Final Week of Citywide Reads!

Citywide Reads wraps up this Saturday, March 12, but not to worry -- there are still a couple of events remaining.

This year's Citywide Reads pick, Wench, a tale of four slave mistresses taken by their masters to a resort in free territory in pre-Civil War America, has inspired strong feelings in our readers, who have attended Citywide Reads book discussions this year in higher numbers than ever. There is still one more Wench discussion planned, for Saturday, March 12 at 1 p.m. in the Main Library's Multipurpose Room. Please join us!

Those interested in African American history won't want to miss "The Clayton Collections Alive," also happening on Saturday, March 12, at 3 p.m. in the Main Library's Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium. Join Larry Earl, Jr. from the Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum in Culver City as he takes us back in time to meet African American poet Phillis Wheatley, and to learn about the struggle for civil rights from the collections housed within this amazing local resource.

About the Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum: In the early 1960s, Librarian Mayme A. Clayton, Ph.D., began collecting documents, books, photographs, films and memorabilia chronicling the experience of Americans of African descent. Dr. Clayton collected everything from rare books, to movies, to handwritten slave records. In 2006, the MCLM found a permanent home in Culver City, where researchers may accessand study its rich resources. http://www.claytonmuseum.org/

Join us for these events on Saturday, and thank you for helping to make Citywide Reads a success!

Heidi Durrow's The Girl Who Fell from the Sky: Book Discussion and Author Event

A Citywide Reads volunteer wrote the following summary of her experience at the special discussion of Heidi Durrow's The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, as well as the lecture by the author which followed the discussion:

On March 2, a group of adults and teens attended a special Citywide Reads discussion at the Main Library to talk about the novel, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi Durrow.

The thought provoking discussion filled more than an hour of exchanges and engaging commentary, with the discussion often centered on the teenage protagonist and her emerging identity. Questions flew back and forth about various characters and the unfolding mystery that wove through the story. Broader issues surfaced like how do we come to know ourselves and how long does the journey take - all of which brought us back to Ms. Durrow's novel and the burning question: when will Rachel know herself? For that question, we later asked the author if there is a sequel forthcoming; she replied that she is currently working on other projects. The group viewed clips from three films that explored themes of identity: Persepolis, The Secret Life of Bees, and The Namesake.

Later in the evening Ms. Durrow gave a reading from her book that moved the audience to another level of understanding identity, as her voice lifted the prose from the page and we wrapped our hearts around the words.

Several people spoke highly of the Citywide Reads program and how much they loved the variety of books chosen over the years. They enjoyed the books on so many levels - reading the novels, discussing the issues, and hearing the authors' perspectives. Check out the Santa Monica Citywide Reads events and discussions through March 12, and join other readers who are talking about issues that rise off the pages of novels and engage us in conversations with one another.

Highlights from our Roots panel

As those of you who've been following us know, we followed up our special Citywide Reads screening series of Alex Haley's Roots with a cast panel discussion, featuring original cast members from that landmark miniseries. Cast members who joined us were (l to r) Beverly Todd (who played the adult Fanta), Lynne Moody (who played Irene), and surprise guest Georg Stanford Brown (who played Tom).

Entertainment journalist Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn did a fantastic job interviewing the panel and moderating audience questions. Cast members discussed their experience with Roots, how they came to the project and how it impacted their lives and careers both in the immediate timeframe at which it aired and from the longview over 30+ years later.

If you missed it, we're sorry you did, and we hope you'll remind yourself not to miss any of our future Santa Monica Citywide Reads special events. Coming up this Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 2:00 p.m., Wench author Dolen Perkins-Valdez will be joining us to share and discuss the book we're all reading together this year. It promises to be a fantastic event, and it's sure to be a full house. The program is free and tickets for auditorium seating will be released at 1:00 p.m. the day of the event. Seating is first come, first served. We hope to see you there.

Citywide Reads begins February 14th!

