keep trying and trying to weed shame out of my own mind and mindset, and the way I relate to others.

Is there a book that your daughter made you read to her so many times that you could basically do it with your eyes closed?

Roly Poly Pangolin immediately comes to mind. But she’s the kind of kid who loves to read the same thing over and over and over and over and over again. Same with movies. I can recite the entirety of Tangled in my sleep. Which hopefully will come in handy someday.

You have written for the Washington Post, USA Today, and Fox News, among others. You also have a book, The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide to Repairing Our Humanity, coming out. Can you tell us about your process when it comes to writing? Did it differ greatly when you were writing your book as opposed to writing for the papers?

I’m a creature of habit when it comes to writing. Ideally, I like to be tucked in at the same desk in the Brooklyn Writers Space where I work, listening to the same music on repeat, probably even wearing the same clothes if I could get away with it. But through op-ed writing and columns, I’ve learned to be much more adaptive. If news breaks and I have something I want to say about it, and I have a few spare moments, I’ll pound out an essay wherever I am. Once or twice, when I’ve been away from my laptop, I’ve even kicked a friend off their computer for an hour so I could churn out a quick op-ed.

Book writing has forced me to find the balance in between—it’s just so much volume that I’ve had to learn to write anywhere and everywhere, sometimes in beautiful giant blocks of solitude in the writers’ space, but sometimes in the corners and crevices between speaking gigs or TV segments.

You have written for papers and appeared on networks across the political spectrum, on Fox News, MSNBC and as a regular commentator on CNN. In your first TED Talk (see more of her TED Talks here) you spoke of "emotional correctness," a practice that allows you to engage and even be friends with people whose politics and opinions are polar opposite of your own. The subject is near to my heart, and especially important in my work as the Library is here to serve everyone, regardless of ideology.

What drives you to engage, and was there a moment when you realized how important this type of emotional correctness was or is it something you've always practiced? Do you have tips for people who are interested in how to better interact with those whose ideology does not mesh with their own?

I think the challenge of our time is to connect with others who are different than us—or maybe, more accurately, we’ve been taught by society are different, whether that’s ideology or race or class or religion. I’m not sure if we’re the most divided we’ve ever been as a nation, but I’m sure we’re more divided then we should be—or need to be. And it’s destroying us and our democracy. So I see connection as a moral and practical imperative, our duty as civic-minded people who care about our society and, supposedly, all the people in it. We have to walk that talk.

In terms of how, then, to make those connections… look, the issues and viewpoints that divide us are important, and I’d be the last person to tell anyone to abandon their core beliefs. Can we also, at the same time, recognize that we’re all more than the things we disagree on? And that no matter who you are or what you believe, you deserve to be treated with basic humanity and dignity and respect? And then the challenge isn’t to just say that sort of thing at the abstract principles level—"equality and justice for all" and such—but to actually live those principles, to look at your own life and relationships, who you’re connected to and who you are not connected to, who you treat with dignity and who you don’t, and challenge yourself to deliberately and actively do better.

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

What Are You Reading? William Schwalbe Edition

NYPL Staff — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 12:55:01 -0500

This past May I hosted William Schwalbe for an author talk at Mid-Manhattan Library. His book The End Of Your Life Book Club was a New York Times Best Seller and in his follow-up Books for Living, Schwalbe delves into which books have impacted him personally and asks the reader a familiar question, one he is fond of asking to those around him as well: “What are you reading?” In fact, when Amazon opened a bookstore around the corner from SIBL in August, the window featured this very same question as a quote:

It seemed only logical I turn it around and ask:

1. What are you reading?

I’ve just started reading Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine by Damon Tweedy.

He’s a remarkable storyteller and weaves together fascinating tales from his childhood, education, and life as a doctor—and patient. Some recent favorite books include Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti, and News of the World by Paulette Jiles, wonderful novels all. And a recent discovery is the 1947 noir novel In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes. It was made into a movie starring Humphrey Bogart. It out-noirs just about any noir novel I’ve ever read.

2. You said during your Mid-Manhattan appearance that you are a fan of audiobooks as well. Are you listening to any at the moment? Do you have a favorite one that stands out from the rest?

I’m listening now to the always astonishing Nikki Giovanni read her new book of poems, A Good Cry. And next up I’m going to listen to Ruby Dee read Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. I read this book in college but can’t wait to revisit it. Also excited to listen to the audio of George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo. And I’m embarrassed to admit this — but I listened to my own book on audio! I was astonished at what a brilliant job the reader, Jeff Harding, did. He brought out things I didn’t even know I put in there!

**3. In Books for Living you discuss the books that helped shape your life. Were there any that didn't make the cut that you'd like to give honorable mention to?**

There were so many books that didn’t make the cut. I had a whole chapter about Night by Elie Wiesel. I cut the chapter because I felt I hadn’t gone nearly deep enough. It’s a book I want to write about in the future. There’s just too much to say. Another book that I wanted to write about was The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam, a novel set in Vietnam. I could go on and on! Part of the point I wanted to make is that any book can be a “book for living” if it speaks to you or finds you when you need it.

4. You briefly left publishing to start Cookstr, a website full of recipes from cookbooks which was then acquired by Macmillan thus returning you to the publishing world. Do you cook, and if so what's your favorite thing to make?

I think the world divides fairly neatly into cooks and bakers. I’m a bit more of a baker. I particularly enjoy making bread. I’m not a great baker but I like the process, the feel of the dough. Watching it rise. But what I most love is to read cookbooks and eat food that others have made.

5. Is there a William Schwalbe cookbook in the future? Something along the lines of Dishes for Living where you go through recipes that mean something significant to your life?

Love this idea! Had never thought of such a thing but will now ponder. But I would probably want to write about meals others had cooked for me and what I learned not just from the food but from the person who made it. When you cook for people you give them far more than what’s on the plate, you give them something of yourself.

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

What Are You Reading? Bill Plympton Edition

NYPL Staff — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 15:40:39 -0500

Photo of the artist taken with his permission.

At this year's New York Comic Con I caught up with cartoonist Bill Plympton. When I was growing up I attended many animation festivals in the local independent movie theaters in my neighborhood (RIP Kim's Video) and the Plymptoons always stood out. I can still remember watching such classics as How to Kiss on a big screen, and much later rediscovering his work when a DVD I bought included Your Face. I was excited to find him at his booth, and very happy to be able to ask him:

What are you reading?

I'm just finishing up The Devil and the White City by Erik Larson. Fascinating look at a moment in the history of America where evil started coming up and also architecture was such a glorious epic because this is when the skyscrapers were beginning and architecture was going through a huge revolution. Also the invention of the ferris wheel and the invention of the hoochy coochie dance.

Is there a book or other media that you keep coming back to again and again?

One of my all-time favorite books, and obviously a lot of people have this on their list, is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I read that when I was in college and I read it two other times. It’s just continually hilarious. As you can see in my films, when I do animation, you know I love humor. The writing of it was so outrageous, so bizarre, and so original that I really loved it.

How did you feel about the movie adaptation?

