Poetry & Light - Wednesday, December 16th at 7PM

Over the past few months, we have been having a wonderful time reading, sharing, and discussing poetry in our new program, One Page Poetry Circle, led by discussion leader Madge McKeithen, faculty member of The Writing Program at The New School. And whether you can recite Mary Oliver and Robert Frost in your sleep, or you feel that poetry oftentimes has you intrigued but a bit bewildered, I have no doubt that you will find our poetry circle a wonderful way to explore this unique literary form. Reading poetry aloud can be an enlightening experience and sometimes makes all the difference in one's interpretation of the writer's words. You will find a very welcoming and encouraging setting, and it will leave you with inspiration to browse our amazing poetry collection and check out some new authors.

For each session, we will always have a theme to guide you in your selections. Simply bring along a single page of poetry (by an established poet) that means something to you - perhaps a poem that you remember from childhood, one that you find interesting or unusual, or one that you might not quite understand. Everyone has an opportunity to read and share their choices with the group, and then we'll have some lively discussions about them. It's a great way to discover new writings, hear others' thoughts, and share your own.

Mark your calendar for our next session:

Wednesday, December 16 at 7 PM
Poetry & Light

Also, check out the following online resources for further inspiration when choosing your poem:

The Academy of American Poets (www.poets.org)
You can browse for poems by specific subject, read about your favorite american writers, and find essays on topics such as poetry & music, form & technique, and how to read a poem. Click here for some Poetry & Light suggestions.
The Poetry Foundation (poetryfoundation.org)
Use the Poetry Tool to find poems according to poet, category, occasion, title, first line, or keyword. Your search results will contain a mix of poems, news, articles, audio, and video. To narrow your result to poems only, click the “Poems” tab at the top of your search listings.

Flickr photo courtesy of applejan.

It’s time to cram way too many possessions into the car along with your immediate loved ones. Strap in and off you go to faraway places where hopefully more loved ones await your arrival or the destination is worth the trip, say that snowy mountainside beautifully dusted with fresh powder.

That is if you can make it without killing each other!

This is where Books on CD come in so handy. How about a story so compelling and told in such a wonderful way that the miles fly by?

Here are the selections our very own Audio Book Diva Pat T. has chosen as her favorites of the year. She guarantees that you will not notice the length of the trip and she also feels that some of these may lead to those "driveway moments" where you need to stay in the car at the end of your journey to find out what happens next because the story is that good.

 Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese is a department favorite for 2009. We all love it and for those lucky enough to get the audio format that love has increased. This is more than the story of Marion and Shiva, two identical twin brothers. This is the story of their adoptive parents, the long lasting effects of abandonment and what it means to have a calling. Throw in the history of Ethiopia during its most tumultuous and what you have is a big fat rich wonderful novel that we will be rereading and listening to in the years ahead.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is read by four actresses which gives this audio the feeling of listening to a  wonderful play or radio program. It’s Jackson Mississippi and it is 1962. Skeeter Phelanhas just graduated from college and is feeling adrift in the world until she decides to blow the cover off the racial injustices showed to the black maids by her friends by writing down their stories. This is a glimpse into a society that is about to change forever and rightfully so. 

Strength in What Remains is read by its author Tracy Kidder who tells the remarkable story of Deo a young medical student who fled from the horrors of the civil war in Burundi to the streets of New York with $200 in his pocket. Through the kindness of strangers and his own perseverance Deo managed to attend Columbia University, finish his medical degree and become a US citizen. And as if that were not accomplishment enough, he has given his homeland of Burundi a medical clinic, and public health system. This has all the classic elements of an immigrant’s journey it also has the clear journalistic eye of Kidder to tell it. 

 Malcolm Gladwell is back and asking his usual questions in Outliers:  The Story of Success. What is it that makes some of us so successful in life while some people never do realize their true potential? Gladwell believes in ‘right place at the right time" and the importance of upbringing and circumstances in the success or failure of endeavors. The wonky bits of trivia are enough to keep even the most fidgety riveted.

