A LITTLE TOO QUIET: THE FERNDALE LIBRARY PODCAST: Recent Episodes
Ferndale Area District Library
Libraries aren’t as quiet as they used to be. A podcast for library lovers and the library curious. Book chatter with librarians, community perspectives and author interviews
This week, we're chatting with Cait Jacobs, USA Today Bestselling author of The Princess Knight and essentially one of (if not THEE) earliest content creators in the decentralized community of BookTok, starting back in 2019. We "talk" about BookTok, building the romantasy of Princess Knight, which came out in 2024, and we also touch on the inspiration it draws from Legally Blonde. Other topics include how Jacobs brings their own experiences into their writing by intentionally crafting inclusive, queernormative worlds that feature representation for authentic disability and chronic pain.
Also? Ryan Gosling comes up once or twice.
Page Powars is the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Indie bestselling author of But I Hate Him, And They Were Roommates, and the forthcoming Reins and Restraint. Powars has written three books for young adults with trans main characters, and his latest, But I Hate Him, comes out on August 25. We talk about all three of his published books, and more, including what inspired him to start writing in the first place and how to approach writing for teens vs. adults.
https://www.pagepowars.com/
Ruta Sepetys is a Lithuanian-American author born in Michigan (currently based in Nashville), writing deep-diving and engaging historical fiction that unravels captivating mysteries while also transporting the reader on a journey to discover lesser-known moments and figures from our past!
A Fortune of Sand, the latest by bestselling author Ruta Sepetys, is a gothic 1920s historical thriller set in Detroit. It follows Marjorie Lennox, the rebellious and overlooked youngest daughter of a wealthy automotive dynasty Bookreporter.com. Desperate to escape her controlling family and pursue fashion design, Marjorie secretly joins "Nightingale," an exclusive arts residency that holds more secrets—and more intrigue—than she could have ever imagined.
JACKIE KHALILIEH is a Palestinian Canadian writer based outside of Toronto, Canada, with a penchant for Samoyeds, to-do lists, and staying up way too late. She is passionate about positive representation within her writing. Something More, her debut YA novel, was shortlisted for several notable awards and was selected for several Best of 2023 lists.
Her next book, Everything Comes Back To You, comes out on August 4.
Everything Comes Back To You: A YA Romance featuring a Palestinian Canadian girl intent on being the perfect Arab daughter after news of her older sister’s pregnancy shakes her family’s foundation, but then she struggles with the expectations of family and culture when she falls into an intense first love.
https://www.jackiekhalilieh.com
Dr. Emma Southon is the acclaimed author of A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which we covered in a recent episode. This week, we're discussing her new book (out June 30): Not Built In A Day - a groundbreaking history of Ancient Rome that explores how the empire was built, fueled, and shaped by its enslaved people.
With humor, wit, and expertise, Emma Southon invites us into the absurdity of Roman life and completely upends our idea of the Roman empire. https://www.emmasouthon.com/
Amanda Uhle is Executive Director and Publisher of McSweeney’s, known for its award-winning quarterly literary journal, humor website and eclectic book publishing program. For more than 11 years, Uhle was executive director of 826michigan, a nonprofit tutoring and writing center for school-aged students in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Ypsilanti. Uhle is deeply involved with numerous youth writing organizations. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Politico Magazine, Newsweek, ThinkProgress, Oprah Daily, The Boston Globe, Delacorte Review, and elsewhere.
Her memoir, Destroy This House, is published by Simon & Schuster/Summit Books, and is our primary focus of discussion on this episode!
More info: https://www.amandauhle.com/
One of the most important roles librarians serve is strengthening and supporting information literacy. Included in that, especially in our current moment, is broadening and deepening our understanding of Artificial Intelligence. Tune in for an overview from one of our librarians, including recommendations for how to interpret and handle instances of misinformation and even alternatives when it comes to how you search and seek knowledge out there on the internet wilderness.
You can also dive in to some further readings, below:
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/opinion-ai-is-destroying-our-planet-we-must-acthttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212827124001173https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381278855_ChatGPT_is_bullshithttps://www.everylibraryinstitute.org/state_level_library_patron_privacy_laws_ai
Emma and Jeff are chatting with authors Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos, looking ahead to the next installment in the Homegrown Magic series: a cozy, queer adult romantic fantasy series, with Homeward for a Spell due out in mid August! The series blends wholesome cottagecore vibes with rich worldbuilding and high-stakes family drama! Plus, we talk a lot about The Fast & The Furious, D&D, Ren Faires, and more!
Gabriella Gamez is a Mexican American author living in South Texas. She writes about incredibly messy, well-meaning women trying their best and accidentally falling in love. Her latest, 'Second First Dates,' is out at the end of July! And Gabby has a history with our cohost Emma, so we start off with a charming bit of anecdotes that led to their friendship!
A sweeping novel of one Kentucky family’s rise and fall throughout the 1980s—a tragicomic tour de force about love and marriage, parents and children, and the perils of mixing family with business, from the acclaimed author of The Animators https://kaylaraewhitaker.com/returns-and-exchanges/
We'll tell you ALL about the best week of the year, and how to celebrate it properly :)
Erin Cambron, co-owner/manager of LOVE & OTHER BOOKS, joins us to talk about her store as it nears its two year anniversary. Cambron talks to us about curating a charming, cozy vibe, and a culture, too, as a combination of romance novels and children's books, but also serving as an events space, particularly for book clubs and storytimes.
April 25 is Indie Bookstore Day, so that's an excellent time to visit the store (if you haven't already). But ALSO, Erin talks to us about bigger plans down the line, looking ahead to the Banned Together Book Fest on October 10. https://bannedtogetherbookfest.com/
Jason Klamm is a Detroit-based author, actor, voice actor, podcast host, director, and author of two published books of nonfiction, including We're Not Worthy: ...How 90's Sketch Comedy TV Changed The Face of Comedy, and his latest, Ferris Bueller You're My Hero: The Story of the World's Most Famous Day Off.
We talk about Klamm's passion for comedy, writing, and more, along with his experience researching and interviewing for Ferris Bueller..., including interviews with much of the cast (Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck), and crew!
Klamm's new book comes out on June 16, and there's a launch party planned at the Berkley Public Library on June 12!
https://jasonklamm.com/
Michigan's own Josh Malerman, author of Incidents Around the House and Bird Box, joins us to talk about a particular film (which also has deep Michigan roots), 1981's The Evil Dead. Josh wrote and published his first work of nonfiction late last year, Watching Evil Dead: Unearthing The Radiant Artist Within; we're discussing that book AND the upcoming adaptation of last year's smash hit Incidents Around the House.
We're back with new podcast episodes! This week, we're chatting with local author LISA PEERS about her latest romance novel, Motor City Love Song!
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/771481/motor-city-love-song-by-lisa-peers/
No one knows why the queen of indie rock vanished from the Detroit scene twenty years ago. Now, her ex-girlfriend is determined to track her down—and what she uncovers will change everything.
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The Berkley Public Library, with support from the Friends of the Berkley Library, have been hard at work reimagining their media room to not only refresh the space, but also to show patrons who are more interested in television and movies than books that the library is a place for them, too. Lisabeth Posthuma, from Berkley's circulation department, is here on the podcast to discuss the vision of: Berkbuster Video! Your neighborhood video store is back, celebrating the glories, the nostalgia, and the bonds-forged around the experiences offered by physical media--particularly when you can rent it for free!
The Berkley Library having a launch party for their new Berkbuster Video space on Friday, November 14, at 6:00 pm (3155 Coolidge Hwy, Berkley). Posthuma will be there for the ribbon cutting, and delivers all the details in this episode of our podcast, including some background on her life, working in video stores during her youth, and her YA novel, Baby & Solo, which is set in a video store!
A conversation on the horror genre in literature, with a rundown of recent reads and top recommendations!
The List:
The Reformatory by Tananarive DueYou Weren't Meant to Be Human - Andrew Joseph WhiteThe Buffalo Hunter Hunter - Stephen Graham JonesEpisode Thirteen - Craig DiLouie (Audiobook!) From Below, Ghost Camera, the Gravekeeper Series - Darcy CoatesThe Twisted Ones, What Moves the Dead - T Kingfisher Ballad of Black Tom, The Changeling - Victor LaValle The September House - Carissa OrlandoDiavola - Jennifer Marie ThorneHouse of Hunger, The Year of the Witching - Alexis Henderson Helm of Midnight - Marina J Lostetter Any and everything written by Junji Ito More Gothic than Horror: Mexican Gothic, Silver Nitrate, the Bewitching - Silvia Moreno GarciaDowry of Blood - S. T. Gibson Hungerstone - Kat Dunn
We've got another podcast episode with our panel of romance readers diving into a nuanced topic around the popular genre: this time, we're running through our wishlists of things, tropes, devices, and twists that we'd like to see more of (or less of?) when it comes to romance novels!
And, p.s., our next ROMANCE BOOK CLUB meets on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 pm at Urbanrest!
P.p.s.: We now have our own Romance Section! All romance titles in adult fiction have their own location/shelf/section!
This week, Becca from the Royal Oak Public Library joins Jeff & Mary Grahame, here at Ferndale, to chat about some deeply held appreciations for historical fiction, particularly from the late 90's and into the early 00's, with a focus on the American Girl book series, along with Dear America, and others! This inevitably leads into discussions of Banned Books Week, which, by the way, we're in the middle of, right now!
Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and raises awareness about attempts to censor/remove books from the shelves of public libraries, school libraries, and bookstores.
Today, we're joined by Emily and Savannah, the President and Vice President of the Friends of the Ferndale Library! We'll talk about all the mighty work that this volunteer organization does to support the library, its programming and resources, as well as its staff, AND we'll talk about all the amazing events that the Friends host throughout the year, including their Park & Read program AND their upcoming Dip-Off, a juried competition for the best dip recipes!
The Friends of the Ferndale Library Dip-Off is on Sat., October 25, from 1pm-3pm, the culmination of National Friends of Libraries Week! Find more information at: ferndalefriends.org + Follow them at @friendsofferndalelibrary on Instagram!
Our Romance Panel discusses the nuances of the subgenre that combines fantasy and romance! You'll hear hot takes, you'll get recommendations, and, together, we'll consider the virtues of finishing a book only to see the culmination of its subtly compelling subplots.
Do you remember when you signed up for your very first library card? Has it been a while since you've had one? Well, tune in to our panel discussion this week when Rae from the Madison Heights Library and Becca from the Royal Oak Library join Jeff and Mary Grahame to revel in the wonders of having a library card! Did we mention it's Library Card Sign-Up Month?
You could win fabulous prizes just by using your library card! And in case you've forgotten, or never paused to appreciate fully, just how fantastic your life could be when you fully utilize the wonders and whimsy of a library card, well..., then tune in to this week's podcast to hear all about it! We'll also share details about our current Bingo Challenge, which you can participate in through Beanstack! fadl.org/sign-up
We're back to finish up a short RPG game, with our players returning, taking on the roles of monster hunters, to investigate and resolve a supernatural mystery! Stay tuned, because we'll be announcing details about our new (quarterly) TEEN RPG Group, starting in October!
This week, our Romance Reading Squad is talking about the particular subgenre known as historical romance, including their recommended favorites, some of the prevailing tropes, the highs, the lows, and the Bridgerton-of-it-all... Tune in!
This week, our staff are playing a live one-shot Tabletop RPG Game called Monster of the Week: where they'll take on the roles of a group of monster hunters who have to get creative when facing off against the terrors that prey on humanity... Wild! In harmony with the spirit of this "game" today, we not only host a Tabletop RPG Group for middle-schoolers, but we'll SOON be introducing a recurring quarterly RPG program for teens!! Tune in and enjoy the chaos!
"There's probably NOT going to be another crazy Corn/Clown Cult this time..." That's just one direct quote from the episode you're about to listen to! We're discussing the ins and outs of Tabletop RPGs! We'll discuss our current bi-monthly Middle Grade Table Top RPG Group, but also our upcoming quarterly Teen RPG Group, which launches in October! We're also teasing an upcoming episode in which our staff will PLAY a one-shot RPG game for you--sure to result in entertaining shenanigans!
This week, our Romance Reading Panel returns to discuss their favorite and least-favorite tropes that appear across a variety of romance novels! Keen ears will be able to pull a lot of excellent reading recommendations from their lively discussion! Plus, we have an announcement about our upcoming Romance Book Club, which officially launches in October!
This week, we're chatting with em dickson, author of Beyond They/Them: 20 Influential Nonbinary and Gender-Diverse People You Should Know, illustrated by Cameron Mukwa.
Turns out em went to college with our Podcast's cohost Mary Grahame, over at Simmons University in Boston; you'll get a lot of their charming history together, including Mary Grahame's path to becoming a Youth Librarian and em's journey to become a published Children's Author!
em dickson (e/em/eir/she) holds an MA in Children's Lit, along with an MFA, both earned from her time at Simmons; along with er recently published book, e is a school librarian, authenticity reader, competitive sailor, and sea shanty enthusiast. Like Peter Pan, e has a strong emotional attachment to eir shadow, a fluffy black muppet of a dog called Luna. When not reading or writing, e can be found harmonizing to random sounds, collecting trinkets in eir pockets like a dragon, or promoting the color teal. E feels most at home by the sea, which is convenient, since e spends most of eir time in coastal Massachusetts. You can find em on Instagram @mlereads
Along with some overdue catching up, em and Mary Grahame mention another excellent book that em contributed to, Athlete is Agender. We also discuss a lot of other noteworthy authors, including ND Stevenson, Esme Symes-Smith, Maia Kobabe, and more! We also give some shout-outs to our librarian programming, including our Reading Rainbow social-hour/book club, and our Rainbow Club at Ferndale Middle School! Tune In!
This week, we have an energized panel discussing a wide range of topics related to the romance genre! This is all building up to some big news, actually: we're start hosting monthly Romance Book Club meetings beginning in October! Also, for the first time, we'll be assembling a separate section of fiction dedicated entirely to the genre! Tune in!
Here are some things we know to be true:
1.) The Detroit Institute of Arts is simply a gem of a cultural destination and community resource that enlightens, educates, enriches, and entertains the tri-county Metro area and beyond!
2.) Their incredible exhibition, Painted with Silk, just closed last week, spanning the art of early American Embroidery from the 1600s up into the 1830s, just one of many special exhibitions curated by the DIA and open to the public year-in and year-out!
3.) We have two podcast cohosts, Erin & Mary Grahame, who are enthusiastic practioners and appreciators of the Fiber Arts, so they thought a field trip TO the D.I.A. with our library mascot, Fern the Frog, could prove to build a budding partnership between the museum and our library! They were right! Tune in for our conversation!
Oh, and stay tuned for updates, coming later in the Fall, when the Ferndale Library partners with the D.I.A. to coordinate guided tours, including free shuttle transportation (from the library) down to the museum!
https://dia.org/
IG: @diadetroit
Award-winning singer/songwriter, musician & poet Carolyn Striho will be here at the Ferndale Library on June 18 for a live performance in our courtyard to kick off our annual Summer Concert Series! Visit https://www.carolynstriho.com to find more information about this incredible artist, previous albums, songs, and her poetry collection , Detroit Maiden Energy.
Featured music in this episode, by Carolyn Striho:
I Will Rise
Piano Moon
This week, we're getting nostalgic AND providing some reading recommendations! It's our podcast's annual Summer Reading Spectacular! We're talking about books that we have fond memories of reading during the summers of our past, as well as particularly fond memories tied to the Summer Reading Programs hosted by the public libraries we attended as kids/teens! Correction: We discuss the 2024 book Bitter Water Opera by Nicolette Polek, because we're huge fans and it's a fine novel to read during the summertime, HOWEVER, we mention that Polek graduated from Harvard, but she in fact graduated from the Yale Divinity School ~ and currently teaches creative writing at SUNY Purchase. Hopefully Polek will be a guest on this podcast some day soon! Also, mark your calendars for our Kickoff Party happening here on Saturday, June 7, from 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm: www.fadl.org/summer
Michigan Author and poet Linda Nemec Foster joins us to cap off Poetry Month and discuss her latest book, The Lake Huron Mermaid, with Anne-Marie Oomen; recently released on WSU Press.
https://wsupress.wayne.edu/9780814347416/
https://www.lindanemecfoster.com/works/the-lake-huron-mermaid/
https://anne-marieoomen.com/
https://lafontsee.com/artist/meridith-ridl
The Library of Michigan is the state library of the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the state capital, Lansing. It is housed in the 5-story Michigan Library and Historical Center building. Our guest, Adam Oster, is the Community Engagement Librarian for the Library of Michigan. Adam holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Grand Valley State University with a minor in Political Science and Secondary Education Certification. Adam loves history! He loves Michigan; he loves libraries! He also loves local authors, which we discuss in this episode, particularly highlighting the upcoming Michigan Notable Books tour! All that, and so much more! https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan
This week, our staff discuss their passion for the fiber arts, from crochet to knitting to cross-stitch and beyond! We have plenty of resources here at the library that you can check out to get started on your crafting journey, but our panelists also provide some pointers and some charming banter! Don't forget to join us on April 24 for the Opening Reception of FiberClub's Group Show, Material Motives!
The Verse for Now is the ninth book from poet Jacqueline Suskin. This meditative collection asks us to accept ourselves as planetary, at once vast and cosmic, while equally small and animal. The Detroit-based poet and educator will be celebrating the launch of her latest book on Earth Day, April 22, at 27th Letter Books! Suskin has appeared on this podcast once before, back in late 2023; she's been teaching workshops, writing books, hosting retreats and creating spontaneous poetry around the world since 2009.
She has a couple of substacks you can follow, and you can find more information about the Launch Event on April 22 here
This week, we're chatting with Katie Shulman, founder of Fiber Club*, a network of artists and creative practitioners working in Southeast Michigan, joined here by one of the community's key administrators, Jessica Paruch! Both of these artists joined us to talk about an upcoming Group Show featuring Fiber Club Members, hosted here at the Ferndale Library, titled Material Motives! The Opening Reception is Thursday, April 24, 6p-8p. Learn more here: https://www.fiberclubdetroit.org/
This week, our Youth Librarians will shift and relabel their Nonfiction section as we switch from the Dewey Decimal System to the new Ferndale-METIS system! This change is only effecting nonfiction books in the Kids Corner, but it was quite a "journey." Tune in to hear the whole story!
This week, our panelists are simply discussing what they've read lately, what they're currently reading, AND what they're looking forward to reading! March is National Reading Month and your library is here to help with some enticing recommendations!
Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video platform for public and academic libraries that offers films, TV shows, educational videos and documentaries. This week, our staff are talking about the wonders of Kanopy, recent films they've watched, and how you can get started streaming at home with your library card!
This week, we're chatting with Stefanie Black, the Marketing Coordinator at the Grand Ledge Area District Library.
https://gladl.org/
Providing community support & enrichment through books, movies, music, electronic resources, and more
Meanwhile, Stefanie is also a crafty artist creating plush creatures, enamel pins, stickers, and more, with Creepy Kawaii! https://creepykawaii.com/
March is National Reading Month! A time to cross off some of your long-held reading goals, like, say, finishing a door stopper! Today, we're talking about books with formidable page counts and how to not let them intimidate you!