Well Terry Gilliam did the movie and my problem with it was that everything in it was so weird a screwy that there was no counterbalance; there was no straight character in there. I think that’s what it lacked: it lacked a straight character. When everyone is kinda off you lose the dimension and so the humor just doesn’t come across as well.

Hey here’s Hunter Thompson now! ::I looked behind me as a cosplayer walked by dressed as Thompson followed by one dressed as Dr. Gonzo:: See it’s everywhere!

Your animation is uniquely bizarre and wonderful, do you have any artists that got you going down the path of the strange?

The traditional one is obviously Walt Disney, cause when I was a kid I loved Walt Disney and that really got me into animation. But also Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, R. Crumb, there were a lot of people who influenced me. Saul Steinberg from The New Yorker of course, Mary Blair who did Fantasia, and also NC Wyath. You could see some of his influence in some of my drawings… quite a lot. So there’s a lot of people who were really a big influence. Right now the pen and ink drawings of Goya, Roland Topor from France. There’s hundreds of them!

Did libraries play a role in life and career?

I grew up way in the woods and so I never really had much access to a library. I mean the town where I was from had a library, but I didn’t really use it because I was never in town! I was always out in the woods. I wish I could say it was a huge influence growing up, but I did do a lot of research there, the one up on 40^th street… the big one! I was a big fan of A.B. Frost. I went there to research him, he was a turn of the century cartoonist. I went through all the issues of Life, the early issues and the photographs in Life. I started cataloging all of his art and I love A.B. Frost.

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

What Are You Reading? Comic Con 2017 Edition

NYPL Staff — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 17:26:03 -0400

A Comic Con costume at Comic Con.
#Meta

I attended this year's New York Comic Con at the Jacob Javits Center. Amid the mass of cosplayers, vendors, and artists, I wandered the floor finding out what some of the notable attendees were reading:

Alex Vincent who played Andy in the movies Child's Play and Child's Play 2 among other movies (Chucky related and otherwise), just finished Jeffry Lindsay's Dexter's Final Cut and is now reading the final Dexter novel, Dexter is Dead. He's enjoyed the whole series.

Claudia Gray, author of many books including her most recent in the Star Wars universe, Leia, Princess of Alderaan is reading Alison Weir's Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World.

Brett of Cyanide and Happiness is reading The Stormlight Archive and Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Amy Wallace and Edwin Catmull.

His wife is reading Neil Gaiman's Coraline.

Derek Miller of Cyanide and Happiness is reading Tim Wu's The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads.

Dan Panosian writer and artist of the Skybound graphic novel Slots is reading Moonshine by Brian Azzarello and Criminal by Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips.

Brennan, a designer at Dark Horse, is reading all of John Cheever's short stories. She is also reading Brian K. Vaughan's Paper Girls and Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.

Andrew MacLean, author of Dark Horse's ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for the End Times, is reading library collection of Nausicaä by Spirited Away filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, and Simon Hanselmann's One More Year. He is also reading The Swords of Lankhmar by Fritz Lieber.

Carey Means, the voice of Aqua Teen Hunger Force's leader Frylock reads the Sunday comics and is currently reading scripts for his new Nickelodeon show Welcome to the Wayne.

Prolific animator Tom Cook is reading Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence by Bill O'Reilly.

Paris Themmen who played Mike Teevee in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is reading Ernest Cline's Ready Player One and Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. He just finished listening to the audiobook of James Patterson's Jack and Jill. He'd lost his voice the night before (the Con is hard on the vocal chords!) but had prepared this handy FAQ for his fans! You can see more at wonkapops.com!

Handy FAQ about his experience on the Willy Wonka set.
"Gene was very nice. I was 11 yrs. old. Filmed in Munich, GER. Chocolate river NOT chocolate. Was awesome experience!"

Finally, I caught up to John DiMaggio, voice of Futurama's Bender and countless other familiar voices at the very end of the Convention. He recently read Alan and Naomi by Myron Levoy.

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

What are you Reading? ALA Edition

NYPL Staff — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 14:08:05 -0400

At the end of June, I took a road trip from New York City to Cleveland and then on to Chicago for the American Library Association's Annual Conference. We toured a few libraries before and after, asking what people were reading along the way to compile the ALAAC17 What Are You Reading Book List!

Adam Jaenke of Cleveland Public Library is reading Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell.
Olivia of Cleveland Public Library is reading Book Thieves by Anders Reidell.
My classmate and coworker from library school Amanda Koziura of the Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University has been reading nothing but literature about digital scholarship for a book chapter she is writing. The last fun books were Carrie Fishers memoirs. "She was amazingly whitty, they are quick reads, very honest... just wonderful!" she said.
Kelly McElroy of Oregon State University Library is reading historical fiction set in Italy. At the moment it is Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant.
C. Spike Trotman of Iron Circus Comics and author of the entertaining, useful and very timely Poorcraft just finished As the Crow Flies and is currently reading theglassscientists.com web comic and Vattu by Evan Dahn.
Chloe Ramos of Image Comics is reading Rock Art of the Caribbean by Michelle Hayward. "Caribbean lithic art, especially Pre-Columbian, is my jam!"
Abraham Lincoln, AKA Kevin Wood is fittingly reading James McPherson's most recent book on civil war, as well as First French Reader by Stanley Appelbaum. "I read my own blog at Mrlincoln.com too!" he said in his best Lincoln voice.
Richard Gilman-Opalsky of University of Illinois is reading Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood with his 3rd grader.
Lauren Comito of Queens Library is reading The Life Changing Magic Of not giving a f*ck by Sarah Knight.
Christian Zabriskie of Yonkers Public Library is reading The Throwback by Tom Sharpe.
Nicole Butler from T-Mobile is reading The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan.
Katherine Donahue of Colby College is listening to The girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer. "It's read by her and it's fantastic! She said some very real things."
San Francisco City Librarian Luis Herrera is reading Five Presidents: my Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford by Clint Hill & Lisa McCubbin. "It is the best book I've read in a long time!" he said.
Ben Bizzle, CEO of Library Market is reading Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. He was also sporting some excellent #LibrarianInk with this Mary Oliver tattoo!
Our Lyft driver, Mike Reynolds, used to work doing conferences and is now a carpenter's apprentice. Well spoken, and well read, he is reading book four of Stephen King's Dark Tower series: Wizard and Glass, and is about to start book five: Wolves of the Calla.
Substance by Peter Hook says Steven Phalen from of Maricopa County Community Colleges.
Ryan Colpaert, of Mango Languages is wrapping up Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. "I'm always inspired by the person who's not the biggest and strongest but takes initiative and goes out and does it! It's OK not to be the big fish in the pond."
Andrew Hissett of Clermont County Public Library is reading Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link. "I love Haruki Murakami and David Mitchell are some of my favorites!" she said.
Leigh-Anne Yacovelli, Director of the Union Library Company of Hatborough is reading Sting Like a Bee: Muhammad Ali Vs. the United States of America, 1966-1971 by Leigh Montvill and listening to Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston and is about to start Ripper by Stefan Petrucha during her commute.
Patti McCall of Rollins College is reading The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan.
Johannes Neuer from The New York Public Library is reading How to be Danish by Patrick Kingsley.
Jodie Borgerding from Amigos Library Services and Alexis (her daughter) are reading Dragons Love Tacos and its sequel.
John Chrastka from EveryLibrary is reading Words That Work by Frank Luntz.
Erica Findley, Cataloging Meta-Librarian at Multnomah County Library is reading Librarians with Spines edited by Yago S. Cura, Max Macias and illustrated by Autumn Anglin.
Peter Stern if Valiant Entertainment "I just picked up Beren and Luthian. Christopher Tolkien released a new collection of his father's work!"
Ellen Myrick of Publisher Spotlight is reading Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari green. She is listening to Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. "My God it's good!" she said.
Vicki Williams at talonbooks out of Vancouver. Reading Anima by Wajdi Mouawad.
Dan Ramirez of Prince George Library Memorial Library System in Maryland just finished listening to The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. He is trying to get through The 80/20 Manager by Richard Koch.
Lindsey Marlo of Oregon State University Libraries is reading Limbo: Blue collar roots white collar dreams by Alfred Lubrano. "It is about stradleing the class divide from working class, families, and culture to the middle class world often resulting from a college education. The book is from 2004, and I would love to see a new updated, however all of it still applies to today. Lubrano is a journalist who is the son of a Brooklyn brick layer and tells his story along with over 100 stradlers he interviewed from all over the country. I have been reading it slowly because it is one of those books that is exceptionally meaningful to me puts a finger on a niggling feeling that had been a swirling undercurrent of my life for many years now. That feeling turned into white water rapids when I higher education a field dominated by the middle and upper class. So for me being a stradler and a first generation college graduate it is a cathardic to say the least."
After the conference we visited the Art Institute of Chicago. On the way out I noticed that there was a library inside. The Ryerson & Burnham Library is small but beautiful and at the desk K.W. said that he had finished reading Saint Joan of the Stockyards by Bertolt Brecht right before we walked in.

