February 2009 Programs and Exhibitions at Brooklyn Public Library

Press Contact:
Malika L. Granville, Marketing & Communications Associate
Brooklyn Public Library
Phone: 718.230.2211
m.granville@brooklynpubliclibrary.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 2009 Programs and Exhibitions at Brooklyn Public Library

(Brooklyn, NY) January 7, 2009- Celebrate Black History Month with Brooklyn Public Library. BPL has programs and activities that the whole family is sure to love. All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.


Black History Month Events

Black History Online
Learn how to find useful information online during Black History Month.
Tuesday, Feb 10, 11:30 AM
East Flatbush Library, 9612 Church Avenue, 718.922.0927
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2 PM
Jamaica Bay Library, 9727 Seaview Avenue, 718.241.3571

Black History Trivia Contest
Calling all trivia lovers! Here's your chance to test your knowledge of African American facts. You could win a prize!
Tuesday, Feb 24, 4 PM
Stone Avenue Library, 330 Powell Street, 718.485.8347

Black History Month Film Series
Watch and discuss an entertaining and thought provoking film.
Mondays, 1 PM
Eastern Parkway Library, 1044 Eastern Parkway, 718.953.4225

Brooklyn Sings, Brooklyn Swings: Buyu Ambroise
Visit www.smarttix.com to purchase tickets.
Ambroise combines traditional Afro-Haitian beats with the smooth improvisational grooves of enticing bass lines, melodic brass solos and piano explorations in the styles of American jazz greats such as John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter.
Thursday, Feb 5, 7 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Brooklyn Sings, Brooklyn Swings: Chanda Rule
Visit www.smarttix.com to purchase tickets.
Vocalist Rule performs a broad range of material drawn from African, African American, Caribbean and Latin American sources.
Thursday, Feb 12, 7 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Sheepshead Bay Racetrack and the Birth of a Black Community
In celebration of Black History Month, Brooklyn Collection Librarian June Koffi presents an illustrated talk on the history of the racetrack and the community that grew up around it.
Wednesday, Feb 25, 7 PM
Central Library, Brooklyn Collection’s Reserve Room, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Melvin Blackman
Meet Blackman, author of Urban Suicide: The Enemy We Choose Not To See, who discusses new and thought-provoking insights into the drug crisis affecting the African American community.
Thursday, Feb 12, 6:30 PM
Flatbush Library, 22 Linden Boulevard, 718.856.0813

Philip Dray
Dray's book, Capitol Men: The Epic Story of Reconstruction Through the Lives of the First Black Congressmen, celebrates groundbreaking African Americans like Robert Smalls and Robert Brown Elliott who were elected to Congress.
Sunday, Feb 15, 1:30 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Brooklyn Independents: 50 Years of Black Literary History
Groundbreaking authors discuss their literary lives. Amiri Baraka founded Totem Press in 1958. Ed Bullins won his first Obie Award in 1975. Elizabeth Nunez won the American Book Award in 2001.
Wednesday, Feb 18, 4 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Letters from Black America
Author Pamela Newkirk fills a literary and historical void by presenting African American experience through the heartfelt letters of people who lived through pivotal events, from slavery to the wars in Iraq.
Saturday, Feb 21, 4 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Steal Away: The Living History of Harriet Tubman
New Perspectives Theatre recreates the life of Tubman, from her childhood in slavery to her adult work championing freedom, with live actors, puppets and music.
Saturday, Feb 7, 1 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Black History Month Biography Scavenger Hunt
During the month of February, take part in our Biography Scavenger Hunt. Answers will be revealed on February 28. If you answer all the questions correctly, win a prize!
Tuesdays, 9 AM
Windsor Terrace Library, 160 East Fifth Street, 718.686.9707

Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit: Spirituals for Voice and Piano
Soprano Sibongile Boyd sings spiritual compositions by Harry Burleigh (Deep River), Hall Johnson (His Name So Sweet) and Betty Jackson King (Ride Up in the Chariot).
Saturday, Feb 28, 4 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