It's our ongoing miniseries, featuring voices & personalities from public libraries all across Michigan! This week, we've turned the spotlight on us--the Ferndale Library--as we interview our new Director, Drew Macaulay, who's had quite a journey, career-wise, to wind up here in library world!
We're talking all about opera on the podcast this week! But, for those who haven't ever fully immersed themselves in this age-old art form, we'll spotlight two particular operas that could serve as potent gateway/introductions, including Don Giovanni and Carmen! We'll also talk about how you can learn more about opera at your local library, of course!
It's the latest installment in our ongoing Library Spotlight series, aka "Cool Library People," where we bring you interviews with a variety of staff members from libraries across the state of Michigan. This week, we're chatting with librarian Storm Hawthorn from the East Lansing Public Library, currently serving as that community's Teen Services and School Liaison Librarian! alittletooquiet.podbean.com
Tune in to our podcast this week for an interview with local author Kelly J. Baptist. One of Baptist's recent books, 'Eb & Flow,' was selected for this year's Battle of the Books, where Ferndale Upper Elementary Fifth-Graders form teams to compete in a trivia-style tournament answering questions about the books they've read! Baptist was raised in Detroit and currently resides on the west side of the state. alittletooquiet.podbean.com
This week on the podcast, come along with staff on comical (mis)adventures as they play GOBLIN ERRANDS: it's a short role-playing game as three goblins (and one "tall person") simply trying to complete seemingly mundane tasks! You'll also hear information about our bi-monthly RPG Group!
Continuing our "Cool Library People" mini-series, in which we introduce you to a variety of library workers from across the state of Michigan! This week on the podcast, the spotlight is on Troy Public Library with Director Emily Dumas! alittletooquiet.podbean.com
This isn't a test, you can totally copy from our lists! Get some recommendations from our staff when we reveal our "To Be Read" lists for 2025, i.e., books we're looking forward to reading in the New Year! The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon ChakrabortyIn Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
Moby Dick by Herman MelvilleThe Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor DostoevskyJonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna ClarkePrivate Rites by Julia ArmfieldOathbound by Tracy DenonEmily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
The Witcher SeriesThe Wicked SeriesThe Murderbot SeriesWho Deserves Your Love by KC Davis
The Harder I Fight the More I Love You by Neko Case
Nobody's Empire by Stuart Murdoch
Good Things by Samin Nosrat
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth DurstQueen Demon by Martha Wells When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
It's the last episode of the year! We're catching up on the books we're currently reading and previewing an upcoming change to the organizational layout of items in the Kids Corner!
This week, pod cohost Mary Grahame is back, and we're catching up on all the good things we've read and watched this year. Plus, we'll share our thoughts on WICKED and A CHRISTMAS CAROL!
It's our continuing series, "Cool Library People," where our staff (here at Ferndale) help introduce you, dear listener, to a variety of library workers based all around Michigan. It's a fun chance to hear different perspectives on the awesomeness of libraries, as well as get to know other institutions, as we do today, with the Berkley Public Library. We're chatting with one of its clerks, Lisabeth Posthuma, who notes her previous experience in teaching, as well as her life as a writer and published author! She also has nostalgic experience of working in a video store, which informed her recent novel Baby & Solo!
Let's hear about Lisabeth, let's here a bit about Baby & Solo and let's here all about the Berkley Public Library!
Our staff provide you with their personal recommendations, listing their favorite books of 2024!
This week, we're spotlighting the Van Buren District Library with our guest, Elissa Zimmer! Elissa is currently Van Buren's Assistant Director. Still, she was once, not too long ago, a Youth Librarian here at Ferndale, which will explain why our hosts are so familiar with Elissa from the get-go. Van Buren District Library serves residents with seven branch libraries. Elissa has been the branch manager of the Webster Memorial Library for more than two years; she became VBDL's Assistant Director in May of this year. https://www.vbdl.org/
On this week's episode, we have a panel discussion focusing on BAKING SEASON! Staff are talking about their favorite (and sometimes least favorite) things to bake, as well as playing a fun True-False-structured quiz to dispel myths and spread knowledge! We ALSO have some fun recommendations of books to check out from the library!
This week, we're interviewing Rae Stoloff, the community engagement librarian at the Madison Heights Public Library. We're also joined by a special guest cohost, Becca Russell (former guest, as well), from the Royal Oak Public Library! We're talking about makerspaces, third places, libraries of things, and so much more!
https://www.madison-heights.org/library
https://ropl.org/1532/Library
Every once in a while, our staff will pick up a book that has a bit of a strange premise, something that might be a little difficult to describe... Today, we're providing a roundup of odd books that we loved, weird books that we'd still recommend, eccentric reads that we found appealing!
Part of our ongoing series of chats with "cool library people," we're interviewing Sean Peacock from the Center Line Public Library! Sean is a library clerk at Center Line Library and has generated some amazing content for social media, but he's also an illustrator and comic artist! Find "A Little Too Quiet" wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.centerline.gov/202/Library https://www.allsorrows.com/about
This week, Jeff and Mary Grahame are chatting with Katie Rothley from the Northville District Library. Katie is the Marketing & Public Relations Librarian at Northville! She has a lot of energy and ideas and plenty of interesting things to share about her library and the resources it offers to the community of Northville!
https://northvillelibrary.org/
What's a book you Did Not Finish? This week, our staff confess to some of their unfinished reads that still haunt them to this day! Sometimes it's just because we couldn't stand the book, but often it "just wasn't the right time..."
This week, we're starting a new series where we invite librarians and staff from other libraries to chat with us about a number of different library-adjacent topics, particularly giving our guests a chance to talk about the specific libraries where they work. This week, Becca Russell, Youth/Teen Librarian at ROPL, joined us to talk about her passion for connecting with teen patrons and developing diverse collections, among many other things. And, yes, we briefly talk about bugs, so be warned...
https://www.ropl.org/
We're back, after a brief hiatus, here on the last day of 2024's Banned Books Week. Hosts Jeff & Mary Grahame talk about the importance of observing Banned Books Week and why they prefer a bit of a cuter phrase for it, such as "Freedom to Read 'Em."
This ongoing podcast is hosted and produced from inside the Ferndale Area District Library, just one mile north of Detroit, Michigan. Coming up in this season, we'll continue to bring you unique portraits of life inside of a library while demystifying misconceptions around the mission of libraries and the work of library staff--we'll also have fun literary-themed panel discussions and interviews with other librarians from around the state!
This week, we're chatting with Metro Detroit's own Josh Malerman, the NY Times Bestselling author of Bird Box, as he looks ahead to the forthcoming release of his latest work of suspenseful (and supernatural) horror, Incidents Around The House (out on June 25, via Del Rey). Malerman talks about his deep dive into the literary tradition of "haunted house" tales with this new story about Bela, an 8-year-old narrator who discovers a malevolent entity inside of her house that she refers to as "Other Mommy," a strange and possibly ghostly imaginary-frienemy who starts to creepily ask Bela a strange question: “Can I go inside your heart?”
More info at: https://joshmalerman.com/
And follow Josh on Instagram for details about his upcoming book-launch at Ant Hall in Hamtramck! https://www.instagram.com/joshmalerman/
Looking for something to read this summer? We've got you covered! Not only can you get a list of great recommendations from our staff, but you can also mark your calendars for SATURDAY, JUNE 8, when we will host a Summer Reading Kickoff Party here at the library! Swing by to sign up for our fun reading challenge! www.fadl.org/kickoff
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
The Guest by Emma Cline
Margo's Got Money Troubles - Rufi Thorpe
The Guest List - Lucy Foley
New Animal - Ella Baxter
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
The Animators - Kayla Rae Whitaker
Incidents Around The House - Josh Malerman
Dracula - Bram Stoker
You Should Be So Lucky - Cat Sebastian
Lies and Weddings - Kevin Kwan
This Was Our Pact - Ryan Andrews
Rebel Girl - Kathleen Hanna
Tune in to the podcast this week to hear our chat with Sheela Lal, the host of Ferndale Radio 100.7 FM's South Asian Shuffle (streaming Wednesday nights)! We also chatted with Sheela about the Unerased Book Club, which she co-founded back in 2018. Oh, and we ALSO chat about our monthly Chess Club!
https://www.unerasedbookclub.com/
https://ferndaleradio.com/
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCRdejUlw4Tmdo7g0nLFcZ_h_bDV-W43p
Sacha Lamb is a 2018 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult fiction, and graduate in Library and Information Science and History from Simmons University. Their debut novel, When The Angels Left the Old Country, is a Sydney Taylor and Stonewall award winner, a Printz Honor book, and a National Jewish Book Award finalist, and received the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Sacha lives in New England with a miniature dachshund mix named Anzu Bean.
When The Angels Left The Old Country was a shared-FAVORITE Book of 2023, selected by two of our Youth Librarians, and your hosts for this week's episode. For more information, visit: https://sachalamb.wordpress.com
Ruth Behar is a Cuban-American author and currently a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan. Her work, spanning fiction, poetry, and memoir, includes Lucky Broken Girl, Letters From Cuba, and her latest, Across So Many Seas. As you'll hear on the podcast, Ruth has a lot of fans here at the Ferndale Library.
About her latest book, Across So Many Seas: Spanning over 500 years, Pura Belpré Award winner Ruth Behar’s epic novel tells the stories of four girls from different generations of a Jewish family, many of them forced to leave their country and start a new life.
Behard was born in Havana, Cuba, grew up in New York, and has also lived in Spain and Mexico. In addition to writing for young people, her work includes poetry, memoir, and the acclaimed travel books.
https://www.ruthbehar.com/bio/
This week, we're chatting with esteemed studio artist Boisali Biswas, who specializes in mixed-media fiber arts. Biswas recorded this podcast episode just before the closing of her exhibition, which was hosted here at the Ferndale Library throughout the late winter and featured some of her painted weavings and quilts. Biswas has an incredible story—she grew up and studied art in India before moving to Michigan—and she shares it here on our podcast, so tune in!
You can find more information here: http://www.boisalibiswas.com/
Also, we discuss Biswas' upcoming show at the Buckham Gallery in Flint, titled Bonded Thru Threaded Memories. You can find more information about that exhibition, and the opening reception (April 12) at the Buckham Gallery's website here: https://www.exploreflintandgenesee.org/event/bonded-thru-threaded-memories-and-founders-feature/3741/
We went ahead and recorded an entire episode using the phrase "Third Space," which is used significantly less than the original phrase: "Third PLACE." But oh well. As library staff, we like the word "space" because it just seems to imply much more possibility! Anyway, whether you say "Third Place" or "Third Space," the idea is simple: it's not your workspace, it's not your home space, it's your THIRD SPACE..., a communal space where you can exist, relax, be creative, and ideally not be expected or required to pay any admission or purchase something in order to be there.
Your library is here for you. Comfy furniture, free wi-fi, and a relatively quiet--though not TOO quiet--atmosphere. It has always been, and remains, an ideal third "place"!
TODAY: We have guests from the Ferndale Library, the Royal Oak Public Library, and the Fowlerville District Library, sharing their thoughts and perspectives on this subject, as well as talking about some of their own favorite "spaces" in their libraries.
Felicia B. George is a native Detroiter who loves Detroit history and culture. She earned her doctorate in anthropology from Wayne State University, where she is now an adjunct professor. Her new book, When Detroit Played The Numbers, tells the true story of how Detroit entrepreneurs created a thriving - if illegal - lottery system to support themselves and uplift their communities.
On Friday, March 29, Source Booksellers hosts a night of storytelling and history, delve into the world of Detroit's underground number games, with George's official book launch. Click here for more info.
Roman Historian, author and podcaster, Emma Southon joined us on the podcast (all the way from Belfast) to discuss two of her recent books, A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome and A Rome of One's Own: The Forgotten Women of the Roman Empire.
Emma Southon has a PhD in Ancient History from the University of Birmingham and researches subjects of sex, the family, gender, and religion. She holds a long running obsession with the bad guys of the Roman empire, and tweets at @emmasouthon | https://www.emmasouthon.com/ https://www.emmasouthon.com/podcasthttps://www.emmasouthon.com/roman-women
This week, we have a panel comprised of DOCTOR WHO fans who are not only ready to discuss their favorite "doctors," their favorite episodes, and their favorite companions, but they're also here to explain the long popular British science-fiction television series to the "uninitiated," and get them excited about diving in. In fact, curious new fans will receive recommendations of "where to start" and even hear about some of the titles that are available here at the Ferndale Library, as well as Doctor Who-related titles that are available digitally as ebooks, audiobooks, and beyond!
They're considered classic for a reason, right? This week, our film-loving staff are talking about movies that have stood the test of time, from 1934's The Thin Man, to 1979's Alien, to a pair of John Carpenter picks, including 1988's They Live. Find us on social media and tell us YOUR picks for "classic films that still hold up..." And remember, you can find ALL of our picks HERE at the Ferndale Library.
We're talking about music books! Books about musicians and music history! In your local library, following the Dewey Decimal System, you'll likely find them between 780-782, as far as call numbers go.
Titles discussed include:
Meet Me In The Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman
Life by Keith Richard
Please Kill Me by Gillian McCain and Legs McNeil
Season of the Witch by Peter Bebergal
Trouble Boys by Bob Mehr
Mo Meta Blues by Queslove
Out of the Vinyl Deeps by Ellen Willis
Our staff discuss some of the most historic and alarming "snubs" in the history of the Oscars (aka The Academy Awards), all of which are, of course, subjective. But we also remind you that your public library is already circulating nearly all of the films that have received nominations this year. Plus, there's still time for you to mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 28th, when we'll host an evening program all about this year's Best Picture Nominees! More info at: www.fadl.org/oscars
Fresh off her appearance on The Today Show, having had her most recent book, The Waters, selected as their January 'Read with Jenna' Book Club pick..., the acclaimed Michigan-based author Bonnie Jo Campbell joins us on our podcast! A master of rural noir returns this winter with a fierce, mesmerizing novel about exceptional women and the soul of a small town--tune in to hear our conversation!
https://www.bonniejocampbell.net/
https://www.bonniejocampbell.net/blog-podcast
https://www.today.com/video/bonnie-jo-campbell-answers-read-with-jenna-book-club-questions-202932805803
Dan Cafferty is a multifaceted artist with several unique projects spanning the genres of rock, R&B, soul, and funk. He'll be leading an upcoming SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND event, here at the Ferndale Library on Sunday, February 18, at 2pm, featuring Steve Taylor, Emily Rose, and Michelle Held.
Find more information on Dan Cafferty here: https://www.reverbnation.com/dancafferty
And sample some music by Dan, here: https://www.reverbnation.com/dancafferty/videos
Join us on February 8th for an Opening Reception to Mara Magyarosi-Laytner's exhibition and book launch: The Untended Garden.
The Untended Garden is a visual reflection structured in three acts – the expectations of women as informed by society and culture, the transformation that women reach as they break through during their coming of age, and the resolution of self that comes from the acceptance of flaws and the reality of aging. By combining still life and self-portrait photographs with experimental photographic alcohol transfer methods, this project explores multiple facets of the cyclical nature of life in a garden as a metaphor to reflect on the experience of women.
https://www.maramagyarosilaytner.com/book
The staff of the Ferndale Library can often be found...OUTSIDE OF THE LIBRARY. Learn about all of the valuable community partnerships we've forged over the years and listen to exclusive interviews with local organizations and businesses like Drifter Coffee, the Ferndale Project, Ferndale Public Schools, and Affirmations Community Center.
This week, Jeff and Mary Grahame are looking back at their recent presentation at the Michigan Library Association's annual conference--a session on HOW we talk about Intellectual Freedoms with our library patrons. At that conference, our podcast hosts were greeted by Matthew Lawrence, who currently works at the Herrick District Library. Lawrence was the interim director of the Patmos Library in 2022, right in the thick of that library, weathering a flurry of book challenges that eventually resulted in the library being defunded. (Its millage was recently renewed in November of 2023). Suffice to say, we had a lot to talk about!
Our staff provides reading recommendations from our non-fiction sections! We have three librarians on this panel discussion providing their favorites among the many recently added titles, covering the arts, the sciences, the histories, and everything in between!
Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens by David Mitchell
Alice Neal: People Come First - MetPublications
The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas by Maria Garcia Esperon
You Are History: From the Alarm Clock to the Toilet, the Amazing History of the Things You Use Every Day by Greg Jenner
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought this Through? by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
On Photographing Peoples and Communities by Dawoud Bey
A First Guide to Cats / Dogs by Dr. John Bradshaw
How Music Works by David Byrne
Detroit in 50 Maps by Alex B. Hill
Renegades: San Francisco in the 1990s by Chloe Sherman
A Rome of One's Own by Emma Southon
Join our staff on a (tabletop) adventure, doing a quick play-through of a Role-Playing Game that's available here in our library. We have quite a few options, actually, which we'll list off at the end of this episode. Listen to find out whether or not our three competing panelists can work together to forge intergalactic peace and solve a cosmic coffee embargo, when they play "Fate!"
Flashing back to our very first episode, ever! This podcast started four years ago (nearly to the day!) This weekend, we're listening back to our debut, when we sat down with local author Josh Malerman, discussing his 2019 novel, Malorie. For more information on Josh, visit his website. www.joshmalerman.com But, you can also find more information on the Friends of the Ferndale Library, the volunteer organization that made this podcast a reality, here: www.ferndalefriends.org
A look back at some of the highlights from our conversations with bestselling authors, including Lucy Clarke, C.J. Box, Steven Rowley, Grady Hendrix, Riley Sager, and J. Ryan Stradal. You can dive back into our recent episodes to hear the full interviews with each of these authors.
Looking for some year-end reading recommendations? Tune in for our latest episode where we hear from several members of our staff, providing a wide variety of selections from various genres.
Titles & Staff include:
Rodi - Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed
Kricket - Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story by Julia Wertz
Damon - Dear Mothman by Robin Gow
Mary Grahame - When The Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb
Julia - Chlorine by Jade Song
Erin - Witch King by Martha Wells
Jeff - Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
Pietro - The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
Drew - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Sam - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke
Jacqueline Suskin is a Detroit-based author of eight books. Along with her writing and poetry, she is also an educator who has been teaching workshops, hosting retreats, and creating spontaneous poetry around the world since 2009. With her project Poem Store, she has composed over forty thousand improvisational poems for patrons who chose a topic in exchange for a unique verse. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, T Magazine, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, and various other publications.
