The James Beard Foundation and the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) have selected these books about food, cooking, baking, wine and spirits, and literary food writing as award winners.

Arthur Schwartz’s New York City Food: an Opinionated History and More Than 100 Recipes

Rich Stein’s Complete Seafood

A Blessing of Bread: Recipes and Rituals, Memories and Mitzvah by Maggie Glezer

John Ash Cooking One on One: Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food from a Master Teacher

What We Eat is a 13-episode series that aired on public television in 2002. It explains how and why certain foods have become staples of our national diet. Along with the historical perspective, the show includes video and analysis of how these items are produced by both large and small American companies today. Hosted by Burt Wolf, the 4-DVD set contains one disc devoted to Old World Influence, African Influence, Native American Influence, and Spanish Influence.

Kevin Boyle, the 2004 winner of the National Book Award for Nonfiction, can be seen on local Community Television Network Channel 17 next week, speaking on his book Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age. A professor of history at Ohio State University, Boyle’s book is a probing, riveting account of the murder trial of Dr. Ossian Sweet, one of the significant chapters in the early Civil Rights movement and race relations in Detroit. Professor Boyle spoke at one of the library’s 'Sunday Edition' programs earlier this year. The program can be seen on September 20 (3:30 p.m.),September 22 (1:30 p.m.), September 23 (5:00 p.m.) and September 24 (1:30 p.m.) The National Books Award Foundation lauded 'Arc of Justice' as ‘a history that is at once an intense courtroom drama, a moving biography and an engrossing look at race in America in the early 20th Century.’ A DVD of the program is also available from the library.

Calling all Bonnie Raitt fans: Time to put a hold on her new CD, "Souls Alike," which is coming out this week. Soon it will be available at the library. Can't wait to hear songs including "I Will Not Be Broken," "God Was In the Water," and "The Bed I Made." I've been a Raitt fan since 1972, when her first album, "Give it Up" came out.

This Monday afternoon, while driving to work, I heard an interview on Terry Gross’ Show FRESH AIR with Sonny Rollins. Rollins, who turned 75 last week, lived a few blocks from the World Trade Center and was there when the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred. On the show he talks about his new album, Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert, the attacks and the death of his wife Lucille. The Play Ground is pleased to announce that the University Musical Society is featuring ”An Evening with Sonny Rollins” on Saturday October 1, 8pm at Hill Auditorium.

Publisher's Weekly calls Mike Tidwell's 2003 Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun Coast a "lyrically intense travelogue". But it also sounds a clear warning: "...hundreds of Louisiana towns and cities, all just a few feet above sea level, lie increasingly prone to that deadly wrecking ball of hurricane force known as the storm surge. Coastal wetlands, it turns out, provide more than just a critical nursery for shrimp, crabs and fish. Every 2.7 miles of marsh grass absorbs a foot of a hurricane’s storm surge, that huge tide of water pushed inland by the storm’s winds.

If you’re standing at a traffic light or driving around Ann Arbor, crank up the CD Between Here and Gone, by Mary Chapin Carpenter. The entire collection is good, but one of her best songs is “Goodnight America,” with the memorable traffic lyric: “The noise, the heat, the crush of cars just robs me of my nerve/Then someone yells and blasts their horn and pins me to the curb.” Is she singing about Ann Arbor? No, east LA, but this CD will keep you good company anywhere.

Four years after the 9-11 attacks, Hollywood appears ready to tackle the subject with several feature films in the works.

What many don't realize is that Spike Lee's film, 25th Hour, powerfully commented on the post 9-11 world just one year after the attacks. Based on the book by David Benioff, Lee's film follows Monty Brogan, played to perfection by Edward Norton, as he lives his last day as a free man before heading off to serve a seven-year jail term for drug dealing. Although the film's plot has little to do with the events of 9-11, the heart of the film really has everything to do with life after 9-11. This is especially evident in an important scene in which two main characters discuss Monty's fate as they sit in an apartment with a large window overlooking The Pile.

The library's collection also includes several documentaries that deal with 9-11 in some form or another, including Nine Innings from Ground Zero, WTC: the First 24 Hours, and 9/11.

Late Registration by Kanye West is this week's no. 1 hit on the Billboard 200 chart. His 2004 debut The College Dropout opened at the no. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. Kanye West has been in the news lately with his comments against the president, George W. Bush during the NBC Universal Hurricane Katrina telethon. Kanye West is also embroiled in a lawsuit with a Chicago D.J. over an alleged forged recording agreement.

The Play Ground is on its toes this week because there are so many dance events on the horizon. Flamenco Michigan featuring Peter Suarez and many local artists will be at the Kerrytown Concert House on September 14 at 8pm. Suarez has performed with the
Gypsy Kings, at Radio City Music Hall and is a regular with the Metropolitan Opera.
In addition, the Artichoke Dance Company of New York City will present an evening of intimate dances for small spaces on Monday, September 12 at Canterbury House. The company is known for its daring and energetic dancing. Wait, there's more: The Mark Morris Dance Group will be at the Power Center on September 16 and 17. Once considered the bad boy of modern dance, Morris is now an influential choreographer.