Sunday, November 4 | 1:00-3:00 PM | Downtown Library | 4th Floor Meeting Room

Join "Ozone Jones" creator Michelangelo Cicerone, learn more about comic jams and then, take part in a comic jam!

Michelangelo will point out analogies to jazz/music, the difference between jams and collaborations, and will also demonstrate some techniques involved in participating and continuing jams. Comic jams are a great tool for honing both illustration and storytelling skills, while also offering an opportunity for the artist to interact with other artists without the more formal aspects of collaboration!

Join the Forum to get fresh ideas for your next comics or graphic novel creation. Drawing are provided, so drop in to draw, learn, and network with other cartoonists.

Saturdays, November 3 and November 17 | 2:00-3:30 PM | Traverwood Branch

Head to the Library for some space to work on your novel for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Hurry - the novel has to be finished by November 30!! AADL provides the space - YOU provide the creativity! What are you waiting for? Join the Write-Ins! Another Write-In will occur at the Traverwood Branch on Sat., Nov. 17. Then come to the TGIO (Thank God It's Over) Celebration with author Lara Zielin on Sat., Dec. 1!

National Novel Writing Month is a non-profit event that encourages teens and adults to tackle the challenge of writing a novel during November. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved. For more information about NaNoWriMo, visit nanowrimo.org.

The audio edition of Chuck Greaves' mystery series debut Hush Money * * is not to be missed.

Performed by Dan Butler - actor/director with TV credits for Frasier, Monk, House, and film credits for The Silence of the Lambs and Enemy of the State, it captured perfectly, the wisecracking Jack MacTaggart and the Southern California setting.

When Hush Puppy, Pasadena socialite Sydney Everett's champion show horse, dies under suspicious circumstances, junior lawyer Jack MacTaggart is assigned to handle the insurance claim. But the case soon takes an unexpected turn, thrusting Jack into a spiraling web of blackmail and murder in which he finds himself both the prime suspect and the next likely victim.

Winner of the SouthWest Writers (SWW) grand-prize Storyteller Award for 2010 and the Best Mystery of 2010, former LA trial lawyer Greaves "cleverly intermingles equestrian show jumping, insurance claims, and high-tech science in this sunny California thriller" in Hush Money.

The humor will please fans of Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie series, and Robert B. Parker's Spenser fans will find MacTaggart a new hero to root for.

* * = starred reviews

Saturday, October 27 | 2:00-3:30 PM | Traverwood Branch

If you've ever thought about writing a novel, here's your inspiration: NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)!

Join us for the big Kick-off Party, hosted by the local NaNo liaison Eric Foldenauer! This event includes refreshments - so come and enjoy and get your creative juices flowing as we begin this extraordinary month! Meet other local writers to inspire you to face the challenge!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a non-profit event that encourages teens and adults to tackle the challenge of writing a novel during the month of November. Participants begin writing on November 1 with the goal of writing 50,000 word (approximately 175-page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

NaNoWriMo writing sessions will be held at Traverwood Branch during November – but get a head start and celebrate with this great kick-off party.

This event is for adults and teens (grade 9 and up).

Everyone's favorite suave secret agent, James Bond, is headed back to the big screen with the upcoming release of Skyfall. The new flick stars Daniel Craig in his third outing as Bond, alongside a killer cast including Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem as the newest Bond villain, and Ben Whishaw in his debut as the gadget-master Q. The flick, which continues to dig into Bond's origins as seen previously in 2006's Casino Royale, has been receiving early critical acclaim as one of Agent 007's best. Opening in theaters everywhere November 9, Skyfall happens to come out exactly 50 years after the original Bond movie, Dr. No, which starred Sean Connery in 1962.

But before Skyfall arrives in theaters, AADL's collection offers plenty of ways to celebrate Mr. Bond's big birthday--and another even bigger 007 milestone. WhilJames Bond: Daniel Craig as James Bond.e Bond may be 50 in movie years, he's existed on the printed page for almost 60. Casino Royale, the original Bond story by Ian Fleming, was published in 1953 and is available via the AADL catalog. Fleming went on to write 14 James Bond books. His final one, Octopussy and The Living Daylights, was published in 1966, two years after his death. Fleming's series has been followed by numerous additional Bond books by authors including Jeffery Deaver, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, and Charlie Higson (who wrote the Young Bond series for teens).