Her new book, A Year In Practice, is out on December 5, 2024: A Seasonal Guide of holistic practices that offer clarity, activate hope, honor nature, and inspire the creative seeker all year long.
https://www.jacquelinesuskin.com/a-year-in-practice
She'll be at Book Suey in Hamtramck on December 7: https://www.booksuey.com/events/jacqueline-suskin-a-year-in-practice
We're talking about our favorite things to bake (and, specifically, which recipes we enjoy during certain seasons of the year). We also talk a lot about our extensive cookbook collection! Snacking Cakes
Snaking Bakes
Snackable Bakes
Still We Rise
Home Cooking
Taste of Home's Fall Baking
Everyday Bread by America's Test Kitchen
The Brownie Diaries
Sister Pie
Abby and Daniel, the hosts of Save Me From My Shelf, joined us via Zoom (from England!) for another literary discussion of weirdo protagonists. This time, we've got a gothic round-up that includes John Thorpe (from Jane Austen's 'Northanger Abbey'), Count Dracula, Macbeth, and a special shoutout to Edgar Allen Poe!
https://www.savemefrommyshelf.com/
Today, we're returning to a tried-and-true topic for us, Information Literacy! The American Library Association would describe Information Literacy as a set of abilities requiring individuals to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information... We first hosted a series of panel discussions on this topic back in 2018, then revisited it in 2020. Now, with A.I. on the rise.... (remember deep fakes?) we're revisiting it as part of our ongoing series on just what it is we do all day...
https://literacy.ala.org/information-literacy/
https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
This week on the podcast, we're sharing potentially unpopular opinions! We're talking about books that everyone else seemed to love, but that we....weren't very impressed with... 💔📚 Fair warning, we brought a "buzzer" to the table for anyone who wanted to dispute the titles that were being criticized. But, it should be noted that no matter what books you love or what books you're interested in reading, your local librarian will always be more than happy to find them, 100% free of any judgment.
Get ready for Horror Movie Trivia at 215 West (October 9 at 7:00 pm): fadl.org/trivia. Also, tune in this week for our discussion covering our favorite horror films! What's YOUR favorite scary movie?
We have another game-show styled episode where our librarians "guess the title of the book" based on designedly vague descriptions. Librarians, on a daily basis, perform this feat, where a patron might ONLY recall very scant details about a book, and 99.99% of the time, we always help them find what they're looking for! Find "A Little Too Quit" wherever you get your podcasts. https://alittletooquiet.podbean.com
Donald Levin’s ‘Arsenal of Deceit’ is a compelling and thought-provoking exploration of the intricate web of deception that shapes the world of politics and racism. With meticulous research and a keen eye for local detail, Levin exposes the hidden agendas and manipulative tactics employed by governments and intelligence agencies. A seamless blend of history, geopolitics, and espionage, the book unveils a complex landscape of covert operations and disinformation campaigns, offering readers a captivating journey into the realm of global intrigue. ‘Arsenal of Deceit’ is an eye-opening look at 1940s Detroit and a timely work that challenges our perceptions of power, trust and relationships. A great companion volume to Levin’s 1930s noir Detroit exposè, Savage City.
https://www.thebookbeat.com/bookshop/catalog/arsenal-of-deceit/
http://www.donaldlevin.com/the-arsenal-of-deceit.html
Let's talk about LIBRARY CARDS: why they're amazing and why YOU should sign up for one asap!
Hear directly from our circulation specialists as they tell you everything you need to know about applying for and using your library card!
September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! www.fadl.org/library-cards
Sunday Times bestseller Lucy Clarke is the author of eight destination thrillers. They include Waterstones Thriller of the Month, The Castaways, Richard and Judy Book Club pick, One of the Girls, and most recently, The Hike.
Leaving behind their everyday lives, four friends hike out into the beautiful Norwegian wild – nothing between them and the mountain peak but forest, sea and sharp blue sky.
But there’s a darker side to the wilderness....
https://lucy-clarke.com/books
Listen to two millennials and one elder-zoomer share their love of the 1980 musical-comedy The Blues Brothers. It was almost 45-years ago, to the day, that John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd performed at the Universal Amphitheatre, in L.A., essentially kicking off the fervor of popularity for the dynamic duo. It's also, sadly, the 5 year anniversary of the passing of the great Aretha Franklin, who famously appeared in this John Landis film. We share our analysis through a 2023 lens and celebrate its strong themes of loyalty, friendship, and the power of music. We encourage YOU to seek out a circulating copy of the film, on either DVD or BluRay, from your local library.
Leah V is an international plus-size Hijabi model, award-winning author, inclusive content creator, body-positive activist, and digital brand strategist. Her content has garnered over four million views combined and her face plastered on billboards in Times Square. She’s been featured in hundreds of media outlets from The New York Times to Buzzfeed.
Unashamed: A searingly honest memoir of one young woman’s journey toward self-acceptance as she comes to see her body as a symbol of rebellion and hope and chooses to live her life unapologetically.
You can find more info on Leah's books here: http://www.leahvernon.com/unashamedleahvernonbook
This week, we're chatting with Joshua James, musician/arranger/educator and leader of the Theatre Bizarre Orchestra. This is the "house band" for the world-famous Theatre Bizarre masquerade/Halloween bash that usually happens downtown at the Masonic Temple. This year, thanks to the Friends of the Ferndale Library, the Theatre Bizarre Orchestra will bring their zesty variety of jazz to the library's Summer Concert Series on August 22 at 6:30 pm. This is a free, all-ages show, hosted in the library's program room--don't miss it!
Our quarterly series on Intellectual Freedoms checks in on recent headlines concerning libraries but also looks ahead to Library Card Sign Up Mont (in September) and Banned Books Week (starting October 1st). In the second half of today's podcast, we discuss our "favorite banned books" of all time..., some classics, some contemporary!
Today on the podcast, Erin and Julia (from our library's Teen IG account) join us for another fun podcast GAME SHOW. This time, Erin is taking inspiration from the $10,000 Pyramid Game, challenging Jeff and Julia to try to describe a variety of library terminology WITHOUT using the actual word. How many can YOU guess based on our clues??
This week, we're chatting with musician/author Tony Muggs about his life's story! Muggs' Autobiograffitti is a self reflective, self deprecating and honest autobiography about the author, Tony Muggs life and passion for being a world class Detroit musician while also navigating being a stroke survivor!
More info: https://www.tonymuggs.com/
The Muggs: https://themuggs.bandcamp.com/
Dude: https://dudedetroit.bandcamp.com/album/autobiograffitti
Today we're joined by a current member of the Ferndale Arts & Cultural Commission to talk about their plans for the summer, including the launch of the new Ferndale Collective, as well as their upcoming live music series and mural project!
Working with area organizations empowering and supporting the arts within the community. Reactivated in 2014 as an official government commission in the City of Ferndale it schedules and manages multiple performances and displays showcasing art through music, design, literature, fine art and performance. With the support of various art and creative organizations, local business and the community, the FACC is able to offer grants and compensation to artisans involved in such projects as the Salon Sundays, Community Mural Project and Garden Art Party to name a few.
Singer/songwriter Chris Bathgate performs HERE at the Ferndale Library on July 18.
https://www.fadl.org/scs-july
After a five-year hiatus encompassing the birth of a son, a third coast to west coast and back to the third coast move, and an ongoing global pandemic - Chris Bathgate returns with 'The Significance of Peaches'. On this, his 6th full-length album, the NPR & BBC-lauded artist is found ruminating on time spent living in the National Forests of Michigan while homeless, his emergence into fatherhood, and yes, the significance a certain stone fruit has played throughout hthe artist's life. Sonically, 'The Significance of Peaches' leans heavily on the structural support of parlor organ and Bathgate's signature multi-tracked percussion - sparse use of piano and strings sheathed in the middle - his haunted vocals perched atop it all.
This week, we're talking to bestselling author Riley Sager about his new gothic chiller, The Only One Left, about a young caregiver assigned to work for a woman accused of a Lizzie Borden-like massacre decades earlier.
This week, we're speaking with Steven Rowley, bestselling author of four novels including THE GUNCLE, finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor, & THE CELEBRANTS. The Celebrants is a moving tale about the false invincibility of youth, and all the beautiful ways in which friendship helps us celebrate our lives, even amid the deepest challenges of living. https://www.stevenrowley.com/the-celebrants
This week, we were joined by Abby and Daniel, the hosts of Save Me From My Shelf, to talk about a sample gathering of literary weirdos, including titles like Hamlet, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Lolita.
SMFMS is a literature podcast hosted by two friends and academics in Birmingham, England. Abby is a lecturer and Daniel is a postdoc. Find more info about their podcast and where to find it here: https://www.savemefrommyshelf.com/
Today, we're talking about all the ART that you can discover in our library. The show is also being taken over, once again, by hosts (& youth librarians) Erin and Julia, for another episode of "A Little Too Loud."
Ann Arbor-based singer/songwriter/guitarist Dani Darling joins us to talk about her creative process, her two most recent albums, and her myriad styles, from lo-fi to funk, psychedelic to disco, and beyond. Dani Darling plays the Ferndale Library's courtyard on June 13, kicking off our Summer Concert Series. fadl.org/scs-june
Damon (Youth Services Librarian) and Everett (Head of Youth Services) are on the pod this week to talk about BOARD GAMES! Damon started a Board Game Club about a year ago for Middle School students, which meets monthly: fadl.org/msbg | And on today's episode, Damon provides insights into all the different types of board games you can play, many of which we circulate from this library!
We're getting ready for another round of movie trivia here in Ferndale! And this month's film is Camp! What is camp? Well, listen to us talk about it here on today's episode!
Ferndale Library Movie Trivia Night: fadl.org/trivia
Ferndale Library Film Club: fadl.org/film-club
Today on the podcast, we're running through some of the most important (& some of our favorite) albums from our "formative years," nearly all of which are available here at the library on CD.
Artists discussed include:
George Michael
The Indigo Girls
The Avett Brothers
Billy Joel
Benee
Erasure
Alanis Morissette
Smino
The Clash
Elvis
Nirvana
Set It Off
Beastie Boys
Boyz II Men
Janet Jackson
Beyonce
We're checking in on some of the latest bits of news, particularly here in Michigan, concerning challenges to the collections of public libraries.
Today, our Youth Librarians take over the show, once again, turning it into "A Little Too Loud." This episode is all about RPG games, or tabletop role-playing games, to be specific. We already host an RPG group for middle school students, but over the summer, we'll be hosting a monthly game group for adult players! And today, you can join us as we play a very concise tabletop RPG, where our panelists will create and play as their own characters, like wizards, druids, and rogues!
We spoke with NY Times Bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal (Kitchens of the Great Midwest) about his 3rd novel, Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club. http://www.jryanstradal.com/
Your one-stop podcast for all-things-Shakespeare: marking the occasion of his death and birth? Enjoy this episode, in which "...two literature students stand on soap boxes and shake fists at cloud!"
Kricket and Sarah are back with plenty of amazing new reading recommendations, perfect for the Spring time!
Picks include:
Everybody Was So Young - Amanda Vaill
In Memoriam - Alice Winn
Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
The River - Peter Heller
Wild - Cheryl Strayed
The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach
All Creatures Great and Small - James Herriot
Before We Were Innocent - Ella Berman
This Bird Has Flown - Susanna Hoffs
The Book of Flying - Keith Miller
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr - Crystal Smith Paul
Wild Rain - Beverly Jenkins
The Music Shop - Rachel Joyce
Romantic Comedy - Curtis Sittenfield
Goodnight Irene - Luis Alberto Urrea
In sixteen essays, each named after a species of tree, Maureen Dunphy explores the nature of human-arboreal relationships, and how each of these trees has—literally—served as a friend, a confidante, or a place to rest. Find a link to Maureen's blog (discussed in this episode) on her website at: www.maureendunphy.com
Two particularly creative Ferndale Librarians from the Youth Department are taking over the podcast this week, regaling their approach to programming and decorating! Yes, decorating! Visit the Kids Corner to discover their cardboard scenes from "Fern Forest."
Mike Ward: Psychosongs | Performing here at the library on April 7 AND releasing a new album, Love Never Rests.
Ward is performing here as part of our ongoing local music showcase series: First Stop Friday. More info: fadl.org/fsf
https://psychosongs.bandcamp.com/
At the end of Women's History Month, we're here not only to celebrate Women's Rights but Women's WRONGS....or the perceived "wrongs" of classic literary characters!
Titles discussed include:
Macbeth
Canterbury Tales
Jane Eyre
The Queen's Theif Series
Tale of Two Cities
Little Thieves
The Crucible
The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe
Les Liasons Dangereuses
It's our 200th episode! Which...., we don't mention that during the actual episode because we only realized it after we'd finished recording. But please enjoy this literary discussion of effective allegories, particularly on our screens, be it movies or tv shows.
This week, we're chatting with author Alma Katsu about Red London, the second installment in her new spy/thriller series following protagonist Lindsey Duncan. Katsu has firsthand experience working in the intelligence industry, so we talk about her transition from atmospheric horror novels like The Hunger,into the suspenseful terrain of John Le Carre. For more info on Red Londonand its predecessor, Red Widow, click here: https://almakatsubooks.com/books/
Above all else, we're here to encourage anyone and everyone who have NOT (ever) read either of the three titles discussed today (Romeo & Juliet, Odyssey, Moby Dick), to consider checking them out from the library post haste! Today, we litigate classic lit! Enjoy :)
3:10 Proper Introductions3:30 Romeo & Juliet20:10 Odyssey40:30 Moby Dick56:00 Pride & Prejudice
We chatted with author/poet Linda Nemec Foster about her new collection of prose poetry, Bone Country. All of the pieces are inspired by other parts of the world—Istanbul, Rome, Krakow, Prague, Vienna, Seville—not the familiar landscape of the United States. But, the narrator is definitely not a native of these countries; they are “the other,” “the foreigner,” the American with a distinct Midwest sensibility who is trying to make sense of a world on the brink of an unforeseen catastrophe. The world as we used to know it.
Find information about Linda's book launch event on March 29 at Literati in Ann Arbor: https://www.lindanemecfoster.com/events/
And, as referenced in the episode, you can listen back to previous episodes featuring Linda Nemec Foster and Diane DeCillis.
Metro Detroit-based brother-duo Pancho Villa's Skull performs at the Ferndale Library on Friday, March 10 at 7:30 pm
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Pancho Villa’s Skull was started by Tino Ybarra in 2011. While growing up in Pontiac, Michigan, Tino developed a love from Mariachi music through his grandfather on his mother's side who played trumpet in mariachi bands. He also, spent time in south Texas with his paternal grandfather who took him across the border to Mexico from time to time so, he could know where he came from. As, he got older he started playing in punk and ska bands around Detroit yet, he wanted to feel more connected to his roots.
He decided to create what he calls Mariachi punk and blended the acoustic instrumentation and other elements of the mariachi sound with the energy and political commentary of the classic punk music. Named after Mexican Revolutionary general Pancho Villa, whose skull was stolen from his grave in 1926, Pancho Villa’s Skull was originally a solo act featuring Ybarra on vocals and acoustic guitar. At the beginning of 2016 his brother Rolando Ybarra joined the band to play percussion and added to the sound heavily. Making the sound bigger but, maintaining a stripped down feel.
We look back at 20 years' worth of Best Picture winners and nominees with film enthusiast/lecturer Greg Black. Greg will be HERE on March 7 for his annual Oscars Preview, looking at all of this year's Best Picture nominees.
https://www.fadl.org/oscars
C.J. Box is an award-winning N.Y. Times Bestselling author, famous for his long-running Joe Pickett series about a Wyoming Game Warden. His latest is 'Storm Watch,' (out on 2/28)
Today on the podcast, Rodi, Mary Grahame, Simon and Kricket discuss their favorite musicals, as well as some of their least favorites... This is all an early prelude to our eventual MUSICALS TRIVIA NIGHT, happening on April 10!
Titles discussed include:Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812Phantom of the OperaLes MiserablesPhantom of the ParadisePippenHadestownLion KingHamiltonSpongebob Squarepants A Gentleman's Guide to Love & MurderCrazy Ex-GirlfriendCatsChicago Fiddler on the RoofJesus Christ Superstar
Ahead of our upcoming Rom-Com Movie Trivia Night, here in Ferndale, we're having a panel discussion all about our favorite Rom-Coms! (www.fadl.org/triva)
Our annual BAKE SALE is coming up on February 13! If you live in Ferndale and you want to sign up to bake, click here: www.fadl.org/bakesale | Today on the podcast, we have some baking enthusiasts from our staff discussing their approach toward & philosophy on BAKING, as well as their personal baking success stories (and baking fails!)
Ethos is a Detroit-area indie-rock band led by singer/songwriter Christian Burke; they'll be performing HERE at the Ferndale Library on Friday, February 10, part of our First Stop Friday(local music showcase), with free/all-ages concerts brought to you by the Friends of the Ferndale Library. Ethos blend pop, shoegaze, and post-punk; they have a new album coming out in the fall titled There Must Be More Than This.
https://ethos3.bandcamp.com/releases
This week on the podcast, we're talking to one of the most unique and imaginative authors on the contemporary horror scene: Grady Hendrix. The bestselling author of Horrorstor, The Final Girl Support Groupand The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slayingis back with his latest, How to Sell a Haunted House. We talk about bringing some fun and emotional substance back to the horror genre while still making space for utterly creepy things like reanimated taxidermied squirrels and demonic puppets!
We're here today, once again, to talk about attempts to ban books from libraries. We'll look back at last year, especially some of the instances that made headlines, but we'll also talk about the rights that library patrons have when it comes to intellectual freedoms and privacy. We are also fairly caffeinated on this episode, and we certainly did our best to keep things a bit light. For more information, though, on MLA's task force for intellectual freedoms, visit MI Right to Read. https://www.mirighttoread.com/
We always hear how "the book was better..." But sometimes the film or tv adaptation is actually QUITE GOOD. And perhaps even sometimes the adaptation is BETTER!?
Titles discussed include:Lock & Key (series) Dune (films)The works of Elmore LeonardPractical Magic (film)Crazy Rich Asians (film) Anihilation (film)Jurassic Park (film)A Series of Unfortunate Events (series)Atonement (film)Persepolis (animated film)
Detroit-based painter/artist/musician Mike Ross currently has new/recent works up on display inside the Ferndale Library. Ten years ago, to the day, January 12, 2013, Mike's first-ever solo show was alsohosted here in the library, and it was on that occasion that Mike initiated an interesting experiment. He passed out 60 small shreds of canvas, the cut-up remains of a recently-finished painting that had not been revealed or displayed to anyone/anywhere, and he instructed everyone who attained a piece of canvas to "come back to the library in 10 years to assemble the painting." Well, we talk about that, and we talk about a LOT of other artful topics, as well.
To see more of Mike's work, click here: www.mrossart.com
It's our last recap/rerun episode of the year, looking back to conversations we had with Lisa Scottoline (author of 'What Happened About The Bennetts') and Jonathan Evison (author of 'Small World').
We'll be back in the New Year with a new season of conversations and interviews!
This week, we're listening back to two of our favorite interviews from 2022: Brit Bennett (The Vanishing Half) and Mohsin Hamid (The Last White Man).
Stay tuned for more author interview in 2023, including chats with Grady Hendrix, C.J. Box and J. Ryan Stradal!
Today on the podcast, our librarians are back for MORE seasonally-inspired reading recommendations! Winter is coming!
