the FALL 2015 FALL OFF SHELF A MAGAZINE FROM THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 1 5 • ISSUE VOLUME
The People’s University: An Amusement Park for the Mind HUMANITIES PROGRAMMING AT THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA SECURE THE FREE LIBRARY’S TOMORROW ESTABLISH A CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY TODAY
The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation is pleased to offer our supporters a unique way to make a difference to the future of the Library—by establishing a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA). A CGA enables you to receive a guaranteed income for life in return for an outright gift today. Rates for CGAs are based on your age, and CGAs can be established for as little as $10,000, using cash or highly appreciated stock. Current rates are below as of September 1, 2015.
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UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS
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Carrie Sarah Vowell David Hare Lafayette in the Orhan Pamuk Garry Kasparov Brownstein Somewhat United States A Strangeness in My Mind Winter Is Coming Hunger Makes Me The Blue Touch Paper a Modern Girl: A Memoir
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Mary Beard Garth Risk Claire Vaye Kamel Daoud WITH Leonard Pitts Jr. S.P.Q.R.: Hallberg Watkins The Meursault Investigation Grant Park A History of Ancient Rome City on Fire Gold Fame Citrus FROM THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR
Welcome to the fall 2015 issue of Off the Shelf ! As we transform our spaces and FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR Siobhan A. Reardon services for the 21st century, we also hold
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT fast to the core upon which the Library was Joseph Benford founded—a love of words and stories. VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT Melissa B. Greenberg Our cover story celebrates the unique, thought-provoking
VICE PRESIDENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS programming taking place throughout our system that is driving Sandra Horrocks conversations of literature, art, history, and music. Here at the Free
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Library of Inspiration, the humanities are what keep us connected as Alix Gerz a community. “The People’s University: An Amusement Park for the SENIOR WRITER AND EDITOR Mind” will take you on a tour of the amazing humanities programs Julie Berger on offer at the Library. Our next chapter at the Library also includes COMMUNICATIONS AND a trip down the rabbit hole—to our new exhibition on Alice’s PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Samantha Maldonado Adventures in Wonderland—as the Library prepares to celebrate the 150th anniversary of this treasured work. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jenn Donsky Eileen Owens In these pages, you’ll also read about the efforts of our new Michelle Saraceni Sheffer Words at Play Vocabulary Initiative to tackle the “30 million word gap”
FREE LIBRARY OF experienced by many of Philadelphia’s children. Additionally, you’ll PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION find a biblical hidden gem from our Rare Book Department, catch up 1901 Vine Street, Suite 111 Philadelphia, PA 19103 on the latest news from around the system, and find out what novelist 215-567-7710 and native Philadelphian Mat Johnson has to say about his hometown. freelibrary.org/support It’s a very exciting fall here at the Free Library. Come visit to write OFF THE SHELF [email protected] this season’s story with us. freelibrary.org/publications Warmly, Off the Shelf is published twice annually for supporters of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation and showcases the Library’s educational, economic, and cultural contributions to the region. PHOTO BY JON ROEMER Siobhan A. Reardon ON THE COVER: SAXOPHONIST PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR CHRIS HEMINGWAY TAKES A SOLO ON ONE OF WAYNE SMITH JR.’S ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS DURING THE “MYSTERIOUS TRAVELERS” CONCERT WITH SMITH’S BAND ON DECEMBER 8, 2014. PHOTO BY BRITTANY LEE PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE PHILADELPHIA JAZZ PROJECT.