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

What Are You Reading? Politicians Edition

NYPL Staff — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 12:32:12 -0400

At the end of June I attended the American Library Association's annual conference in Chicago, IL. Over 20,000 librarians and others in the library world filled the McCormic Center, teaching, learning and networking at over 2,300 events and on the vender floor. In the midst of all of this I managed to conduct two short interviews with people I very much admire: the first female and African-American Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and Civil Rights legend turned Congressman John Lewis who co-authored the award winning graphic novel March.

As a Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden can't exactly answer my normal questions as they are not allowed to promote specific books. But I had to try:

What are you reading at the moment?

So I have stacks [Puts one hand about a foot above the other] and I group them: The books that are sort of related to work; the books that are fun to read that I can't quite get to; the books that are just sort of interesting... I went to Monticello recently, and I got a book about the chefs for the Whitehouse—the African American chefs—that was just fascinating, and so there's just all this stuff and it depends on what my mood is. I pick one or another up.

What was the one thing you wish they had taught you in library school that you kind of had to learn with your feet on the ground?

I had an interesting experience in library school! I was actually working in a public library when I was in school so I had the benefit of going to class and then going to work and sort of blending it, and so I found that... well there's something they can't teach you in library school, and that's how to predict the future [laughs]. You never know where your career is gonna go.

Where do you think libraries are going, speaking of the future?

Oh, well [gestures around] look at this conference! I mean [holding up my badge ribbons and indicating the first few] You're speaking here, you're serving the incarcerated, you... you know I think that the energy and synergy of the next generation librarians and library specialists tells you where it's going.

So we are the future...

Oh you guys are! I mean you're much more tech savvy than we were. Of course we were doing punch-cards.

That's true, and I couldn’t wrap my mind around those... That's pretty amazing!

We're talking 40 years ago. Apple II's. Have you ever seen one of those?

I have actually! And I used to have a Commodore 64C growing up.

Ooooh OK

Not too far from the Apple II's... well comparatively.

Well you are more tech savvy. By the time Apple II's we weren't doing, you know...

It wasn't as complicated...

It wasn't complicated at all! If I was using it! [laughs]

*At that point she saw a friend, and we left it at that.

The next day I was finishing up a panel when my friend from grad-school sent me a text that John Lewis was at the Library of Congress booth on the vender floor. I managed to get there when he was wrapping up an autograph session with artist and co-author Nate Powell.

Powell is a graphic novelist and musician. While the Congressman finished up with the last person in the line I asked:

What are you reading?

Right now I'm reading Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram Kendi. I just finished rereading Please Kill Me [by Gillian

Nate Powell's pick

McCain and Legs McNeil] and I just cracked open the biography of Joan Didion, so those are the three that are in circulation right now.

Congressman Lewis had finished up and so I asked him:

What are you reading?

There's a book that just came out about President Kennedy and Martin Luther King JR. It's Kennedy and the King and it outlines the lives of both, how one came from a very wealthy family and the other came from a middle class family. One white, one African American, and their lives came together during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. And they both led, and both inspired. I got to know them both... President Kennedy was so inspiring and uplifting, Martin Luther King JR. the same way, but they gave us hope and they both died too young.

May I ask you what the most influential book for your life's path was?

Yeah, it was a comic book! A comic book that came out in 1958 called Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Story. 16 pages, sold for .10 cents. It told the story of a Montgomery bus walk-out. Told the story of Rosa Parks and 50,000 people walking rather than riding segregated buses. It talked about the philosophy and the discipline of non-violence. It became like a roadmap... a blueprint on how to protest, how to believe in something and stand up and fight for it and - if necessary - die for it.

It was amazing speaking with them both and the conference wasn't over yet!

Hillary Clinton was the closing speaker two days later. She spoke about the first time she got a library card, how exciting it was, and how she felt like she was "being handed a passport to the world." While I wasn't able to speak with her directly, she did provide a pretty comprehensive reading list.

As a child she loved everything from Nancy Drew mysteries to Little Women to James Michener. Following her 2016 Presidential loss she found that reading had a restorative and healing effect. "I finished Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels, I devoured mysteries by Louise Penny, Donna Leon, Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd. I reread old favorites like Henri Nouwen's Return of the Prodigal Son, the poetry of Maya Angelou, and Mary Oliver, I was riveted by The Jersey Brothers and a new book of essays called The View From Flyover Country which turned out to be especially relevant in the midst of our current healthcare debate."

While her next book doesn't have a title yet, she was celebrating the new picture book edition of her 1996 book It Takes a Village.

Besides books, Clinton laid out the three reasons librarians and libraries are invaluable in our society. First off that reading changes lives. Aside for opening the world to readers she cited the benefits to brain health and education from reading in general and the empathy that reading fiction builds. Second, that libraries "are places for communities to come together." These spaces provide a place for the public to not only learn, but access information, job training and technology that may be out of reach otherwise. "As librarians," she said, "you go above and beyond every day to serve the needs of the people living in your communities." Finally she cited the need for critical thinkers. Information and media literacy, things that are increasingly needed in the age of alternative facts, are things that librarians have been teaching the public for as long as they've existed. "You are the guardians of the First Amendment and the freedom to read and to speak. I believe libraries and democracy go hand in hand."

Powerful words that we strive to live up to.