FOR ADULTS

Classes & Workshops
Internet Class
Learn to search the internet. Basic computer knowledge required.
Monday, Feb 2, 9 AM
Greenpoint Library, 107 Norman Avenue, 718.349.8504

Computer Basics Class
Learn basic skills. No experience necessary.
Monday, Feb 2, 10 AM
Brower Park Library, 725 St. Marks Avenue, 718.773.7208
Tuesday, Feb 3, 12 PM
Registration Required
Sunset Park Library, 5108 4th Avenue, 718.567.2806
Wednesday, Feb 4, 11 AM
Saratoga Library, 8 Thomas S. Boyland, 718.573.5224
Wednesday, Feb 4, 1 PM
Central Library, Room 216, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100
Thursday, Feb 5, 1:30 PM
DeKalb Library, 790 Bushwick Avenue, 718.455.3898
Wednesday, Feb 11, 10:30 AM
Crown Heights Library, 560 New York Avenue, 718.773.1180
Thursday, Feb 19, 1:30 PM
DeKalb Library, 790 Bushwick Avenue, 718.455.3898
Monday, Feb 23, 10 AM
Brower Park Library, 725 St. Marks Avenue, 718.773.7208
Monday, Feb 23, 1 PM
Central Library, Room 216,Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100
Wednesday, Feb 25, 10:30 AM
Crown Heights Library, 560 New York Avenue, 718.773.1180

Microsoft Word Class
Learn to create documents. Basic computer knowledge required.
Monday, Feb 2, 2 PM
Central Library, Room 216, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Computer Basics Class in Chinese
Learn basic skills. No experience necessary. Registration required.
Wednesday, Feb 4, 1 PM
Sunset Park Library, 5108 4th Avenue, 718.567.2806

Meet the Grantmaker: Brooklyn Arts Council
Join us as the staff of the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) answers questions about funding for the arts and how to apply for a BAC grant. BAC takes a leadership role in creating an environment conducive to the arts by providing grants, resources and other activities that support and encourage the arts.
Thursday, Feb 5, 2 PM
Central Library, Second Floor Meeting Room, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Microsoft Word Class in Russian
Learn to create documents. Basic computer knowledge required.
Friday, Feb 6, 11:30 AM
Mapleton Library, 1702 60th Street, 718.256.2117

Book Swap
Saturday, Feb 7, 3 PM
Greenpoint Library, 107 Norman Avenue, 718.349.8504

Resume Workshop
Learn the basics of writing a resume and brush up on your interviewing skills.
Monday, Feb 9, 11:30 AM
Clarendon Library, 2035 Nostrand Avenue, 718.421.1159

Russian Poetry Club
Enjoy an afternoon of music and literature with poets Felix Gurt and Yulia Belotserkovskaya and bard Vladimir Ponomarev.
Saturday, Feb 21, 1:30 PM
Kings Bay Library, 3650 Nostrand Avenue, 718.368.1709

Access New York Online Class
Learn about this helpful resource.
Tuesday, Feb 24, 11:30 AM
Canarsie Library, 1580 Rockaway Parkway, 718.257.3547

STEP Career and Job Development Workshop
Information for job seekers.
Tuesday, Feb 24, 1:30 PM
New Lots Library, 665 New Lots Avenue, 718.649.0311

One-on-One Computer Basics in Chinese
Learn basic skills in a one-on-one environment. No experience necessary. Registration required.
Wednesday, Feb 25, 1 PM
Sunset Park Library, 5108 4th Avenue, 718.567.2806


Exhibitions

All exhibitions run January 14- April 4 at Central Library, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Beautiful Brooklyn • by Lucille Nurkse
Collages that celebrate the city.
Grand Lobby

Public Spaces, Private Places • by Richard Lubell
Prints depicting the human pageant and the timeless cycle of the seasons, as lived in the streets and parks of Brooklyn.
Grand Lobby