Titles discussed include:
Bodies in Winter by Robert KnightlyBurial Rites by Hannah KentInto Thin Air by Jon KrakauerMoominland Midwinter by Tove JanssonThe Mercies by Kiran Millwood HargraveI Let You Go by Clare MackintoshCity of Thieves by David BenioffRoyal Holiday by Jasmine GuilloryThe Innocents by Michael Crummey
This week, we're playing a game, and YOU can play along! Often, our librarians have to help someone find a book but are only provided scant or scattered details. ("I can't remember the title, but the cover was blue!") Our librarians will be given a few random descriptions, and we'll see if they can guess the book title & author!
This week, we're talking with author Laura E. Weymouth about her new YA novel, A Consuming Fire. https://lauraeweymouth.com/
Laura Weymouth is a Canadian living in America, and the sixth consecutive generation of her family to immigrate from one country to another. Born and raised in the Niagara region of Ontario, she now lives at the edge of the woods in western New York, along with her husband, two wild-hearted daughters, and an ever-expanding menagerie of animal friends.
More about her latest, A Consuming Fire:
Uprooted meets The Grace Year in this dark young adult fantasy of love and vengeance following a girl who vows to kill a god after her sister is unjustly slain by his hand.
Weatherell girls aren’t supposed to die.
Once every eighteen years, the isolated forest village of Weatherell is asked to send one girl to the god of the mountain to give a sacrifice before returning home. Twins Anya and Ilva Astraea are raised with this destiny in mind, and when their time comes, spirited Ilva volunteers to go. Her devoted sister Anya is left at home to pray for Ilva’s safe return. But Anya’s prayers are denied.
With her sister dead, Anya volunteers to make a journey of her own to visit the god of the mountain. But unlike her sister, sacrifice is the furthest thing from Anya’s mind. Anya has no intention of giving anything more to the god, or of letting any other girl do so ever again. Anya Astraea has not set out to placate a god. She’s set out to kill one.
This week on the podcast, we're looking back on some of our "favorite" albums that we selected to be featured on our library's website! Visit our Readers Corner to find all of staff's favorite albums, books, and movies: https://www.fadl.org/staffpickbooks Full music list: https://www.fadl.org/mustlistens Listen to a Spotify playlist of our panel's picks, here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5AS8SEFG8xOSBQym3Hz2ix?si=aa28a140abe84121
Mary Grahame & Rodi are back on the pod and they have LISTS.
Titles Discussed Include: House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson Dracula by Bram Stoker Fake it til you Bake it by Jamie Wesley That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming League of Gentlewomen Witches by Indie Holton The Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Dr. Emma Southon Fight Like Hell by Kim Kelly Vagina Obscura by Rachel E. Gross A Man and His Cat by Umi Sakurai Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Bloom A Consuming Fire by Laura E. Weymouth Terry Pratchett's Going Postal I Blame My Shelf Podcast
This week, we're talking about our favorite Manga series. Manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan--and over the years, public libraries (like Ferndale) have started to circulate quite a wide variety of titles, many of which can be found in the "graphic novel" section. In this episode, we discuss some of the best new series, including some iconic/classics:
A Man and His Cat Attack on Titan Hellsing Kingdom Hearts Dramacon Skip Beat Cyborg 009 Devilman Gangsta
Today we're talking to author Ophelia Crane about her latest work of fantasy/horror, 'I Hope Your Abuser Dies.' Crane has written a handful of novels with a clear intention to both fascinate and to shock! In 'I Hope Your Abuser Dies,' she's exploring the myth of Medusa with a very modern twist. More info: https://opheliacrane.com
An entire podcast dedicated to horror films. Jeff and Simon unpack the progression of horror films from the 1920s through the 2020s, singing the praises of their personal favorites all along the way.
We circulate nearly every popular film that Keanu Reeves has ever made... And, now that we have at least ONE tie-in to a library resource there, we're just going to go ahead and have an entire episode about Keanu Reeves, the Internet's Boyfriend: a fan's analysis of the various "eras" of his career...
Iconic? Well, we'll see... Jeff is performing lines from films, books (and..., inevitably, films adapted from books!) We have a panel of three contestants who will do their best to guess the source material of each quote. (Can you guess them all??)
Today on the podcast, we're talking about movies! Specifically our DVDs and Blu-Rays, and the upcoming Movie Trivia Night we're hosting. But beyond that, we're just geeking out about the cinematic arts, from horror movies to rom-coms to soundtracks. Tune in, it's a wild ride.
Movie Trivia Night: www.fadl.org/trivia
Film Club: www.fadl.org/film-club
Also discussed in this episode is the utterly terrifying music video for Genesis' "Land of Confusion."
Sarah wanted to round up recommendations of "scary books for scaredy cats," but we're not sure if Simon and Jeff's picks perfectly fit those criteria... BUT, if you're looking for a mix of spooky books, then you should tune in this week. Find "A Little Too Quiet" wherever you get your podcasts.
The Night Country - by Stewart O'Nan Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury Books of Blood by Clive Barker Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix Unbury Carol by Josh Malerman Changeling by Victor LaValle Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Completing a trilogy of episodes on the romance genre, we have an interview with award-winning Michigan-based romance author BEVERLY JENKINS. https://beverlyjenkins.net/
Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has been leading the charge for multicultural romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, and NPR.
Ensconce yourself in a really cozy nook and read these books! Kricket, Jeff and Sarah are sharing reading recommendations for the Fall!
The Secret History by Donna Tartt The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart We Have Alwyas Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Almost anything by Ray Bradbury, ever (but also: From The Dust Returned) Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell Scarenthood by Nick Roche Sweetland by Michael Crummey The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling When The Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain We Ride Upon Sticks by Quon Barry Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher Sandman by Neil Gaiman The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia Face of an Angel by Denise Chavez The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis-Zafon Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke Matrix by Lauren Groff
This week, ahead of Banned Books Week, we're talking about the new grassroots coalition, MI Right To Read, organized by the Michigan Library Association to oppose any attempts to ban books from Michigan libraries based on content subjectively deemed inappropriate. You can find more information online at: https://www.mirighttoread.com/take-action
[ENCORE] This week, we're listening back to our 2nd episode ever, way back in January of 2020, talking about the modern history of our library with Kevin Deegan Krause, former Board Director & Friend of the Library. We talk a lot about civic refurbishment, renovations, architecture, and science fiction! And we'll be back next week with another NEW episode, so stay tuned!
Finally, an episode for the nonfiction fans. Today, we're talking about our favorite narrative nonfiction books - books that tell true stories but are written with the flair of a novel.
Titles discussed include:
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard The Living Great Lakes by Jerry Dennis The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson Taste by Stanely Tucci Did Ye Hear Mammie Died by Seamus O'Reilly Dreamland by Sam Quinones Raising Lazarus by Beth Macy Trouble Boys by Bob Mehr As You Wish by Cary Elwes Zealot - Reza Aslan Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin The Great Bridge by David McCullough
Can our librarians describe Top Gun having never seen it? Today on the podcast, our staff are playing a little game: trying to accurately describe a popular novel, film, or other ephemera from pop culture solely by what we've HEARD about it..., and then we'll judge each other's responses. This should be fun. The alternate title of this episode is "Everyone's Muppets."
Titles discussed (SPOILER alerts for all): Top Gun (1986) Dune (1984) Bridgerton (series) Slaughterhouse-Five The DaVinci Code The Moomins books/show Squid Game Succession Jurassic Park
Mary Grahame & Rodi join Jeff to, once again, discuss the romance genre. We talk about the Flea Bag-ification of Jane Austen adaptations; the Failure to Launchization of animated book covers, the lost art of the Rom Com, a few of our particular favorite romance novelists, and we especially discuss Bridgerton.
[Content warning for Bridgerton Season 1, from 22:45-23:15 & 27:30-28:00]
Authors discussed include: Kimberly Lemming, KJ Charles, Alice Clayton, Sophie Irwin, and of course, Beverly Jenkins.
We've started a new Graphic Novel Book Club! (First meeting is August 16). So, this week on "A Little Too Quiet," we're discussing GRAPHIC NOVELS! Just in time for the tv adaptations of Sandman and the Paper Girls). Titles discussed include:
Moms by Yeong-Shin Ma Babymouse by Jennifer Holm Goblin Girl by Moa Romanova Coyote Doggirl by Lisa Hanawalt Stone Fruit by Lee Lai In case you need them for show notes: Clash by Kayla Miller (4th book in Click series) Lumberjanes by various authors Nimona by ND Stevenson Saga by BKV Paper Girls by BKV The Backstagers by James Tynion IV The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang Habibi by Craig Thompson The Arrival by Shaun Tan Maus by Art Spiegalman Giant Days by John Allison and Lissa Treiman Buddha by Osamu Tezuka
Joining us on our podcast this week is acclaimed bestselling author Mohsin Hamid ('Exit West'), discussing his latest book, 'The Last White Man.' In the book (out this week), people awake in new incarnations, uncertain how their neighbors, friends, and family will greet them. Are these transformations the long-dreaded overturning of the established order, or will this change take on a different shading: a chance at a kind of rebirth? http://www.mohsinhamid.com/
Jeff and Aby welcome April Baer, award-winning broadcast journalist and host of Michigan Radio (91.7)'s Stateside--explicitly to discuss ALL THINGS MARVEL! It's a post-Comic-Con / post-Phase-5 announcement RECAP episode! We talk about what it is about these films that we admire so much, and we wind up hitting upon some fairly emotional / deeply philosophical / dare-we-say existential points, all inspired by the storytelling of these mega-blockbuster movies which sprung from the pages of comic books.
Today on the podcast, Rodi, Jeff, and Mary Grahame discuss DISNEY, particularly their favorite films and their least-favorite films. What's worked? Sometimes when Disney has been daring, and tried something a little more experimental, the results have PARTICULARLY connected with US, if not with the rest of mainstream audiences...
On this week's episode, Damon, Jeff, Kerrie and Simon are discussing VIDEO GAMES, which is one of the many items that our library circulates! We're talking about our favorite games from our formative years, as well as the games we enjoy playing today! We also talk about some of the misconceptions commonly held over "gaming" as a recreation. You can find "A Little Too Quiet" wherever you get your podcasts.
Some of the quirkier games discussed today include: Untitled Goose Game (Nintendo Switch/PS4/PS5) Judgment (Yakuza) (PS4/PS5/Xbox) Kingdom Hearts The Story So Far (PS4/Xbox) Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (Nintendo Switch/Xbox) Monster Prom (Xbox/Nintendo Switch/PS4)
Kayla Cottingham is a Boston-based YA author and librarian. She is passionate about connecting young people with books featuring diverse voices so they can see themselves and their communities represented on the page. We're discussing Kayla's debut novel, My Dearest Darkest, a cosmic horror story about boarding school students who unknowingly awaken a supernatural evil. https://www.kaylacottingham.com/
Rodi and Jeff welcome Aby back to the podcast to discuss anime & manga. We particularly talk a lot about our favorite anime shows, genre breakdowns, favorite narrative tropes, and how there really is "an anime for everyone."
Titles discussed include: Demon Slayer Attack on Titan Gundam Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Carole & Tuesday et. al.) Jujutsu Kaisen My Hero Academia Gangsta Dragonball Z Films of Mamoru Hosoda
Jeff and Kelly discuss some of their favorite audiobooks, particularly their appreciation for each title's narrator! Then, in the second half of the episode, (at 25:44) we feature an interview with Dan John Miller, an award-winning Detroit-area audiobook narrator (as well as musician/actor), discussing the nuances of the profession and what he enjoys most about performing a book.
Dan has garnered multiple Audie Award nominations, winning for The Wrecking Crew by Kent Hartman; has twice been named a Best Voice by AudioFile magazine; and has received several AudioFile Golden Earphones Awards and a Listen-Up Award from Publishers Weekly.
Titles discussed include: It by Stephen King read by Seven Weber The Fireman by Joe Hill read by Kate Mulgrew Marid Audran Trilogy by George Alec Effinger by Jonathan Davis Devil in the White City by Erik Larson read by Scott Brick Born Standing Up by & read by Steve Martin 1984 by George Orwell read by Simon Prebble Stephanie Plum read by Lorelei King The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King read by Anne Heche 14 by Peter Clines narrated by Ray Porter Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking by Leonard Mlodinow narrated by Dan John Miller
Tune in to hear sci-fi and fantasy recommendations from two librarians, specifically presenting books for readers who haven't tried either of these genres yet and are curious..., or perhaps you have and just haven't found the right book yet?
Titles discussed include: Damon Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (Skyward series) Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (Reckoners series) Scythe by Neal Shusterman Galaxy: The Prettiest Star by Jadzia Axelrod, illustrated by Jess Taylor Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune (also shouted out The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door)
Jeff We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker Neuromancer by William Gibson Leviathan Wakes by James A. Corey Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie Descender by Jeff Lemire House of Rumour by Jason Arnott
Michelle
Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds All Systems Red by Martha Wells How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
We're at it again! Rodi and Mary Grahame join Jeff to discuss why we are drawn (or repulsed) by certain antagonistic characters, or villains, in literature. The books we talk about the most include the Winternight Trilogy, the Murder of Mr. Wickham, and a classic: Les Miserables.
Librarians Sarah Bowman & Kricket Hoekstra join Jeff to discuss "beach reads," along with some of this summer's most anticipated books. We also delve into books that either evoke pure "summer vibes" or favorite books we've all read "during" the summer.
Books discussed include: Domestic Thrillers by Lianne Moriarty Maybe some Dostoevsky? Kiley Reid - Such a Fun Age Judy Blume - Summer Sisters Linda Holmes - Flying Solo Claudia Gray - Murder of Mr. Wickham Ruth Ware - The It Girl Laura Hilderbrand - Seabiscuit Jenny Han - The Summer I Turned Pretty Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina Amor Towles - The Lincoln Highway J. Courtney Sullivan - Maine Beatrice Williams - 100 Days of Summer Larry McMurtry - Lonesome Dove Patrick DeWitt - Sisters Brothers Charles Portis - True Grit Michael Chabon - Kavalier & Clay Jeffrey Eugenides - Middlesex Michael Crummey - Galore Ray Bradbury - Dandelion Wine Tove Janson - The Summer Book Steven Rowley - Guncle Kayle Rae Whitaker - Animators
In Far Company, we hear Cindy Hunter Morgan thinking about the many ways we carry the natural world inside of us as a kind of embedded cartography. Many of these poems commune not only with lost ancestors but also past poets. Morgan's previous book, Harborless, was a Michigan Notable Book of 2018. We spoke with Morgan about her new collection of poems, out this week via Wayne State University Press.
"Ding ding on the 'Gothic Bell'" | We started out talking about the films of Guillermo del Toro but quickly realized just how much of a similarity his films have with classic gothic literature! So, just in time for World Goth Day, we bring you the venn diagram between one of our greatest living directors and the books of Shelley, Bronte, and even Horace Walpole!
Today, we're talking about games! The incredible variety of board games and video games that are fun for ALL AGES, and particularly the titles that are engaging for adult audiences. You can check out board games and video games from the library! Try a few and see which ones you like!
"You're traveling through another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind...." Journey with us, as Rodi and Jeff welcome Josh Malerman (author of Bird Box) back to the podcast to discuss the enduring influence and cultural impact of the Twilight Zone's original television run from 1959-1964--a masterclass in short storytelling, just in time for SHORT STORY MONTH.
Music in a library! It's not a novel-ty... And we encourage all the artists who perform here to be as loud as possible! Take a trip down memory lane with us, looking back at 12+ years of concerts hosted inside the library and hear a preview of what's to come...
This week, we're talking about twice-told tales and retellings. We go from Greek Mythology to Fairy Tales to Shakespearean Plays, and quite a bit of Arthurian Legends, and discuss the ways in which these centuries-old stories are revitalized today, while also talking about amazing contemporary authors like Silvia Moreno-Garcia and graphic novel series like Once & Future.
Today, we're chatting with school librarian Julie Saunders, who serves students in Ferndale Public Schools' Lower & Upper Elementary! What are some misconceptions about what a school librarian does? What does a typical day look like for a school librarian? How are they approaching STEM and information literacy? We talk about it all on the latest episode of "A Little Too Quiet."
Ypsilanti-based photographer Jim Roll talks about incorporating a bit of chaos and the subconscious into his process, as well as the double-exposure "film soup" development of his mesmerizing, polychromatic, dream-like images, all of which is captured from the natural landscapes surrounding the Huron River. www.jimroll.com | Jim is also a musician and audio engineer who has been a part of the Michigan music scene for decades, we talk about that, as well as his philosophy around photography. His work is on display inside the Ferndale Library this spring!
Librarian Susan Paley joins us again to talk about her favorite books of the year..., so far! That includes three mystery titles from the collection she helps develop here at the Ferndale Library, as well as one biography! Books discussed include The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley, The Maid by Nita Prose, The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale and The Master by Christopher Clarey.
Today, we're talking about our favorite and least favorite depictions of librarians (& libraries) on screen, through movies and television, from The Mummy to the Music Man!
Today, we're talking about what it was like to become a Youth Librarian in the midst of a pandemic, whilst also reflecting on everything we learned from visiting our libraries during childhood. We also talk about how the Kids Corner is built for kids, and what it means when a librarian says "reading is reading!" Joining us on this episode is youth librarian Mary Grahame Hunter, who develops our non-fiction collection for young readers, joins librarian Kricket Hoekstra (who has previous experience as a teen librarian).
Bestselling legal thriller author Lisa Scottoline returns to the podcast, discussing the common thematic elements that are threaded through all of her books, no matter what the genre or elevator pitch may be... She's also specifically discussing her latest book, What Happened to the Bennetts, about a family that has to be taken into the Witness Protection Program. The name of this book's villain is also nearly identical to the name of our podcast host, so we also ask about that...
This former Michigander, now based in Chicago, recently published his first novel for adult readers and it's a time-bending/mind-bending amalgam of a corporate thriller, existential futurism, philosophic psychedelia, quantum mechanics, and, yes, romance! | James Kennedy is the author of The Order of Odd-Fish and the founder and director of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Before becoming a writer, he was a software engineer with a degree in physics and philosophy, subjects he continues to explore in his writing.
https://jameskennedy.com/books/
Author Kelsey Ronan joins us to discuss her debut novel Chevy in the Hole, a series of interconnected vignettes spanning generations of two families living in Flint throughout WWII, the Civil Rights Movement, and the recent Water Crisis. At the heart of Ronan's book is a love story, and most importantly, a story of resilience. Kelsey grew up in Flint, Michigan. Her fiction and journalism have appeared in several notable literary reviews. She's the former writer in residence of the Hub City Writers Project, and currently teaches for Inside Out Literary Arts. https://us.macmillan.com/author/kelseyronan
Host Rodi Brown welcomes Librarians Sarah Bowman and Kricket Hoekstra to the podcast to discuss #classicliterature, and it inevitably becomes a bit of a takedown of #ernesthemingway, although gents like #johnsteinbeck and #fscottfitzgerald are also..., well, let's say scrutinized through a modern lens... We discuss what we love about the classics, what we can't stand about the classics, and so much more!
