BPL@Night Series Incorporates Art and Authors In Its June Line-up

The Birmingham Public Library will host three lectures and one musical review as part of the June 2010 BPL@Night Series. Conversations on Art, Authors, and Life talks will be held in the Arrington Auditorium of the Central Library located at 2100 Park Place. The performance is set to take place in the Atrium at the same location. These events are free and open to the public.

In its long range plan, BPL states that “Birmingham citizens of all ages will find programs at the library on a wide variety of topics to address their needs for ongoing educational opportunities and their desires for personal growth.” To satisfy Birmingham residents’ desire for free enriching cultural programming downtown and in city neighborhoods, and to provide more opportunities for citizens to visit their local library, BPL has developed BPL@Night, a series of evening performances offered free-of-charge at BPL’s Central and branch libraries. The Birmingham Public Libraries that offer the BPL@Night programs attract a diverse audience of community members by presenting a variety of programs highlighting local and regional performers in the various performance arts. Each library chooses performers that appeal to their neighborhood demographic and marketing to their individual neighborhood means each library draws an audience that reflects their community’s makeup.

Central Library
June 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Richard Arrington Auditorium
Authors, Authors, Authors
Local African American authors will discuss recently published works and share insight into how they handled both the writing and publishing processes. The authors and books are: Harry Chambers, Jr., More than Qualified—Responding to the Three T's of African American Business Ownership; Dr. Jarralynne Agee, Tears to Triumph: Women Learn to Live, Love, and Thrive; Dr. Geraldine Bell and Dr. Hattie G. Lamar, Women of Uncommon Valor; Life Stories of Women from Birmingham, Alabama; Linda Chambers, What on Earth does God want with Me?; Faustina Korley, Ordinary Mr. Yalley, Extraordinary Gift from God; and Dr. Lonnie Hannon, Navigator of the Midnight Sky.

Central Library
June 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Richard Arrington Auditorium
Rising Road: A True Tale of Love, Race, and Religion in America
On August 11, 1921, in Birmingham, Alabama, a Methodist minister named Edwin Stephenson shot and killed a Catholic priest, James Coyle, in broad daylight and in front of numerous witnesses. The killer's motive? The priest had married the minister's daughter to a Puerto Rican migrant and practicing Catholic. Dr. Sharon Davies lays bare the heinous crime and its aftermath in a brilliant, in-depth examination of the consequences of prejudice in the Jim Crow era.

Central Library
June 24 at 6:30 in the Library Atrium
Blast from the Past: A cappella Doo-Wop Musical Review
Blast from the Past is a quartet that has a total of over 50 years of stage and performance experience. They will perform doo-wop music of the ‘50s and bubblegum pop of the ‘60s, putting a unique a cappella spin on the songs as they take the listener back to a time when rock ‘n’ roll was in its infancy, and the music was carefree and fun.

Central Library
June 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the Richard Arrington Auditorium
Baseball in Birmingham: A Panel Discussion with Wayne Martin, Ben Cook, and Clarence Watkins
Wayne Martin, longtime beat writer for The Birmingham News, Ben Cook, author of Good Wood: A Fan's History of Rickwood Field, and Clarence Watkins, author of Baseball in Birmingham, share an unparalleled combined expertise on Birmingham baseball history. As Rickwood Field celebrates its 100th anniversary, and the City of Birmingham revisits baseball history, these authors offer unique insight into this beloved Birmingham past time.

The series is also made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Compass Bank generously supports BPL@Night.

Go to www.bplonline.org for additional information