Literary Calendar
Events for February, 2010
Integration in Charlottesville: Big Read Exhibit
Sunday January 3, 2010 - Sunday February 28, 2010
Jefferson-Madison Regional Library - Central Library
201 E Market Street map it
Charlottesville, VA 22902This event is part of The Big Read.
EXHIBIT:The Year the Governor Closed the Schools: Integration in Charlottesville. The exhibit is part of The Big Read. Central Library: Jan 2 - Feb 28. Grant Wiggins, narrator of A Lesson Before Dying, teaches at a segregated school in Louisiana. This exhibit was originally created by the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society to mark the 40th anniversary of the year that the Cville City Schools closed rather than integrate.
Crozet Library: Monday Evening Book Club
Monday February 1, 2010
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Crozet Branch, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
5791 Three Notch'd Road map it
Crozet, VA 22932In celebration of The Big Read in Virginia, a book discussion of A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. The story of two African American men struggling to attain manhood in a prejudiced society, the tale is set in Bayonne, La. in the late 1940s. It concerns Jefferson, a mentally slow, barely literate young man, who, though an innocent bystander to a shootout between a white store owner and two black robbers, is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, and the sophisticated, educated man who comes to his aid.
Poetry Contest: Young Adult Program
Monday February 1, 2010 - Sunday February 28, 2010
Jefferson-Madison Regional Library - All Branches
Charlottesville, VA 22901Submit a written poem (no more than three minutes long when read aloud) on themes from A Lesson Before Dying such as family, justice or community. At least ten finalists will get the chance to perform in front of an audience and judges including Ebony Walden of 'Wordsmith Poetry'. Forms are available at all branches. Poetry can also be emailed: shamfeldt@jmrl.org Northside Library: Mon, Mar 29, 6:30 Finalists will read their poems.
Virginian Western Community College Big Read Kickoff
Monday February 1, 2010
10:00 AM
Virginia Western Community College, Brown Library
3095 Colonial Ave SW map it
Roanoke, VA 24015
Virginia Western Community College Big Read Kickoff. For more information, call 540-857-7303 or 540-857-6326 or visit bigreadroanokevalley.org
Book Launch Party for "Finding Sara: A Daughter's Journey"
Tuesday February 2, 2010
6:30 AM - 7:30 AM
Fountain Bookstore
1312 East Cary Street map it
Richmond, VA 23219Journalist Margaret Edds reads from and signs her new book, Finding Sara: A Daughter's Journey, based on research and letters to and from her mother who died in 1950, when the author was 3.
Gordon Ave. Library - Live Poets Society
Wednesday February 3, 2010
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Gordon Avenue Branch, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
1500 Gordon Avenue map it
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Come read and share original poetry.
Greene County Library: Book Discussion Group
Thursday February 4, 2010
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Greene County Branch, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
222 Main Street map it
Stanardsville, VA 22973Book discussion of Remembering the Bones by Frances Itani. Georgie Witley accidently drives her car off the road on her way to the Ottawa airport, and as she lies stranded and injured, she reflects on the people and events in her life while she struggles to survive.
Thursday February 4, 2010
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
The Library of Virginia
800 E. Broad St. map it
Richmond, VA 23219Book launch party for Lillian Lambert's The Road to Someplace Better: From the Segregated South to Harvard Business School and Beyond. Lillian was first black female to earn MBA from Harvard. Read more at www.lillianlincolnlambert.com.
Gordon Ave. Library - Literary Masterpiece Book Group
Friday February 5, 2010
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Gordon Avenue Branch, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
1500 Gordon Avenue map it
Charlottesville, VA 22903Book discussion of Death Comes for the Archbiship by Willa Cather. In 1851 Father Jean Marie Latour becomes Apostolic Vicar to New Mexico, and over the next forty years he faces the lawlessness and loneliness of the frontier as he tries to spread his faith.
Author Book Talk on "Finding Sara: A Daughter's Journey"
Friday February 5, 2010
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Richmond Public Library (Main Branch)
101 E. Franklin Street map it
Richmond , VA 23219Journalist Margaret Edds discusses and reads from her new book, Finding Sara: A Daughter's Journey, based on research and letters to and from her mother, who died in 1950 when the author was 3.