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

Olivia's 8 Hot Books for a Cool Summer

Anne Rouyer, Supervising Librarian, Mulberry Street Library — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 14:04:39 -0400

Olivia at Mulberry Street Library

Olivia is an avid reader and patron of the Mulberry Street Library. As part of a school internship program she put together this summer vacation book list and book display for the library. She is a student at Pathways Children's Services.

A little bit about me:

I ️ fashion/shopping

I ️ swimming

I dream of opening a library with a spa and boutique attached to it.

I love my mom and dad. I also love my family, cousins and last but not least, my helper Joy.

I am an only child, so I am the princess of the house. I have a dog named Ling Ling, she think's she's a princess too.

I live on the Upper East Side but I also have a summer house in Connecticut where I go on vacation.

-- Olivia

No Love Allowed by Kate Evangelista

Caleb needs a girl to take to his wealthy father's law firm parties. Preferably someone pretty enough to impress his father but who won't take it too seriously and fall in love with him. This is his last chance to prove to his father that he's mature enough to put off college. Lucky for him, Didi just got fired and is need of some cash. She promises to leave feelings out of there businness arrangement but maybe it's Caleb who should watch himself.

The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

When her grandfather falls ill, Tess is whisked off to Washington D.C. by her older sister who she barely knows. Her sister is a "fixer" for Washington's powerful, political elite and there's no problem she can't fix. When problems and dead bodies crop up at her new school and around her new friends, Tess learns that her sister's fixer skills might run in the family. If you love the show Scandalous, you'll love this! The sequel is The Long Game.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

For most of his war-torn life, Lazlo Strange, junior librarian, has dreamed of the mythical lost city of Weep but he's never been bold enough to go in search of it himself. Now his opportunity to be bold has arrived in the form of a hero named Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors. As Lazlo contemplates his quest he wonders why the Godslayer needs his help and who is the beautiful, blue-skinned girl who fills his dreams.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

In this new take on a classic tale, Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are the descendants of the infamous Holmes and Watson and attending a Connecticut boarding school. When one of their classmates turns up dead they find themselves the prime suspects in his murder. To clear themselves, they can trust no one but each other. The sequel is The Last of August.

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan

Tiny Cooper doesn't let anything stand in his way - not ex-boyfriends or homophobic coaches can stop him from living his life out loud. Here, he inparts his wisdom on growing up and his quest for love via his very own musical. Companion to Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

Dewey: A Small Town Library Cat who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

Fall in love with Dewey, who at just a few weeks old was stuffed into the return box at the Spencer, Iowa Public Library, on the coldest night of the year. Crippled with frostbitten paws, Dewey still managed to crawl his way into the hearts of the library staff and townspeople. For the next twenty years that he lived at the library, he had a knack for knowing who always needed his love most.

Stranger than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer

Four fans jokingly invite their favorite celebrity, world famous actor Cash Carter, on a cross-country road trip with them and to their astonishment he accepts. Now these friends are on a road trip of a lifetime, being hounded by paparazzi and reporters, and finding that being a celebrity is not all it's cracked up to be.

Boys of Summer by Jessica Brody

Meet the boys of Winlock Harbor. Grayson, the football prodigy, Mike, the local heartthrob and Ian, the handsome musician. Best friends since they were kids, every summer they come together for beachfront barbecues, bonfires and late night swims but this summer their loyalties and bonds of friendship will be tested to their limits.

Olivia with Mulberry Street Librarians

Anne Rouyer and Annie Lin

10 Reasons Teens Love the Mulberry Street Library

Anne Rouyer, Supervising Librarian, Mulberry Street Library — Mon, 22 May 2017 15:16:46 -0400

Teen space at Mulberry Street Library

The Mulberry Street Library opened 10 years ago in May 2007. Since then it has become a haven for teens who need a place to meet up, a place to just hang out and a place to do homework. Nestled two floors beneath street level in Soho, it is a cozy place to get away from the noise and grind of daily life in New York City. So why do teen love it today? In honor of Mulberry's 10th birthday, we asked the teens in our weekly teen lounge why they love the library and here's what they had to say (in no particular order):

1. A space just for teens (no adults allowed!)

2. Lots of computers and laptops for homework and playing computer games

3. Teen Lounge always has a good selection of snacks

4. Fun activities every week

5. Cool staff (especially Anne and Grace the Teen Librarians)

6. Close to lots of train lines - makes for easy commuting home

7. All the colorful book displays and book recommendations

8. Board games and card games to play

9. Homework help if you need it

10. Good graphic novel and manga selections

What Are You Reading? Computers in Libraries Edition

NYPL Staff — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:44:40 -0400

I presented at the Computers in Libraries conference in Arlington, Virginia this past March, and between sessions I decided to find out what people were reading.

Tim's pick

1. Tim Spalding, founder of LibraryThing: The Death of Expertise in preparation to interview Tom Nichols a few weeks later.

As a side note Mid-Manhattan library is excited to have Mr. Nichols join us on Thursday, July 6, when he will give an author talk about this book on the 6th floor at 6:30 PM.

1.5. His son was in attendance too, and was carrying a copy of The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis.

2. Bethany Leach of Recorded Books: listening to The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connolly and reading Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer which she said is terrifying but somewhat hopeful too. “They’ve done all this work to gain control, but they still don’t entirely have their way!”

3. Ann Marie S. Ruskin of SLA: The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons. Also Founding Mothers: The Women who Raised our Nation by Cokie Roberts "is excellent!" she said.

Ann Marie's pick

4. Vivian Parham of Brooklyn Public Library: Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Mission, Your Message by Tara Mohr.

5. Angie M. of Brooklyn Public Library: Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History by Bill Schutt.

6. Cameron Myers Brooklyn Public Library: David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. Also Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.

7. Roy Degler of Oklahoma State: C U Next Tuesday by Jane Mai and The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it was None of his Business which I have since discovered has been animated!

8. One of my grad-school classmates also presented at the conference: Katie Bertel of Buffalo State: The Rebel by Camus.

Katie's Pick

9. Nick Tanzi of Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library in Suffolk County, NY: The expanse: Leviathan wakes by James S. A. Corey.

10. Trey Gordner of Koios: "The City of God Against the Pagans" by Augustine of Hippo.

11. Barb R. of Novi Public Library: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. "I love it and want too see the movie now" she said.

12. Steve of the North Country Library System loves Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, and a book whose title he couldn’t quite remember about prisoners turned into vampires in Colorado. A little digging and I’m pretty sure it is The Passage by Justin Cronin.

13. Amanda Jones of Rapid City Public Library: Just starting A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan. “I love WWII books and so far this is a good one.”

Angie's pick

14. Stephen Burg of Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library: Avengers vs x-men Omnibus He had some choice words for Cyclops!

15. Janet Kowal at Connetquot Public Library: In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume. "So far so good!" she said.

16. IdaMae Craddock of Burley Middle School in Charlottesville, VA: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brandon Kiely. “It’s really good!” she said.

17. Another former classmate, Kelly Kroese of Monticello High School in Charlottesville, VA was also speaking at the conference: American Street by Ibi Zoboi "It's about a girl immigrating from Haiti whose mother is detained in NYC. The girl ends up in Detroit, the desolation of which reminds her of home" she said.

