Seen any UFO’s lately?

Apparently, lots of people did – according to The Randle Report: UFOs in the ’90s by Kenneth Randle.  Ditto for the decade earlier, according to UFOs in the 1980s by Jerome Clark.  Add to that the Visitors from Time: the Secret of the UFOs by Marc Davenport and you begin to wonder…..

The 2012 Story

There has long been speculation that on December 21, 2012, the world as we know it will end. Some predict that we’ll be wiped out by a natural disaster like a giant tidal wave, an Earth-wide earthquake or a tremendous volcanic eruption. Others believe that on that day in December, the Earth will collide with a mysterious “Planet X,” causing magnetic pole shifts, gravitational reversals or a black hole so big that our solar system will simply disappear. What’s more, believers say that this news is not really news at all; on the contrary, they argue, we have known about the coming apocalypse since the ancient Maya predicted and recorded it on their Long Count calendar more than 2,200 years ago.  We own some very interesting titles on the subject:

“The Book of Destiny : Unlocking the Secrets of the Ancient Maya and the Prophecy of 2012,” by Carlos Barrios

“The 2012 Story : the Myths, Fallacies, and Truth Behind the Most Intriguing Date in History,” by John M. Jenkins

“The complete idiot’s guide to 2012,”  by Synthia Andrews

Who Can Forget the Wild, Wild West?

America’s Western frontier has been a vital part of our country’s history, and a fascinating one, as well. 

Let’s explore a little bit of that history and try to separate fact from fiction once and for all. 

A sampling of some good titles:

 ”Written with Lead : Legendary American Gunfights and Gunfighters,” by William Weir

 ”Tales Behind the Tombstones : the Deaths and Burials of the Old West’s Most Nefarious Outlaws, Notorious Women, and Celebrated Lawmen,”by Chris Enss

 ”What They Didn’t Teach You About the Wild West,” by Mike Wright

 ”Frontier Justice in the Wild West : Bungled, Bizarre and Fascinating Executions,” by R. Michael Wilson

If This House Could Talk…

America is a virtual treasure trove of historic homes and state buildings. How about setting out on a discovery of some of them?  We have an abundance of lusciously photographed offerings to choose from:

“Our Governors’ Mansions,” by Cathy Keating

“State Houses : America’s 50 State Capitol Buildings,” by Susan Thrane

and

“If This House Could Talk : Historic Homes, Extraordinary Americans,” by Elizabeth Brownstein

It’s Time for Storytelling

The 5th annual Akron Storytelling Festival begins tomorrow July 23.  Take a look at the schedule of events.   http://ascplhistory.wordpress.com/akron-storytelling-festival

It’s going to be a fabulous weekend. Don’t Miss It!

It’s Time for Storytelling!

Don’t miss the 5^th annual Akron Storytelling Festival, this Friday and Saturday July 23 & 24 at Main Library. Workshops and concerts will be presented by Donald Davis, the “Dean of storytelling” and award winning Carmen Deedy.  The schedule of events can be viewed on the Library website.  http://ascplhistory.wordpress.com/akron-storytelling-festival.

Discover the Art of the Old West

There is a unique beauty to works of art of the Old West.  We have many titles to choose from:

“Out of the West : the Gund Collection of Western Art,” by Suzan Campbell;

“The West as America : Reinterpreting Images of the Frontier, 1820-1920,”edited by William H. Truettner;

“The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell : a Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture,” edited byJoan C. Troccoli;

“Leading the West : One Hundred Contemporary Painters and Sculptors,”by Donald J. Hagerty; and

“Lure of the West : Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, by Amy Pastan.

Good Books on Storytelling

 Storytelling: Art & Technique by Ellin Greene 

Storytelling: An Encyclopedia of Mythology and Folklore by Josepha Sherman  

The Story Biz Handbook: How to Manage Your Storytelling Career from the Desk to the Stage   by Diane de Las Casas

Storytellers may also be interested in the Eastman Collection. It includes over 1,000 books found in the Index to Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends created by Librarian Mary Eastman containing a variety of stories from Maori legends to Flemish Christmas tales to tall tales from the mountains of Kentucky.

“Go West, Young Man”

Horace Greeley never really said “Go West, Young Man.”  Nevertheless, our expansion westward was an exciting time in history.  Perhaps you would like to take a trip down memory lane and explore accounts of those courageous pioneers.  We have lots of titles to get you started:

“Faith and Betrayal : a Pioneer Woman’s Passage in the American West,” by Sally Denton;

“Best of Covered Wagon Women,” edited by Kenneth Holmes;

“A Mine of Her Own : Woman Prospectors in the American West, 1850-1950,” by Sally Zanjani; and

“Stagecoach : Rare Views of the Old West, 1849-1915,”  by Sandor Demlinger.

So You Wanna Laugh?

Are you ready to tickle your funny bone?  We have lots of great titles about humor:

“What are You Laughing At? : How to Write Funny Screenplays, Stories, & More,’  by Brad Schreiber;

“Red Green’s Duct Tape is Not Enough : a Humorous Guide to Midlife,” by Steve Smith;

“Help, I Can’t Stop Laughing! : a Nonstop Collection of Life’s Funniest Stories,”  by Ann Spangler; and

“1000 Unforgettable Senior Moments : of Which We Could Remember Only 246,”  by Tom Friedman.