Posts by Nancy Kunz

Jazz in February: The Brian Carter Quartet

Jazz in February: The Brian Carter Quartet

Kicking off our 2013 jazz series is New Rochelle native Brian Carter and his renowned jazz quartet on Sunday, February 24 at 2 p.m. The quartet will play traditional and fusion jazz, a delight for all ages. You may have seen Brian Carter Quartet previously at the White Plains International Food & Jazz Festival (September 2012) or White Plains summer lunch hour concert series (August 2012) – come enjoy their music again. Coming up in the series is Ladies' Day on Sunday, March 10 and “The Incomparable Ethel Waters” featuring jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe on Sunday, May 19. (Both sponsored
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February 14, 2013 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: adults, concert, and music.

Library Closed for Lincoln's Birthday

Library Closed for Lincoln's Birthday

In honor of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, the Library is closed on Tuesday, February 12. Some recent books the Library has acquired on President Lincoln include: Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty by Tonya Bolden (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2013) YA 973.71B Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly (Henry Holt & Co., 2012) YA 973.7 O Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship by Russell Friedman (Clarion Books, 2012) YA 973.7 F Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context and Memory by
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February 9, 2013 5:00 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: all ages and holiday.

Artist Reception: Diane McCulloch – Fantasy Visions

Artist Reception: Diane McCulloch – Fantasy Visions

Join us this Sunday, January 13 from 1-3 p.m. for the opening of “Fantasy Visions,” an exhibit of paintings in mixed media that are at once colorful, thought-provoking, and entertaining. Artist Diane McCulloch will be in attendance. One of her paintings, Chinese Destiny, is shown here. “Fantasy Visions” will be on display in the Museum Gallery until February 22. This show is brought to you by the Friends of White Plains Public Library.
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January 10, 2013 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Gallery, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: adults, all ages, art, Friends, gallery, and museum gallery.

Holiday Closings

Holiday Closings

During this busy holiday season we will be open our regular hours on most days. Please note the exceptions: The Library will be open 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (closing early) on: Christmas Eve – Monday, December 24 New Year's Eve – Monday, December 31 The Library will be closed on: Christmas Day – Tuesday, December 25 New Year's Day – Tuesday, January 1 We wish everyone Happy Holidays and a happy and healthy New Year!
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December 21, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: all ages and closings.

Making Trouble: Three Generations of Funny Jewish Women

Making Trouble: Three Generations of Funny Jewish Women

Join us for the Hadassah Film Festival, four great evenings of documentary films celebrating Jewish women who impacted the world. On four Tuesday evenings, the Westchester Region of Hadassah will host films and discussions on the lives of remarkable Jewish women. The fourth film, “Making Trouble“, is the true saga of six of the greatest female comic performers of the last century: Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner and Wendy Wasserstein. Discussion to follow. This film will be shown on Tuesday, December 11th from 6:45-8:45 p.m. “Ahead of Time,” the first film, was rescheduled from cancelled
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December 5, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: adults and film.

An Afternoon of Klezmer

An Afternoon of Klezmer

Join us on Sunday, December 9 for our annual klezmer concert. Enjoy a lively & nostalgic musical journey, featuring Old World traditions & New World voices with Kapelye, “The First Ambassadors of Klezmer.” Eric Berman, tuba/bass; Ken Maltz, clarinet; and Peter Sokolow, keyboard/vocals. Two seatings from 1:30-2:30 p.m., repeated 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wikipedia explains:  “Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations.” This concert is brought to you by the Friends of White Plains
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December 3, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: all ages, concert, Friends, klezmer, and music.

Westchester Readers, Come Meet Westchester Writers

Westchester Readers, Come Meet Westchester Writers

Every year the county's annual literary journal, The Westchester Review, hosts a couple hours of readings by local authors here at White Plains Library. Join us on Saturday, December 8 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. as we celebrate the 2013 edition of The Westchester Review, featuring authors from the Hudson to the Sound. Writers from the 2013 issue will read from their work and entertain with varied voices and visions. Editors will be present to answer questions, with Review copies available for sale and submissions for 2014 issue encouraged. Refreshments served.  
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November 30, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: adults, author event, and books.

