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Author Event | Ebony Roberts: The Love Prison Made and Unmade: My Story
Author Ebony Roberts is joined by Ashley Lucas, Director of the Prison Creative Arts Project at the University of Michigan, for a discussion of Ebony's new memoir, The Love Prison Made and Unmade: My Story. As a little girl growing up in Detroit, Ebony witnessed her parents’ brutal physical fights, often fueled by her father’s alcoholism. Her experiences as a child shaped her views on love and set the pattern for her future romantic relationships. She found herself drawn to men who cheated; verbally abused her; and disappointed her.
When she met Shaka Senghor, a man in prison for second-degree murder, she felt an intense spiritual connection, but struggled with the idea that this man behind bars could be the love God had for her. Ultimately she ignored other people’s fears and took a chance. Through letters and visits, they fell deeply in love. Once Shaka came home, they thought the worst was behind them, but Shaka’s release was the beginning of the end.
The Love Prison Made and Unmade is heartfelt. It reveals powerful lessons about love, sacrifice, courage, and forgiveness; of living your highest principles and learning not to judge someone by their worst acts. Ultimately, it is a stark reminder of the emotional cost of American justice on human lives—the partners, wives, children, and friends—beyond the prison walls.
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Author Event | Jill Grunenwald: Reading Behind Bars
Author Jill Grunenwald reads from her new book Reading Behind Bars: a True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian. After graduating with a Masters in Library and Information Science, Jill returned to Northeast Ohio and took a job as a librarian at an all-male, minimum security prison on the far west side of Cleveland. Reading Behind Bars is the true account of her experiences there.
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AADL Board Meeting - January 21, 2020
This is where you can watch the January 21st, 2020 Meeting of the AADL Board of Trustees.
For more information, see the Board Packet for this Meeting.
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Desserts by Decade: The Dirty 30s with Keegan Rodgers and Patti Smith
Join us for the latest installment in a new series on the history of desserts by decade. This month, we will discuss the 1930s!
The decade began with people driving custom convertible Packards and sneaking sips of "giggle juice" (hopefully not at the same time!) and ended with Hoovervilles and Apple Annies drinking "dog soup". People might not have had a lot of dough but they still could make, well, dough! Get the lowdown on some keen recipes from the 1930s with Lakehouse owner/baker Keegan Rodgers and hear about national and local history from historian/writer Patti Smith. Learn how to make a treat from the era while enjoying stories about happenings at the local and national scene. It's the bee's knees!
This event was in partnership with The Lakehouse Bakery.
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The Art of Voice Over & Performance Capture with Debra Wilson
Actress and comedian Debra Wilson is perhaps best known as the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series MADtv, appearing for the show's first eight seasons. With numerous guest star appearances in both network comedy and drama series’ and a score of independent films, she has more recently found success in the realm of voice over and motion capture for television, film, and video games.
Join Debra as she returns to AADL to discuss the art of voice over, performance capture, and the proactive inner faith that has sustained her in her career.
Her first project in the area of motion capture was as the prototype model for ‘Ney’tiri,’ played by Zoe Saldana, in James Cameron’s Avatar. Her voice over work began much earlier: as a narrator for E! Entertainment celebrity specials, and then into animation for television and film, ADR & looping, network announcing, radio commercials, books on tape, theme park attractions, and a wide range of video games. She has worked on well over fifty video games to date including five different World of Warcraft games, God of War, Final Fantasy XV, Mafia III, Gears of War 4, Telltale: The Walking Dead- The Final Season, several Call of Duty games, Telltale: Batman, and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.
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Legacies Project Oral History: Alice Sano
Alice Sano was born in 1929 in Los Angeles, California. When the U.S. entered WWII, her family was forced to move to an internment camp along with other Japanese immigrants. Eventually her father secured a job teaching Japanese to army military intelligence students at the University of Michigan, and they moved to Ann Arbor. Sano majored in music theory and cello at the U-M School of Music, and dedicated her career to teaching music.
Alice Sane was interviewed by students from Skyline High School in Ann Arbor in 2018 as part of the Legacies Project.
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Legacies Project Oral History: Richard Nowland
Richard Nowland was born in Ann Arbor in 1932. He grew up on Eighth Street. He recalls family stories about Lower Town, including his Irish ancestor Andrew Nowland who settled in Ann Arbor in the 1820s. After serving as a social worker in the U.S. Army, Nowland returned to Michigan and got his master’s degree. He was a counselor at Washtenaw Community College and a principal at Clague Middle School for twenty years.
Richard Nowland was interviewed by students from Skyline High School in Ann Arbor in 2018 as part of the Legacies Project.
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Legacies Project Oral History: Shirley (Rusty) Schumacher
Shirley (Rusty) Schumacher was born in 1930 in Detroit. She remembers war bonds, scrap drives, and special manufacturing during World War II. She attended William and Mary College and received two master’s degrees in speech and education from the University of Michigan. Schumacher spent most of her career as a teacher at Clague Middle School. In 1985 she founded a student exchange program with Ann Arbor’s sister city, Hikone, Japan. She led a year-long stay there in 1992-93.
Shirley (Rusty) Schumacher was interviewed by students from Skyline High School in Ann Arbor in 2018 as part of the Legacies Project.
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Legacies Project Oral History: Alma Wheeler Smith
Alma Wheeler Smith was born in 1941. She recalls attending Civil Rights meetings in Ann Arbor with her parents. Her father Albert H. Wheeler was the first African American mayor of Ann Arbor (1975-78). Smith worked for nearly a decade as a TV producer before becoming a politician. Smith (D) served in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Michigan delegation from 2005-2010 representing the 54th District. Prior to her tenure in the U.S. House, Smith served in the Michigan Senate representing the 18th District from 1995-2002.
Alma Wheeler Smith was interviewed by students from Skyline High School in Ann Arbor in 2018 as part of the Legacies Project.
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Legacies Project Oral History: Ruth Zweifler
Ruth Zweifler was born 1929 in Palisades, New Jersey. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College, and converted from Judaism to Quakerism. Since the 1960s, she has been active in Civil Rights, anti-war, and anti-Zionist protests, including a sit-in at Ann Arbor City Hall protesting residential segregation. In 1975, Zweifler co-founded the Student Advocacy Center of Michigan, and she was Executive Director for nearly 30 years.
Ruth Zweifler was interviewed by students from Skyline High School in Ann Arbor in 2018 as part of the Legacies Project.