Happy Holidays and Safe Travels!

Both the NBA and college hoops seasons have tipped off, so it's a perfect time to look back at two players whose innovative play and unmatched rivalry changed the landscape of professional basketball: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

When the Game Was Ours starts in the midwest; Magic Johnson was born in Michigan, Larry Bird in Indiana, and both attended universities in their home states (in fact, the book reveals how they almost ended up on the same college team!). Bird was drafted by the Boston Celtics, Johnson ended up a Los Angeles Laker, and the cross-country rivalry prospered; from the late 1970s to the late 1980s, at least one of their teams played for the championship title every single year (they played each other for the title three times in that stretch!).

Apart from their on-court competition, though, it's the friendship between the two men that comes through in this new book, co-written with Jackie MacMullan. Connected by their love of the game and competitive natures, both weathered personal tragedies and challenges, and now have the perspective to see how much their talents shaped the present-day NBA. When the Game Was Ours is testament to the long-standing friendship and mutual respect between Bird and Johnson, and a sure winner for the basketball fan in your life.

Reserve your copy now!

It is true.....it wasn't on purpose, of course, but, yes, I snubbed John Irving (more than once). It was at the National Book Festival In Washington D.C. in September. I knew he looked familiar. I'd already been chatting with Lee Child(!), David Baldacci(!), Nicholas Sparks(!), and Jeannette Walls(!), and though I had nodded in Irving's general direction earlier in the day when he said hello, and made small talk with him at the buffet table, I basically ignored him. The moment of realization on the train ride home (Ahhhhhhhhh!) and the regret that followed will haunt me the rest of my days. There. Now I have confessed. Do I feel better? No.

What I cannot ignore (even if I tried) is Irving's newest novel, Last Night in Twisted River. It is said to be as disturbing as his breakthrough bestseller The World According to Garp, one of the most memorable books I've ever read. Last Night in Twisted River is next on my reading list. I love the voice of this incredible storyteller...unfortunately, I couldn't place the face.

Here's a treat - watch and listen:

Don't miss the next of my true confessions, I Fell in Front of Phil Caputo. (Egad.)

A wonderful new slew of cookbooks just in time for the holidays!

The last few years have felt spare to me in regard to cook books. Sure, a few good ones have come out but recently the selection has been vast and wonderful. My shelves in the kitchen will be overflowing with some of the following:

Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller has to be the one that I am the most excited about. While I loved Bouchon (the roast chicken is the best ever!) it truly was a tad over the top for everyday meals. The size alone can be a bit off putting. But his new offering promises to be just the thing for the home chef who likes the comfort classics but with a new spin.

Martha Stewart’s Dinner at Home: 52 Quick Meals to Cook for Family and Friends is a lush and visually beautiful book. But more importantly it has accessibility for the home cook. Arranged in my favorite format, that is seasonally, Martha presents a full menu and a time line so that even the most novice cooks among us can make it to the finish line in style. I have only made the duck breast with fig sauce and the potato pancake, but it was such a success I will be cooking something else from this one this weekend.

Gourmet Today edited by Ruth Reichl will totally prove to be an American classic. Reichl took a look at the amazing wealth of ingredients that we now have at our grocer around the corner and realized that we are no longer satisfied with shaking our parm from a little green can and that we care about sustainability in our ingredients. Gourmet Today reflects these trends and honestly the Oatmeal, Coconut, Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Roasted Almonds are worth the price of the book. Trust me on this. I have actually dreamed of them.

But what is a person to do when the traffic was awful and you are walking in the door at 7 and it is cold and wet and all you want is a lovely dinner? My new favorite for such trying times is Diane Henry’s book Pure Simple Cooking. It cuts right to the chase. No appetizers, nothing frou-frou or extraneous. What is going to be the star of your dinner plate? Will it be chicken? Will it be pasta? And the sides are all arranged seasonally as well. Ingredients are those that are easily found and not so vast in number as to appear daunting. The Crispy Cod has saved my life on many a night. While this is a work horse of a cookbook, it is not entirely without fun. The desserts are also arranged seasonally and I look forward to trying some new ones. Though, perhaps not on a weeknight.