Grace Paley: Collected Shorts

Grace Paley: Collected Shorts

Join us for the Hadassah Film Festival, four great evenings of documentary films celebrating Jewish women who impacted the world. On four Tuesday evenings this fall, the Westchester Region of Hadassah will host films and discussions on the lives of remarkable Jewish women. The third film is “Grace Paley: Collected Shorts“. Lilly Rivlin's intimate documentary is a rich, inspiring portrait of writer, activist and New York icon Grace Paley. Discussion to follow. This film will be shown on Tuesday, November 27th from 6:45-8:45 p.m., including a discussion after the film. Future Tuesday films and discussions will be held December 11th
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November 22, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: adults and film.

Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!

Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!

Join us for our Hadassah Film Festival, four great evenings of documentary films celebrating Jewish women who impacted the world. On four Tuesday evenings this fall, the Westchester Region of Hadassah will host films and discussions on the lives of remarkable Jewish women.    The second film, “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg” is the humorous and eye-opening story of the actor, writer and broadcasting pioneer, Gertrude Berg. This film will be shown on Tuesday, November 13th from 6:45-8:45 p.m., including a discussion after the film. Future Tuesday films and discussions will be held November 27th & December 11th.  Check upcoming blog posts
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November 7, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: adults and film.

The Rock 'n' Roll Show

The Rock 'n' Roll Show

I've been booking concerts for the Library for nearly five years now. When I started, the tradition was to have popular music (in other words, “Great American Songbook”) in the fall and jazz in the spring. While this has always been popular, I started thinking about the audiences we get for these shows. Many attendees are seniors and I'm sure the American songbook concerts have touched upon some old favorites of theirs and introduced younger attendees to classic music. However, time marches on and my own parents are seniors now. While they know many American songbook songs, they grew up
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November 5, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: adults, all ages, and concert.

Non-Fiction Comics

Non-Fiction Comics

When it comes to non-fiction books created in a comics style, the term “graphic novel” becomes a misnomer, although it is certainly still used. I prefer to say “graphic non-fiction.” Are you surprised that non-fiction material has been covered by comics? The one “graphic novel” to win the Pulitzer Prize was in fact non-fiction – Maus by Art Spiegelman. (In 1992 alone this book won Pulitzer, Eisner, and Harvey awards and Los Angeles Times' book prize for fiction. (!) This book tells the story of the artist's father's experience in the Holocaust as a Polish Jew and the artists' coming
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November 2, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: adults, books, collection, comics, and graphic novels.

A Tribute to Musical Legend Johnny Mercer

A Tribute to Musical Legend Johnny Mercer

Johnny Mercer began writing songs at the age of 15 and eventually became one of the foremost figures of 20th century American popular music. From the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s, many of the songs Mercer wrote and performed were among the most popular hits of the time. He wrote the lyrics to more than a thousand songs, including compositions for movies and Broadway shows. In their show on Sunday, October 28 at 2 p.m., Sonny & Perley will highlight favorites including “Skylark,” “Accentuate the Positive,” Blues in the Night,” and “Moon River.” The husband and wife team have spent the
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October 19, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Uncategorized.
Tags: all ages, concerts, and music.

Painting on Silk Demonstration

Painting on Silk Demonstration

Berenice Pliskin has been a working silk painter for the past 20 years. Her paintings have been featured in news media and museums and exhibited widely. Some are being shown in our Museum Gallery right now (through November 16th) alongside her husband Bob's work. On Wednesday, October 24 from 7-8 p.m.Berenice will demonstrate her silk painting techniques and give a guided tour of her paintings on view in the Library Museum Gallery. Please join us to learn about this intriguing medium. (At left: Carlos is Learning English by Berenice Pliskin)
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October 17, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Classes, Featured, Gallery, Homepage, Library News, and Uncategorized.
Tags: adults, art, classes, and museum gallery.

Meet the Author: Zane!

Meet the Author: Zane!