Beyond the Words: Author Portraits • by Carl Köhler
(Opens February 2)
A retrospective of portraits by this Swedish artist and sculptor, including Samuel Beckett, Jean Cocteau, Günter Grass, Franz Kafka, Henry Miller, Joyce Carol Oates, Virginia Woolf and others.
Foyer Cases

reIMAGination • by Cecile Chong
Encaustic painting, which uses melted wax and resin, and mixed media juxtapose images from vintage children's books and other found and original images to address the process of cultural assimilation and the development of individual identity.
Youth Wing

The Artist’s Book: Exploring Text, Image and the Life of the Page • by Katie Baldwin, Lindsey Mears and Katie Murken
(Opens February 2)
Artist’s books that use printmaking techniques and photographic processes.
Second Floor Balcony Cases


Film Screenings

Russian Film Series: Propaganda Cartoons
Oleg Sulkin, film critic for the New York Russian-language daily newspaper Novoye Russkoye Slovo, introduces Soviet propaganda cartoons of the 1960s and 70s. This event is in Russian.
Wednesday, Feb 25, 7 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Reel IMPACT: (Important Motion Pictures and Critical Thinking)
Eve’s Bayou
Free movie and documentary screenings followed by dialogue.
Saturday, Feb 7, 1 PM
Macon Library, 361 Lewis Avenue, 718.573.5606

Reel IMPACT: (Important Motion Pictures and Critical Thinking)
Boys Don’t Cry
Free movie and documentary screenings followed by dialogue.
Saturday, Feb 21, 1 PM
Macon Library, 361 Lewis Avenue, 718.573.5606


Music, Dance & More
Classical Interludes: Sweet Plantain
This string quartet specializes in genre-blurring original compositions and arrangements, as well as contemporary works by Latin American composers. Its unique style fuses Latin, classical, jazz and improvisational forms.
Sunday, Feb 1, 4 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Classical Interludes: The Academy
Musicians from The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education—perform a program of chamber music.
Sunday, Feb 8, 3:45 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Rick Shaw, The One Man Band
Enjoy this musical performance.
Wednesday, Feb 11, 3 PM
Mapleton Library, 1702 60th Street, 718.256.2117


Brooklyn Sings, Brooklyn Swings: Lauren Hooker
Visit www.smarttix.com to purchase tickets.
Hooker has been compared to Dianne Reeves, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington. She is also an instrumentalist, composer, lyricist, producer and storyteller.
Thursday, Feb 26, 7 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Readings & Discussions
Julie Salamon
Author and journalist Salamon follows Maimonides Medical Center for a year in Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids in order to portray how medical care is delivered in America today.
Sunday, Feb 1, 1:30 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Cosmopolis: Immigrant Writers in New York City: Colum McCann
WNYC’s Leonard Lopate interviews McCann, who reads from his novel Zoli, based on the life of the Polish gypsy poet “Papusza,” who lived through most of the 20th century.
Saturday, Feb 7, 4 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Jeffery Renard Allen
Allen is the author of Harbors & Spirits, a collection of poems, and a novel, Rails Under My Back, which won the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Fiction.
Sunday, Feb 8, 1:30 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Literary Wednesday: State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America
Rick Moody and Matt Weiland read essays they contributed to State by State, a book featuring original reporting and memoirs that capture the 50 states in our time.
Wednesday, Feb 11, 7 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

An Afternoon of Love Poetry
Medgar Evers College students and faculty share poems of love gained, lost and imagined.
Saturday, Feb 14, 4 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100


FOR KIDS

Groundhog Day Celebration
Monday, Feb 2, 1 PM
Kensington Library, 410 Ditmas Avenue, 718.435.9431

Family Movie Night
Enjoy a free film screening. Call for title.
Tuesdays, Feb 3 & 17, 5:30 PM
Clarendon Library, 410 Ditmas Avenue, 718.435.9431

