Making Magic: Thoughts on Leonard Cohen and the Power of Song

*This post is part of Free for All’s “Making Magic” series, which will focus on Kelley’s exploration of the opportunities in the library’s Creativity Lab.

Every time I hear Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah it slowly moves through me like a wave building, cresting, breaking, and then retreating to leave behind an inner landscape that is a little bit different than the one that was there before the song played. It’s one of those songs that makes it feel good to feel sad, a song of longing, of loss and of love, but most of all, at least to me, it feels like a prayer. The interesting thing is that if you asked me about the lyrics, I would tell you that I’ve never paid close enough attention to tell you exactly what they are or what they mean, but I don’t need those things to know exactly what feelings Cohen wanted to evoke when he composed the song. The magic of music is it’s power to make us feel without needing to fully understand why. A song is a catharsis of sound.

Earlier this month, Leonard Cohen passed away, but he is immortalized by his music. From Saturday Night Live to the Shrek soundtrack, Hallelujah alone has been covered by numerous artists, my favorite being this version by Jeff Buckley:

2016 has been a big year of loss in the music world. I mentioned Leonard Cohen already, but David Bowie, Sharon Jones, Leon Russell, John Berry of the Beastie Boys, and Prince were among this year’s noteworthy passings as well. This is starting to sound like a downer of a post, but it’s not. All of these musicians live on in their music, and there will always be new musicians entering the field to make their exciting contributions to this ever growing and changing art that touches so many of us. You could be one of them.

If you are someone who likes to make music, whether it be original songs or covers of the work of someone you admire, the library has everything you need from books about the music business to a sound recording studio equipped with resources like Pro Tools, a professional quality microphone and a selection of instruments just waiting to be played. The best part is, if you don’t already know how to use the sound recording equipment, the Creativity Lab offers classes so that you can learn. For free! The next one is coming up on December 17th, so if you’ve been thinking about recording your first album, or even just experimenting a bit with sound, now is your chance.

The following are some books from our collection to provide inspiration and help you get started:

33 Revolutions33 Revolutions Per Minute : A History of Protest Songs, from Billie Holiday to Green Day by Dorian Lynskey
Not happy with the way things are going in the world or your corner of it? Write a protest song! For inspiration, check out this title where music critic Dorian Lynskey provides an overview of seventy years of protest music.

speak musicLearn to Speak Music: A Guide to Creating, Performing, & Promoting Your Songs by John Crossingham
Our teen room offers this great book that explores music from all angles. You’ll learn about songwriting, promotion, the importance of a good practice space, and more.

 

The Bigbig payback Payback : The History of the Business of Hip-Hop by Dan Charnas
Are you a hip-hop fan? Why not take some time to explore this 40-year history of rap? Rolling Stone’s 4-star review calls this one, “a classic of music business dirt-digging as well as a kind of pulp epic.”

 

here come the regularsHere Come the Regulars : How to Run a Record Label on a Shoestring Budget by Ian Anderson
If you’re interested in starting your own record label, you’ll find everything you need to do it on the cheap here. Covering topics from fundraising to saying no to your friends, this book is a great choice if you’re looking for a DIY spin on the music business.

Saturdays @ the South: Celebrating Picture Books

pbmlogo-color_webresI think it’s pretty clear by now that we at the Free for All, and in particular, your friendly Saturday blogger, are fans of kids’ books, even for adults. So I’m happy to announce that November is Picture Book Month! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, picture books are for everyone. While any time is a good time to take a look at a picture book in my view, this month is a particularly good time for anyone to celebrate the artistry, beauty,  creativity and expression that is a picture book. In celebration of picture book month, this video was put together with quotes from from children’s book writers and illustrators about the medium:

Picture books are the preferred medium of read-alouds whether from caregiver to child, teacher to student(s) or librarian to patrons. They are literature that is meant to be shared. The best picture books are usually written by those who know that kids are unlikely to be reading a picture book by themselves. Authors and illustrators (sometimes one in the same, sometimes not) will leave little inside jokes that will go over 99% of kids’ heads, but will leave the adults chuckling with their own enjoyment, or they’ll add layers to the text that the children will understand on one level, but that adults will understand on different levels. In other words, good picture books will have something for everyone.