BELOW: A YOUNG CHILD ENJOYS A WORLD DRUMMING WORKSHOP AT WHITMAN LIBRARY. PHOTO BY RYAN BRANDENBERG WHAT’S INSIDE 8 THE PEOPLE’S UNIVERSITY: AN AMUSEMENT PARK FOR THE MIND HUMANITIES PROGRAMMING AT THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA
4 NEWS AND NOTES 6 HIDDEN GEMS: THE SPIRITED HISTORY OF THE AITKEN BIBLE 7 FOCUS ON: CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND 12 FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS: WORDS AT PLAY 14 THE FINAL WORD: MAT JOHNSON 15 BOARD LISTS ANNOUNCING THE
FEATURED SELECTION
We are excited to announce that the 2016 One Book, One Philadelphia featured The Library for the selection is Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. Blind and Physically Handicapped National Book Award winner Cold Mountain is the acclaimed won the 2015 American epic of a Civil War soldier journeying through Mae Davidow a divided country to return to the woman he loves, while she struggles to maintain her father’s farm and make sense Community Service of a new and troubling world. Coinciding with the East Award from the Coast premiere of the opera Cold Mountain, composed by Philadelphia Jennifer Higdon and Gene Scheer, the choice of the novel Regional Chapter of Cold Mountain gives One Book, One Philadelphia a unique the Pennsylvania opportunity to tie in with another major cultural event. Council of the Blind Additionally, our choice provides the inspiration to focus in recognition of on the Civil War, with all its complexities and ramifications. its outstanding To that end, we have chosen two adult companion books, contributions to which will offer historical context to our featured book: The the quality of life of Civil War, by Geoffrey Ward with Ric Burns and Ken Burns, blind and visually gives breadth of knowledge to events precipitating the war, ADMINISTRATOR KERI WILKINS impaired citizens of decisive battles, and emancipation; Twelve Years a Slave AND LIBRARY SUPERVISOR by Solomon Northup tells the harrowing narrative of a free the Delaware Valley. PAT SHOTZBARGER ACCEPTING black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. One THE DAVIDOW AWARD IN JUNE Book, One Philadelphia is honored to bring the city together around these works and featured book Cold Mountain, exploring the intersections of literature and music, history, and current events in an enlightening and extraordinary way.
Join us on Tuesday, February 2, 2016, for a kickoff celebration featuring author Charles Frazier in Parkway THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES TEAM Central’s Montgomery WAS AWARDED TOP HONORS FOR Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND And in the meantime, STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT BY THE start reading! URBAN LIBRARIES COUNCIL!
PICTURED ARE SUSAN BENTON, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE URBAN LIBRARIES COUNCIL; SARA MORAN, FREE LIBRARY STRATEGIC INITIATIVES VICE PRESIDENT; AND SIOBHAN REARDON, PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF THE FREE LIBRARY.
{ 4 } AROUND THE SYSTEM (1) Paschalville Library celebrated its 100th anniversary! From left to right are Principal of Southwest Leadership Academy Charter School Alphonso Evans; Head of Paschalville Library Jennifer Beggans; Chief of Staff Indira Scott; Former Mayor W. Wilson Goode, Sr., also a member of the Library’s Board of Trustees and Foundation’s Board of Directors; and Paschalville friend Paulette Backson-Royster. (2) Mayor Michael Nutter reads to children at Wadsworth Library as part of the Summer of Wonder summer reading program. (3) More than 50 new Americans swear in to become United States citizens at Parkway Central Library during a naturalization ceremony. (4) Job seekers line up outside Northeast Regional Library to enter the job fair, one in a series of six held at libraries around 1 the system. CUSTOMER CORNER YVETTE TORRES
Yvette Torres peppers her speech with uplifting aphorisms that reveal her cheerful personality: “Life is about building bridges, not burning bridges,” she says. And: “I’m a fan of no excuses.” Her wealth of knowledge has been cultivated, in part, by significant time spent at the Free Library, encouraged by her library-loving family. Not only is it important for Yvette to share her optimism 2 with those around her, but she also wants to pass on her appreciation for the Library through generations. “I was raised to be an avid reader,” she says. “And my kids had library cards from the time they were toddlers.” Yvette, who works in broadcast media, now takes her grandchildren to the Library for storytimes and children’s activities. She sings the Library’s praises for its plethora of resources as well as its role as a safe space in the community. The Library has been a constant in Yvette’s life, a place to turn to when times were tough. When she was laid off from a previous job, she spent time at the Free Library researching job options, industry trends, and professional paths for herself. The staff in the Business, Science, and 3 Industry Department helped her create a career strategy to move forward. Later, when her daughter wanted to start her own makeup company, Yvette encouraged her to 4 do research at the Library. Yvette sees the Free Library as a foundation for education. “I’m an advocate for learning. It’s a gateway to having a different life for yourself regardless of circumstance,” she says. The resources, information, and guidance from the Free Library, available to everyone, have truly enhanced Yvette’s life—she’s a Free Library evangelist for sure.
