Tuesday, May 29 | 7:00-8:30 PM | Downtown Library | Multipurpose Room

It’s strawberry time! Join Ecology by Design owner William Kirst as he kicks off Strawberry Week with an exploration of one of the world's most amazing fruits.

With his unique sense of humor and palpable love of all things botanical, William will trace the strawberry from ancient Rome, through extensive breeding over 3 continents and hundreds of years, over wild berry patches to manicured gardens, bringing us to an understanding and appreciation of the strawberry in our own lives.

Ecology By Design's mission is to promote the growth of sustainable communities through ecological education and the design and installation of beautiful, functional, and highly productive perennial landscapes. The company provides landscape design, garden creation, ecological restoration and consultation focusing on building home landscapes that support the ecology of the Ann Arbor region.

We are excited to announce the Call for Makers for the 4th Ann Arbor “Mini” Maker Faire, to be held Saturday June 2, 2012, at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Faire features exhibits and activities in robots, green tech, science, radio, rocketry, unusual tools/techniques, fixing and/or taking things apart, and other areas, all with an emphasis on “do it yourself.” Last year’s Faire drew over 1,400 people to engage in activities such as learning to solder and silk screening t-shirts, and saw exhibits such as hearing the neural activity of a cockroach leg, a giant “Simon Says” game, a DIY satellite to test an ion engine in space, pop-up books with a master of paper folding, gigantic vortex cannon, robots galore, computer vision, and much more.

Apply now to be an exhibitor! Additional information and an online application form are at http://www.a2makerfaire.com. The application deadline is May 13, 2012.

The Faire is free to exhibitors and visitors alike. It is organized by the group a2 geeks (http://www.a2geeks.org), a newly organized Ann Arbor area non-profit foundation promoting the informal technology cuA2 MMFlture in the greater Ann Arbor area. The Faire is a local, community version of the major Maker Faires in the Bay area and in New York City.

The mission of the Ann Arbor Mini Maker Faire is to present interesting or unique exhibits, individuals, and demonstrations in DIY science, technology, engineering, and art that excite, motivate, and educate. The emphasis is on cool things, skills, and knowledge. As a shorthand, the exhibits should be the kind of thing you’d see in Make Magazine.

If you haven't made plans for Friday, May 11th, or even if you have, check out Breakin' Curfew a show produced by Neutral Zone teens. Talented teens from all over southeast Michigan will be taking the stage at the Power Center. Performances by singer songwriters, string musicians, poets, fiddlers, hip hop artists, and violinists are not to be missed. Put together by creative hard-working teens all year, who have said, 'the show this year will be, unpredictable, remarkable, and unforgettable.'
May 11, 8 pm, at the Power Center.

Need something to do Wednesday nights this summer? Why not try playing the fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons? Local comic and gaming shop, Vault of Midnight, sponsors a weekly game called D&D Encounters which has a new season starting May 16th.

The “Dungeon Master” and other players are always welcoming to help newcomers get into the game, and the library has everything you’ll need to create a character: Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms and Heroes of the Fallen Lands have all the information needed to create your own human wizard, dwarf cleric, elf ranger, halfling thief, and many more.

Bruce Conforth, professor of American Culture at the University of Michigan and former curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has won the 2012 Golden Apple Award. The Golden Apple is given each year to an instructor who "strive[s] not only to disseminate knowledge but to inspire and engage students in its pursuit." Students nominate and vote on which professor should win the award, focusing on teachers who bring subjects to life and make learning a process in which everyone is involved.

Bruce shared some of his expertise with us last year when participating in Freeing John Sinclair. Bruce hosted our panel discussion with members of the Hill Street commune/Rainbow People's Party and brought both a depth of knowledge and an ability to keep the conversation accessible for those unfamiliar with the time period. Bruce also did a podcast on the topic with us, putting the John Sinclair Freedom Rally into context both within Ann Arbor and the larger cultural atmosphere of the early 1970's.

Mike Derhammer's class at Ann Arbor Open spent this winter interviewing family members and thinking about funny and interesting things that they have experienced. Then they selected one story for us all to enjoy! Storytelling is so much a part of who we are, that sometimes it's fun and enlightening to just stop and listen to each other's tales. We hope you enjoy these stories as much as we did! You can see below what time in the recording a particular student's story comes up.
Happy listening!

The Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts will be having its 20th Anniversary Benefit Gala on Saturday, May 12th at the Michigan Theater. There are two events to which the public may purchase tickets. The first is the gala, which will begin at 2:00 p.m. and will have music, cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets for this event also include admission to the concert that will take place after the gala at 3:30 p.m. The concert will feature performances by the Junior String Orchestra, the Sterling String Orchestra, and the Youth Symphony Orchestra. The concert will feature classical works by such composers as Vivaldi, Haydn, and Holst, as well a selection from The Dark Knight among other selections.

Date: Saturday, May 12th
Time: 2:00 p.m. –VIP Reception
3:30 p.m.—Concert
Place: The Michigan Theater
Tickets: Gala and concert--$125.00
Concert only-- $10.00 for adults
$5.00 for students and children

Monday, May 7 | 5-8 PM | Roos Roast - 1155 Rosewood St Suite B Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Local cartoonists and writers, here’s your chance for a little international comics exchange at the first ever KRCC Cross-Cultural Exchange hosted by Kids Read Comics Celebrations! A group of Australian cartoonists will be passing through the SE Michigan area, and they agreed to make a stop in Ann Arbor to meet up with area cartoonists for some drawing and conversation. We’ll be joined by:

· Pat Grant
· Ben Hutchings
· David Blumenstein
· Sarah Howell
· Gregory Mackay
· Michael Hawkins
· John Retallick

Roos Roast has generously offered us their studio space for the meetup. It’s the best coffee in town, and a terrific meeting space, so a good time is sure to be had!

Bring your favorite drawing supplies and let’s make some comics international style!

dia

Join AADL and YDL Sunday April 29 for Día from 1:30-4:30 downtown. There will be super-fun crafts for kids to make; tasty refreshments and we'll feature the festive sounds of Mariachi Mexico 2000, so come on down! This event is for all ages to enjoy, and parking is free on Sundays. ¡El Día de Los Niños, El Día de los Libros!

The Ann Arbor Young Actor's Guild will present a lively adaptation of Mark Twain's classic book on April 27 and 28. Twain's book tells the story of Hank Morgan, the quintessential self-reliant New Englander who brings to King Arthur’s Age of Chivalry the “great and beneficent” miracles of nineteenth-century engineering and American ingenuity. Through the collision of past and present, Twain exposes the insubstantiality of both utopias, destroying the myth of the romantic ideal as well as his own era’s faith in scientific and social progress.

Mark Twain first published his novel in 1889. Since then, this famous story has been adapted many times. In A Knight in Camelot Whoopi Goldberg plays a computer scientist whose computer malfunctions. This causes her to be sent back in time with her laptop. She uses the device to amaze the court of the 6th-century English King Arthur and his court.

It has been said that If Mark Twain were alive today, he'd probably be publishing interactive novels on the Web. Like many people of his time, he embraced new technological developments and saw them as a measure of human potential. But Twain was also keenly aware of the limitations of technology, as he shows in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.