Not only that, but picture books inspire empathy, understanding and an opportunity to visualize life outside of your own. Picture books can encourage and spread compassion. They are a gateway to bigger books that introduce us to learning about the “other” in our world in an attempt to bridge gaps and create a safe space in which to express ideas. They can also teach us something about ourselves that perhaps we didn’t previously know. This is a tall order for any book, but somehow, kids books manage to do this every day, usually in just 32 pages and often with very few words. Images come to life on the page expressing more that what meager words can say, in realistic tones, in the abstract, in vivid color, in black and white and in everything in-between.

In celebration of Picture Book Month and all that picture books can accomplish, here are some South Branch favorites:

2370936A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams

After a devastating fire left a child and her mother in dire straits, this is the heartwarming story of them trying to rebuild and move on. It is a testament to the power of love and how far the determination of a child can take an entire family.

2022661It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr

Differences should be celebrated because they are what make each of us unique. No matter what you, your family or your friends look like, Parr teaches everyone that it’s not only just okay to be different, it is the best way to be because you’re being who you are.

2221548Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss

This classic tale of marginalization rings as true now as it ever did. Regardless of who the Who’s are, Horton recognizes that “a person’s a person no matter how small” and brings a community of doubters together with one, great communal “Yop.”

3266651Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

If anyone doubts that picture books can be art, they merely need to look at Idle’s stunning illustrations which wordlessly tell a story of friendship, acceptance and trying something new.

3841978Cloud Country by Bonnie Becker

I thought this book was worth being on a library shelf because it demonstrates Pixar artistry in a way that the movies often cannot. It deserves to be read by everyone, however, because the story speaks to the power of dreaming, being different and remembering that doing something everyone else’s way, might not be the best way for an individual. It expresses uniqueness in a way that is both accepting and celebratory.

I could keep going as there are so many books to choose from. Honestly, pretty much any book in the picture book collection at the South Branch is worth celebrating for one reason or another. They’re worth celebrating for their humor, their compassion, their artistry and so much more. Till next week, dear readers, pick up a picture book. Pick one up anytime this month. Read it to a child, to another adult or to yourself. You’ll be a better person for it.

Five Book Friday!

Whether we agree with it or not, beloved patrons, time marches on, and we come again to the close of another week, and the arrival of a new Five Book Friday.

One week ago, Buzzfeed published a list of “32 Beautiful Book Quotes To Read When You’re Feeling Lost“–a feeling, I think, to which many of us could relate.  I clicked on the link, more out of a desire to stay lost than to confront reality.  But the more I read of these quotes, many of them from 18th- and 19th- century authors, I realized that I was feeling just a little bit better.    Not necessarily because of what the quotes said, although some of them were truly touching; instead I found myself taking enormous comfort from the longevity of literature…from the power of language to endure, to hold a charge for generations so that readers centuries away can still feel its power.  And so I thought, by way of introduction today, I’d share a few of those quotes with you:

  1. “Oh God, the terrible tyranny of the majority. We all have our harps to play. And it’s up to you to know with which ear you’ll listen.” —Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
  2. “Be good, be young, be true! Evil is nothing but vanity, let us have the pride of good, and above all let us never despair.” —Alexandre Dumas, The Lady of the Camellias 
  3. “Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before – more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.” —Charles Dickens, Great Expectations 
  4. “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” —Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan 
  5. . “All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king.” —J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

And now, on to the books….

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3800903-1The Fall of the House of Cabal: It’s finally here!  As you all know, I–and a fair number of other Library Staff members–are big fans of Herr Cabal, and, while new comers will find plenty to enjoy here, this book is a perfect reward for those who have walked each step beside the great necromancer.  Johannes Cabal has, at long last, discovered a vital clue to help him his pursuit for a cure for death.  However, in order to follow where that clue leads, Cabal will have to take a winding and laborious path, peopled with any number of beings from his colorful past, and any number of horrors awaiting him.  While this book is full of Jonathan L. Howard’s deliciously unique humor, plenty of returning characters and surprise cameos, and the return of a number of plot lines from past adventures, I have to admit to you that this book nearly did me in.  I may have cried.  I may have tried to bite someone who tried to take the book away from me.  But in the end, what I realized was that Howard is a better author, and Cabal himself a far more nuanced character than I had given either credit for.  And while I shall continue to fervently hope and pray that we see more of Cabal at some point in the future, I can honestly say that this book is one of the most rich, fun, and thoughtful (temporary) series finales I have read in some time.  The San Diego Union-Tribune agrees, saying, in their review, “Howard makes it look easy to paint a soul-stealing, murdering necromancer as a sympathetic character; that, folks, is worth the price of admission.”