{ 4 } • • • BY ALIX GERZ HIDDEN GEMS The Spirited History of the Aitken Bible
# This September, as hundreds entire Bible, which would become the of thousands gathered on 22 so-called Aitken Bible, or The Bible of the the Benjamin Franklin Revolution, the first entire Bible printed in Parkway for Pope Francis’s English in what is now the United States. historic Philadelphia Mass, The financial burden of printing a 2,000- page document was severe, and Aitken the Free Library joined in the petitioned the Continental Congress for festivities and began a sacred a loan but was denied; the Pennsylvania show of its own. General Assembly eventually lent him £150, Housed in the Rare Book Department, a mere drop in the bucket. Sacred Stories: The World’s Religious Aitken pressed on, eventually providing Traditions—on view through January a copy of his work to the Continental 2016—showcases some of the Library’s Congress and asking for a post- rarest and most unique Bibles alongside facto approval so that he could “be sacred texts from the Buddhist, Hindu, commissioned or otherwise appointed Jewish, and Muslim traditions. & Authorized to print and vend Editions Of special interest is one of the Library’s of, the Sacred Scriptures.” The Congress hidden gems with a Philadelphia-based acquiesced, noting that those assembled backstory: the Aitken Bible. “highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken.” Aitken By 1777, English-language Bibles had took care to print the full text of the become scarce, due to Britain’s wartime endorsement in the final publication decision to cut off the flow of goods of his Bible; today, just 30 copies of this to its rebellious colony to the west. historic work remain, including the one Gathered in Philadelphia, the Continental in the Rare Book Department. Congress decided to address the shortage by ordering 20,000 English Bibles “The Aitken Bible embodies the spirit of the from “Holland, Scotland, or elsewhere.” American Revolution, combining the quest (American printers dared not produce the for freedom from colonial rule with the Bibles themselves due to the long-held spirit of the American entrepreneur,” says royal copyright on the text, in addition to Assistant Chief of Parkway Central Janine the cost of procuring the paper and other Pollock, who oversaw the mounting of materials needed for production.) But the exhibition. “Although the venture was before the revolutionaries had time to not financially successful, Aitken’s Bible follow through with their purchasing enhanced his reputation as a printer and plans, British forces pressed down remains the only Bible ever authorized by upon the City of Brotherly Love, and the United States Congress.” the Continental Congress fled to York, THE AITKEN BIBLE AND OTHER Pennsylvania. RARE TEXTS ARE ON VIEW THROUGH JANUARY 30, 2016, In 1781, Robert Aitken, a Philadelphia IN THE SACRED STORIES printer based on Market Street, decided EXHIBITION IN THE PARKWAY to address the shortage himself and CENTRAL LIBRARY’S RARE BOOK DEPARTMENT’S WILLIAM began to print 10,000 copies of the B. DIETRICH GALLERY.
{ 6 } { 7 } FOCUS ON Celebrating 150 Years of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
“WE’RE ALL MAD HERE” AT THE FREE LIBRARY
AND THE ROSENBACH.
And why not? Recently, in honor of one of the most beloved—and wackiest—children’s books in the English language, we began a wild ride Down the Rabbit Hole: Celebrating 150 Years of Alice in Wonderland.