We're right up to the start of Citywide Reads and looking forward to meeting all of you and discussing Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez in the coming weeks. Citywide Reads officially begins on Monday, February 14th, and our first discussion will be held Wednesday, February 16th, at 7:00 p.m. at our Montana Branch Library, 1704 Montana Avenue.

For those of you who are looking for a small taste of what you're in for, we hope you'll enjoy this brief excerpt from Wench.

Drayle did something that astounded his wife. Tired of sleeping on the storeroom floor with his new lover, he moved her into the guest bedroom across from his own. That was when Fran began to pinch Lizzie.

The pinches were hard enough to bruise. Fran did it secretly--in the kitchen, on the stairs, in the hallway, in the yard. She searched for new places, beginning with Lizzie's cheek. Then an arm. Thigh. Side. Shoulder. She seemed to relish discovering each new point of hurt. Sometimes Lizzie even caught the woman examining her body, as if searching for a new place. Lizzie tried to stay out of her way. Tried to bypass her in the familiar layout of rooms.

At night, Drayle came to her, but Lizzie didn't tell him about Fran's game. Instead, she made excuses for the bruises. She told him that colored people bruise easier than whites. This explanation seemed to satisfy him and he took care not to touch her in those places.

After two weeks, Fran grew tired of her pinches and left Lizzie alone. Lizzie was grateful and went out of her way to make Fran pleased. She cleaned the woman's room without being asked, ironed her clothes, and put extra sausage on the breakfast trays delivered to Fran in the morning.

The house slaves had accepted Lizzie as Drayle's woman, and they now looked to her to convince him of favors. If someone was sick down in the quarters, they asked Lizzie to whisper the news to him so the person would be granted a reprieve. Another time, Lizzie convinced Drayle to let the slaves have extra rations of meat. Each time Lizzie was able to redeem a request, the field slaves accepted her position a bit more.

Wench is copyright © 2010 Dolen Perkins-Valdez. All rights reserved. It is published by Amistad, a division of HarperCollins Publishers.

Win a Nook!

Join us at any of the Citywide Reads book discussions of Wench, February 16 through March 12, to enter your name in the drawing to win a Nook Color ebook reader.

Read the flier for official rules and restrictions.





The Library invites you to participate in the following facilitator-led public book discussions:
·Wed, Feb 16 at 7:00 p.m., Montana Branch, 1704 Montana Avenue
·Sat, Feb 19 at 12:30 p.m., First AME Church, 1823 Michigan Avenue
·Tues, Feb 22 at 7:00 p.m., Fairview Branch Library, 2101 Ocean Park Blvd.
·Sat, Feb 26 at 11:00 a.m., Café Bolivar, 1741 Ocean Park Boulevard
·Mon, Feb 28 at 1:30 p.m., Senior Recreation Center, 1450 Ocean Avenue
·Sat, Mar 5 at 11:00 a.m., Ocean Park Branch Library, 2601 Main Street
·Mon, Mar 7 at 2:00 p.m., Tudor House, 1403 Second Street
·Sat, Mar 12 at 1:00 p.m., Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Boulevard

Get Your Copy of Wench Today!

Santa Monica Citywide Reads is now in full swing.
Books are available at the Main and branch libraries, as well as bookstores everywhere. In case you've not been paying attention, this year's selection is Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.

Wench is the story of four slave mistresses in the pre-Civil War era. The paperback edition of Wench was officially released this past Tuesday (January 25th) and we're hoping Dolen will get a strong response from readers.

In the build-up to the paperback release, The Washington Post just published a very interesting article on Dolen and her book. Those interested can read it here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012102960.html

The beautiful photo posted above comes courtesy of the Washington Post's Mark Gail.

And, remember, you can always find out more about our Citywide Reads program at the Library's website: http://www.smpl.org/cwr

And the nominees are...