Another contender for never ever on a weeknight has to be one of the most beautiful books we have seen all year. Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Rose’s Heavenly Cakes is not only a treat for eyes. It is a must have for the serious baker. Each cake is a masterpiece but with Rose’s step by step instructions they all seem totally do-able for the non professional. Tres Leches will be the birthday cake for a lucky son of one of the RA Staffers.

But one cannot take everything too seriously. Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong by Jen Yates is the perfect ending to any cookbook gorge. Jen Yates has been one of our favorite bloggers for a while now.The premise is an easy one. Ever look in the bakery case and think to yourself "What is that? Is that actually going to grace a table somewhere? Are the cake decorators ingesting illegal substances in the back?" Honestly, you will laugh until you cry.

And in the end you will be thankful that none of those cakes will end up on your table.

Over the past few months, we have been having a wonderful time reading, sharing, and discussing poetry in our new program, One Page Poetry Circle, led by discussion leader Madge McKeithen, faculty member of The Writing Program at The New School. And whether you can recite Mary Oliver and Robert Frost in your sleep, or you feel that poetry oftentimes has you intrigued but a bit bewildered, I have no doubt that you will find our poetry circle a wonderful way to explore this unique literary form. Reading poetry aloud can be an enlightening experience and sometimes makes all the difference in one's interpretation of the writer's words. You will find a very welcoming and encouraging setting, and it will leave you with inspiration to browse our amazing poetry collection and check out some new authors.

For each session, we will always have a theme to guide you in your selections. Simply bring along a single page of poetry (by an established poet) that means something to you - perhaps a poem that you remember from childhood, one that you find interesting or unusual, or one that you might not quite understand. Everyone has an opportunity to read and share their choices with the group, and then we'll have some lively discussions about them. It's a great way to discover new writings, hear others' thoughts, and share your own.

Mark your calendar for our next two sessions:

Wednesday, November 18 at 7 PM
Poetry & Family

Wednesday, December 16 at 7 PM
Poetry & Light

Flickr photo courtesy of Beppie K.

It was an evening of laughter, great food, wine, and friends as we continued our Fall Author Series last night with a visit by acclaimed chef Lucinda Scala Quinn, who offered some tried and true tips from her new cookbook, Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys, on how to tame the "wild beasts" in our lives and share with us how to make a family meal that will attract even the pickiest of eaters and satisfy even the most urgent of hungry situations!

• Always have bacon on hand. The stuff lasts forever! And whether you're serving it as a main part of your dish or not, the smell of bacon cooking will surely lure anyone to the kitchen table.
   
• You will build a vegetable eater if you give vegetables their due credit. Rather than hiding spinach in a brownie dessert, celebrate the taste of the leafy green simply by sauteing it in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, to the point where it just begins to fall. Don't let it get soggy, and you'll have boys who will begin to adore the traditionally feared side-dish!
   
• Men are not genetically incapable of washing dishes. They just need a little encouragement! If they leave crusted, dirty pots in the sink or on the stove, put them in a place that will have them horrified and rushing to the sink looking for the SOS. Lucinda’s suggested locations: their car seat or their sock drawers. Hmmm….

Yesterday evening, we kicked off our Fall Author Series with a visit from A.J. Jacobs, the delightful and hilarious best-selling author of The Know-It-All, The Year of Living Biblically, and his most recent memoir, The Guinea Pig Diaries.

And what an evening it was!