Kelly's pick

18. Malcolm McBryde at Huntington City Township Public Library in Indiana: Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson as well as Ian Rankin's latest John Rebus book, Rather be the Devil.

19. The work of Nelson DeMille was also recommended as well.

20. And as for me? I'm just now finishing the audiobook of Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation by Aisha Tyler which was so good I helplessly binge-listened to the whole thing in one day. I'm also reading the wonderfully terrible KFC novella Tender Wings of Desire by Colonel Sanders (yep... that's a thing that exists) and am about to start Margaret Atwood's Angel Catbird graphic novel series.

Bonus round: The hotel hosting the conference had this amazing bulletin board up when you first walked into the conference. What is the staff of the Hyatt Regency Crystal City reading?

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

Behind the Lens: Picture Yourself Online

Anon Cadieux — Wed, 17 May 2017 10:31:10 -0400

In July of last year, one of our librarians, Arieh Ress, started a program called “Picture Yourself Online!” in which he took headshots of patrons (and some staff too) so they would have a decent photo of themselves to use online and while job-hunting. I’ve been the program’s assistant since day one, and I sat down with Arieh and interviewed him about the program we’ve been running for nearly a year now.

What made you decide to propose this program?

I have a photography background: I’ve been messing around with cameras since I was a little kid, and spent a lot of time in my high school's darkroom. For three years I was a photo assistant in a studio in Midtown, and I took headshots on the side. So when I started working at Mid-Manhattan and saw a call for new programs I thought I could put those skills to use.

I teach several computer classes including Facebook, and I see people nearly every day using our computers who don’t have a good photo of themselves to use online. Either they don’t have a digital camera or a smartphone to take such a shot, or they don’t know how to get the pictures onto a computer or otherwise uploaded to the internet.

There was also a third category: those with the means and the knowhow, but who just don’t have anything appropriate for getting work. Working in that studio I saw a lot of models looking for jobs using club shots or poorly framed selfies, and now it’s not just models that need a photo to get a job.

I’ve seen this too in my Resume Open Labs. I was glad to see this program come together.

Right! Everybody needs a photo of themselves to get work and have a successful online life at this point. LinkedIn and other job sites have a place for a photo, and even Facebook now has a job seeking/hiring feature on it. If you don’t have a profile pic you look like you either don’t know what you are doing or don’t care. Either way you aren’t going to be considered above people who have one.

I was glad to have an assistant who understood why this was important too.

What did you expect from it when you started?

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I thought a few people might show up the first time and that it would grow from there. I thought it would mostly be regulars that came in.

Our first night we actually had pretty good numbers though. While we did have a decent patron turnout, a lot of the people who came in were our co-workers who were curious about the program. Also a request had just gone out for everyone to upload a photo to our work gmail accounts. The program was a good way to get this done.

It has taken off though. You even presented at a conference about it.

Right, I did a Cybertour at the Computers in Libraries Conference in Arlington last March. There were several people in the audience who came up after and said they wanted to try to replicate it in their systems. One was from Florida and he agreed that it’s hard to get a job, not just modeling but any job, these days without a good photo. In fact according to him —I haven’t looked into this myself—anyone looking to get a government job in his state needs a photo of themselves on a blue background, so he’s going to try to get his library to buy one and they can provide those photos. It’s neat to think we might have started something that takes off actually changes people's lives across the country! *High fives interviewer unexpectedly*

In June, I will be presenting a short session at the American Library Association’s annual conference in Chicago. I think it’s really cool that people are interested in the program. The more attention it gets the more the NYPL and libraries in general get, and that’s an excellent bonus.

What do you hope the future holds for the program?

We've sent out close to 400 photos in the eight sessions we've had so far which is pretty great. I want to keep that momentum going for sure though maybe not just in this one location. There are areas served by NYPL where many people have been left on the wrong side of the digital divide. I’d like to take the show to them: the equipment is portable enough I could bring it to the other branches and do the program there.

Maybe at first just a select few, but it would be really cool to visit every branch. I think if we played our cards right maybe a few local papers might pick up the story which would be excellent press for the program and for the library itself.

Another idea I had was a book. Library Patrons of New York or something along those lines. Headshots of willing patron participants along with a blurb about what The New York Public Library means to them.

I think it’d be pretty cool anyway, but for now I’m just happy the program has been doing well and that our patrons are finding it valuable.

Any tips you’d like to give in regards to photography or getting great headshots?

I’d say take a look at what you have around you and go from there. We bought a pop-up background for the program, but I used to take headshots of people in the park or in front of buildings or even stairwells that had interesting walls. Good lighting is key, so invest in a flash that isn’t just the one that comes attached to the camera, and get a diffuser too. If you can bounce the light it will help even things out a lot, so a flash that can be aimed in different directions and a simple reflective or even just white piece of cardboard the subject can hold to bounce light up works wonders.

The other part of it, and sometimes the longer, harder part is the post-production work. I’ve been using Photoshop for half my life, so a lot of it comes naturally to me. We do have retouching classes available in the Mac Lab on the 4th floor of Mid-Manhattan. Usually I spend about 5 minutes on a photo (sometimes less, sometimes more) getting the contrast and levels just right and getting rid of any stains or lint on their clothes. To a point anyway: if they wear something covered in stains or something I’m not going to spend too much time on it. The actually tricky part is wrinkles though: no one wants to see themselves in true high definition because unless you have a baby-face you will have some circles under your eyes and crow's-feet and such. The trick is not removing them altogether which ventures into the uncanny valley, but in lessening them without making it look weird. If I do my job right no one knows I’ve done it at all.

Picture Yourself Online! Returns in one June 7th and 12th at 7:30pm.
Come to room 101 on the first floor for your free headshot!

What Are You Reading: John Bloom/Joe Bob Briggs Edition

NYPL Staff — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 09:56:21 -0400

The latest book from John Bloom

A few months back I hosted an author talk at Mid-Manhattan Library for John Bloom's latest book Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story. It was a fascinating look at a project that few know about, but which provides a life-saving communication tool used the world over. When I chose to host the program it was due to the topic, but when I began looking into it I discovered that I actually knew about the author as well, just under his television personality's name: Joe Bob Briggs, the host of Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater on TMC and TNT's Monstervision.

Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater was The Movie Channel's highest rated show, and Joe Bob Briggs hosted it for over a decade. Just a few months after the show ended he popped up on TNT hosting Monstervision which ran for four years. He's written several books, appeared on more than 50 talk shows, and spent two seasons as a Daily Show commentator.

I grew up without cable, but whenever I was babysitting or visiting people who had it I often tuned in to the excellently campy, gory and wonderfully weird late-night movies he hosted. Needless to say I was excited to meet the man who brought such entertainment to my life, and to ask him a few questions about his reading and writing habits.

What are you reading at the moment?