Family Story Time
Saturday, Feb 7, 2:30 PM
Mill Basin Library, 2385 Ralph Avenue, 718.241.3973

Dance, Dance Revolution & Double Dutch
Dance, jump rope, eat snacks and make lanyards!
Monday, Feb 9, 4 PM
Coney Island Library, 1901 Mermaid Avenue, 718.265.3220

Valentine's Day Arts & Crafts
Thursday, Feb 12, 4 PM
Brower Park Library, 725 St. Marks Avenue, 718.773.7208
Thursday, Feb 12, 4 PM
Homecrest Library, 2525 Coney Island Avenue, 718.382.5924

TV, Jazz & Sounds
Jazz for Kids takes you on an imaginary journey with sounds made by their instruments, as well as playing well-known TV and movie themes to show how sound adds to what you watch.
Saturday, Feb 21, 1 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Puppetry in Practice: Adventures of Anansi the Spider
A storyteller tells the tale of Anansi the Spider, whose efforts to trick his friends backfire.
Saturday, Feb 28, 1 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718.230.2100

Story Play with FirstRIF
Play with toys and hear stories with babies and toddlers, birth to age 5. Also earn free books by reading! See your librarian for details.
Tuesdays, 11 AM
Bushwick Library, 340 Bushwick Avenue, 718.602.1348

FOR TEENS
Anime Movie
Enjoy a free film screening. Call for title.
Mondays, Feb 2 & 23, 3:30 PM
Clarendon Library, 410 Ditmas Avenue, 718.435.9431

Resume Workshop
Learn the basics of writing a resume and brush up on your interviewing skills.
Monday, Feb 9, 4 PM
Clarendon Library, 410 Ditmas Avenue, 718.435.9431

College Preparation Workshop
Learn about the best websites to help students prepare for the college application process. Students and parents are welcome!
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2:30 PM
Mapleton Library, 1702 60th Street, 718.256.2117

Manga Mania
Draw manga and submit your work for display.
Thursday, Feb 12, 4 PM
Brownsville Library, 61 Glenmore Avenue, 718.498.9721

Anime and Manga Club
Read, watch and discuss your favorite anime, manga and graphic novels.
Thursday, Feb 12, 4 PM
Spring Creek Library, 12143 Flatlands Avenue, 718. 257.6571

Valentine's Day Arts & Crafts
Thursday, Feb 12, 4 PM
Kensington Library, 410 Ditmas Avenue, 718.435.9431

Music Appreciation
Listen to and learn about different kinds of music with friends.
Friday, Feb 13, 4 PM
Greenpoint Library, 107 Norman Avenue, 718.349.8504

Anime & Manga Club
Join our discussion of your favorite anime and manga titles.
Thursday, Feb 19, 4 PM
Crown Heights Library, 560 New York Avenue, 718.773.1180
Tuesday, Feb 24, 4 PM
Brower Park Library, 725 St. Marks Avenue, 718.773.7208
Thursday, Feb 26, 4 PM
Spring Creek Library, 12143 Flatlands Avenue, 718. 257.6571

Tween Time
Hang out and enjoy books, games and music.
Thursday, Feb 26, 4 PM
Brower Park Library, 725 St. Marks Avenue, 718.773.7208

Please be advised that programs are subject to change, therefore we suggest calling ahead.
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Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is an independent library system for the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest library system in the United States with 60 neighborhood libraries around the borough. BPL offers free programs and services for all ages and stages of life, including a huge selection of books in more than 30 languages, author talks, literacy programs and public computers. BPL’s eResources, such as eBooks and eVideos, catalog information and free homework help, are available to customers of all ages 24 hours a day at our website: www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.

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Brooklyn Public Library is an independent New York City library system serving the borough of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest in the United States. Its Central Library, Business Library, and 58 neighborhood libraries offer free information, programs and computer access to people of all ages. You can reach the Library's resources of over 70 reference databases, catalog information and news 24 hours a day at www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org