There was certainly no shortage of laughter to be had as A.J. shared personal stories of the experiments he has put himself (and his wife) through over the past 15 years in a quest to explore his curiosities about life. Perhaps one might think that deciding to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z, or choosing to follow all (literally all) the tenants of the Bible for an entire year, or spending a month practicing radical honesty, or posing in the nude for a magazine all might be suitable as punishment for committing a major crime. However, thank goodness A.J. sees the potential in these difficult and crazy tasks to add meaning to his life - and through each of his books, a whole lot of laughter and amazement to ours.

(By the way, last night, the audience got to meet his wife, Julie, "the saint." It was a bit of a surreal moment. And yes, she is absolutely wonderful!)

Now, many of us here are still recovering from what Barbara T. has brilliantly coined - The A.J. Effect. You know you're experiencing it when you find yourself spontaneously combusting into laughter at the mere thought of George Washington...or Crest Toothpaste...or Kate Hudson movies. It's true - none of these things are inherently funny. But when you combine A.J. Jacobs and his observations, witty style of writing, and thought-provoking insights with just about any subject, the result is something so hilarious and unforgettable that you are compelled to tell everyone (seriously, everyone) about his books and insist that they read them, too. 

If you happened to miss our event last night, or if you just want to re-live all of the laugh-out-loud goodness, keep your eye on our website. In the coming days, we will have A.J.'s entire talk available to watch as a webcast.

And here is a bit more fantastic news that we learned yesterday. A.J. is currently in the midst of his next major quest - to become the healthiest person in the world. He has a board of advisors (that includes Dr. Oz!), has starting visiting the gym, and he even refrained from snacking on the cheese and crackers at our reception last night (not a healthy food, he admitted). He takes his experiments very seriously - and I seriously cannot wait to read his next book!

Really. This is my new favorite cookbook. Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys by Lucinda Scala Quinn doesn't come out until mid-October, but I've seen a copy and believe me, it's glorious! I don't have any men and/or boys in my household anymore, but I suppose that if I did, I might love this cookbook even more(!)...so..I am here to tell you that these recipes are good for all genders, ages...and occasions! Don't let the title throw you! These are practical recipes for delicious homemade meals....and the book is beautiful with page after page of color photographs!

We will have to wait a little while for the book to be released, but then on Thursday, October 22nd at 7 p.m., Lucinda Scala Quinn will be our featured speaker as one of our Fall Author Series authors! Lucinda is Vice President and Editorial Director of Food and Entertaining of Martha Stewart Omnimedia. She is also the co-host of the Everyday Food program on PBS.

We'll be baking some excellent dessert recipes right out of this book to serve at the program...AND Lucinda will be doing a live demonstration of one of her recipes!

If this cooler weather is putting you in a cooking or baking frame of mind, plan on checking out this new book from Martha Stewart's Food and Entertainment guru and make sure to come to the program on the 22nd!

There are certain authors whose touch is Midas-golden and after just four books, Jon Krakauer is undoubtedly one of them. Into the Wild, Eiger Dreams, Into Thin Air, Under the Banner of Heaven...all are among the most popular non-fiction titles we've seen in the Darien Library over the past decade or so.

Krakauer's new book continues a theme from his previous books: lives lived outside the margins and how man's thirst for adventure and fulfillment can exact a terrible price. Where Men Win Glory is the story of Pat Tillman, the football player-turned-soldier who was killed in Afghanistan under circumstances termed "friendly fire." In the course of writing this book, Jon Krakauer was embedded with American troops in Afghanistan and actually put the project aside for nearly a year because of the complications and contradictions that kept muddying the waters.

Within the circles of honor, deception, outrage, pride, and sorrow stands the lone figure of Pat Tillman himself, a Renaissance man who read Emerson, Thoreau, the great philosophers and religious texts, turned down a multi-million dollar NFL contract to serve his country as an Army Ranger, and died with a copy of Krakauer's own Eiger Dreams in his rucksack. As he's done previously, Krakauer takes the conflicts within Tillman's story to raise larger questions, brings a unique and tragic life into the open, and gives it the time and space it deserves. Where Men Win Glory is a legacy worthy of Pat Tillman's short but important life.