Birmingham Public Library Blog

Illyshia Parker, Erika Wade, Kendall Straley Congratulations to Erika Wade from the Alabama School of Fine Arts for winning Word Up! 2009 with her poem "Sowei Girl's Womanhood." Wade was also the winner of last year's Word Up! contest. Kendall Straley of Spain Park and Illyshia Parker of Woodlawn High placed 2nd and 3rd with poems inspired by Portrait of Lady Helen by John Singer Sargent . Word Up! is a poetry contest sponsored by the public libraries of Jefferson County and the Birmingham Museum of Art . This year's contestants got inspiration from one of four works at the museum. Don't miss your chance to see these three ladies perform at this year's Alabama Bound .

Central staff Elvis Aaron Murphy and Elizabeth Swift serve cake to a lucky patron. Thanks to our patrons and staff for making BPL's Mardi Gras party a success! We hosted over 20 interviews and handed out 25 pounds of beads and hundreds of BPL magnets and coasters. One hundred eighty-five Moon Pies and 225 pieces of cake were served as the sounds of jazz filled the Atrium. A good time was had by all.

Once there was a pencil, a lonely little pencil, and nothing else. It lay there, which was nowhere in particular, for a long, long time. Then one day that little pencil made a move, shivered slightly, quivered somewhat...and began to draw. Allan Ahlberg 's The Pencil is one adorable book. A lonely pencil gets creative and starts drawing. But human nature is predictable, and eventually the people and even their pets start asking for more and more and more. They want to be named. They want to eat. They want to be drawn in color. They hate their names, their features, their clothing. But how to make corrections? The clever little pencil draws an eraser with a mischievous grin that goes on an erasing rampage through town. It's up to the little pencil to figure out what else he could draw that could wipe out such a devastating threat to his colorful little world and allow his creations to live happily ever after. Too cute! This is my first time reading an Allan Ahlberg book. Seems ...

Enjoy readings and conversation with Thom Gossom Jr., whose career spans television, stage, screen, and now the printed page. Thom Gossom is an actor, writer, and communications professional. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Gossom received his Bachelor of Arts in communication from Auburn University, where he was the second black football player and perhaps the first black athlete to walk on and earn a scholarship in the Southeastern Conference. He later went on to earn a Master of Arts in communication from the University of Montevallo. After a brief time in the NFL and in public relations for Bellsouth, Gossom started his own public relations firm in 1987 to supplement his writing and acting ventures. Gossom is a self-described working actor, having appeared on stage, television, and film. His theatre roles include Fences , American Buffalo , and Glengarry Glen Ross . Film credits include Fight Club , Miss Evers' Boys , and The Chamber . On television he had recurring roles on In th...

Liberation by Mitzi J. Levin Join us for the photography exhibit Darkness into Life: Alabama Holocaust Survivors Through Photography and Art . Artist Mitzi J. Levin will share her experiences in developing art for the exhibit, from interviewing survivors to the final creation. Wednesday, March 4, noon. Feed your body and mind at BPL's Brown Bag Programs . You bring the lunch and we'll bring the drinks. Wednesdays at noon in the Arrington Auditorium located on the 3rd floor of the Linn-Henley Research Library, 2100 Park Place.

Ellen Page, who is so adorable as the knocked up Juno , is slightly less adorable in Hard Candy . Oh, she starts out that way, innocently playing tag with an older man in a chat room, looking as sweet as the chocolate on her bottom lip after she bites into a pastry, but once she has the upper hand in the hook up, she does a scary 180. Jeff Kohlver ( Patrick Wilson ) is a 32-year-old successful photographer. He meets 14-year-old Hayley Stark ( Ellen Page ) online and arranges a meeting at a coffee shop. The flirting that started online continues when they meet, as Lensman319 wipes the chocolate off Thonggrrrrl14’s mouth and licks his finger. He buys her a T-shirt and she suggestively models it for him in the hallway of the coffee shop, and the tension is palpable as the predator toys with his prey. At his comfortable home in the hills, Jeff is still playing it legal, reminding Hayley that she's underage, and while not plying her with alcohol, he's not exactly stopping her either...

Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday and the Birmingham Public Library will be celebrating this special day in fine fashion from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in BPL Central's Atrium. We'll have Mardi Gras music, cake, beads, as well as books, CDs, and DVDs for you to check out. You will have the option to tell one of the library's L2 Krewe members what the library means to you, as we will be hosting informal interviews. I'm told that even Elvis will be in the building. In these difficult economic times, the Birmingham Public Library wants to remind you that we serve as a free institution for all people and that no matter what, we will continue to provide the highest quality of library service. So, to paraphrase old Marie Antoinette, let us eat cake in the Central Library's Atrium from 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.! Here's an example of some music you may hear if you come marching in (with the rest of the saints, that is):

Join us at the Five Points West Library as Mr. J.D. Jackson and Mr. Sam Robinson perform, "Songs that make your heart, soul and mind soar high." Concert Information What: Songbird Rhymes and Reasons for Every Season When: Monday, February 23 Time: 6:00-7:00 p.m. Where: Five Points West Public Library , Auditorium