Author Donald Levin joins us to talk about his latest novel, a work of historical fiction centering around a tumultuous week in Depression-era Detroit (1932), with crime, murder, union-busting, and four distinctive main characters caught up in the middle of it all. Levin is a veteran of the mystery genre but has also written works of dystopic fiction and poetry. Tune in for our chat and hear about the research required for historical fiction and exploring Detroit's sordid past. http://www.donaldlevin.com/
Lisabeth Posthuma was a teacher, photographer, and (most importantly) video rental clerk before becoming a writer. ~ And a video store is the central setting of her amazing novel, which we discuss: "Joel's new job at the video store is just what the therapist ordered. But what happens if the first true friend he's made in years finds out about What Was Wrong With Him?..." https://www.lisabethposthuma.com/
Paula Regossy is a detective novel by literary artist Lynn Crawford. The inspiration for the novel began with a painting by artist Peter Williams, which Crawford first saw on view at the gallery Paul Kotula Projects in Ferndale, Michigan, nearly a decade ago. Crawford is a fiction writer, art critic, a founding board member of MOCAD, and a 2010 Kresge Literary Arts Fellow. https://threefoldpress.org/imaginarydinnerparty https://www.lynncrawford.net/
Well, this was quite an epic episode! Who doesn't love a good villain? Tune in for our nearly comprehensive dissertation featuring library staffers Rodi and Mary Grahame. From Darth Maul to the Phantom of the Opera, Maleficent to Iago, and many many...(ahem, MANY) more! Why do we sometimes root for the villain? Why do we sometimes....love the villain?!?
The modern librarians' take on Wikipedia and how it relates to/concerns information literacy. This is a free/open-access multilingual online encyclopedia, written and maintained by a community of volunteers through a model of open collaboration, and it's been around for 20 years, now! So let's talk about it!
Acclaimed author Brit Bennett joins us to talk about The Vanishing Half (out on paperback), as well as what draws her to the themes explored in both of her books (including The Mothers). We also talk about the impact that her writing continues to have on readers, modern literature, and the public discourse; what it was like releasing two novels during two comparatively tumultuous times in history, her love of libraries, and her fond memories of Ann Arbor!
Jeff, Rodi and Mary Grahame talk about what's been happening to our impulses to curate 'home libraries...' To buy or not to buy? Should we check out ALL of our books from the library? What about a library test-drive? And what about #booktok? We cover it all.
Supriya Kelkar is an author, illustrator, and screenwriter who grew up in the Midwest, where she learned Hindi as a child by watching three Hindi movies a week. We're chatting about several of her books this week, including That Thing About Bollywood, Strong as Fire Fierce as Flame, and American as Paneer Pie--the latter of which is featured among our six selections for our 2022 Battle of The Books (for Ferndale 5th graders). https://supriyakelkar.com/
Librarian Sarah Bowman joins Jeff and Rodi to talk about the delicate art of recommending books. In this episode, both Jeff and Rodi will receive four recommendations based on their preferences, including... Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore, City of Brass, Dread Nation, The Revisioners | House of Broken Angels, Nothing to See Here, This is Where I Leave You, The Sun Down Motel. www.fadl.org
Lisa Gardner's new protagonist, Frankie Elkins, is driven to help find missing persons from old/forgotten cold cases; in this latest novel she's venturing into a national forest in Wyoming to look for a man who disappeared without a trace. Tune in to hear our conversation about crafting a suspense novel in the wilderness. https://www.lisagardner.com/
Jonathan Evison’s Small World is an epic novel for now. Set against such iconic backdrops as the California gold rush, the development of the transcontinental railroad, and a speeding train of modern-day strangers forced together by fate, it is a grand entertainment that asks big questions. https://jonathanevison.net/
We're talking about Ferndale's efforts to encourage sustainable habits with new Zero Waste Program Coordinator Claire Dion. When it comes to "the three R's" of being environmentally conscious, we were all raised on the importance of recycling, but today we're really talking about just how important REDUCING and REUSING can be... Claire will be joining us in the late winter for an event on sustainable mending, so stay tuned for that as well! For more information on the city's recent compost pilot program, click here. And, if you live in Ferndale and have any questions about Zero Waste, you can reach Claire here: zerowaste@ferndalemi.gov
Aaron Blatt teaches English Language Arts at Ferndale Middle School; he's been teaching for 20 years and has experience as a reading specialist. Blatt also cohosts our Middle School Book Club. He recently joined us on a weekday, just as school had let out, to talk about the experience of teaching during the pandemic, and so much more--including culturally responsive teaching and his aspirations of cultivating joy in the classroom setting.
Since its founding in 1921, the Detroit Historical Society (DHS) has been dedicated to safeguarding the history of our region so that current and future generations of metro Detroiters can better understand the people, places, and events that helped shape our lives. 100 Years of the Detroit Historical Society, written by senior curator Joel Stone, captures in words and photographs the little-known story of the people who have been telling Detroit’s stories and preserving its material culture for the last century.
Staff discuss the joys of reading romance novels, as well as addressing previously stereotyped tropes and celebrating the new wave of contemporary authors of the genre. Circulation specialist Rodi Brown is back, along with Youth Librarian Mary Grahame Hunter--both are ardent fans of this literary genre and they are putting on a master class for the podcast host. Provided below are their top 5 authors of romance novels.
Rodi: Beverly Jenkins Alyssa Cole Rebekah Weatherspoon Stacy Reid Helen Hoang
Mary Grahame: Cat Sebastian KJ Charles Courtney Milan Rose Lerner Joanna Shupe
Peter Markus is the author of the novel, “Bob, or Man on Boat,” as well as three books of short fiction, the most recent of which is “We Make Mud.” He lives in Trenton, Michigan, and is the Senior Writer with the InsideOut Literary Arts Project of Detroit. His first book of poetry, When Our Fathers Return to Us as Birds is an exploration of the grieving process, as well as the healing that can be found in honoring the memories of our loved ones. We also talk about the role poetry can play in ALL of our lives.
We're chatting with Cleveland-based author Genevieve Gornichec about her debut novel, The Witch's Heart: "When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology." Gornichec earned her degree in history from The Ohio State University, but she got as close to majoring in Vikings as she possibly could, and her study of the Norse myths and Icelandic sagas became her writing inspiration.
Jeffery Deaver RETURNS to the podcast, talking about his latest thriller 'The Midnight Lock,' featuring his beloved protagonists Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs as they search for a criminal whose fascination with breaking locks terrorizes New York City. https://www.jefferydeaver.com/novel/the-midnight-lock/
Aby and Rodi from the Ferndale Library's Circulation Dept join us to discuss all manner of fantasy & sci-fi series, especially the attempts to adapt them into films or tv shows. We had our eyes on the new Wheel of Time series on Amazon, but our conversation went on a very entertaining tangent.
Books discussed include: The Lord of the Rings / The Hunger Games / Twilight / His Dark Materials / Wheel of Time / Name of the Wind / The Witcher / The Broken Earth Trilogy / The Inheritance Cycle Series / Graphic Novels: The Fables series / The Star Wars Expanded Universe Series / (The Last Jedi) / Anime (Dragonball Z)
In Waves features original poetry, lyric essay, and watercolor paintings by Linda A. Jordan. Linda is an attorney, activist, and writer interested in exploring the intersections between emotion and the natural world. She founded Rent Party Detroit, an organization that raises money through the arts and cultural events to prevent eviction in Detroit and educates the public on persistent housing inequities, and throughout the rest of this month, proceeds from her new chapbook will benefit Rent Party Detroit. https://rentpartydetroit.org/ https://lindaajordan.com/
Stephanie Gizicki is a teacher in the Language Arts Dept of Ferndale High School, serving as the Reading Specialist; she was recently awarded Teacher of the Year! We're talking to Gizicki about her role at FHS, as well as her collaboration with our library's Youth Services in facilitating the Read Woke Book Club, bringing together high school students to discuss books that illuminate issues around social justice.
Tim Paré is a writer, director, and actor, based here in metro Detroit and he founded the new nonprofit, Michigan Stage to fulfill a mission of producing theatre in enriching, refreshing new ways within the community of Ferndale and greater Oakland County. We talk to Tim about his work in education/mentorship when it comes to theatre and writing, as well as the progress made by Michigan Stage over the last year, including last summer's Broadway in the Burbs. https://www.michiganstage.org/about https://www.facebook.com/michiganstage/
What does an archivist do? Tune in today to hear our chat with Alexis Braun Marks, Eastern Michigan University Archivist, from the Halle Library on EMU's campus in Ypsilanti. Let's talk about information management and historical preservation! We'll also talk about EMU history, Ypsilanti history, and their new mobile oral history studio, the Aerie! www.instagram.com/archives_emu
(Photo by Brynna Bashore)
Thisbe Nissen is originally from New York, but she lived in Iowa for 11 years before settling in rural Michigan. In How Other People Make Love, Thisbe Nissen chronicles the lives and choices of people questioning the heteronormative institution of marriage. These are stories for anyone who has ever loved or been loved. https://www.thisbenissen.com/
Mortality, With Friends is a collection of lyrical essays from Fleda Brown, a writer, and caretaker. Memoir in feel, the book muses on the loss of life, but also friendship, nature, art, the end of marriages, and more. Brown is a lifelong writer/educator--serving as professor emerita at the University of Delaware and she was poet laureate of Delaware from 2001 to 2007. She lives in Traverse City. https://www.fledabrown.com/
Vincent James Perrone is an award-winning writer, editor, musician, and visual artist. He is the author of the full-length book of poetry, Starving Romantic (11:11 Press, 2018), the microchap, Travelogue For The Dispossessed (Ghost City Press, 2021). Besides writing, Vincent composes and performs music (with the groups Lacan and Glynn Court), directs, scores, and edits film projects, and is a member of the collectively owned bookstore Book Suey in Hamtramck. https://vincentjamesperrone.com/publications/
Written by a woman who dealt with bullying and bully friendships during grade school, Bully Friends teaches everyone (even the bully!) about how dangerous bully friendships really are. This book covers everything from defining what a bully friend is to how to heal from a bully friend relationship. Along the way, Kay Kay shares personal stories of her heartbreaking experiences with bully friends and how she went on to find herself and form healthy relationships now and in the future. https://www.kaykaysway.com/about-kaykaysway
For years, Kristy hid her stripping history to fit into the mold of a respectable librarian, but as time went on she realized this wasn't something she should feel ashamed about. Telling these kinds of stories helps destigmatize sex work, which makes it safer for current sex workers. Librarianship is changing, especially as the profession begins to evaluate itself through a greater anti-oppression lens. Librarians can learn a lot about class struggle and privacy advocacy from sex workers.
https://www.kristycooper.com/books
Cal Freeman was born and raised in Detroit, MI. He is the author of the books Brother Of Leaving (Marick Press) and Fight Songs (Eyewear Publishing). His writing has appeared in many journals and he has also worked as an educator for Oakland University and InsideOut Literary Arts-Detroit.
He has a new book of poetry due out in April, 2022. He is a member, and contributing songwriter, to the folk ensemble, The Codgers.
Podcast music by Zunsette.
Beginning Middle End, Summer 2020.
Lauren Groff's new novel, Matrix, her first since Fates and Furies, is a defiant and timely exploration of the raw power of female creativity in a corrupted world. Lauren Groff is a two-time National Book Award finalist and The New York Times–bestselling author of three novels, The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, and Fates and Furies. https://laurengroff.com/
Laura Hulthen Thomas is the author of 'States of Motion,' a short story collection (from Wayne State University Press); she also heads the undergraduate creative writing program at the University of Michigan's Residential College, teaching fiction and creative nonfiction. A story that she performed on this podcast is going to be published this month via Fail Better magazine.
http://www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/states-motion http://sites.lsa.umich.edu/rcwriters/
In her third novel, Paula Hawkins shows that even good people can be capable of terrible deeds when it comes to revenge... How long can secrets smolder before they explode into flame? Hawkins is the author of the national and international bestsellers Into the Water and The Girl on the Train. Her latest is an exploration (and meditation) on anger, grief, and a nuanced sort of vengeance.
We're chatting with Sheela Lal and Fatema Haque about the Unerased Book Club, building community through Asian American Literature. The Book Club was founded by Sheela in Ann Arbor in 2018--but she currently resides in Ferndale. Fatema joined as a co-facilitator and that forged a partnership with the non-profit organization Rising Voices of Asian American Families. More info at: https://www.unerasedbookclub.com/ And follow: www.instagram.com/unerasedbc
Their next book is Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam
Music by Zunsette.
Stephen Mack Jones is an award-winning playwright, and recipient of the prestigious Kresge Arts in Detroit Literary Fellowship. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Detroit-based thriller novel August Snow, published by Soho Press. We're chatting about Detroit as a setting, the allure of the mystery genre, and crafting a compelling protagonist! https://www.stephenmackjones.com/august-snow-books
Music by Zunsette
Megan Abbott is the Edgar-winning author revered for her suspense writing that explores the dark underbellies and competitive atmospheres of intimate, powerful, and vulnerable spaces traditionally reserved for women. THE TURNOUT is a revelatory new psychological thriller set against the hothouse of a family-run ballet studio during an intense and fraught season. https://www.meganabbott.com/
Music by Zunsette
Thanks for listening! This podcast will continue to explore the evolving role libraries can play in their communities as well as featuring more conversations with authors and artists on the creative process. Stay tuned. Music by Zunsette Friends of the Ferndale Library: http://ferndalefriends.org
Today, we're chatting with award-winning crime novelist (and journalist) Ace Atkins, about 'The Heathens,' his latest entry in the Quinn Colson thriller series. Atkins worked as a crime reporter in the newsroom of The Tampa Tribune before he published his first novel, Crossroad Blues, in 1998. Along with Colson books, he has also continued Robert B. Parker’s iconic Spenser character after Parker’s death in 2010. https://aceatkins.com/
"Charlie Jordan is being driven across the country by a serial killer. Maybe...." Thus goes the setup for award-winning thriller author Riley Sager's latest, Survive The Night. Riley Sager is the pseudonym of a former journalist, editor and graphic designer. Now a full-time writer, Riley is the author of FINAL GIRLS, an international bestseller. "...Trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse played out on pitch-black roads and in neon-lit parking lots, Charlie knows the only way to win is to survive the night..."!
You hear it all the time: "...the book was better!" Passionate fans of a particular novel tend to feel let down when it is adapted for the silver screen. But how much of that is subjective? Our experience with a novel is one of natural solitude and becomes not only a very intense connection (presuming we've enjoyed the novel) but also a very personal connection. Brendan Kredell, Assc. Prof. of Cinema Studies at Oakland University returns to talk about the heavy lifting all screenwriters/directors/actors have to do when translating a book to film.
Also, we're teasing the eventual start-up of a new FILM DISCUSSION group, this fall! We hope you'll join us.
We're chatting with Augusto Mike Flores, Chairperson from the Ferndale Arts & Cultural Commission, discussing the upcoming installment of art around Ferndale, featuring replications of masterpieces from the Detroit Institute of Arts, part of the Inside|Out program. To read more about the FACC, click here. Follow them on Facebook, here. And if you are an artist, or know an artist, you can read about their Art Census, here.
Ferndale Librarian Susan Paley joins us to talk about life stories: new memoirs and biographies! One Life by Megan Rapinoe | The Education of an Idealist by Susan Power | & the Doctors Blackwell by Janice P. Nimura
Visit our online catalog
Christopher Cosmos is a Grand Rapids-based author and screenwriter; 'Once We Were Here' is his debut novel. As World War II intrudes upon their home, three young friends risk everything for freedom, love, and a chance at a better life.... Cosmos work of historical fiction reveals, in vivid detail, the untold true story of how Greece helped the Allies to win World War II. https://www.christophercosmos.com/ / http://alittletooquiet.podbean.com
historicalfiction #wwii #novels #authors
Joining us on the podcast is Ed Burns, our Head Reference Librarian, in charge of developing our collection of films, as well as a return visit by Brendan Kredell, Assc. Professor of Cinema Studies at Oakland University. We discuss dozens of culturally enriching titles from filmmakers all around the world, including the most recent directors in the spotlight, such as Chloe Zhao, Bong Joo Ho, and Thomas Vinterberg. We briefly cover the century+ history of films made outside of the U.S. and the recent success and accolades attained by directors like Guillermo Del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron. We also talk about how, more than a decade ago, Ed took the initiative to develop Ferndale Library's collection of international films from the ground up, while Brendan shares his thoughts on the important role libraries play in fostering access to international films--many of which can prove to be difficult to find, otherwise.
Discussed in this episode: Federico Fellini - 'Amarcord' / ' 8½'
Jean-Pierre Jeunet - 'Amelie'
Krzysztof Kieślowski - 'Dekalog' / 'Double Life of Veronique' / 'Three Colors'
Michelangelo Antonioni / Bernardo Bertolucci / Roberto Rossellini / Akira Kurosawa / Jean-Luc Godard / Francois Truffaut / Pedro Almodovar / Wong Kar Wai
Titles: "The Bicycle Thieves." "Rififi.' 'Seven Samurai.' 'La Dolce Vita.' 'Umberto D.' 'The Seventh Seal.' 'Alphaville.' 'All About My Mother' 'In The Mood for Love.' 'Le Cages Aux Folles.' 'Infernal Affairs.'
Modern era: 'Children of Men.' 'Pan's Labyrinth.' 'Roma.' 'Parasite.' 'Another Round.' '
Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Angeline lives in southwest Michigan, but her home will always be on Sugar Island. Firekeeper's Daughter is her debut novel.
In this riveting novel, a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine, has never quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team.
After Daunis witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation, she agrees to go undercover. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. How far will she go to protect her community if it means tearing apart the only world she’s ever known? https://authorsunbound.com/
Sarah Pinsker won the Nebula award for her 2019 novel, 'Song for a New Day,' about a global pandemic that made public gatherings illegal and concerts impossible. Sound familiar? Yet Pinsker actually completed this story long before we were in quarantine. 'Song for a New Day' included musicians in its main cast of characters--it's speculative fiction of a near-future that where bands have no recourse but to break the law for the love of music—and for one chance at human connection. The nebula award is given to authors excelling in the sci-fi genre--and Pinsker's latest book also has a sci-fi atmosphere to it: 'We Are Satellites' is about what happens when an incredible new productivity-enhancing technology is introduced on the market--a neural implant known as a 'pilot,' which augments focus and functionality... What happens when this technology starts to tear apart a family of four?