To commemorate and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland—and all the maddening tea parties, disappearing cats, and “off-with-their-head”-ing queens that came with it—the Rosenbach is hosting a landmark exhibition and a bevy of fun and interactive programming for the young and the young at heart, running through May 2016. The celebration kicked off with a homecoming of sorts on October 14, when the original Alice manuscript paid a very special visit to the Rosenbach before returning to the British Library. Dr. Rosenbach once owned the precious piece and was part of a contingent of Philadelphians who gifted the manuscript back to the people of England after World War II. This fall marked the first time in nearly 70 years that the treasure has traveled back to the Rosenbach. In addition, the Rosenbach is leaving no giant mushroom cap unturned in its captivating exhibition covering the beloved classic. The exhibition, running through May 15, features three distinct parts, each delving into a different aspect of the story behind the story. Part One, Wonderland Rules: Alice at 150, explores the creation of the work and its lasting legacy. Part Two, Alice in Philly-land: The True-Life Adventures of A.S.W. Rosenbach, Alice Liddell Hargreaves, and the Manuscript That Made Them Famous, highlights the fascinating story of Dr. Rosenbach’s ownership—and eventual transfer to England—of the original Alice manuscript. And Part Three, Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk? Lewis Carroll’s Riddles, Puzzles, and Games, delves into Charles Dodgson’s—the Oxford mathematics lecturer behind the pen name Lewis Carroll—love of mathematics and games, and offers visitors a chance to play some themselves, including circular billiards! Finally, a special short-run show, Through the Camera Lens: The Photography of Lewis Carroll, will run from March 25 through May 15. When visitors aren’t exploring these varied exhibitions, they can jump into a giant chess match at the Parkway Central Library, pick up a croquet mallet and match skills against their favorite Wonderland characters in Dilworth Park, listen to expert lecturers discuss the many facets of Alice, or join in on any number of unique programs, all of which are listed at rosenbach.org and freelibrary.org. And don’t forget the Free Library’s annual gala: This year we’ll be celebrating with Through the Looking Glass: A Wonderland Ball, a far-out fête worthy of Alice and all her adventures. Take a hop down the rabbit hole with us, won’t you? • • • BY ALIX GERZ
IMAGES COURTESY OF THE ROSENBACH
{ 6 } { 7 } • • • BY MICHELLE SARACENI SHEFFER
The People’s University: An Amusement Park for the Mind
HUMANITIES PROGRAMMING AT THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA
In Emily St. John Mandel’s bestselling novel, Station Eleven, a troupe of actors traverses a post-apocalyptic landscape, driven by the notion that “survival is insufficient”—that in order to truly live, we must celebrate humanity and civilization through art, music, theater, and more. Mandel herself recently appeared at the Free Library as part of its acclaimed Author Events Series, which, along with One Book, One Philadelphia, stands tall among the Library’s flagship humanities programming. But in addition to these marquee programs, in libraries throughout the city, the Free Library is proud to host hundreds of events each year that examine art, life, and what it means to be human.
{ 8 } “I enjoy putting together thoughtful programs for curious people,” says Deborah Ahrens, Branch Head at the Oak Lane Library. “I see humanities-based programming as opportunities to bring people together in conversations that cross social, economic, and cultural barriers.”
Ahrens is one of many librarians who works hard to present interesting programs that will appeal to a wide variety of adults living in the communities their libraries serve. In the northwest Philadelphia neighborhood served by Oak Lane, she has hosted several readings and events celebrating new books published by local authors, including a lively soul food buffet in conjunction with East Oak Lane author H. Victoria Hargro Atkerson’s novel Buttermilk Bottom, during which more than 50 neighbors and friends shared food and
memories of growing up in the South. In bringing people PHOTO BY RYAN BRANDENBERG together through thoughtful, book-based discussions—as well as through workshops on writing, drawing, sewing, gardening, and more—Ahrens is helping to ensure that the intellectual, creative, and social life of the community remains dynamic and rich, with the Oak Lane Library as a beacon at its center.
Similarly, across town at Northeast Regional Library, librarian Keith Kessler presents a variety of summer programs designed to carve entry points into potentially intimidating subject matter for people of all education levels, believing “that any program can be done in a user-friendly manner.” He has hosted several mini-courses featuring films, handouts, quizzes, brief lectures, and group discussions on such topics as “Faulkner, An Introduction,” “James Joyce’s Ulysses for Beginners,” and “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Greek Tragedy, but Were Afraid to Ask,” with future plans in the works for a series on Dante’s Divine Comedy. He believes programs like these provide an enjoyable alternative for senior citizens and those who may not have attended a college or university to learn about literary classics—and he’s so grateful to his program attendees that he creates custom t-shirts for them to celebrate their completion of each course. PHOTO BY CURT HUDSON “Humanities programming at the Free Library really sits at the heart of what a library can and should be doing for its community,” says Siobhan A. Reardon, President and Director. “Libraries are a source of self- enlightenment and transformation for everyone who walks through our doors, regardless of background or circumstance.”