New York Times best-selling author Zane will appear at the Library this Saturday, September 29, at noon. We hope you'll join us for what is sure to be an entertaining Q&A. Bring your questions about her books, how she writes, or maybe how she got started. As part of this appearance, Sarah Bracey White, published author and Executive Director of Greenburgh Arts and Culture, will facilitate a conversation between Zane and the audience. Zane is the New York Times best-selling author of, among others, Afterburn, The Heat Seekers, the Flava series, and Dear G-Spot. Her television series, Zane’s Sex Chronicles,
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September 27, 2012 12:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Uncategorized.
Tags: adults, author event, books, and reading.

Still Time to Salsa!

Still Time to Salsa!

When we've offered salsa classes for teens, many adults have asked for classes for them. The time has come! Learn the basics of this hot Latin dance in a way that is simple and effective. Come alone or with friends. This four week session runs every Tuesday until September 25. Each class is an hour long and registration is not required. Instructor Addie Diaz is a successful mambo/salsa performer and choreographer in the NY mambo community. She has traveled throughout the US and Internationally to perform and teach workshops. She is the director of her own dance troupe (Addie-Tude Dance
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September 13, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Classes, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: adults and classes.

Friends of the Library Celebrate 65th Anniversary

Friends of the Library Celebrate 65th Anniversary

The Friends of the White Plains Public Library are unsung library heroes. Founded in 1947, this group of volunteers has raised funds for programming, the Museum Gallery, equipment and furnishings. (Including our beautiful Steinway B piano in the auditorium. Many musicians have commented on how nice it is that we have such a good piano to play!) They deliver books to home-bound Library patrons around White Plains. They also provide volunteer manpower for various events, such as gallery openings. One of the ways they raise funds is by running the Friends Bookstore off our lobby, which is having its 15th
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September 10, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Uncategorized.
Tags: Friends and fundraising.

From Comic Book to Movie

From Comic Book to Movie

Have I convinced you to try comics yet? What you may not realize is that many popular movies are based on comics and graphic novels. (Wikipedia has a list that spans the globe. For English-language comics-into-movies only, go here.) If you loved “V for Vendetta,” “Ghost World,” “Road to Perdition” or “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” you may want to check out the comics that started it all: V for Vendetta by Alan Moore (DC Comics, 2005) Ghost World (Special Edition) by Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics, 2008) Road to Perdition by Max Allan Collins (Pocket Books, 2002) The League of Extraordinary
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September 6, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: books, collection, comics, film, and graphic novels.

Learn to Salsa!

Learn to Salsa!

When we've offered salsa classes for teens, many adults have asked for classes for them. The time has come! Learn the basics of this hot Latin dance in a way that is simple and effective. Come alone or with friends. This four week session begins today, Tuesday, September 4 at 6:30 p.m. and runs until September 25. Each class is an hour long and registration is not required. Instructor Addie Diaz is a successful mambo/salsa performer and choreographer in the NY mambo community. She has traveled throughout the US and Internationally to perform and teach workshops. She is the director
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September 4, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Classes, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: adults and classes.

Yvonne Charles is Retiring

Yvonne Charles is Retiring

Circulation clerk Yvonne Charles is retiring after 35 years of providing service to the Library. Many patrons know Yvonne from their interactions at the check out desk. She will be missed by library staff and White Plains residents alike. Yvonne started working at the Library after being on maternity leave from another job. She only wanted a part time job, but soon got convinced to work full time. She loved the job, particularly working directly with the public. (For many people this is the most challenging part of working a check out desk. But Yvonne loved it!) She says that
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August 24, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Homepage and Library News.
Tags: retirement and staff.

Comics with a French Flair

Comics with a French Flair

Did you enjoy TinTin or the Smurfs as a kid? Then you've already had  taste of Franco-Belgian comics, another distinct style of comics and graphic novels. As I've already covered, the Japanese have their own style, manga, which has influenced Korea's manwha and China and Hong Kong's manuha. In the United States, descendants of Jewish immigrants have heavily influenced American comics. Lest you think Europe is a comics wasteland, the French and Belgians have a history of “bandes dessinées” (translated as “drawn strips”), their own style of comics. Within the world of bandes dessinées there are distinct sub-styles – not
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August 15, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: comics and graphic novels.