3779046Writing to Save a LifeIn 1955, a young Black man named Emmett Till was tortured and killed while visiting family in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman.  His case, and his mother’s insistence on having an open-casket funeral so that all could see what had happened to her fourteen-year-old son, became national news, and is a particularly momentous example of race relations in the United States.  What many overlook is the fact that Emmett’s father, Louis, was executed by the Army for rape and murder a decade earlier, in 1945–one of some 83 Black soldiers who were executed during the Second World War.  Drawn to this joint tragedy, award-winning writer John Edgar Wideman’s book is part history, part personal journey, and part consideration of the legacy of one family and their role in a uniquely American story, culminating in a work that is powerful and somewhat genre-defying in its presentation. Kirkus notes “There are many layers of meaning in this book, especially regarding the identification of Wideman with Emmitt, both of them 14 when the author saw a photo of the dead boy’s battered face, and the narrative expands into a meditation on black fathers and sons, the divide and the bonds, the genetic inheritance within a racist society.”

 

3781034Valiant Gentlemen: Roger Casement was born in 1864 in Ireland, and was baptized into both the Protestant and Catholic faith.  He worked as a civil servant for the British government, and became what we now recognize as one of the first human rights advocates of the twentieth century, bringing to light the enormous human rights violations taking place in the Belgian Congo and in the Amazon rainforest’s rubber plantations.  He was knighted for his work–and was executed about a decade later for conspiring with Germany to liberate Ireland from the British Empire.  In this new novel, Sabina Murray reimagines Casement’s life, and, specifically, his relationship with his once-best friend Herbert Ward and Ward’s extraordinary wife, the Argentinian-American heiress Sarita Sanford.  While tracing the incredible details of Casement’s life, Murray’s book is also a fascinating study of love and betrayal on both a personal and a national scale.  This novel is garnering acclaim from reviewers and readers alike, with Publisher’s Weekly noting that it is “Brimming with exquisite detail and clever humor . . . [Murray] maintains an impressive balance of historical accuracy and dramatic momentum, crafting a stellar fiction that shows how the grand course of history can be shaped by the smallest disagreements between friends.”

3779103Thus Bad BeginsSpanish writer Javier Marías has been compared to literary greats like Umberto Eco and Elena Ferrante, and this new novel showcases all the elements of his writing that have won him awards and acclaim across Europe.  Set in Madrid in the 1980’s, the book follows Juan de Vere, a university student who takes a job as personal assistant to Eduardo Muriel, an eccentric, once-successful film director.  But he soon learns that his idol, Muriel, has odd ideas about Juan’s real job description–he assigns Juan to investigate a family friend, Dr. Jorge Van Vechten, and his relationships with Muriel’s enigmatic wife.  As he digs into the family’s background, and the deep, complex ties that bind all three people together, Juan finds himself lost in a web of deceit, loyalty, and deception from which even he might not emerge unscathed.  Booklist gave this novel a starred review, saying “In highly respected Spanish novelist Marías’s new work, we quickly see that political tensions have continued to reverberate [from the Spanish Civil War] . . . Marías reveals how insidiously oppression skews personal lives and relationships year after year.”

3796131Angelic Music: The Story of Ben Franklin’s Glass Armonica: Amongst the myriad inventions for which he is known today (including the bifocals and the ever-famous lightning rod, Ben Franklin’s enduring favorite was the ‘glass armonica’, which is, apparently, the first musical instrument invented by an American,  constructed of stacked glass bowls and played by rubbing one’s fingers on the rims (kind of like you play the glasses at a fancy dinner party).  There were rumors, at the time of its invention that the instrument was haunted–people were known to fall ill while playing, and it was said that ghosts could be summoned through its strange music, causing it to eventually fall out of common usage.  But now that we can produce glass without the use of lead, the glass armonica has seen something of a return to favor, with new compositions being created in any number of musical genres.  Corey Mead takes readers through the history of the armonica, its invention, the remarkable people who played it, and the many who heard it, making for a fascinating musical exploration, as well as an intriguing historical tale.  Publisher’s Weekly called this book “Charming and fascinating . . . part musicology and part cultural history . . . Mead’s lively storytelling opens a window into a (as it were) mesmerizing chapter of music history.”

 

Until next week, beloved patrons–happy reading!

Wednesdays @ West: Reading for Empathy

weneediversebooksOn Sunday, this blog shared a letter from Ellen Oh on why We Need Diverse Books more now then ever.  The various librarians who write Free for All are big fans of diversity in books.  In the past, we’ve written posts about overall diversity in books and diversity in the horror genre.  We’ve also shared reading suggestions for books that deal with race and the experiences of refugees.