VCU Libraries Black History Month Lecture
Tuesday February 9, 2010
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
W. E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts
922 Park Avenue map it
Richmond, VA 23284
"Fifty years after the student-led sit-ins - Where are we now?" Free and open to the public. Parking is available for a fee in the West Main Street and West Cary Street parking decks. If special accommodations are needed, please call (804) 827-1165 or (804) 827-1163 prior to Feb. 5, 2010.
Anxiety of Erasure: Trauma, Authorship, and the Diaspora in Arab Women's Poetics
Tuesday February 9, 2010
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
145 Ednam Drive map it
Charlottesville, VA 22903VFH Fellow Hanadi Al-Samman, assistant professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the University of Virginia, will discuss her research on Arab women's literature of the European and North American diaspora.
Gordon Ave. Library - Wednesday Night Book Group
Wednesday February 10, 2010
7:30 PM - 8:45 PM
Gordon Avenue Branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional LIbrary
1500 Gordon Avenue map it
Charlottesville, VA 22903Book discussion of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. 40 years after the disappearance of Harriet Vanger from the secluded island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger family, her octogenarian uncle hires journalist Mikael Blomqvist and Lisbeth Salander, an unconventional young hacker, to investigate.
Wednesday February 10, 2010
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Northside Branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
300 Albemarle Square map it
Charlottesville, VA 22901Self-expression features prominently in the Big Read's A Lesson Before Dying. Join Kevin Quirk for a memoir writing workshop to unlock your own stories. Mr. Quirk is a successful local author who also teaches writing classes through the University of Virginia's continuing education program. Space is limited. To sign up, please call Northside Library at 434-973-7893 starting January 27th.
Friday February 12, 2010
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Northside Branch, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
300 Albemarle Square map it
Charlottesville, VA 22901
Noon Notes will be Fridays at noon before each Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra subscription concert weekend. Make the most out of each orchestra concert. Noon Notes offer an illuminating and thought-provoking exploration of the season's programs. These entertaining lectures by Music Director Kate Tamarkin offer both novice and experienced patrons a deeper appreciation of the performances. Feb 12: Heartland of Europe
Northside Library: Wednesday Night Book Group
Wednesday February 17, 2010
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Northside Branch, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
300 Albemarle Square map it
Charlottesville, VA 22901In celebration of The Big Read in Virginia, a book discussion of A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. The story of two African American men struggling to attain manhood in a prejudiced society, the tale is set in Bayonne, La. in the late 1940s. It concerns Jefferson, a mentally slow, barely literate young man, who, though an innocent bystander to a shootout between a white store owner and two black robbers, is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, and the sophisticated, educated man who comes to his aid.
Wednesday February 17, 2010
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Harrison Institute, Small Special Collections Library UVA
Charlottesville, VA 22903The public is invited to a presentation by Deborah E. McDowell, Dir of the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American & African Studies on the themes explored in A Lesson Before Dying. Hosted by the Harrison Institute and the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library.
Central Library: Brown Baggers Book Group
Thursday February 18, 2010
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
J-MRL Central Library
201 E. Market Street map it
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Book discussion of A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. The story of two African American men struggling to attain manhood in a prejudiced society, the tale is set in Bayonne, La. in the late 1940s. It concerns Jefferson, a mentally slow, barely literate young man, who, though an innocent bystander to a shootout between a white store owner and two black robbers, is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, and the sophisticated, educated man who comes to his aid.
Thursday February 18, 2010
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Crozet Branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
5791 Three Notch'd Road map it
Crozet, VA 22932Laura Anderson, author of An Anatomy of an Execution: The Life and Death of Douglas Christopher Thomas, recounts her experience as a spiritual advisor to the last juvenile offender executed in Virginia. This is a program of the J-MRL Big Read.
Miles of Smiles: Years of Struggles
Thursday February 18, 2010
7:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, Central Branch
201 E Market Street map it
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Paul Wagner will lead a discussion of this film which he produced and directed. Film featuring an oral history of the Pullman porters examining their history and lore, and their organization of America's first African American labor union; produced independently in cooperation with the Smithsonian Office of Folklife Programs, with a grant from the D.C. Community Humanities Council; national broadcast on PBS, four regional Emmy Awards, Cine Golden Eagle, American Film Festival Blue Ribbon, Mill Valley Film Festival, INPUT International Public Television Conference, Cinema du Real (France), Flaherty Film Seminar, Telluride Film Festival.