Thompson's Classic

I just finished reading Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, but it wasn’t the first time I’ve read it. I consider it one of the top ten foundation works in American journalism, or at least the part of journalism that I think matters. I was asked by the Wall Street Journal to review a book called The Kingdom of Happiness: Inside Tony Hsieh’s Zapponian Utopia, by Aimee Groth, and the author claimed to be doing “gonzo journalism” in Las Vegas. She wasn’t. It turned out to be an uneven account of some privileged Silicon Valley people trying to create a mini-Brooklyn in downtown Vegas—to disastrous effect—and her approach was not at all “total immersion,” which is what gonzo requires. At any rate, I’m forced to read so much for work that there are always books that are waiting on me—what I want to be reading, as soon as I finish all the required stuff. Currently on that tantalizing waiting list are Debriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein by John Nixon, His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet, How the Hell Did This Happen?: The Election of 2016 by P.J. O’Rourke, and Buccaneer: James Stuart Blackton and the Birth of American Movies by Donald Dewey.

Up next, perhaps?

What three books (or other media) do you keep coming back to again and again?

Once every few years I read William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom!, which I consider the greatest American novel. I was an English major at Vanderbilt University, which is steeped in southern literature, so maybe that affects my biases. And like all hopelessly geeky English majors, I always return to Shakespeare and Wordsworth. One of the great things about living in New York is that you can see Shakespeare performed by great actors, the way it was intended to be experienced.

Much of your career was focused on “Drive-in Movies”. What drew you to this medium and was there one in particular that really grabbed your interest?

I have a soft spot in my heart for The Grim Reaper, about a terrifying cannibal—well, not that terrifying—who lives on a Greek island and eats tourists. It was the first movie I ever reviewed for my “Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In”

Pretty much 2016in a nutshell.

column at the Dallas Times Herald. The Grim Reaper was originally titled Anthropophagous, but it was common practice at the time to change the titles of European horror movies to make them more America-friendly when they were released in grindhouses and drive-ins. You have to remember that, at the time I started writing about exploitation movies, they were totally ignored by the mainstream press. I reviewed them at the drive-ins of the Deep South, and a gay New York journalist named Bill Landis reviewed them in the grindhouses of 42nd Street for an outlaw publication called Sleazoid Express—and we were the only two critics who paid them any attention at all. They were considered expendable trash, beneath the dignity of newspapers and other media outlets, and in fact a New York Times critic named Janet Maslin actively campaigned against them. Fortunately some very far-sighted

academics at Bowling Green State University had just invented the term “popular culture,” and over the next decade we would see the evolution in perception that persists to this day. I make movie presentations at theaters all over the country, and young people aren’t really aware of the censorship battles that had to be overcome for low-budget horror, sci-fi, action, youth comedy and martial arts flicks.

You’ve written several books on movies, and recently one on the Iridium Satellite System. You’ve also been a reporter with writing ranging from sports to movies, and you were nominated for a Pulitzer for your work on 9/11. Does your process differ greatly depending on the subject at hand?

I can’t really say it does. I’m a perfectionist, which is annoying even to me, and which is why it takes me so long to finish a project. I spend just as much time investigating the genesis of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as I do studying the radiowave spectrum so that I can speak knowledgeably and succinctly about it in Eccentric Orbits. My first job as a writer was as an apprentice at the Arkansas Democrat in Little Rock when I was 13 years old, so my teachers were a lot of chain-smoking alcoholic old school types who often lacked even a high school education, but the thing they instilled in me was, “Remember, no matter what you’re writing about, somebody out there reading it knows more about it than you do. Don’t write it until you know it.”

When you were writing Eccentric Orbits you had to read a lot of highly technical engineering documents. Did you do anything to prep yourself to digest such dense fare?

"The Greatest American Novel"

It was like being back in college. Hitting the stacks. You settled into your cubicle and you didn’t come out until you’d read and digested a certain number of pages. Fortunately some of the characters in the book were extremely smart Ph.D.s in engineering, especially Ray Leopold, the principal inventor of the Iridium system. I would frequently call Ray and ask him about some esoteric matter that had to be put into lay terms. At one point he said to me, “John, you were an English major, right?” And I confessed that I was, yes. “Well,” he said, “when I was in high school I was a science geek—all I wanted to take was science courses—but they made me take English. Then when I went to the Air Force Academy I was an engineering major, but they made me take English. Then when I went to New Mexico State for my graduate degree they made me take more English.” I finally asked him what his point was, and he said, “My point is, how many engineering courses did they make YOU take?” And he has a good point. Knowing what I know today, I should have been forced to take at least one.

Did libraries play a role in your research for your books?

Previous work of John Bloom

Yes, definitely. First of all, Rebecca Brock, the librarian for the Chapmanville, West Virginia, Public Library, has been my chief research assistant for my last three books, and that allows me to avoid Internet searches as much as possible. I think there’s an overreliance on the Web these days so we always try to go back to original source material. If we do use the Internet, it’s to locate books, articles and archives—we start out with a healthy mistrust of anything that originates online. Second, much of the material I used was released by the government pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request, and the documents were housed at the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. I spent several weeks there going through several thousand pages of documents.

What was your favorite behind the scenes moment from your shows?

As you may know, we rarely had guests on my shows—MonsterVision on TNT, and Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater on The Movie Channel—so most behind-the-scenes moments consisted of sandwiches in the break room! When we did have guests, our shooting pace slowed to a crawl and many of the actors were nonplussed by my practice of never shooting a second take. I was trying to keep a “live” feel to the show, since we were interrupting a movie, but when I would tell them, “We’re going straight through—if we screw up, we just soldier on,” they would freak out! And in many cases it was the most accomplished actors who would bristle at the no-second-take policy. If I had to choose favorite moments, though, it would be our “Scream Queens” promotions, because who doesn’t want to be surrounded by drop-dead-gorgeous actresses all day long?

What celebrities or public figures are you curious about?
Whose book list would you like to read?
Let us know in the comments!

Libraries and Debate : A Match Made in Heaven

Marianna Vertsman, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 10:24:06 -0400

On a frigid winter morning I sat down with a dedicated team of debate advocates to discuss the work of New York City Urban Debate League. Erik Fogel , League's current President, is passionate about providing access to debate for all students. Aubrey Semple, the League's Program Director, discussed the relationship between debate and democracy. Aubrey emphasized the importance of Library's resources and the necessity of learning the basics of the research process . The Program Manager, Courtney Kaufman, explained how hearing certain arguments during debates can present a student with a brand new perspective on an issue.

How did New York City Debate League originated and what makes it different ?

Erik: New York City Urban Debate League provides free debate opportunities and targeting outreach to schools that can’t afford membership in a private debate league. In 2011 only a handful of New York City’s schools had access to competitive debate. As a debate league prior to us ended its existence in 2011, school teachers got together and started New York City Urban Debate League. Originally financed by bake sales, we have been growing and are currently serving three thousand students per year. Tournaments are held almost every single weekend, with over a hundred schools in participation. Those events have hundreds of students, coaches and families in attendance.

Aubrey: The way the debating landscape works in New York City, it’s inevitable that students will interact with debate teams from various other debate leagues. For example, on the national level there is something that is called the National Forensics League, also now known as the National Speech and Debate Association. It is the highest and largest debate body in the world. When you go to the tournament, you will utilize different debate formats and you will have schools debate each other in other leagues, with other students. As part of the New York City Urban Debate League, we go to tournament with National Catholic Forensic League , National Speech and Debate Association and National Debate Coaches Association. Since everyone is debating under the same leagues, what makes us so unique, is that we have a focus on students that don’t have accessibility to competition. In tournaments you have to pay registration fees, coaching and judging fees. The cost is too large for some schools. New York City Urban Debate League allows that level of accessibility for all schools that would want to debate, but can’t afford to have that possibility.