Why are we such cheerleaders for diversity around here?  Is it because we serve a wonderful, diverse community and we want to represent all of our patrons through our collections and our recommendations?  Yes.  Do we see it as the library’s responsibility to be a place (physical and digital) for everyone?  Yes, we do.

And there’s more.  We also firmly believe that books, literature and stories can offer our world something it desperately needs: empathy.  If you’re a reader (and if you are reading this blog, it’s probably a safe bet that you are), you won’t need science to tell you that books can help you understand the lives and experiences of those who are different from you and therefor cultivate empathy.  But it can be easy to fall into reading ruts where we read books that are about people just like us or that confirm our world view.

empathy

The We Need Diverse Books campaign targets the world of children’s and young adult literature, where there is a desperate need to ensure that our young people see themselves, those like them and those completely different from them on the pages of their books.  Their mission is an important one and so I urge you to support it by checking out diverse books from the library and sharing them with children and teens.

But there’s overwhelming evidence out there that children and teens aren’t the only ones who could use more empathy in their lives, so I would also urge our adult readers to make a concentrated effort to read diverse books.  If you need some help finding books for yourself or for the young ones in your life, here are some great places to try:

For the past two years, We Need Diverse Books has recognized outstanding children’s and young adult literature with the Walter Dean Myers’ Award.

The Pura Belpre Award is given to children’s books written by Latino/Latina authors and illustrators.

The Coretta Scott King Award is for African-American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults.

The American Indian Youth Literature Awards are given to books that are by or about American Indians.

Arab American Book Awards may be given to books in the categories of adult fiction, adult non-fiction, poetry and child/young adult books.

In addition to giving out awards, the Jewish Book Council also provides book reviews, support for authors and book group recommendations.

For readers looking to add books with LGBT themes to their reading repertoire, there’s the Over the Rainbow List of adult books compiled by the American Library Association’s LGBT Roundtable.  The Stonewall Awards are given annually to fiction, non-fiction and children’s and young adult titles and the Lambda Literary website provides ongoing reviews, author interviews and other news from the LBGT literary scene.

betweentheworldstrangersintheirownlandWhen considering what constitutes diversity, of course, you must consider race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.  But as Lisa Lucas of the National Book Foundation encouraged Americans yesterday during an interview with NPR, don’t forget to also seek out books that will give you “protracted engagement” with those people who have radically different political views than you do too.  For those on the liberal side of the political spectrum she suggests Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild and for conservatives, her pick is Between the World and Me by Te-Nehisi Coates.  If books can indeed help us better understand those on the other side of the political divide, than reading them right now could be an act of great patriotism.

Because we want to help our readers with the ongoing task of identifying great diverse books that are worthy of their time and attention, we are launching a new Pinterest board this week dedicated to diverse books.  (Check out our Pinterest Primer to get instructions on how to follow this and all our Pinterest boards).  Right now the board is small, but we are eager to see it grow, so we’d like your suggestions for books worthy of a pin.   We’re looking for books that encompass all types of diversity (racial, religious, ethnic, sexual and gender, cultural and political).  E-mail your picks for diverse books for kids, teens or adults to me at mrobinson@noblenet.org and I’ll make sure they are added.  I can honestly say that reading diverse books has made my life richer, my perspective wider and (I hope), my personality more empathetic.  And I wish the same for all of you.

And now, a word from George Peabody

This is an excerpt from a speech delivered by George Peabody, after whom our city and our Library is named.  He gave this speech at the dedication of the Peabody Institute in Baltimore (now the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University).  

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Peabody announced his endowment of the Institute in 1857, but bureaucratic arguments and delays pushed the construction of the project to 1861.  Then, as Peabody’s biographer notes, “the opening of the Institute had to be postponed until 1866 because the trustees were divided into hostile camps during the Civil War.  Thirteen had been loyal to the Union, while ten had supported the Confederacy…Thus, sectional and political differences had almost wrecked the institute before it was opened, and though the war was over, bitterness among the trustees continued.”