THE FREE LIBRARY CELEBRATES THE HUMANITIES WITH POP-UP THEATER PERFORMANCES (TOP), HANDS-ON MUSIC ACTIVITIES (MIDDLE), AND RICH LITERARY DISCUSSIONS AND READING GROUPS (BOTTOM). AT LEFT, THE DANCERS OF PENNSYLVANIA BALLET II PERFORM IN PARKWAY CENTRAL LIBRARY’S MONTGOMERY AUDITORIUM.
{ 8 } { 9 } PHILADELPHIANS ENJOY LIVELY PERFORMANCES, THOUGHT-PROVOKING EXHIBITIONS, AND HIGH-INTEREST CLASSES WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE FREE LIBRARY. PHOTO BY RYAN BRANDENBERG
PHOTO BY RYAN BRANDENBERG
exhibitions it presents, and its librarians issue a yearly call for entries for future exhibitions to highlight the impressive and unique work of area artists. “Philadelphia is an art-rich city, and we attempt to bring the visual arts to a perhaps slightly different audience—library users—who might be more word-oriented, helping them stretch a bit in their view of the world,” explains Art Department Head Karen Lightner.
In many ways, the Free Library is a nationwide leader among libraries in hosting innovative programming that unites the humanities and the arts with a strong sense of community and accessibility. The Library’s Music Department is receiving national accolades for its extensive work bringing live music and engaging programs that encourage creativity and critical analysis “By presenting programs that advance literacy, guide learning, to community members for free. Music librarians Perry Genovesi and inspire curiosity, the Free Library is ensuring that all and Adam Feldman were recently recognized as 2015 “Movers Philadelphians have the opportunity and ability to engage with, and Shakers” by Library Journal for their efforts to not only examine, and celebrate our diverse world.” expand the services libraries provide but to transform libraries themselves in the 21st century. At the Parkway Central Library, many departmental librarians present programs that allow attendees to delve deep into a “As a teenager in Philadelphia,” says Genovesi, “even though you particular topic or survey a wide variety of subject matter. Often might not be in the upper echelon of society, the Yale-educated in collaboration, the Art Department and Print and Picture class or whatever, you can still enter into and enjoy scholarly Collection host exhibitions and programs that celebrate the visual discourse. And I think music’s a really great vehicle to unpack a lot arts and showcase the Library’s inspiring special collections, of societal matters.” To that end, Genovesi and Feldman assembled like Crafty Tuesdays—in which participants can drop in to a popular Teen Music Critics’ Round Table, which welcomed and create an easy art project over their lunch breaks. The Print and encouraged Philadelphia’s young adults to listen to music and Picture Collection regularly hosts artist talks in conjunction with discuss the various messages and themes within.
{ 10 } PHOTO BY RYAN BRANDENBERG PHOTO BY RYAN BRANDENBERG
The Music Department also regularly hosts free pop-up Thanks to the Free Library’s incredible performances at Parkway Central Library, and in partnership librarians, who every day find inspiration in with the Philadelphia Jazz Project and the Producers Guild it also presented the acclaimed Mysterious Travelers Concert Series, the community, materials, and collections featuring the estimable skills of acclaimed area jazz musicians they maintain, Philadelphians of all walks like Vince Turnbull, Wayne Smith, Jr., and Anwar Marshall, among of life can enjoy high quality, engaging many. “The Music Department is a conservatory-quality music programs that explore and celebrate library accessible to Philadelphians at every point in their musical education,” says Feldman. our common humanity.
Additionally, the Free Library hosts the beloved and long- running Monday Poets series, led by Kay Wisniewski, Head of the Literature Department, during which two local, published poets PROJECT JAZZ PHILADELPHIA THE OF COURTESY PHOTOGRAPHY LEE BRITTANY BY PHOTO give readings on the first Monday of every winter month, often with an open mic to follow. Due to the success and reputation of the series, which has been running since the 1990s, the Library has also hosted pop-up performances for Philly Poetry Day in the last two years, as well as in the last three years of the Philadelphia Poetry Festival, where all the different poetry venues and publications meet to read and greet. The Library also regularly hosts engaging talks with area historians, interactive creative writing workshops, family-friendly celebrations of authors and artists, and much more.