Erik : This weekend we are going to Harvard University High School Tournament, one of the largest and most competitive tournaments in the nation. We have a travel team that provides free travel opportunities for students to compete at Harvard, Yale and Princeton. New York City Urban Debate League is creating access for all students. Another point too, is that it is not just for top students in their schools .New York City Urban Debate League is accessible for all, from students in special education to valedictorians. Every student could be a great debater and every student should be a great debater, especially today public speaking, critical thinking and public events.

In your opinion, what is the relationship between debate and democracy?

Erik: President Obama stated in his speech, that you might not know that you could be a next president or a Supreme Court Justice, until you join your school’s debate team.

Aubrey: Access! Democracy is only functional if it’s accessible to people. When you are in a totalitarian state, how can you have access to democracy? But if you can use debate ,or if you are able to have accessibility to speak on a given issue, to listen, critically examine, use it as a way to stimulate change and reform. For a student to want to say things that can change the world and add democracy to many people’s lives, it assumes that this person is trained to do so. That is where debate comes into play: you can learn the skills that are necessary to communicate, to question and to interrogate. When you get to that point where you are skillful, then the sky is the limit! We have had presidents with a major goal to spread democracy across the world. Where did they get trained? Probably on a debate team! Even President Obama argued in defense of speech and debate, as being critical for students today. Access is where our League comes into play. Sonia Sotomayor was a former debater. She got into Princeton University because she participated in debate at her school in the Bronx. She was in a National Catholic Forensic League.

Erik: That is an interesting point you raised about access, Aubrey. If she did not have a debate team, or a debate coach in her school, who knows if Sotomayor would have been the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. There are thousands of students in the Bronx, and we just have this one person, Sotomayor. How many other presidents and Supreme Court justices are we missing , because students don’t have access to those opportunities? There are kids that sit silent in a classroom, but they do have all those ideas. They want to change the world, but they don’t have an opportunity to do so. I was a teacher in the Bronx for over 10 years. I can count the number of schools on one hand that had debate teams. It’s an academic travesty, as debate is critical to democracy, to getting students into college, getting students excited about civics and becoming the next generation of leaders. A school that does not have a debate is a lost opportunity for a student who can become our next president, Martin Luther King Jr or Sonia Sotomayor.

What resources do you find helpful while preparing students for debate? How exactly do you prepare for an upcoming debate?

Erik: Top debaters use one very important resource, the Library. For example, in the Policy Debate there is one topic for the whole year. This year’s topic was U.S. China Relations and next year it’s Educational Reform. I would go through every single book in the Library, every single periodical in the Library on Educational Reform. Back in my day, l build up five or six tubs of evidence and roll them around on a dolly. In our days all this information is stored on a laptop. By reading every single perspective on a particular given topic you basically earn a Master’s Degree in High School. For Public Forum Debate the topic changes every month, so you are reading every single current event periodical .The topic guides your choice of reading. In traditional Middle School or High School students might not have the perspectives that philosophy, critical studies, feminism or ethnic studies could provide.

Aubrey: Debate is ninety present preparations, nine percent articulation, and one percent luck. The best teams are always the most prepared. Public Debate format is built for having an awareness of current events. Being able to distinguish what is good vs. bad information is key. We are going into a generation where students have to cipher through what is good vs what is bad knowledge production. Where do you get your news from? Information is the first step to a successful debate. We are in the 21^St Century, so it’s important to be familiar with how to use databases. We are trying for students to have research skills necessary for college.

Eric: As a High School debater, I remember going to a library to look at microfilm and microfiche. It was the most exciting thing to go to the library and hunt for new evidence. In this era it's just Google and that is why today libraries are so critical to debate.

Courtney: I love libraries! I have New York Public Library's card and Queens Library' cards and use them to access to all those online resources . I usually read eBooks on my phone. I love Mid-Manhattan library and I love Schwartzman Research Library, the library with the lions .

Aubrey : Some libraries are just pretty to go to. I lived in Harlem and had the pleasure and the privilege of going to Schomburg Center. If you think about academics and knowledge production, you can’t think of the greatest background to debate other that a library. In an ideal world we would have a debate club in a library. Evidence based argumentation exist for students to know how to research. High level or research skills it part of preparation for debate. Libraries and debate is like a match made in heaven! If a debate would be located in a library, the first lesson would starts here. For me it would be really inspirational, because for me it would be a right of passage for debaters - you haven’t really done the debate until you have done it in the library!

How can New York Public Library assist New York Urban Debate League?

Erik: The focus is research and that is why we are always looking for a library to host scholar’s seminars, class visits and other debate related events.

Could a specific book provide some insight on best practices in debate?

Courtney: There is no debate Bible.It just shows how interdisciplinary debate is , because we can’t really give you a single book. It all depends on what, as a debater , you want to learn.

Given the critical importance of debate to democracy and incredible benefits and opportunities it offers to the students, do you think debate should become mandatory in schools, a part of public education?

Erik: In history debate has always been mandatory. In the tradition of classical education in Ancient Greece and beyond, debate and public speaking were parts of the core curriculum. Socrates built his entire teaching philosophy on questioning and interrogation, debate and public speaking for all citizens of Athens. In every society debate should be mandatory for students and for adults.

Aubrey: It’s funny you even ask this question because our upcoming Policy Debate topic for the year is about Education Reform. What should the Federal Government fund and support, in terms of primary and secondary education? One answer is to make debate mandatory in public schools. If you are able to articulate reasons why debate is great , and if federal government , was funding it , I can assure you that we would be as competitive as many other nations in terms of literacy, and probably in other subset skills like STEM, as debate is interdisciplinary.

In fact one school, MS 50, is entirely based on debate. They pride themselves on doing debate. Debate is more popular in their school than basketball! In the structure of today’s public schools you have to worry about standardized testing. Standardized tests could be outliers and it’s difficult to just predict success based on them alone. Debate becomes supplemental to what students learn in class, or in some cases , I should say barely learn. Program like debate, for example, provide students with an opportunity to become scholars. When I was a student, I did not go to a specialized Highs School, but debate gave me the accessibility to compete and ability to understand students from others schools. Debate bridges the gap. We have the same resources and we are equal to the other teams.

Have you ever heard a debate that changed your own views on a particular topic?

Aubrey: You grow as a person, so even if you disagree, later on you keep thinking: maybe.

Courtney: Maybe when you hear the argument you have never heard before you might be thinking: I never thought about it that way, but here is a new way of considering it.

What role do volunteers play in your league?

Aubrey: First step is to judge. People tend to forget what it is the lifeblood of the League. The League does not exist without a tournament. We can’t have tournaments without judges. You can have the debaters, but then they are just talking to each other. Someone has to adjudicate the debate. If a person just wants to spend an afternoon, or a day listening to our students talk about various issues, that will make us successful league.