Just as we're officially kicking off Santa Monica Citywide Reads 2011, we've gotten great news from the NAACP Image Awards. Our selection for 2011, Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, was just nominated for two awards in the NAACP's literature categories: Best Novel and Best First Novel. Needless to say, we're very proud of Dolen and rooting hard for her to take home an award or two.

And the news gets even better. Heidi Durrow's The Girl Who Fell from the Sky was also nominated for Best First Novel. Five months ago, when our selection committee met to make our 2011 selection, both Wench and The Girl Who Fell from the Sky were among our five finalists. Selection committee members were so impressed by both books, as well as a third nominee (Kathryn Stockett's The Help), that they asked us to spotlight those books in some way as well. In addition to reading Wench with all of you, we'll also be hosting two special bonus book discussions of The Help and The Girl Who Fell from the Sky during the latter half of Citywide Reads 2011. We weren't able to entice Kathryn Stockett to make a visit to Santa Monica for an author talk to coincide with our discussion of her book, but Heidi Durrow will definitely be visiting with us, immediately following our discussion of The Girl Who Fell from the Sky on Wednesday, March 2nd. And that's just two days before the NAACP Image Awards ceremony, so we'll get to cheer her on personally as well.

We're thrilled that both Wench and The Girl Who Fell from the Sky received nominations, and we hope you'll join us in reading and discussing both, and coming out to meet Dolen and Heidi. For a full listing of dates and times for our Citywide Reads discussions and special events, click through to our PDF resource guide: http://www.smpl.org/cwr/WENCH.pdf.

And be sure to check out the NAACP Image Awards website to see all of their nominees: http://www.naacpimageawards.net/42/nominees-and-honorees/

Check Out Our Resource Guide

Check this out! Citywide Reads blog followers are among the first to see our gorgeous new resource guide for the Santa Monica Citywide Reads 2011 featured novel, Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. You can check out a PDF of the whole thing at www.smpl.org/cwr/WENCH.pdf. You'll get more info on the book, the author, a historical timeline of slavery, a few other reads we recommend, resources for more information, a few book discussion starter questions, and loads of info on our book discussions and special events. We'll talk more about those later, but be sure to check them out. Some of them are going to be really special.

We hope you'll join us. Books should start arriving at the Main Library and all branches during the week of January 24th. So be sure to stop by.

Chris Cleave passes the baton to Dolen Perkins-Valdez

As we mentioned in our last post, Chris Cleave returned to the Los Angeles-area this past week, and just like the charmer he usually is, he took the time out to film a brief "passing of the baton" video to this year's Santa Monica Citywide Reads author and book, Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.

Check it out here:



And be sure to start checking in with us next week as we start to roll out the schedule, details and more info on Santa Monica Citywide Reads 2011. We're officially less than a month away from the program's start and we're really excited. See you again soon!

Another chance to meet Chris Cleave, 2010 Santa Monica Citywide Reads featured author

As we get ready to turn towards the 2011 Santa Monica Citywide Reads selection, we're taking one quick look back at our 2010 featured author, Chris Cleave. It's timely that we're doing so, as well, because Chris will be back in the Los Angeles area next week for two book tour appearances. We heard from many who missed their chance to see Chris when he visited with us at the Santa Monica Public Library in February 2010, so this might be a great chance to catch up with this absolutely delightful author.

On Wednesday, January 12th at 7:00 p.m., Chris will visit Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena to sign copies of his first novel, Incendiary. Details on his Vroman's appearance can be found here: http://www.vromansbookstore.com/chris-cleave

The following night, Thursday, January 13th at 7:00 p.m., Chris will visit our good friends Book Soup in West Hollywood, also to sign Incendiary. But we're sure he'll be happy to sign copies of Little Bee as well. More details on that signing can be found here: http://www.booksoup.com/Details.asp?ProductID=2119

If you have a chance to stop by and meet Chris at either of these events, tell him your friends at the Santa Monica Public Library sent you.

Win a Free Copy of Wench from the Author Herself!

Wench author Dolen Perkins-Valdez is offering a free autographed copy of the book and another prize to whomever is her 1,000th "Like" on Facebook!