“Authentic creation is treasure; propaganda, publicity, advertising, and entertainment are mostly products. One needs to be able to tell the difference between the authentic and the exploitative—or, as the Harry Potter novels would say, the right, hard way and the less good, easy way,” enthuses Wisniewski. “The humanities may not look ‘useful’ to some people, but how else are we to make sense of our world and lives? Poetry, novels, plays, movies, the arts, philosophy, religion—all are about understanding what it means to be human and framing our lives in ways that increase integrity, relationships, and felicity.”
{ 10 } { 11 } from the NEIGHBORHOODS
Words are everywhere—the names of The Free Library’s new Words at Play Vocabulary Initiative aims to the foods on our plate, the colors on help close this divide. With support from PNC Grow Up Great, and working with the Franklin Institute, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia a walk down the street, the shapes of Museum of Art, and Philadelphia Zoo, the Free Library has designed items at the grocery store. Naming these this program to give the littlest learners a head start on literacy. things is essential for children, which is Through playing, singing, talking, and reading at “Play Parties,” why the Free Library is partnering with families will discover new ideas to help strengthen their organizations across the city and local child’s vocabulary. Once a month, this word-building fun will parents on a fun new learning initiative to travel to community organizations for “Pop Up Play.” Also, bring more words to our youngest citizens. look for the Words at Play team at assorted community events, distributing information and leading learning activities. Once This initiative comes in response to one of Philadelphia’s greatest a year, participating families will receive transportation and needs. Philadelphia is the poorest big city in the United States, tickets to the leading cultural organizations (proud Words at and study after study shows direct links between poverty and Play partners) mentioned above! low literacy. For these children, knowing too few words plays out as an early hurdle that doesn’t lift over time. Words at Play focuses on families with children under age 5 and will be taking place at two neighborhood libraries, both Dubbed the “30 million word gap” by researchers, this word deficit located in North Philadelphia, west of Broad Street: Cecil B. puts these children at a distinct disadvantage. They hear fewer Moore and Widener. Half of the families in the communities words per hour than their more affluent peers. Once this gap served by these libraries are living below the poverty line, develops, it tends to widen, not narrow. Early educational success, and nearly half of the neighborhoods’ adults have less than graduation, higher learning, and a good job are all imperiled a high school education. Launched at a festive block party in when literacy lags. the spring, Words at Play will pool the resources of its partner organizations to increase the breadth and depth of seriously playful vocabulary-building offerings.
Check out our Words at Play programming, and keep reading, writing, talking, singing, and playing with your little ones today for a great tomorrow!
• • • BY JENN DONSKY
CHILDREN AND PARENTS ENJOY WORDS AT PLAY PROGRAMMING AT CECIL B. MOORE LIBRARY AND WIDENER LIBRARY.
PHOTOS BY CURT HUDSON
{ 12 } { 13 } CELEBRATING 100 YEARS AT HADDINGTON LIBRARY This year marks the centennial of Haddington Library, a keystone of its community since 1915.
The neighborhood of Haddington first appeared on an 1816 map of Philadelphia and was named for the country town of Haddingtonshire in England. The village of Haddington, centered around 62nd Street above Arch Street, consisted of a dozen houses and a coach stop inn called The STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Whitesides.
SUSAN GUNSENHOUSER, By 1865, Haddington was accessible via the West LIBRARY SUPERVISOR AND Philadelphia Passenger Railway. With the opening of the Market Elevated line in 1907, small shopping districts CHILDREN’S LIBRARIAN AT developed along Market Street. The shopping district WIDENER LIBRARY bounded by Market and Chestnut Streets, and by 60th and 61st Streets, was later designated as the Haddington How did you get started working for the Free Library? Historic District and listed on the National Register of I started working for the Free Library back in 2001 as Historic Places. a Teen Leadership Assistant at the Fox Chase Library. I responded to a job ad that my grandmother saw in the Haddington Library, located at 446 N. 65th Street, has been local newspaper. It was fate—I’ve been around in some part of the Free Library system since December 3, 1915. capacity or another ever since! Albert Kelsey, an architect who chaired the committee to develop the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, designed the What do you enjoy most about working in the building on land donated by Alex Simpson, Jr. Haddington neighborhood libraries? The best part about working was the 18th Library building erected using funds from in the neighborhood libraries is the chance to really get Andrew Carnegie. to know the people who come in to use the library. I’ve worked as an adult librarian and enjoyed conversations Here’s to many more years of great library service at with avid fellow readers, and I’ve worked as a children’s Haddington Library! librarian and enjoyed entertaining kids with storytimes. It can be especially rewarding to see children’s faces light up when they see you.