Thus, it was up to George Peabody to set the tone for the institute with his speech, and find a way to unite people who, quite literally, had not sat together in the same room for over half a decade.  In his speech, Peabody said:

When War came I saw no hope for America except in Union victory.  but I could not, in the passion of war, turn my back on my Southern friends.  I believed extremists on both sides guilty of fomenting the conflict.  Now I am convinced more than ever of the necessity for mutual forbearance and conciliation…of united effort to bind up the wounds of our nation…To you, therefore, I make probably the last appeal I shall ever make.  May not this Institute be a common ground, where all may meet, burying former differences and animosities…to make the future of our country prosperous and glorious.

George Peabody was a remarkable man: one of the richest men in the world who never, ever forgot what it meant to go hungry.  A man who was the guest of kings and presidents, but dedicated his life to educating and housing the poor and the otherwise forgotten.  And we can do nothing better to honor his memory than by heeding his plea.

So let me make this clear: The Library is a safe space.  A common ground.  Everyone is welcome here.  You are welcome here.  And you are safe here.  That, above all things, is never going to change.

If you need help, whether it’s finding a book or borrowing a pencil, or something more complicated, please let us know.  That is, quite literally, why we are here.  For you.  And to make the future better.

Our task is not to bring order out of chaos, but to get work done in the midst of chaos.
~George Peabody~

Making Magic: Making Peace

*This post is part of Free for All’s “Making Magic” series, which will focus on Kelley’s exploration of the opportunities in the library’s Creativity Lab.

Right now, our country is hurting. Whether your candidate won or lost last Tuesday, you know that there is a deep divide, that people feel misunderstood by those who don’t share their values, and it became very clear to us that an often overlooked group of people felt their voices weren’t being heard. Some people voted for what they hope will be radical change, some people protested in the streets while others celebrated, others cried or sat in silent deep grief. No matter who your candidate was, you know our country’s future is uncertain. You know that half of the country doesn’t understand the other half at all. And if you’re paying any attention, you know that part of that lack of understanding is due to an absence of listening. Not just listening to friends who share your values, but respectfully listening to those who don’t.

Jo Godwin once said that “a truly great library has something in it to offend everyone,” and it’s true. Literature and art are wonderful entry points to understanding different points of view, and libraries do their best to collect materials that represent all sides of every story. In a time when we need more understanding, artists are more important than ever. In the words of Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison, “This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. This is how civilizations heal.”

Whether you’re a writer or a visual artist,  you know the importance of self expression, you know the process of creating can be a process of healing and deeper understanding, and you know the powerful impact of sharing your work with others. This week, I’m not going to talk about a particular tool or project available in the library’s Creativity Lab. All I’m going to do is ask you to use your creativity to express yourself, to bring people together, to generate understanding and in turn create peace. Share your work, appreciate the work of others, practice deep listening. Be curious. Be open. And be grateful you have a gift that can bring people together.

Toni Morrison

A Letter from the President of We Need Diverse Books

This is the text of a letter written by Ellen Oh, the president of We Need Diverse Books, on November 9, 2016

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Dear WNDB team members, Advisory Board and liaisons,

Many of us are hurting deeply this morning. Feeling betrayed, lost, hopeless. We have just been told in the most devastating manner that our lives, our communities do not matter.

Now more than ever We Need Diverse Books. We must stay strong. We must be willing to continue to work hard and fight for all of our rights. There will be immediate dangers for many in our communities, in particular the immigrant, Muslim, and LGBTQ communities. We must support them and stand by their side. And we must continue to do everything we can to diversify children’s literature with own voices. For there is no doubt in my mind that the lack of good representation in children’s books that could be good windows into other lives, is a key reason for the complete lack of empathy in much of the populace. Imagine if these same people had read Last Stop on Market Street or Brown Girl Dreaming or Better Nate than Ever or American Born Chinese. What if they’d read All American Boy? I can’t help but think that some of them might have made a different decision had they only been exposed to diversity at a young age.

What this proves more than anything is that representation is not only important for marginalized children, but they are equally, if not more important for white, straight, cis-gendered, able bodied kids to read. The lack of diverse books in children’s books has a direct correlation to what we have seen happen this week. And while it is too late to fix what has already happened, we can and must do better for our future generations. We must work harder to diversify the publishing industry. We must work harder to mentor new marginalized voices, we must work harder to promote and distribute diverse books by own voices authors.

As Jacqueline Woodson said this morning on Facebook – “We’ve lived through harder times, y’all. We can do this, too.”

We can do this. But we can also work harder for a better future for our future generations. For as Walter Dean Myers said in his last NYT op ed in March of 2014 “There is work to be done.”

And I believe that we can do it.

All my best,

Ellen

You can read the original post here on the WNDB website.