And for those looking to get caught up on the movies, AADL has Bond flicks from the original Dr. No to 2008's Quantum of Solace. For true devotees, try the original 1967 film adaptation of Casino Royale, a wacky spoof of spy films with an all-star cast including David Niven, Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, George Raft, and Jean-Paul Belmondo.

The 1990 Oscar-nominated film, Berkeley in the Sixties (not rated) recaptures the exhilaration and turmoil of the student protests that shaped a generation and changed the course of America.

The film interweaves the memories of fifteen former student leaders - who grapple with the meaning of their actions - with thousands of historical clips and hundreds of interviews. Ronald Reagan,

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,Huey Newton, Allen Ginsberg, and the music of Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, and the Grateful Dead bring that tumultuous decade back to life.

This film directed by Mark Kitchell, received the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Documentary in 1990.

A post-film discussion will include a panel of current student activists responding to the film. Cosponsored by the University of Michigan Community Scholars Program.

Thursday, October 25, 6-8:30 PM @ the Downtown AADL. Grade 9 - Adult.

Award-winning poet Douglas Nicholas beautifully evokes 13th century England in his debut novel Something Red *, " a haunting story of love, murder, and sorcery. "

It was the coldest winter in memory, Mistress Molly, a traveling Irish healer must find shelter in the Pennine Mountains for her troupe before heavy snow set in. They sought refuge in a monastery where they first became aware of the presence of a mysterious evil force. There they met fellow travelers both humble and high-born, and soon realized that danger was lurking around them. Nothing was as it seemed, and the journey for survival was as magical as it was perilous.

"An intoxicating blend of fantasy and mythology, Something Red presents an enchanting world full of mysterious and fascinating characters - shapeshifters, sorceresses, warrior monks, and knights, where no one is safe from the terrible being that lurks in the darkness".

"Nicholas puts his flair for language and imagery to good use in his atmospheric first novel....A wickedly clever and evocative combination of history, horror, mystery, and magic."

* = starred review

Wednesday October 24 | 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm | Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room | Grade 6 - Adult

It's the week before Halloween! Paranormal investigators Motor City Ghost Hunters (MCGH) give a special presentation about paranormal investigations, technological advances, research, and some history of local hauntings.

They will present some of their best visual and audio evidence and share information on proper investigative techniques and available paranormal investigative equipment.

Based out of the metro-Detroit area, Motor City Ghost Hunters investigate throughout Michigan, as well as the country. Using scientific methods (and no cost to their clients), the team proves or disproves hauntings and sightings in residential and commercial buildings, as well as historical sites.

This event is for adults and teens (grade 6 and up).

Look here to learn more about ghosts and ghost hunters.

If you find yourself often asking people to repeat what they just said to you, or if you are bothered by an airy ringing between your ears, you will find it helpful to attend this talk on hearing loss. On Wed., Oct. 24 at 7-8:30 pm, at Malletts Creek Branch, Ben Wightman, UM Audiologist, will discuss problems with hearing, how to preserve and protect one's hearing, personal amplification, tinnitus, as well as various assistive devices related to audiology. This event is co-sponsored by the UM Council for Disability Concerns as part of the Council's Investing in Ability Week. For more information call 734-327-4555.

Tuesday, October 23 | 6:30-8:30pm | Malletts Creek | Grade 6th-Adult

Come take a stab at hand sewing and jazz up your ipod, MP3 player or phone. Using colorful felt, embellishment items, and embroidery thread, you’ll create a one-of-a-kind cozy to keep your ipod or MP3 player protected with a handmade case for it. All supplies are provided, and we’ll have patterns and samples to get you going. Feel free to bring your device if you want to test out your design and make sure it fits.

To keep the craft going, check out some books on hand sewing or felt fun. See you there!