How has the Words at Play Vocabulary Initiative taking place at Widener Library impacted your customers? With Words at Play there was a big push for outreach into the community. As a result of that and because of the quality of the programs, I’ve seen a lot of people come in that I haven’t seen before. I think that’s amazing.
If you could have lunch with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why? That’s a really hard question to ask a librarian! I concentrated in 18th- and 19th-century literature when I was in college, so I think I’d eventually have to go with Jane Austen. People read her in so many different ways—as an old-fashioned romance writer or as a subversive social critic. It would be interesting to pick her brain and find out how she saw herself.
• • • BY EILEEN OWENS
{ 12 } { 13 } TO LISTEN TO THE FREE, DOWNLOADABLE PODCAST FEATURING MAT JOHNSON, VISIT FREELIBRARY.ORG/AUTHOREVENTS.
Philadelphia native Mat Johnson’s newest communal aspect of information for people in general. Computer access, public lectures and readings, book clubs. The library is novel, Loving Day, landed on the cover the hub for a community’s thinking people. of the New York Times Book Review, OTS YOU HAVE BEEN COMPARED TO KURT VONNEGUT, giving his childhood neighborhood— PHILIP ROTH, AND RALPH ELLISON. WHICH AUTHORS HAVE MOST INFLUENCED YOU AS A WRITER? and the novel’s setting—of Germantown MJ Probably the single biggest influence, in the beginning, was Joseph Heller. I read Catch 22 as a senior at Abington Friends; I prime attention. His witty, cutting racial recognized the lens of absurdity, I felt like it named the way I was satire draws on his own experiences as already silently viewing the world. I felt the same way, in college, when I read Ellison’s Invisible Man. Gloria Naylor was a big sign the son of an Irish father and a black post as well, Mama Day and Bailey’s Cafe, her mix of intelligent mother. Winner of the Dos Passos Prize storytelling and humor. The great thing about writing is you get to choose your literary ancestry. for Literature and a professor at the OTS HAVING GROWN UP IN PHILADELPHIA, IN WHAT WAYS University of Houston Creative Writing HAVE THE CITY AND YOUR EXPERIENCES FILTERED INTO Program, Johnson is known for using YOUR WRITING? MJ My writing is filtered out of the city, really. I think, as a kid, my fiction to dig into deep societal truths. The entire physical world was within the metro area. I could barely New York Times pegs him as a “satirist, imagine leaving. I’m my head; no matter how far I get away physically, I still haven’t left, I still filter my understanding of the historian, spy, social media trickster, and world through my norm: Philly. So my work comes out of that. When I write about Philly, I feel electrified. I feel like the names demon-fingered blues guitarist” on the and places are talismans on the page for me, forcing me to be subject of being “blackish” in America. more honest and real. OTS MANY OF YOUR NOVELS USE SATIRE. WHAT DRAWS YOU OTS WHAT ROLE HAVE LIBRARIES PLAYED IN YOUR TO THIS TECHNIQUE? LIFE? WHAT ROLE DO YOU THINK THEY PLAY IN OUR MJ I didn’t want to write satirical books, actually. I wanted to 21ST-CENTURY WORLD? write somber, sweeping tomes like Toni Morrison. But that just MJ Most of the books I read growing up came from the Free wasn’t me, as a writer. You only get to be the writer you are, not Library of Philadelphia. My local library was Germantown’s the writer you want to be. So I had to accept that my strongest Northwest Regional, with its sunken floor and wooden dragon voice on the page is a satiric one, because that’s the lens through bookshelf. And the quieter Lovett Library in Mt. Airy, with its which I’m already viewing the world. glass-wall modernism. The special occasions were when my dad took me downtown to the main library. Going to the library was OTS TO YOU, THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA IS an event, and the opportunity to have all the information and art ALSO THE FREE LIBRARY OF______. WHY? I wanted, which is something I took for granted as a child, but MJ The Mind. Libraries used to be private institutions, meant now I know how much vision and money and effort went into for the wealthy and privileged to exchange comparatively rare making that possible. and expensive books. At one point, Philadelphia decided to open membership of a great library to the larger, poorer city. What’s fascinated me about the modern library is its evolution And that information freed minds, led to the creativity and in the face of the digital world. What does a library become accomplishments and everyday improvement of life. The Free when books are available in digital format instantly at home? I Library is one of our city’s greatest accomplishments. I feel think it focuses even more on providing people who are cut off fortunate to have had access to it as a child and honored to from information with an opportunity to connect, and on the have my books in its catalog today.