Erik: No experience is required! We do a judge workshop and the whole point of Public Forum Debates in citizen judges . You don’t need to be a champion debater to adjudicate a debate round. Students have to adapt to any audience and any judge . There are can be judges that are national and international debate champions or someone who’s is seeing debate for the first time. Just as it is in real life, you have to adapt to the audience. Anybody can go our website to find out about our volunteering opportunities. There is a calendar with the dates of the tournaments and anybody could get involved. Folks with debate experience can volunteer to coach.

What books are you currently reading ?

Aubrey: I just reread 1984 by George Orwell.

Courtney: I recently borrowed Concussion in an e-book format. It's written by a forensic psychologist Jeanne Marie Laskas. I like to read books about science, particularly neurology.

Erik: Whatever the debate topic is, I read. Since it’s U.S. China Relations, that is what I am reading.

On March 15, 2016 the value of speech and debate was officially recognized by the United States Senate. The Senate passed a Resolution to designate a National Speech and Debate Education Day.

All photos are courtesy of the New York City Urban Debate League and Marianna Vertsman.

NYPL Blogs: Interviews

Interview: Roman Coppola on Film, Books, & Libraries

What Are You Reading? Matt Ruff Edition

What are you reading at the moment and what was the last thing you read?

The writing bug bit you at a very young age. What was it that made you wake up and say "I want to write fiction,​" and what books (or other media) most guided you along the path?

Your latest novel, 88 Names, delves deep into the MMORPG gaming world. Was your research hands on? What game or games are you into at the moment?

You've talked about how you have enjoyed some Lovecraftian fan-fic. Do you have a favorite story or anthology of Lovecraft-lit not written by Lovecraft himself?

Growing up as an aspiring fiction author in New York, did you spend much time at the New York Public Library? Do you have a favorite branch?

Bonus question: What was your favorite 1980's Tribeca haunt?

What Are You Reading? Nataly Kogan Edition

What are you reading, and what's next?

Was there a go-to book your daughter wanted you to read to her over and over again?

You have spent years becoming a happiness expert. What book, movie or other media do you return to again and again that brings you joy?

#5 in your 40 Lessons In Happiness For My Younger Self is "Read the entire recipe before you start cooking." Both literally and metaphorically that's some very solid advice, but skewing literal: do you have a favorite dish to cook or a go-to cookbook to use? What comfort food makes you happiest?

You once Tweeted advice you'd heard that "A piece of writing is never finished, but simply delivered to a deadline" and wrote that "creating a process works better than setting a goal." What is your writing process like and what advice do you have for aspiring writers?

These are uncertain times, to say the least. You recently tweeted "3 practices that can help":

What Are You Reading? A.J. Jacobs Edition

What are you reading? What's next?

Were there go-to bedtime stories your sons made you read them over and over again, and did the twins have different favorites or did they share one?

In your most recent book, Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, you traveled around the world on a mission to thank everyone involved in producing your morning cup of coffee. What was one interesting thing you never expected to learn along the way, but did?

Does your writing process differ when approaching your books vs. the articles you have written?

What was the most bizarre/interesting thing you learned writing for Mental Floss?

Bonus Question: How does one go about renting a sheep in New York City?

What Are You Reading? Emilio Estevez Edition

What are you reading and what is up next?

When your children were little, were there books they wanted read over and over again?

You have been writing, directing and acting since your high school days. What three books (or other media) inspired you the most? Do you have a favorite role, or piece of writing or directing from your own career?

What Are They Reading? Michelle Obama Edition

What Are You Reading? Dolly Parton Edition

What are you reading at the moment or what is next on your list?

What books or other media do you keep coming back to again and again?

What book or other media most contributed to who you are and how far you’ve come?

Imagination Library is an amazing model for literacy-focused philanthropy, and you recently donated your 100 millionth book. Congratulations and thank you for this amazing feat! Can you tell us how you came up with the idea?

Do you have a go-to album (yours or otherwise) for when you curl up with a good book?

Meet the Photographer: An Interview with Ner Beck

What are some of your favorite haunts/neighborhoods to hunt for photographs?

What kind of camera do you use? Your latest exhibit just pops with color, contrast, and detail! Do you use any computer programs to enhance the effect?

What are some of the most surprising objects that you have encountered that are lost, dropped, or forgotten?

Who inspired you as teachers in your student years?

Have you ever experienced the photograph "that got away" before you could take a picture of it?

Do the faces in the photos speak to you as well? What do they say? Do they have names?

How long have you been exhibiting at The New York Public Library? Tell me something about your past history and experiences with the branches, and how you got started?

Are there any new subjects in the works that you plan to show in the future?

What Are You Reading? Sally Kohn Edition

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What are you currently reading? What's up next?

​Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, do you have a favorite? Any readers you particularly enjoy? ​

​ Is there a book or other media you return to again and again? ​

​Is there a book that your daughter made you read to her so many times that you could basically do it with your eyes closed? ​

What Are You Reading? William Schwalbe Edition

1. What are you reading?

2. You said during your Mid-Manhattan appearance that you are a fan of audiobooks as well. Are you listening to any at the moment? ​Do you have a favorite one that stands out from the rest?

3. In Books for Living you discuss the books that helped shape your life. Were there any that didn't make the cut that you'd like to give honorable mention to?

4. You briefly left publishing to start Cookstr, a website full of recipes from cookbooks which was then acquired by Macmillan thus returning you to the publishing world. Do you cook, and if so what's your favorite thing to make?

5. Is there a William Schwalbe cookbook in the future? Something along the lines of Dishes for Living where you go through recipes that mean something significant to your life?

What Are You Reading? Bill Plympton Edition

What are you reading?

Is there a book or other media that you keep coming back to again and again?

How did you feel about the movie adaptation?

Your animation is uniquely bizarre and wonderful, do you have any artists that got you going down the path of the strange?

Did libraries play a role in life and career?

What Are You Reading? Comic Con 2017 Edition

What are you Reading? ALA Edition

What Are You Reading? Politicians Edition

Congressman Lewis had finished up and so I asked him:

Olivia's 8 Hot Books for a Cool Summer

10 Reasons Teens Love the Mulberry Street Library

What Are You Reading? Computers in Libraries Edition

Behind the Lens: Picture Yourself Online

What Are You Reading: John Bloom/Joe Bob Briggs Edition

Libraries and Debate : A Match Made in Heaven

The writing bug bit you at a very young age. What was it that made you wake up and say "I want to write fiction," and what books (or other media) most guided you along the path?

**Your latest novel, 88 Names, delves deep into the MMORPG gaming world. Was your research hands on? What game or games are you into at the moment?**

Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, do you have a favorite? Any readers you particularly enjoy?

Is there a book or other media you return to again and again?

Is there a book that your daughter made you read to her so many times that you could basically do it with your eyes closed?

2. You said during your Mid-Manhattan appearance that you are a fan of audiobooks as well. Are you listening to any at the moment? Do you have a favorite one that stands out from the rest?

**3. In Books for Living you discuss the books that helped shape your life. Were there any that didn't make the cut that you'd like to give honorable mention to?**