Facebook members can "Like" her at this address:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dolen-Perkins-Valdez/153145218813?ref=mf

NPR, Library Journal Choose Wench as a Best Book

The secret is out! Wench is no longer a hidden gem. Library Journal, a respected trade publication, recently chose Wench as one of its top fiction books for 2010, calling it a "memorable and engaging debut [that] challenges readers to take a fresh look at the 'peculiar institution' of slavery." http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/newslettersnewsletterbucketbooksmack/887785-439/lj_best_books_2010_more.html.csp

National Public Radio also loves Wench, listing it on the NPR Web site as one of the best books of 2010 ("a fascinating and tragic story that is also a compulsive read") and recommending it as a Book Club Pick: http://www.npr.org/2010/12/06/131734769/book-club-picks-give-em-something-to-talk-about

Looking for something good to read?

There are still a couple of months before Citywide Reads 2011, but if you're looking for something good to read, check out Citywide Reads selections from past years.

Want more? A wealth of reading lists have been released in the past few weeks, including Amazon's Best Books of the Year, which includes Editors' Picks as well as Customer Favorites, Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2010, and the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2010.

Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

In Good Company

Way back in 1998, Seattle Public Library got the one city, one book concept rolling with their first Seattle Reads selection. Now we've found out that that estimable community reading program has tapped Chris Cleave's Little Bee for their 2011 selection, and we're thrilled that they've done so. Little Bee, as most of you know, was the Santa Monica Citywide Reads 2010 selection and it was a tremendous success for us, and Chris Cleave was a dream to work with. So, to Seattle, we say: Good selection!

And to Chris Cleave we send our heartiest congratulations.

For more on Seattle's program, visit: http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=audience_current_seattlereads

And for Santa Monica Citywide Reads, stay tuned here or visit: http://www.smpl.org/cwr/

Hardcover vs. Paperback: Which Image Do You Prefer?

Which Image Do You Prefer?

Our Citywide Reads pick for 2010, Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s Wench, will soon be released in paperback (we’ll be giving out copies of the paperback starting in late January). The paperback cover, pictured at right, is obviously quite different from the hardcover jacket image, shown at left. Which do you prefer, and why? For those of you who have read the book, which do you think better symbolizes what the book is about? Please leave comments below.

Meet Dolen Perkins-Valdez, our Citywide Reads Author for 2011

If you’d like to get an early start with Santa Monica Citywide Reads this year, take a look at author Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s website http://www.dolenperkinsvaldez.com/. You’ll find images of the Tawawa House resort, a brief biography of the author, a link to an NPR interview with Lynn Neary on NPR's Tell Me More, and plenty more to explore.

The Santa Monica Citywide Reads selection for 2011 is...

WENCH by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.

WENCH follows the stories of four slave mistresses – Lizzie, Reenie, Sweet and Mawu – over the course of three summers in pre-Civil War America. Taken by their masters on holiday to Tawawa House, a summer resort in Ohio, the women encounter free blacks and whispers of the abolitionist movement and are forced to consider their lives, their positions back home, and their hopes and dreams for the future. Dolen Perkins-Valdez was inspired to write the novel when she came across a footnote about Tawawa House, a real resort, while researching her own doctoral thesis on slave literature. Wench was borne out of the author’s musings on why, when presented with the possibility of escaping into free land, some slaves would run, while others would choose to stay with their masters.

We're certain that WENCH should be a provocative and discussion-worthy book, and we're looking forward to reading it with all of you.

Santa Monica Citywide Reads 2011 will take place from February 14 through March 12, 2011, and will feature free public book discussion groups led by volunteer facilitators and held in libraries, bookstores, coffeehouses, and other venues throughout the city. Related special events, including an author talk with Dolen Perkins-Valdez, are also being planned. Stay tuned here or visit our website at http://www.smpl.org/cwr to keep up with the schedule as it develops.