Jeffery Deaver is an international number-one bestselling author, joining us on our podcast to discuss the third entry in his new Colter Shaw suspense series. Colter Shaw is searching for the answer to his father’s final, posthumous riddle. It will lead him to evidence that will topple the secretive espionage company, BlackBridge. We discuss the creative process, arranging subterfuge, creating characters, and so much more, including the upcoming TV adaptation of Colter Shaw, inspired by the first entry in this series, 'The Never Game.' https://www.jefferydeaver.com/
Linda Nemec Foster is the author of twelve collections of poetry including The Blue Divide, The Lake Michigan Mermaid, Talking Diamonds, Amber Necklace from Gdansk, Listen to the Landscape, and Living in the Fire Nest. Foster was selected to be the first Poet Laureate of Grand Rapids, Michigan from 2003-2005. She is the founder of the Contemporary Writers Series at Aquinas College. The poems in this powerful new collection explore the history of conflict and resilience—whether it occurs during the Nazi occupation of Poland, the Balkan wars in Bosnia and Croatia, or within the intimate tableaux of a family’s dissonance. https://www.lindanemecfoster.com/ https://newissuespress.com/
Kelly Fordon's 'I Have the Answer' came out last year on Wayne State University Press: If you thought the suburbs were boring, think again. Kelly Fordon’s I Have the Answer artfully mixes the fabulist with the workaday and illuminates relationships and characters with crisp, elegant prose and dark wit. The stories in Fordon’s latest collection are disquieting, humorous, and thought-provoking. They might catch you off guard, but are always infused with deep humanity and tenderness. Kelly Fordon is the author of an award-winning short story collection, Garden for the Blind (Wayne State University Press, 2015); a poetry chapbook, The Witness, which won the Eric Hoffer Award for the Chapbook; and a poetry collection, Goodbye Toothless House.
https://kellyfordon.com/
Today on the podcast, we're chatting with Sanjena Sathian, author of 'Gold Diggers,' a brilliant magical realist coming-of-age story, skewering the model minority myth to tell a hilarious and moving story about immigrant identity, community, and the underside of ambition. It's also about two teenagers stealing golden items from their community to create an elixir that ignites their untapped ambitions. This debut novel by a rising new literary talent has already been tapped for adaptation to television, executive produced by Mindy Kaling. More info: https://www.sanjena.com/
We're talking about the Oscars today, but we're bringing in an academic perspective with Brendan Kredell, a local film buff and an associate professor of film studies at Oakland University. We're responding to, and discussing the ceremony from last Sunday as well as pondering the loss of the opportunity to experience these films in a theater setting. That, as well as the ins and outs of major global film festivals, the lasting "legacy" of Oscar winners, and especially the legacy of such an actor as the late Chadwick Boseman.
Julie Carrick Dalton's debut novel, Waiting for the Night Song, is an exploration of the vagaries of friendship, a love song to the natural world, a call to fight for what we believe in, and a reminder that the truth will always rise. Cadie Kessler has spent decades trying to cover up one truth. One moment. But deep down, didn’t she always know her secret would surface? Julie is a frequent speaker on the topic of writing fiction in the age of climate crisis. Mom to four kids and two dogs, Julie is a passionate skier, hiker, and kayaker. She also owns and operates an organic farm. Please excuse her dirty fingernails. https://juliecarrickdalton.com/books/
Who wouldn’t want a metaphorical stunt double to take the perilous fall that comes with the pain of loss or profound disappointment? The poems in When the Heart Needs a Stunt Double by Diane DeCillis consider resourceful ways in which we become our own stunt double and explore through a poet’s eyes the anatomy of the mind, body, and soul. WSU PRESS.
Diane DeCillis is the author of Strings Attached (Wayne State University Press, 2014), winner of the Michigan Notable Book Award and the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Award, and a finalist for the Forward INDIES Award. Her poems, stories, and essays have appeared in numerous journals.
A multiple Pushcart Nominee, Joy’s work has won numerous awards and is published in over 100 literary magazines and journals including Poetica, Ekphrasis, Poetry East, The Kentucky Review, RATTLE, The Patterson Review, and others. Her work is also included in the stunning anthology, Michigan in Poetry in Michigan, and, The Bloomsbury Anthology of Jewish American Poetry.
Twenty years a professional photographer Joy sees poetry as a natural extension of the photographic art form: both use images, contrast, tensions, a kind of rhythm, and tone to convey what language alone, cannot. http://www.joygainesfriedler.com/
Justin Brouckaert is the author of the hybrid chapbook SKIN (Corgi Snorkel Press, 2016). His writing has appeared in Passages North, The Rumpus, Catapult, DIAGRAM, Smokelong Quarterly, Prairie Schooner and Bat City Review, among many other publications. In the world of Love Stories, the seams of reality have been subtly loosened. Brouckaert evokes a universal yearning, a raw desire, a pang of nostalgia, an ache in your chest that comes when you find yourself cleaved from your lover, from your people, from the place you call home. Long Day Press.
Born and raised in Detroit, Alice Randall is a New York Times best-selling novelist, award-winning songwriter, educator, and food activist. Her latest, 'Black Bottom Saints,' is an enthralling literary tour-de-force that pays tribute to Detroit's legendary neighborhood, as well as its emcee/writer, Ziggy Johnson. It features narratives of more than 60 "saints" from the history of Black Bottom and the early Civil Rights Movement. We talk about her experimentation with form, through fiction, and the main inspirations for this Michigan Notable Book (2021). https://www.alicerandall.com/works
Peter Werbe is a long-time figure in alternative and commercial media in Detroit and a political activist.. He is a member of the editorial board of the Fifth Estate magazine. His professional career was as a DJ on Detroit's major rock stations, WABX, WWWW. WRIF, and WCSX. He hosted Nightcall, WRIF's phone-in talk show, which was the longest-running such program in U.S. radio history, 1970-2016.
He is the author of Summer On Fire: A Detroit Novel (Black & Red Books) https://www.peterwerbe.org
Ryan ("Tibbs") Wiese is the writer/director of a new short film titled PACK CO., and it stars Dan John Miller. These two local musicians have steadily immersed themselves deeper into the world of video production (Tibbs Inc), and this is their first longer-form feature, with a great cast and an off-kilter narrative universe where a protagonist is more than ready to start thinking outside of the proverbial box.
The film premieres on April 1st, here: http://www.packco.tv/ More on their other endeavors, here: http://www.tibbsinc.com/
Bestselling author Lisa Scottoline offers a sweeping and shattering epic of historical fiction fueled by shocking true events with 'Eternal.' It's the tale of a love triangle that unfolds in the heart of Rome during the creeping shadow of fascism in the late '30s. "What war destroys, only love can heal." Scottoline joined us on the podcast to talk about her new book. https://www.scottoline.com/
John Jeffire was born in Detroit. In 2005, his novel Motown Burning was named Grand Prize Winner in the Mount Arrowsmith Novel Competition and in 2007 it won a Gold Medal for Regional Fiction in the Independent Publishing Awards. His latest poetry collection, A Temple For Tomorrows, is available this Spring. Jeffire performs 3 poems, along with some Q&A.
The first of the Morgalla Chronicles, a new epic fantasy series by Jon David is out now: ...Morgalla is a woman trapped between worlds, accepted in neither. A woman with a good heart and a dark secret: she's a demon from Hell. Nobody's perfect. Born and raised in southeast Michigan, Jon David's series features a misunderstood demon heroine. The Savage Peak, book one, is his debut novel. Upcoming titles include Diary of a Lonely Demon, The Shadow of Hell, and War of the Dark One. https://www.morgalla.net/about-the-author.html
https://bit.ly/2OERutj
Ryan Estrada is an artist, author, and adventurer based in Busan, South Korea, but he was born and raised in Metro Detroit. His graphic novels include Banned Book Club, Student Ambassador: The Missing Dragon, and Broken Telephone. He has worked on Star Trek, Popeye, and Garfield, but he is best known for grainy copies of his comic Learn To Read Korean in 15 Minutes that you saw on 9gag with thirty watermarks and his name scrubbed off. You can find his work at ryanestrada.com
Author Joseph Harris joins us to talk about his recent collection of short stories, 'You're In The Wrong Place,' which takes place predominantly in Ferndale and was recently named a Michigan Notable Book for 2021.
In a thrilling interconnected narrative, You’re in the Wrong Place presents characters reaching for transcendence from a place they cannot escape. Charles Baxter stated that "Joseph Harris has a particular feeling for the Detroit suburbs and the slightly stunted lives of the young people there. . . . You’re in the Wrong Place isn’t uniformly downbeat—there are all sorts of rays of hope that gleam toward the end."
Stories by Joseph Harris have appeared in Midwest Review, Moon City Review, Great Lakes Review, The MacGuffin, Third Wednesday, Storm Cellar, and have received the Gesell, Tompkins, and Detroit Working Writers’ Awards for fiction. He holds an MFA from the University of Minnesota, an MA from Wayne State University, and a BFA from Emerson College.
Youth Librarian Elissa Zimmer joined us on the podcast during her last week here in Ferndale before moving on to a new position in West Michigan. But, since she is Vice-Chair of this year's Spring Institute for Youth Services, we are talking about that conference for librarians, as well as just taking a wistful stroll down memory lane--sharing thoughts on what makes this town, and its library, special.
https://www.milibraries.org/spring-institute
Ferndale Librarian Michelle Williamson joins us to talk about new books in the non-fiction section, specifically with call numbers in the 600's. Williamson develops our collection of books that are categorized in the Dewey Decimal System (of the 600's), generally known as "applied sciences," but that certainly winds up covering A LOT! Gardening, cooking, crafting, cultural histories, and yes..., CATS!
Craft - An American History: https://bit.ly/3audYFQ Red Sands: https://bit.ly/3dlttBL Nose Dive: https://bit.ly/2ON54uM A Cat's Tale: https://bit.ly/3qGEMbq Comic Book Guide to Growing Food: https://bit.ly/37oeZNF
Leni Sinclair (born Magdalene Arndt) is an American photographer and political activist who lives in Detroit. She has photographed iconic rock and jazz musicians since the early 1960s, and she was a co-founder of the White Panther Party and the Detroit Artists Workshop. Her photos are currently exhibiting at Galerie Camille, for 'Come Together.' That exhibition was followed-up by another showing at MOCAD, in celebration of Sinclair's new book, 'Motor City Underground.'
A conversation with award-winning author and illustrator Linda K. Sienkiewicz about the creative process, and her new children's picture book, 'Gordy & the Ghost Crab.' http://lindaksienkiewicz.com/bio/
Other writing awards include a poetry chapbook award from Heartlands and a Pushcart Prize Nomination in poetry. She has three other poetry chapbooks: Postcard of a Naked Man (March Street Press), Dear Jim (Main Street Rag) and Security (March Street Press). Linda earned her Masters of Fine Art Degree (MFA) in Creative Writing from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine.
Marsha Music was born in Detroit and grew up in Highland Park, Michigan - a city within the city of Detroit. She has lived in these two cities her entire life. She is the daughter of legendary pre-Motown record producer, the late Joe Von Battle, and west side Detroit beauty and music lover, the late Shirley Battle. Ms. Music is a self-described "primordial Detroiter," and a "Detroitist". She became an activist in her early teens in the social tumult of the late sixties and was a founding member of the iconic League of Revolutionary Black Workers. THE DETROITIST is an anthology of poems and stories about Detroit written by a daughter of Detroit. Marsha Music is one of the featured artists performing during the ongoing virtual exhibition, Come Together, at Galerie Camille.
https://marshamusic.wordpress.com/
Galerie Camille: https://galeriecamille.com/upcoming-events
https://www.facebook.com/galeriecamille/
https://www.facebook.com/FADLArt
Librarian Susan Paley joins us to provide reading recommendations for fans of MYSTERIES!
Pretty Little Wife: https://bit.ly/3cvrHh7
Well of Ice: https://bit.ly/3tnkHbZ
Fortune Favors the Dead: https://bit.ly/3rcFc9y
Tenant: https://bit.ly/3jdLKlE
Every Waking Hour: https://bit.ly/2Mk0GCM
Music provided by Chad Stocker: https://honesttogoodness.bandcamp.com/
While there have been countless books written about Detroit, none have captured its incredible musical history like this one.
This collection of poems and lyrics covers numerous genres including jazz, blues, doo-wop, Motown, classic rock, punk, hip-hop, and techno. It was curated & edited by M.L. Liebler and Jim Daniels, recently awarded the Michigan Notable prize of 2021. Daniels is a poet & writer based out of Pittsburgh (with Michigan ties) and Liebler is also a writer, poet, and editor, based here in Detroit--both of these gentlemen teach at esteemed universities such as Carnegie Mellon and Wayne State respectively. Their book was published through Michigan State University Press.
Music provided by Chad Stocker: https://honesttogoodness.bandcamp.com/
Rochelle Riley recently ended a 20-year career as a nationally-syndicated, award-winning Detroit columnist in 2019 to become the City of Detroit’s Director of Arts and Culture. In 2018, she published 'The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery,' and she's just followed that up with a new book, 'That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed the World.' In this new book, which is out this week via Wayne State University Press, Riley's words describe the formative moments in the lives of some of the icons of Black History, and those words are paired with the stunning photography of Cristi Smith-Jones, capturing black and white images of her daughter Lola, and Riley's grandson Caleb, dressed in full costume to recreate some of the most memorable images from our history books.
"That They Lived fills in gaps in the history that American children have been taught for generations. For African American children, it will prove that they are more than descendants of the enslaved. For all children, it will show that every child can achieve great things and work together to make the world a better place for all. Available where books are sold and from WSU."
More info: https://www.rochelleriley.com/the-burden/
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Music provided by Chad Stocker: https://honesttogoodness.bandcamp.com/
Melannie Chard (owner/director M Contemporary Art) is an art consultant and agent with more than a dozen years of experience working in the art world, including stints with Sotheby's and Galerie Camille. Chard founded M Contemporary in 2018, where she provides seasoned and emerging collectors with an unparalleled client experience. On the podcast, we're talking about the important role galleries can serve for their communities and the ways in which they support local artists.
M Contemporary is located directly across the street from the Ferndale Library. They're open Thursday through Saturday, 12p-6p. For more info, and to see details about upcoming exhibitions, click here: https://www.mcontemporaryart.com/upcoming
Dorene O'Brien is a Detroit-based creative writing teacher and writer whose stories have won the Red Rock Review Mark Twain Award for Short Fiction, the Chicago Tribune Nelson Algren Award, the New Millennium Writings Fiction Prize, and the international Bridport Prize.
This is our final episode in a mini-series on maintaining motivation, heading into 2021. https://www.doreneobrien.com/
Sarah Miller began writing her first novel at 10 years old, and has spent half her life working in libraries and bookstores. She has spent much of the last decade releasing books that illuminate the experiences of women with incredible stories who tend to get overlooked by most history textbooks. Miller joined us in the summertime for our local author showcase series, Beginning / Middle / End. She will be releasing a new book in April. http://www.sarahmillerbooks.com/
Back in March, Kathe Koja was on the verge of leading a live reading/performance right here in the library, featuring a story from her latest book, Velocities. Koja is an award-winning author lauded for her ability to blend genres and manifest themes of transcendence amidst some of the most unlikely and unconventional characters and narrative circumstances. We spoke with her about how writers can maintain motivation, heading into 2021.
Music by Chad Stocker.
https://kathekoja.com/
Alana Carlson is a Ferndale-based artist who graduated from the Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids in 2003. She's featured some of her work in a couple of group exhibitions here in the Ferndale Library, along with showing in several esteemed gallery spaces over the years. She's also been a freelance portraiture artist, along with being the creator of the mural facing out from the Natural Food Patch here in downtown Ferndale, on 9 Mile. https://alanacarlsonart.com/about
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/arts/lynda-barry-diary-project.html
https://thenearsightedmonkey.tumblr.com/post/111125141634/above-variations-on-our-daily-diary-practice
https://www.instagram.com/thenearsightedmonkey/
Nadir Omowale is a songwriter/singer/guitarist/producer and creative consultant. We inevitably wound up focusing a lot on the distressing state of the music industry after 2020, but we drifted toward some rather positive ruminations and insights. Anyone out there who's a musician or songwriter looking for some inspiration, Nadir has some thoughts to share! We also talk about something particularly positive to look forward to: the sheer amount of amazing music that will no doubt be released in 2021, post-quarantine!
Check out Nadir's two new singles from this year with the links below.
LINKS
New Video: "Belly of the Whale" https://nadiromowale.com/#videos "Run" https://youtu.be/fvhgW4aaWU0
YOUTUBE
Nadir Omowale, performing in the Ferndale Library Courtyard.
Donald Levin is an award-winning Ferndale-based fiction writer and poet, with backgrounds in scriptwriting, speechwriting, video production, and more. He is the retired dean of the faculty and Professor of English at the former Marygrove College in Detroit. He is the author of seven Martin Preuss mysteries, with works appearing in numerous print journals; recently, he's written in the dystopic genre.
http://www.donaldlevin.com/
Music is provided by local artist Chad Stocker: https://honesttogoodness.bandcamp.com/
Jibs Brown is a versatile singer/songwriter with a strong passion for music and performing. Jibs has become one of the Detroit area's most recognizable acoustic artists, specializing in a brand of music that crosses all genres. His original music is simple, honest, and soulful. You can see a virtual concert featuring Brown performing inside the Ferndale Library on our YouTube page.
https://jibsbrown.bandcamp.com/
Josh Malerman knows how hard it can be to get started. With the winter upon us, it might be more difficult than it had been, even during a year such as 2020, to stay motivated! Malerman, a former Ferndale resident (and now world-famous author), shares some insights with us on what worked for him during a particularly challenging year! Along with providing his own words of encouragement on how to stay motivated, Malerman also discusses his most recent works, including the online novel CARPENTER'S FARM and recently-completed-but-not-yet-published work, FOREVER SINCE BREAKFAST.
https://joshmalerman.com/
Follow the Ferndale Library ON YOUTUBE to see a video version of this conversation.
Youth Librarian Ms. Elissa develops the collection of fiction for middle-grade readers. And over the last several years, she has set "reading goals" for herself. It started at 50 in her first year and she almost made it. Then the number got higher, and higher. This year, the original plan was to cross the 160-mark and she made it to 174! Today, she's talking about just some of the many books she completed; elaborating on how valuable these books can be to the emotional development of young readers, specifically books released within the last by a diverse group of modern authors.
http://tiny.cc/fadlcatalog
www.facebook.com/ferndalekids
John Jeffire is an esteemed author & poet, born and raised in Detroit. He has two novels, and two works of poetry published--along with several short stories (like the one featured on this podcast!). Jeffire has a deep reverence for the city of Detroit and its history. While Jeffire has a literary background, he's also a teacher / wrestling coach. And today's story taps into the sport of wrestling--while also illuminating a piece of Jeffire's family history.
http://www.writeondetroit.com/
"A few months ago I learned of an ancestor named George Riley Meadows. I took some of the basic foundational details of his biography and relocated the setting to Detroit at roughly the same time period (for "Broke"). I have learned that a number of my ancestors ended up in Eloise, so writing "Broke" was a way for me to tell many of their stories at once. I've attached a picture of George and his wife Matilda as well.
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George Riley Meadows' life was short and tragic. He married Mary Malinda Totman in 1878, and they were living together with six children when he was involved in a mishap. A miner and farmer, he and some work friends were trying to see who could lift the most weight when something "broke in his head." After this, he was the victim of seizures and his mental faculties were never right again. His condition became so bad that on 21 November 1898 his wife divorced him, almost unheard of at the time, and he was confined to the Osawatomie State Hospital (originally the Kansas State Insane Asylum) where he resided for two years. Listed as a farmer and a Protestant, his diagnosis read that he suffered from grand mal seizures. This diagnosis included "incomplete dementia" and "insanity."
