Blog Post
Stories from Inside Iran
by emilyas
In Weekend Edition earlier this month, NPR interviewed the author of the new book, "Prisoner of Tehran : a Memoir." The author, Marina Nemat, talks about how she was almost executed in Iran, but was saved by a man who required her to marry him and convert to Islam. Listen to the NPR interview and check out the book here at the library.
Blog Post
K-12 Educators: Get a classroom ePal
by jillean
Looking for a safe and educational online environment for kids? Want to introduce your students to other cultures, the fundamentals of letter writing, and the joys of friendship? Why not get a pen pan? Wait, make that an e-Pal. ePals is the largest online classroom community. It provides a safe way for students to email other children around the world. Currently there are 191 countries, 7 million students and 123,851 classrooms trading short stories, practicing language and literacy skills and swapping classroom videos. Classrooms must register as a group. Join in!
If you prefer more traditional modes of correspondence, check out our books on letter writing for kids.
Messages in the Mailbox: How to Write a Letter
Putting it in Writing
Sincerely Yours: How to Write Great Letters
The Young Writer’s Handbook
Blog Post
Get into the spirit of National Poetry Month!
by emilyas
Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Get into the spirit with NPR's selection of poems (a new poem is added every other day!). Or try your hand at writing a limerick or haiku. You might also want to check out Poets.org to look up poets by state (such as "Drum" by Michigan's Philipe Levine).
Blog Post
Stories From the Sky
by emilyas
One of the latest additions to NPR's StoryCorps is the story from a flight attendant who took to the skies in the 1940s and loved every minute of her job. Read more about flight attendants in Georgia Panter Nielsen's From Sky Girl to Flight Attendant.
Blog Post
Raves for Jeff Daniels on Broadway
by Debbie G.
A rave review from none other than Ben Brantley of the New York Times for Jeff Daniels performance in the Broadway play, Blackbird, "a drama that promises to be the most powerful of the season." The New York Times is available full-text online via the AADL Research database page.
Blog Post
Neal Shine Dies
by Debbie G.
One of the greats in Michigan journalism died today. Neal Shine started at the Detroit Free Press "as a copyboy in 1950 and by 1995 had carried the titles of reporter, city editor, managing editor, senior managing editor, columnist and publisher." In his 45 years, Mr. Shine stood up for the common man and stood up to those who would take advantage of the common man. His leadership in covering the Detroit riots of 1967 earned the Freep a Pulitzer. Hail to the Irish poet-scribe.
Blog Post
Dogs About Town
by Sancho Panza
Portable dogs have increased in popularity, no longer residing solely under the arms of old ladies who wear costume jewelry and fur coats. Referred to as “woman’s best friend” in a recent New York Times article, pocket-sized dogs have become ubiquitous among young female celebrities, often appearing in matching outfits, poking their tiny heads out of designer bags. Tinkerbell Hilton, a Chihuahua, even has his own entry on Wikipedia.
Lest you miss out on the trend, we have you covered: projects for crafty owners skilled with needles, Dog is my Co-Pilot, a compilation by the editors of trendy dog magazine, BARk, and, for pocket-sized people (kids!), try Pocket Dogs by Margaret Wild. And, of course, there’s always local retailer, Dogma Catmantoo for all your persnickety pooch’s particulars.
Blog Post
Music Resources on the Radio and the Library
by Robb
Here in Ann Arbor we have an abundance of musical resources available.
I'm mostly interested in Traditional music that’s often labeled Folk Music. Some of my favorites on radio include Folks Like Us with host Matt Watroba on WDET 101.9 FM, Saturdays from 11a.m to 2 p.m. and The Folk Tradition on WKAR-FM 90.5, every Sunday at 6:00 p.m. hosted by Bob Blackman. There's also a multitude of great music shows on the U of M student run station WCBN 88.2 FM (limited broadcast range of 200 watts). I especially enjoy their "The Down Home Show" when Tex is the host. It's obvious that he enjoys presenting the music. It's on Saturdays Noon to Three.
Don't forget the Ann Arbor District Library has at all Library locations an excellent collection of cd's of all types of music for customers to take home and enjoy.
Blog Post
A great weekend watch!
by AnnaMarieSS
Boondock Saints is a great movie for anyone who enjoyed Pulp Fiction, or my personal favorite, Reservoir Dogs. This strangely religious tale is about two brothers who kill two mofia "bad guys" in self defense, and are seen as heroes. They then see it as a calling by God and start killing off mofia members one after another. Willem Dafoe play the detective trying to catch these killers, however the closer he gets to catching them, the more he starts to believe they may be doing the right thing. If you are looking for a thrilling and thoughtful movie to watch, I would suggest you give this one a try!
Blog Post
Fresh Air Picks from the Week of May 22nd, 2006
by nosch
Award-winning Australian novelist Peter Carey has a new novel out, called Theft: A Love Story. Publisher's Weekly calls it "a magnificent high-stakes art heist wrapped around a fraternal saga." Carey has already won the Booker Prize twice, for Oscar and Lucinda and True History of the Kelly Gang. Listen to the review on Fresh Air here.
You may know Leonard Cohen from his music, but he's also been writing poetry for over fifty years. On Monday, he spoke on Fresh Air about his new volume of poetry, Book of Longing. Listen to the piece on Fresh Air here.
Prolific country music singer and songwriter Willie Nelson also has a new book out, called The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart. Also, check out the two-disk set The Essential Willie Nelson or Willie Nelson's Greatest Hits (and some that will be). Listen to the piece on Fresh Air here.