Author talk examines the power of stories in all cultures
COEUR d'ALENE - Libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide are celebrating National Library Week, a time to highlight the value of libraries, librarians and library workers.
The Coeur d'Alene Public Library is celebrating National Library Week, April 13-19, with activities for all age groups: a poetry slam, a book-building project for families, and a presentation by a respected scholar and author, all in addition to the library's regular schedule of programs.
Libraries today are more than repositories for books and other resources. Often the heart of their communities, libraries are deeply committed to the places where their patrons live, work and study.
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries across the country each April.
Throughout the week, patrons of all ages can pick up a "Library Passport" at the checkout desks and fill it out by visiting different spots throughout the building. Turn in your completed passport to be entered in a drawing for books and DVDs for preschoolers, children, teens and adults.
Author and scholar Rodney Frey will speak on the importance of storytelling in all cultures April 17, at 7 p.m. in the Community Room.
Frey's program, sponsored by the Library Foundation and in conjunction with the StoryCatcher Project at the library, is also presented in remembrance of Cliff SiJohn and the elders of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.
"Re-Telling One's Own: the Power of Story to Create the World" is the title of the program.
Frey acknowledged his indebtedness to those who have retold the cherished oral traditions and have perpetuated the Indian way of life. In his presentation he will share the five great teachings he has learned from the elders: the value of collaboration, the value of giving back, the value of an indigenous perspective and heart knowledge, the value of cultural property rights, and the value of story.
Frey is director of General Education and professor of Ethnography at the University of Idaho. He has been working collaboratively with the tribes of the Plateau and northern plains on various applied projects for 40 years.
Among his primary teachers are Tom and Susie Yellowtail (Crow), Lawrence Aripa (Coeur d'Alene), Josiah and D'Lisa Pinkham (Nez Perce), Alvin Howe (Crow), Rob and Rose Moran (Chippewa and Warm Springs), and Cliff and Lori SiJohn (Coeur d'Alene and Cayuse).
Among his publications, co-authored with the Coeur d'Alene, are "Stories That Make the World: Oral Literature of the Indian Peoples of the Inland Northwest," "Landscape Traveled by Coyote and Crane: The World of the Schitsu'umsh - Coeur d'Alene Indians," and "Schitsu'umsh: Lifelong Learning Online."
This program is also made possible through the support of the Idaho Humanities Council, the state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
* Poetry Slam scheduled for April 14
Get ready to RUMBLE! Or maybe that should be "rhymeble."
Local poets will go head-to-head April 14 at 7 p.m. in the library Community Room. The doors open at 6:30.
The rules: Each poem must be the poet's original work. Each poet gets three minutes (plus a 30-second grace period) to read one poem. If the poet goes over time, points will be deducted from the total score. The poet may not use props, costumes, or musical instruments.
Prizes will be awarded in children's, teen and adult categories. For more information contact Laura Jenkins, Young Adult Coordinator, at (208) 769-2315 Ext. 469 or email [email protected].
* Families invited to Build-A-Book event
The Seagraves Children's Library will host a Build-A-Book family event in honor of National Library Week on April 16, 4-5:30 p.m.
This is a creative program in which a family writes, illustrates and constructs a book through a combined effort. For this event the book "What Happens When ..." by Delphine Chedru will serve as the model.
According to the publisher, bestselling graphic designer Chedru encourages the early reader to imagine what happens to all sorts of things that have disappeared out of sight.