{ 14 } { 15 } FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
CHAIR Pamela Dembe MEMBERS Donna Allie Steven M. Altschuler Christopher Arlene Jacqueline Barnett Darwin Beauvais Brigitte Daniel Tobey Gordon Dichter Donald Generals W. Wilson Goode, Sr. Melissa Grimm Robert C. Heim Nancy D. Kolb H.W. Jerome Maddox Sonia Sanchez Suzanne Simons John J. Soroko Sherry Swirsky Nicholas D. Torres Ignatius C. Wang EMERITUS Joseph F. Burke Gloria Twine Chisum Armand Della Porta Herman Mattleman Teresa Sarmina EX-OFFICIO Michael DiBerardinis Deputy Mayor for the Environment and Community Resources Dawn Maglicco Friends of the Free Library
FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS freelibrary.org/ball
CHAIR Tobey Gordon Dichter MEMBERS Robert Adelson Cynthia Affleck James H. Averill Phyllis W. Beck Sheldon Bonovitz Benito Cachinero-Sánchez George Day Andrea Ehrlich W. Wilson Goode, Sr. Daniel Gordon Richard A. Greenawalt Melissa Grimm Janet Haas Robert C. Heim John Imbesi TAKE A FRONT ROW SEAT Michael Innocenzo Philip Jaurigue Geoffrey Kent Alexander Kerr The George S. Pepper Society recognizes those who give Marcienne Mattleman Thomas B. Morris, Jr. Stephanie W. Naidoff $1,000 or more annually to the Free Library Foundation. Bernard Newman Patrick M. Oates In appreciation of their generosity, Peppers receive advance Derek N. Pew Nick Pournader Greg Redden access to and reserved seating at the Author Events Series, William R. Sasso Susan G. Smith exclusive invitations to private events, personal access to Miriam Spector Stacey Leigh Spector Lenore Steiner world-renowned authors, and much more. Barbara Sutherland Monica Vachher Jay Weinstein FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PEPPER SOCIETY, Larry Weiss EMERITUS CONTACT NICK MCALLISTER AT Peter A. Benoliel [email protected] OR 215-814-3542. Marie Field Elizabeth H. Gemmill Leslie Miller A. Morris Williams, Jr.
{ 14 } { 15 } The Rosenbach of the Free Library celebrates 150 years of Alice in Wonderland with the exhibition Down the Rabbit Hole, which will immerse visitors in Lewis Carroll’s imaginative world. ON DISPLAY FROM WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015, THROUGH SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016. SUPPORT THE Literary Costume Party Don your Alice-themed costumes to mark a fanciful Halloween! SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 • 6:00 P.M. • DENWORTH ROOM, THE ROSENBACH
FREE Chess Through the Looking Glass Participate in a human chess match for a chance to win a prize! LIBRARY! TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 • 4:00-7:00 P.M. • PARKWAY CENTRAL LIBRARY Eat Me, Drink Me: Tea and Tarts with Alice To make a gift to the Bring the Mad Tea Party to life by learning all about tea preparation and appreciation from Alexis Siemons, tea consultant and writer, while enjoying delicious tarts and teas. Foundation, please visit THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 • 6:00 P.M. • CULINARY LITERACY CENTER, freelibrary.org/support PARKWAY CENTRAL LIBRARY or call 215-567-7710. Charles Santore Talk and Book Signing Renowned artist Charles Santore will give a visual presentation about the stunning illustrations in his latest publication project, Alice’s Adventures Under Ground. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 • 6:00 P.M. • DENWORTH ROOM, THE ROSENBACH