Gordon Ave. Library - Literary Masterpiece Book Group
Friday February 19, 2010
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Gordon Avenue Branch of the Jefferson Madison Regional Library
1500 Gordon Avenue map it
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Discussion of "Antony and Cleopatra" by William Shakespeare. A magnificent drama of love and war, this riveting tragedy presents one of Shakespeare's greatest female characters—the seductive, cunning Egyptian queen Cleopatra and the Roman leader Mark Antony who is a man torn between pleasure and virtue, between an empire and love.
An Expendable Man: the Near Execution of Earl Washington
Saturday February 20, 2010
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Northside Branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
300 Albemarle Square map it
Charlottesville, VA 22901
Author Margaret Edds discusses her book and the case of Earl Washington, Jr, a mentally retarded man wrongfully convicted of rape and murder in Culpeper, who spent almost 18 years in prison (9 on death row) before being exonerated.
World Peace Game: Sneak Preview
Sunday February 21, 2010
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Paramount Theater
215 E Main St map it
Charlottesville, VA 22902This film by local director Chris Farina interweaves the story of John Hunter, a teacher in Charlottesville, with his students' participation in an exercise called the World Peace Game. World Peace Game shares many themes with A Lesson Before Dying, such as education, equality, and tolerance. Tickets required and are available at the Paramount Box Office at 434 979-1922 or www.theparamount.net. This is a J-MRL Big Read program.
Nelson Memorial Library: Brown Bag Book Club
Monday February 22, 2010
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Nelson Memorial Branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
8521 Thomas Nelson Highway map it
Lovingston, VA 22949Book discussion of The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard. Chronicles the 1914 expedition of Theodore Roosevelt into the unexplored heart of the Amazon basin to explore and map the region surrounding a tributary called the River of Doubt, detailing the perilous conditions they faced.
Serpents of Fire and the Winged Cherubim: Biblical Images of the Supernatural
Tuesday February 23, 2010
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
145 Ednam Drive map it
Charlottesville, VA 22903VFH Fellow Kristin Swenson is the author of Bible Babel: Making Sense of the Most Talked About Book of All Time and associate professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her talk will be based on her most recent work investigating the biblical language and imagery of supernatural beings such as angels, Satan, and the seraphim in the Bible.
Everybody Reads: A Lesson Before Dying
Thursday February 25, 2010
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Charlottesville High School - Black Box Theater
Charlottesville Performing Arts Center, 1562 Dairy Rd map it
Charlottesville, VA 22903Hear the story come alive as local celebrities read passages from the Big Read in Virginia's A Lesson Before Dying. Reception follows.. Hosted by the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
HBO's Adaptation of A Lesson Before Dying
Saturday February 27, 2010
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Northside Branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
300 Albemarle Square map it
Charlottesville, VA 22901"Books on the Big Screen." View the HBO Film adaptaton of the Big Read in Virginia's A Lesson Before Dying, starring Don Cheadle, Cicely Tyson, and ekhi Phifer. Free. This is a program of the J-MRL Big Read.
Nature Writing One-Day Seminar
Saturday February 27, 2010
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
WriterHouse
508 Dale Ave map it
Charlottesville, VA 22902
This workshop examines what counts as "natural" before introducing exercises like paying attention to sound, representing an environment in flux, and turning nature writing cliches on their heads. The day will culminate in, with luck, an outdoor session in which students will observe their surroundings and incorporate the techniques we've worked on. Useful for those involved in many genres, including poetry and nonfiction, and for creative writing beginners.Cost: $55 members & $60 nonmembers. Visit www.writerhouse.org or call 434.296.1922 for more information.
Jazz and Justice: A River of Words and Music Collide
Sunday February 28, 2010
4:00 PM
Jefferson Center Rehearsal Hall
541 Luck Ave SW map it
Roanoke, VA 24016
An inspired mix of musical performance and electric literature by Maestro David Stewart Wiley and Tracey Cowden at two grand pianos; Julee Hickcox at flute; and T.J. Anderson III reading his poetry. Music includes selections from Joplin and Gershwin and more musicial surprises. Reception follows. Tickets required; limited seating. $20 ($5 for students). Call 804-345-2550 or visit bigreadroanokevalley.org.