At age 45, he was transferred to the Kansas State Home for Epileptics in Parsons, Kansas, on 19 Oct 1903, which received most its patients from Osawatomie and the Kansas State Asylum for Idiotic and Imbecile Youth in Lawrence. He was patient #79 of the 110 admitted that day. His former wife Matilda continued to visit him; she did not mention her former husband to family members but they recall her returning from a visit she made by wagon to "someone" in an institution inconsolable and in tears. He died at the institution and was buried in Row 1, Space 7 in its cemetery. It seems that the lifting accident he suffered likely caused a brain aneurysm from which he never recovered and there was no treatment at the time but to lock him up in an institution.
Laura Hulthen Thomas is the author of STATES OF MOTION, a collection of short stories http://www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/states-motion.
Thomas also teaches fiction and creative non-fiction for the University of Michigan, as program head for the Residential College’s creative writing program. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including The Cimarron Review, Nimrod International Journal, Epiphany, Witness, Midwestern Gothic, and other literary journals. "Underlying Conditions" is a very new piece (composed during quarantine) that resonates with our current moment/reality; excerpted for this podcast.
https://www.pw.org/writers_recommend/laura_hulthen_thomas
No matter what, though, we promising you compelling conversations with lots of creative people, including creative librarians, discussing what inspires them and keeps them motivated
Our original tag line referred to the prevailing 20th-century perception of libraries as quiet places where people just read books....that perception, frankly, portrayed us as a little too quiet.... libraries are different, libraries are adventurous, experimental, engaging, inventive, imaginative....they're often not so quiet... and this is a podcast that looks at all the ways in which libraries, including ours, continue to serve their communities.
Kelly Fordon is the author of an award-winning short story collection, Garden for the Blind (Wayne State University Press, 2015); a poetry chapbook, The Witness, which won the Eric Hoffer Award for the Chapbook; and a poetry collection, Goodbye Toothless House. The Metro Detroit-based author/teacher recently released a new collection of short stories, "I Have The Answer." Today's story is selected from that 2020 book and it's titled "Jungle Life."
https://kellyfordon.com/
James Henry Hall is a local writer and filmmaker--his most recent, 'A Ben Evans Film,' was adapted from a short story by Josh Malerman.
Today, on A Little Too Spooky, Hall will be reading a new work of short fiction titled 'Chapel Hill,' about a salesman in the 1950's desperate for some business, wandering his way into a (literal) ghost town.
https://www.abenevansfilm.com/
https://www.theoaklandpress.com/lifestyles/suburban/local-filmmakers-to-adapt-bird-box-author-s-short-story/article_205448fe-ac9d-11e9-a50c-f3eb1f33f690.html
Our mini-series featuring scary stories from local authors continues with Ophelia Crane.
This is the pen name of Tekedra Lofton, a local librarian. She's published several novels over the last decade. Today, she's reading a particularly creepy story from her anthology, 3 a.m.
https://www.opheliacrane.com/
Theme music provided by Steve Greene - https://stevegreene.bandcamp.com/
Additional background music by John Duffy of Pato Y Pato - https://patoypato.bandcamp.com/
For the next few weeks, "A Little Too Quiet" becomes "A Little Too Spooky."
We'll feature three local authors reading short stories that uniquely conjure eerie, scary, or just downright spooky ambiance.
This week, Kathe Koja reads a story from her recently released collection, 'Velocities.' https://kathekoja.com/
Theme music provided by Steve Greene - https://stevegreene.bandcamp.com/
Additional background music by John Duffy of Pato Y Pato - https://patoypato.bandcamp.com/
Casey Rocheteau is a writer & poet based in Detroit; the inaugural winner of the Write A Home artist residency from 2014. We spoke with Rocheteau about growing up in Cape Cod, her formative experiences as a writer in the New England area, her time in the Slam Poetry scene, and a supernatural encounter with what may or may not have been the ghost of Charles Bukowski!
Rocheteau recently read/performed two works of poetry for the Ferndale Library virtual author showcase, Beginning | Middle | End.
https://caseyrocheteau.org/
Discussed in this episode Rocheteau's writing, such as The Dozen.
The Detroit Justice Center
Also, Ramune Soda!
Since it's October, we can't resist running through some of our all-time favorite scary books! Staff members discuss some of the most sensationally creepy novels from the horror genre.
Music provided by Steve Greene (of Voyag3r) and John Duffy (of Pato Y Pato).
Discussed in this episode Bram Stoker's Dracula Josh Malerman's Unbury Carol Stephen King: IT, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box & the Locke & Key graphic novel series Shirley Jackson's The Lottery & The Haunting of Hill House Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes The Fear Street series by R.L. Stine Victor Lavalle's The Changeling Margaret Atwood's Oryx & Crake Justin Cronin's The Passage Jason Moss' The Last Victim Daniel Cohen's Phone Call from a Ghost Alvin Schwartz' In A Dark Dark Room Jay Anson's Amityville Horror
Find them all in our online catalog. www.ferndalepubliclibrary.org
Youth Librarian Elissa Zimmer joins us to talk about the unique role librarians can play when it comes to connecting young patrons and students to reading material that will expand their perspectives, help them feel seen, help them process their emotions, and gain a better understanding of the world and different experiences. That being said, there have been plenty of books--particularly the classics--that are often celebrated for doing all of those aforementioned things, but have also been challenged or banned inside of public schools and across community districts because of disputes with some of the contents, characters, or subject matter. That's why the American Library Association started Banned Books Week. What is Banned Books? You'll have to listen to our episode to hear more.
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Discussed in this episode: Suggested Reading by Dave Connis
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The 100 Most Challenged or Banned Books by decade
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And if you are interested in a book bundle for kids, call us at 248-546-2504, or email: info@ferndalepubliclibrary.org
John Duffy is a lifelong lover of music who first started experimenting with on an electric piano in 4th grade, leading to guitar in high school, and several bands after that. Somewhere over the last decade, he became particularly enamored with modular analog synthesizers! Duffy is a high school teacher by day (and we talk about the surrealism of virtual learning), but we especially talk about his musical hobbies. Duffy is the creator of the music you hear on the intro and outtro of this podcast, as well as providing the interstial ambiance for lots of our virtual video events.
This Saturday, at 3:30pm, Duffy is one of FOUR presenters for Synthesizers In The Library, an exclusive ZOOM event. Click here to join us on that date and time!
And to hear more of the music that Duffy has been making, particularly with his main collaborative partner, Mark Maynard, as Pato Y Pato, click here: https://patoypato.bandcamp.com/ // http://tiny.cc/synthexpo
Reference Librarian Susan Paley is here to talk about some of the best new books that we've added to our collection. She utilized her "staycation" time during the quarantine to read all of these books, and she's got reviews and recommendations for you! Susan develops the mystery collection, as well as our travel books and eBooks. Kelly Bennett, FADL's Head of Circulation, also joins us to talk about, among other things, her love of the audiobook format, as well as her own appreciation fo the mystery genre.
Night Swim by Megan Goldin
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Photo (of socially distanced staffers) by Kelly Bennett
Joining us for our final installment in this year's Information Literacy mini-series is journalist Lauren Abdel-Razzaq, Digital Director for The Detroit News. Lauren coordinates the team behind the Detroit News’ website, crafting the digital experience at DetroitNews.com; and she is also one of the voices behind the Detroit News on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. https://www.detroitnews.com/
We have a lot of links to everything we discussed in this episode, including the referenced examples of DEEP FAKES:
Bill Hader’s face transforming as he impersonates others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPhUhypV27w&ab_channel=CtrlShiftFace
Jordan Peele makes an Obama deepfake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5wLaJYBAm4&ab_channel=BBC
Mark Zuckerberg says he controls billions of people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbedWhzx1rs&ab_channel=WashingtonPost
Nixon moon disaster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nD3zrMN47E&ab_channel=ScientificAmerican
Bill Hader Deepfake
Keanu Reeves Deepfake
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And here are some resources for how to be your own fact-checker and a surveyor of potential visual fabrications on the internet.
RESOURCES:
Washington Post Fact Checker guide on manipulated video: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/politics/fact-checker/manipulated-video-guide/
Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics: https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
Trusting News: https://trustingnews.org/
Gallup poll on media trust: https://news.gallup.com/poll/243665/media-trust-continues-recover-2016-low.aspx
American Press Institute trust on social media: https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey-research/trust-social-media/
Pew Research Center fake news: https://www.journalism.org/2019/06/05/many-americans-say-made-up-news-is-a-critical-problem-that-needs-to-be-fixed/
AP Fact check: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-fact-check
Washington Post fact-checker: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/
Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/
Google Reverse Image Lookup: https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=EN
Local Author Sarah Miller shines a light into the darkened corners of history--particularly when it comes to people and events that most of us THINK we already mostly know about, but maybe we don't know the WHOLE STORY. Miller has published five books, including the award-winning 'Miss Spitfire.' Her most recent work looked into the lives of the Dionne Quintuplets, during the 1930s. She spoke with us about the process of researching these books and the fulfillment of discovery when it comes to digging into history. She's just completed her next book, 'Violet & Daisy,' due to come out in April of 2021.
http://www.sarahmillerbooks.com/
Sarah joined us for the 2nd episode of BEGINNING MIDDLE END, our Adult Storytime Series
Three local teens, Mumtaz, Marigold, and Jada, are joining Youth Librarian Ms. Jasmine to discuss how they are adapting to a virtual-school year. Mumtaz and Marigold are both Pages here at the Ferndale Library. Jada, meanwhile, is already a self-published author, she recently released a new book, Tear Stained Pages.
Reference Librarian Maggie Weddell joins us to talk about the collection she develops for circulation here at Ferndale: SCIENCE FICTION and FANTASY. While we discuss the merits of the allegorical tales set in space or in far-off kingdoms, we also touch upon the enriching and enlightening messages that these genres can deliver to readers. We also discuss recent HUGO and NEBULA Award-winning works in the genre of Science Fiction.
A Memory Called Empire is available in our print collection, and as an Audiobook (for Ferndale Cardholders) through HOOPLA.
Gideon the Ninth is available in our print collection, and as an eBook through the Libby App (from OverDrive)
A Song for a New Day is available in our print collection
Gods of Jade and Shadow is available in our print collection, and as an eBook through Libby (from OverDrive)
Andrea Perez holds degrees in both library sciences and social work, and she was a co-organizer of the Radical Librarianship track at the Allied Media Conference.
She has worked here at Ferndale for a few years, but she's been working in libraries for most of her life, including Southfield and Plymouth, but also Westland, the latter of which resulted in controversy when five librarians were abruptly cut from their positions. But, that anecdote actually has a happy ending, if you listen to the end of the podcast.
Meanwhile, when she's not working weekends here at Ferndale, Andrea's a therapist at the Radical Well-Being Center.
In this episode, we discuss the collection she develops for circulation: the 300's--the social sciences.
And she has three recommendations discussed in this podcast.
Amy Haimerl is a professor of journalism at Michigan State University and covers small business and urban policy for Fortune, Reuters, and the New York Times. She visited this library for a talk & a book signing in 2017 after she published her memoir, Detroit Hustle. We've been eager to speak with her since the release of that book, but we also wanted to talk about the reporting she's been doing recently for the New York Times, covering small businesses. Haimerl was also the entrepreneurship editor at Crain's Detroit Business, where she covered the city's historic bankruptcy trial, and she happens to be the founder of the Shady Ladies Literary Society, which is something of an epic book club! https://amyhaimerl.com/detroit-hustle/
Laura Sheble is a computational social scientist, a faculty member at the School of Information Sciences at Wayne State University, and Visiting Research Fellow at SSRI/DNAC. An Asst. Prof at WSU, Sheble is here to talk about two interesting historical examples that can provide context for our current moment. This is another installment in our ongoing series on Information Literacy. Sheble joined us in 2018 for an in-person panel discussion on this subject. She recently co-edited the book Misinformation and Mass Audiences--which is available to circulate from the Ferndale Library's collection.
https://sites.duke.edu/sheble/
A lot of acronyms and initials in the title of this episode: on A Little Too Quiet (ALTQ), it's Jesse Shepherd-Bates (JSB) of the Woodward Avenue Brewers (WAB / WabCo). Today, we're talking with Jesse about his career as an events planner and manager of entertainment venues. We talk about what its been like to be a medium-ish capacity venue in the age of a pandemic. But we also talk about two very uplifting things, one of which is the positive-energy-generating festival that's hosted here in Ferndale known as the DIY Street Fair. We talk about why that is such an important annual event, even though we can't attend it this year. But more than that, Jesse is doing the library proud: he has recommendations for YOU. Jesse is an avid reader of Graphic Novels, and he has plenty of titles to share with you--all of which are available to request for curbside pickups through the Ferndale Library's online catalog.
If you're eager to search for the titles Jesse mentions, click here: www.ferndalepubliclibrary.org If you're eager to check out the venues that Jesse manages, click here: http://www.thewabferndale.com/ If you're eager to see a music video featuring Jesse on piano, with the band Handgrenades (covering Fiona Apple), click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNCrqei0XNY
Singer Kate Hinote is a Detroit-based artist with an incredible voice; she's been performing and recording music for more than a decade, having broken out on the scene in the mid-2000s with the shoegaze duo Ether Aura. Over the last decade, audiences have come to know her as the frontperson for the folk-noir ensemble the Blueflowers, but lately, she formed the Kate Hinote Trio, featuring her longtime Blueflowers bandmate, David Johnson, on guitar and Matthew Parmenter (Discipline and Algebra Mothers) on violin. This trio was initially set to be part of the library's Summer Concert Series, but since we had to sadly cancel that date, we decided to link up through this podcast so that Hinote could share some insights into how to overcome stage-fright, as well as reveal a bit more about what to expect in the year ahead from the Kate Hinote trio.
https://www.facebook.com/katehinotemusic/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O10_pEQkSH0
Podcast Host Jeff Milo never thought he could be good at gardening--UNTIL he met Ross Sandelius..., one of the Admins of the Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge Area Gardeners on Facebook social group! This is a group for gardeners in and around Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge Michigan, although all are welcome. New gardeners, casual gardeners, professional and intensive gardeners, ALL are encouraged to interact, share their pictures, tips, and ask and answer gardening questions of each other.
Sandelius is an avid gardener with plenty of insights to share on this podcast! He led three educational presentations on gardening over the summer months of 2019--hosted at the Ferndale Library. If you have a question about gardening, then consider posting to the group--as your host can assure you, they are supremely helpful.
A glimpse into Sandelius' garden: Japanese painted fern.
Tekedra Lofton is a librarian. Ophelia Crane is an author. They are synonymous; one in the same. Lofton is currently the Community Engagement Librarian in Taylor, MI, but she is a former employee of the Ferndale Library. On this episode, we're talking about the importance of community engagement, as well as the ideas of literary genres, and why her books, written as Ophelia Crane, might not fit into any category.
https://www.opheliacrane.com/
Today, we're chatting with one of our neighbors! Pj Jacokes is an actor/writer/director & co-founder of GO! Comedy Improv Theater! We talk about how to be funny on the fly, how to sustain a small business for 12+ years, what it's like being an improv artist in a pandemic, and also, we talk about GO!'s long-running Detroit Improv Festival...., which...., sadly, is canceled this year. But, if you want to find out more, click here: https://www.gocomedy.net/
Jo Angela Oehrli is the Learning Librarian, and Children's Literature Librarian, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 2017, she received an award from the American Library Association for her research and work on Information Literacy. This is the third installment of our ongoing series on the importance of our individual ability to assess the information we're encountering through various mediums on a daily basis.
Discussed in this episode:
Information on Reading Laterally.
2016 Stanford History Education Group Study
and:
More info on Jo Angela Oehrli
Photographer Joseph Ferraro is taking a bigger look at the tiny world around us. Ferraro is a macro photographer and a conservation photographer; his images tell the story of a very tiny world inhabited by important organisms that all have roles to play in creating harmony for our ecosystem. Random patches of nature in urban environments become sources of new insects that Ferraro can observe, track, and take photos of on their own terms, never harming them or taking them out of their environment.
Ferraro was originally scheduled to install a full exhibition of works to be displayed here in the library. That is, before the shutdown. So, we talk about our high hopes for finally getting to coordinate the art show here in the library in the very near future, as well as his passion for nature and science. We also talk about how he manages to capture amazingly close-up images of the smallest creatures on the planet.
https://www.instagram.com/josephferraro/ http://www.joseph-ferraro.com
The next installment of our ongoing series addressing Information Literacy features WDET's Jake Neher and Shriaz Ahmed. Neher is a reporter/producer who works with 'Detroit Today,' and covers Michigan's political scene, while Ahmed is the radio station's Engagement Editor & Digital Content Editor. We covered the prevalence of confirmation bias, the S.I.F.T. method for spotting fake news, and the daily discipline reporters have to practice regarding the objective framing of a story.
To follow the work of Neher and Ahmed, go to www.wdet.org
As mentioned in the introduction to this show, we have links for more info on the S.I.F.T. Method https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/
https://www.avon-schools.org/cms/lib/IN01001885/Centricity/Domain/3486/SIft%20method.pdf
Raylon Leaks-May is a Ferndale City Council Member, Mayor Pro Tem, and, as you'll hear--a big fan of libraries! She recently collaborated with our Youth Services Librarians to host a civics-focused conversation with high school students and answer questions about public service, local government, community volunteering, etc. Leaks-May has been a Ferndale resident for twenty-five years, serving in a variety of instrumental professional roles within the community.
https://www.ferndalemi.gov/news/ferndale-city-council-declares-official-commitment-to-antiracism
Annie Spence is a Detroit-based author AND LIBRARIAN. Her first book, "Dear Fahrenheit 451," was published in 2017 (Macmillan/Flatiron), and it features love letters & break-up notes to books that Spence established "intense relationships" with over the years. She has spent more than a decade working as a librarian in public libraries in the midwest. So we talked about several things, like what it was like to be a librarian during quarantine, what she's working on lately (a novel?), her all-time favorite books, and also why it is that, when compared to other art forms, we connect with books and reading in such a deep and nuanced way. Sometimes those connections are so intense as to warrant legitimate love letters.
https://www.anniespence.com/about
Excerpt: https://us.macmillan.com/excerpt?isbn=9781250106490
Black and Brown Theatre was founded in the summer of 2016 to address the inequity of casting in the professional Michigan theatre scene and create more opportunities for theatre artists of color. On Saturday, August 1st, at 2pm, B&B Theatre will be giving a Virtual Performance of their adaptation of Beauty & the Beast ("Beast of the Town") for our younger patrons & kids of all ages.
We are chatting with co-founder (actor/producer/director/playwright) Emilio Rodriguez about the origins of the Black and Brown Theatre, as well as some of the events they've created in their 4-year history, including the "Our Voices" program for students. Rodriguez followed up with us and shared this video, below, featuring a clip from this program where students get to direct grown-up actors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgP6uGjr9E8
The first in a new mini-series featuring conversations with librarians, journalists, professors, and teachers: We'll be discussing important issues around Information Literacy--the ability to evaluate the variety of information and media that we all encounter on a daily basis, through social media or online news outlets.
Dr. Pradeep Sopory (Wayne State University) conducts research on health and risk communication. He also investigates the effects of messages in the media and how they can be designed to influence attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
Show notes:
Coronavirus Facts Alliance:
https://www.poynter.org/coronavirusfactsalliance/
Infodemic.blog
https://infodemic.blog/
This is a podcast produced in-house by the staff of the Ferndale Library. We've been closed for the last four months so that staff and patrons could safely shelter at home and slow the spread of coronavirus. But we are BACK! And we have so much to talk about: Curbside Pickup services, Online Library Card apps, Kanopy streaming services, Readers' Advisory, Virtual Programs, and so much more.
The library's Assistant Director Darlene Hellenberg, and Circulation Supervisor Kelly Bennett join host Jeff Milo to discuss everything they've been reading, watching, and listening to, during the quarantine.
This is A Little Too Quiet, the Ferndale Library Podcast. This is a podcast produced in-house by staff inside the Ferndale Library. And from episode 1 onward, we wanted to bring you exclusive content, like author interviews, insights into library resources and services, and the history of our library. Along with that, just the nuanced narrative of how this library, as an archetype for all libraries, is evolving and adapting the ways in which it serves its community.
But circumstances have caused us to have a considerable pause between seasons. You know those circumstances as well as us - the pandemic led to a necessary shutdown that required as many of us as possible to shelter at home and stop the spread of the coronavirus. Our library's doors were closed, but we remained open to a few extents--chief among them being, that we were still doing everything we could to keep our community connected to information, to helpful resources, to enriching materials, and to virtual programs and video events-- Of course we could not interact with our patrons without the assistance of a laptop or smartphone through video conferencing software, and of course we couldn't hand our patrons print books or physical materials in person, but we could continue to provide access to 10s of thousands of titles that are collected as digital resources through apps like hoopla, libby, rbdigital and kanopy--along with countless databases and video tutorial services. we missed our patrons. we missed our community. we missed making podcasts.
We're once again aspiring to create compelling content for the episodes featured on this show, as well as capturing exclusive and engaging conversations about the role that librarians and library staff can serve to their community. We'll be exploring a mini-series on Information Literacy, particularly news literacy--talking to professors, journalists and librarians about the impacts of disinformation and the pitfalls of misinformation on the internet. What can we do to be more discerning news consumers as individuals? We'll talk about that.
We'll also be talking to more local authors, more local artists, as well as more behind the scenes, chats with librarians detailing their experiences and their ideas for engaging programming.
For four months, having been closed for the sake of safety, libraries everywhere were quiet....quieter than they've been in at least two decades. This podcast's name continues to acknowledge the fact that a library is no longer a place where you feel apprehensive to talk. A library is a place where you can get peace of mind, where you can tap into a sense of feeling part of a community, and where you can find reliable information, diverse entertainment and culture, and so much more.
This is A Little Too Quiet. Please rate, review, or subscribe to us and tell a friend.
We'll be picking the story back up where we left off, soon, with Season 2!
Here's an episode where we say "thank you for listening" at least three times, maybe four..., but we also share a lot of our heartfelt thoughts on why we started this podcast.
As the library remains closed until further notice, we're hoping to bring you a couple more podcast exclusives in April. Keep following our social media feeds for more information. You can also reach us at: info@ferndalepubliclibrary.org
That's a wrap on season one of A Little Too Quiet. We're grateful to everyone who downloaded, streamed, or shared episodes of our new podcast. We're also grateful to the Friends of the Ferndale Library for making this podcast a reality.
The library remains closed until further notice, but since we had already produced this episode in-advance, we wanted to share it with you.
We hope you are taking advantage of our online resources and listening to some audiobooks that you could download with your library card! If you need MORE things to listen to in the weeks ahead--well, then this podcast is here for you, also!
In this episode, Kelly and Jeff look back on some of their favorite memories that occurred in this library over the last 10 years, from the eclipse of 2017, to party-starting marching bands, to globally renowned authors flying in from Ireland!
Images from 2011, when author John Connolly visited Ferndale
Libraries aren’t as quiet as they used to be. We're a podcast for library lovers and the library curious. Stay tuned for more book chatter with librarians, community perspectives and author interviews.
The library remains closed until further notice as we follow safety measures for containing the spread of coronavirus. We were sad to cancel our event with author Joe Grimm, but we had already recorded this interview with the man behind the Faygo Book, so we still wanted to share that via our podcast!
We had a great chat with Joe Grimm, author of The Faygo Book" the social history of a company that has forged a bond with a city and its residents for more than a century...The story of a pop, a people, and a place! Joe Grimm previously wrote the book Coney Detroit with Katherine Yung (Wayne State University Press, 2012). A lifelong Detroit-area resident and twenty-five-year veteran of the Detroit Free Press, Grimm is a Michigan State University journalism professor. His favorite Faygo flavor is Rock & Rye.
The Ferndale Library has closed until further notice. But that doesn't mean you can't keep reading! You could try eBooks or audiobooks. In fact, if you listen to this episode, we'll tell you about ALL of our ONLINE RESOURCES! If you are not a Ferndale Library cardholder, you can ask YOUR library about what they might be offering online, in the meantime.
Ferndale cardholders can start accessing these online resources here: http://ferndalepubliclibrary.org/online-resources
If you have any questions, please email:
info@ferndalepubliclibrary.org
And you can leave us a voicemail at: 248-546-2504
We are chatting with two local musicians, both of whom have flourished in pursuit of artforms adjacent to music. The award-winning singer/songwriter Carolyn Striho visits us first to discuss her new book of poetry and lyrics, 'Detroit (Maiden Energy).' Striho is a veteran of the local (and global) rock and folk music scenes, but she shares several of her influences in the poetic arts... (not mentioned on the show, but included here, would be icons like Nikki Giovanni, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Shakespeare, and Amiri Baraka). Striho also talks about the role that libraries played in her life, (as writing and reading have been lifelong passions for her).
Striho is scheduled to perform at the Cadieux Cafe on April 25. http://www.carolynstriho.com/ Detroit (Maiden Energy)
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After that, guitarist Scotty Iulianelli (of the band Bars of Gold) stops by to talk about his fascination with pedals and amps--and how he wound up in the world of graphic design as Analog Prints, drawing intricate portraits of various gear utilized for recording and live performance. Iulianelli works just down the street from the Ferndale Library, over at Vintage King Audio. Iulianelli was initially set to lead a presentation all about guitar pedals, but it has been canceled indefinitely, due to public health concerns regarding Covid 19. We will either reschedule or create a new podcast episode (all about guitar pedals)--stay tuned.
https://www.analogprints.net/ https://vintageking.com/detroit
Reference Librarian Susan Paley is here to talk about genres, and so much more! Paley leads monthly in-staff book club meetings designed to strengthen a key component of a librarian's service to patrons--specifically: "Readers Advisory." We'll get into that, as well as talk about genres like horror and romance, along with Paley's efforts to enrich the library's collection of audiobooks, and travel books.
Coming soon, a new International Collection that Paley collaboratively developed with Youth Services Librarian Jordan Wright.
On today's episode, we're linking up the ongoing efforts of two librarians and finding common cause: the information connection! Librarians like Michelle Williamson (Adult Services) and Jasmine Parker (Youth/Teen Services) are equipping their patrons with the capability to be wise and savvy interpreters of the deluge of information streaming through their individual social feeds on a daily basis, and encouraging them to always ask more questions and be as prepared as possible to be participants in a democratic society. Significant and as vital as that sounds, it's just one of the many things that librarians (as well as teachers) are doing on a daily basis.
We're talking with Parker about programs that widen the perspectives of teen patrons and get them interested in asking more questions about the way the world works. Williamson, meanwhile, is talking about the second set of Information Literacy panel discussions that we have coming up soon, starting in April.
Click here to watch the first Ferndale Library panel discussion on media literacy, from January 2018
Today, we're hearing the stories of Laurinda Ross, the treasurer of our Friends of the Ferndale Library group. Ross is a lifetime library supporter and a lifetime supporter of local arts, whether it's here in Metro Detroit, or back in her native state of California, where she was an active attendee of live music events in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ross tells us all about California, the Berkeley CA Library, and especially about the sense of community she found when she joined the library's Friends group. We also talk about the ways in which libraries are inherently welcoming spaces for everyone, no matter what, as well as a welcoming and safe space for all ages. We also talk a good bit about baking!
As referenced in the episode, here's an image of last year's CAKE OFF, hosted by the Friends
For more info, visit: http://ferndalefriends.org/
Follow the Friends on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/ferndalelibrary/ And, if you've been keeping up with their ongoing 'Book It To Your Couch 5k (five-thousand pages' read), find info on social media about today's check-in!
Ferndale-based author Donald Levin visited our library to talk about his six (and soon to be seven) part series of Martin Preus Mysteries. Levin is an award-winning fiction writer and poet and has held several jobs over the years, many of them intrinsically involving the written word. Along with discussing his mysteries, Levin also spoke about more of his newer works, including one novella-sized entry into a triptych of dystopian fiction, and a follow-up book titled 'The Exile,' which is Book 2 in his new Dry Earth Series. We talk a lot about how Levin's aforementioned mystery series is set predominantly in Ferndale!
http://www.donaldlevin.com/
https://donaldlevin.wordpress.com/
We're welcoming back the library's Assistant Director, Darlene Hellenberg, to talk about the Adult Battle of the Books event coming up at the end of March.
We're also talking about the bittersweet ending of a long-running program that Hellenberg hosted called Book Party, where patrons and friends met inside a local bar for an atypical "book club" gathering.
Dalia Reyes is an interdisciplinary artist, independent arts administrator and arts instructor from Southwest Detroit, and she'll be exhibiting her works here at the Ferndale Library in June! Dalia has been working in the arts sector for more than fifteen years, but she's been passionate about drawing and illustration since elementary school. We talk to Reyes about the positive ways in which a work of art can serve its audience, primarily by restoring and refreshing our auras. We also talk about the value of the social interactions that come with visiting galleries, (and she has lots of experience working in the gallery world). While we're at it, we should also talk about the importance of putting value ON a piece of art! http://daliareyes.com/
Reyes has worked in arts and culture-based non-profit organizations ranging from local galleries, arts fellowship organizations, and museums. Her work is cosmic, meditative and focuses on a metaphysical curiosity as well as surreal imagery.
In this episode, you'll hear us discussing two books that Reyes brought with her:
Mati & the Music and Tiger Flower
We're chatting with singer/songwriter/producer Nadir Omowale, an award-winning musician and the leader of a formidable funk-rock ensemble. Nadir Omowale gave a memorable performance at one of our Summer Concert Series showcases, and it was with his advice and encouragement that we wound up substantially enhancing our gear game at the library, particularly when it comes to sound systems for live events.
Omowale was raised in Tennesse, but has had a lifelong love of Motown, but especially funk music. He's adept at several other genres, like rock and soul, but even some country. He's produced several records and collaborated with dozens of local artists in the Metro Detroit area, but he resides just a block or so away from the library. We spoke with Omowale about his love of music, but especially about the influence of (not only icons like Prince,) but his mother, who was a dedicated volunteer to community causes, including serving on her local library board.
You can see Nadir perform with his funk trio at Bowlero Lanes' Lounge on February 29.
He will be performing at the Southfield Public Library on Wed., June 17
https://nadiromowale.bandcamp.com/track/the-right-kind-of-crazy-2
https://nadiromowale.bandcamp.com/track/blue-lights
https://nadiromowale.com/tag/michigan-state-fair-superstar
We'll be honest and tell you that this episode was almost going to be titled: "...You Might Have To Clean Up Some Pee..." Just kidding. But that does inevitably come with the territory of a Youth Services Librarian...
We have brought you conversations with librarians who are in Adult Services, but today, librarian Elissa Zimmer is providing perspectives from the area of the library we call the Kids Corner: It's a chat about the ever-evolving aspects of Youth Librarianship. Zimmer has been full time at this library for about two years now, but she talks about her time working in her hometown (of Kalamazoo), as well as the need to always be brainstorming new craft activities to try out. Beyond that, we also talk about how important the topic of digital literacy for kids and teens is when it comes to the role of a Youth Librarian.
We're chatting with Dr. Dania Bazzi, Superintendent of Ferndale Public Schools, as well as Mr. Aaron Blatt, teacher of 6th grade at Ferndale Middle School. We're also chatting with two Youth Services Librarians who collaborate with the schools, as part of our being a District Library, with annual events like Battle of the Books for 5th graders, and a Middle School Book Club.
Reference Librarian Ed Burns is our Head of Adult Services, but he diverges from the stereotype of a librarian being obsessed with BOOKS and is, instead, primarily enchanted by the cinematic arts. Mr. Burns talks about his lifelong love of movies, dating back to his teenage days when he worked in a theater, leading up to his role as a librarian where he curates an excellent and diverse collection of films, providing the crowd-pleasing blockbusters along with the hard-to-find International releases by iconic directors from around the world, as well as up-and-coming independent filmmakers. Mr. Burns is our staff liaison to the Friends of the Ferndale Library; we chat about his time as a library volunteer in the 90's, leading up to his career change to librarianship, as well as his own endorsements for the rewards that can come when there is an active and supportive Friends group for a public library. We also talk about the Oscars, as well as film festivals!
We're chatting with Detroit-based author Kathe Koja about the immersive qualities of her writing - not only in the way in which she creates vivid descriptions and dynamic characters through her words but also through her own theatre company. Koja has a new book of short stories, Velocities, coming out in April. She is currently working on a conceptual "book" that will utterly defy the boundaries of sequential pages between two covers, (it's called "Dark Factory.") Koja has been honored with the Bram Stoker Award and the Locus Award - she writes short fiction, young adult fiction. She is consistently redefining the genre we would conventionally call "horror."
Referenced in this episode:
Tyke The Little Mutt: https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/TYKE-Little-Mutt-wDJ-author-signed/383430028/bd
Also, images of her 1990 novel, Cipher, and her upcoming release, Velocites:
Also: A Dead Man in Deptford: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dead_Man_in_Deptford Green Velvet - Destination Unknownhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gseTQGX6rY & more news from Kathe Koja: https://kathekoja.com/news-1/2019/5/15/dark-factory-and-patreon
Here's another minisode where we go over some recent history of the Ferndale Library. From early 2007 through the late summer of 2010, this library began renovations, which meant that the entire collection was moved a quarter mile down the street into a temporary location described herein as a "factory-like gymnasium." We talk about how this was never seen as any kind of setback to the staff, as the drive and imagination for new programming only accelerated during this time. It's also important to note the exchange of support from the community, and the gratitude of staff for its patrons - as the library's renovation was approved by voters at a precarious time (the 2008 recession was looming). We talk about the patience of the community, and the fortitude of the staff, in this minisode on Ferndale Library history.
Follow this link to see some photos from the renovation and the big move: https://fplobserver.wordpress.com/2020/01/16/photos-from-2008-2009-renovation-the-move-our-temporary-location/
We're chatting with Ferndale Library's Assistant Director, Librarian Darlene Hellenberg, about the vital service of "Readers' Advisory." Basically, it's how librarians help YOU figure out what to read next... We're also looking back on ten years' worth of inventive ideas for Community-wide Book Club events, and just what a special experience it is to read as a group.
We're also sharing Darlene's Top 3 (but actually Top 5) Favorite Books of the Decade (as discussed in the episode):
- All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
- Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng Honorable Mentions:
- Saga by Brian K. Vaughan
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's downloaded or listened to our first batch of episodes!
We're looking forward to the rest of Season 1 of "A Little Too Quiet," where we'll have more conversations that look at the ways in which libraries have evolved over the last quarter-century.
Featured interview guests include author Kathe Koja (scheduled for a Book Launch Party & Immersive Theatre Performance here at the library on April 25), and musician/producer Nadir Omowale (a Ferndale resident, recently featured in our Summer Concert Series, who was raised with a great appreciation for libraries and community engagement).
We're also looking forward to talking to Joe Grimm (Detroit Free Press Reporter, and author of The Faygo Book), visual artist Dalia Reyes (exhibiting here on June 21), and singer/songwriter & poet Carolyn Striho.
We're chatting Michael Zadoorian, author of The Leisure Seeker. (You may have even heard, or seen, the recent film adaptation of that story, starring Helen Mirren & Donald Sutherland). Zadoorian has a new book coming out this May, The Narcissism of Small Differences (Akashic Books). Zadoorian creates compelling characters in the slow-motion throes of big changes to their lives, and the relatable ways in which they bond, or have bonded, with cultural artifacts of a steadily fading past. He invites you into their worlds and builds them out with accessible narration that builds a world for the reader to inhabit, leading us to reflect on our own little worlds, and what we hold on to, and the permanence of what we treasure.
http://www.michaelzadoorian.com/
As we mark the 90th anniversary of the Ferndale Library, we're looking back, appropriately, to "the 90's..." #Libraries in the #90s
Podcast producer Kelly Bennett (who's also Head of Circulation) joins Jeff Milo to look back on libraries in the era before the Internet, particularly reflecting on how much has changed over the 20+ years since the two of them first started working in libraries.
We'd love to hear your memories of what you loved most about visiting libraries in your youth, and how much your own public library has changed over the years: email us at podcast@ferndalepubliclibrary.org
For our local audience here in Ferndale, we have some insights into the history of the Ferndale Library over the last 20 years, but for broader audiences, this is a discussion about how libraries are surviving and thriving even while some had predicted their demise. Libraries couldn't survive and thrive without the support of their community, and that's what we're chatting about with Kevin Deegan-Krause, Associate Professor of Political Science at Wayne State University, and former President of the Ferndale Library Board of Trustees--an integral advocate for getting this library renovated 10 years ago.
For Sci-Fi literature fans, and for those who have always been curious about trying out that genre, we also talk about the Sci-Fi Book Club that Deegan-Krause facilitates here at the Ferndale Library.
Please enjoy the premiere episode of the new Ferndale Library Podcast: A Little Too Quiet.
We're chatting with Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box. We spoke about the recent Netflix adaptation of his horror novel, as well as his five nominations for the Bram Stoker Award. Malerman is also in a rock band, The High Strung, that famously toured to dozens of Michigan public libraries. Oh, and the big news is that Malerman also shared a bit about the upcoming Bird Box sequel, Malorie, which will be available in May.
This Podcast was made possible by the Friends of the Ferndale Library. Theme music by John Duffy (of Pato Y Pato).
A whole season of episodes will start premiering on a weekly basis, starting Friday, January 3rd. Our first episode will feature Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box.
Featured music by Pato Y Pato ("Klcks") https://patoypato.bandcamp.com/
The podcast’s name, “A Little Too Quiet,” is a nod to the fact that libraries everywhere have evolved beyond the longstanding perception that they are silent institutions meant only for peaceful reading where librarians sternly shush anyone speaking above hushed tones. That’s just not the case anymore, and the new podcast aims to demonstrate the ways in which the Ferndale Library and libraries everywhere have evolved into 21st-century community centers where, yes, occasional loudness is more than accepted.
Despite its title, this podcast will feature hosts and interview subjects speaking at very audible levels. We're excited to start up a full season of podcast episodes brought to you by the Friends of the Ferndale Library, produced in house at the Ferndale Area District Library.
Libraries aren't as quiet as they used to be... A podcast for library lovers and the library curious. Book chatter with librarians, community perspectives and author interviews