TCCL News & Events

Art is smart, and smart is good. But is all art created equal? Find out as “Novel Talk: Smart Conversations for Serious Readers” examines Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” in November to complement the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2008 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award.

As a part of its popular “Novel Talk” series, Central Library’s Readers’ Library will explore the topic “Pop Quiz! Is Pop Culture for Mensa or Morons?” on Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue. Join a distinguished panel of experts as they discuss high vs. low art, using Chabon’s epic novel of love, loss, betrayal … and comic books.

Scott Gregory, producer, KWGS 89.5 “Studio Tulsa” and host of “All This Jazz,” will moderate as panelists examine this topic and other culturally relevant issues related to the novel. Panelists are: Bridget Cowlishaw, associate professor of languages and literature, Northeastern State University; W. Anthony O’Seland, pop culture theorist; and Linda Reynolds, art therapist.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Circle Cinema, Dwelling Spaces, Garden Deva, Mammoth Comics and Urban Furnishings are co-sponsoring the free program.

While at the Central Library, view the exhibit “The Jewish Graphic Novel,” on display Nov. 1-30 on the second floor. On loan from the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art, this exhibit features panels reproduced from graphic novels, along with text explaining the history and importance of comics and graphic novels as a means of expression.

After viewing the exhibit and participating in the enlightening “Novel Talk” discussion, make plans to meet Chabon, winner of the 2008 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award, at a free public presentation and book signing at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 6 at Central Library.

Call 596-7977 or visit the library’s Web site at www.tulsalibrary.org for more details about “Novel Talk,” the exhibit or the Helmerich award.

Hearing a colorful book review is often the impetus one needs to open the door to a world of knowledge.

“Books Sandwiched In” features book reviews during the fall on Mondays in Central Library’s Aaronson Auditorium, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue, 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. Coffee and sandwiches are available for purchase or you may bring your lunch. The Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries sponsors the series.

The series begins Monday with “China Road: A Journey Into the Future of a Rising Power” by Rob Gifford. Jessica Stowell, associate director, Confucius Institute at University of Oklahoma, and director, Oklahoma Institute for Teaching East Asia, will review this detailed look at China’s varied population. National Public Radio China correspondent Gifford journeyed for six weeks on China’s mother road, Route 312, from its beginning in Shanghai for nearly 3,000 miles.

James Watts, Tulsa World Scene writer, will review Tracy Letts’ “August: Osage County” Oct. 20. This bracing, critically acclaimed play is a portrait of the dysfunctional American family at its finest and absolute worst on their Oklahoma homestead.

Oct. 27 features “The Uncommon Reader: A Novella” by Alan Bennett, reviewed by Connie Cronley, freelance writer and public radio commentator. After discovering the joy of reading, Queen Elizabeth II finds her view of the world changing with the turn of every new page. She comes to question her monarchy which leads to funny consequences for the country at large.

William C. Kellough, district judge, 14th Judicial District, State of Oklahoma, reviews “Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation” by Joseph Ellis and “A Letter to America” by David Boren, Nov. 3. Ellis focuses on six crucial moments in the life of the new nation, while Boren’s book, which addresses why the U.S. is at a crossroads, will be woven into this historical story of our nation.

“Home: A Memoir of My Early Years” by Julie Andrews is the featured book for Nov. 10. Glenda Kilmer, branch manager, Herman and Kate Kaiser Library, reviews this story that takes readers on a warm, moving and often humorous journey from Andrews’ difficult upbringing in war-torn Britain to the brink of international stardom in America.

Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art curator Karen York will review “People of the Book: A Novel” by Geraldine Brooks, Nov. 17. One of the earliest Jewish religious volumes to be illuminated with images, the Sarajevo Haggadah survived centuries of purges and wars thanks to people of all faiths who risked their lives to safeguard it.

Mary Collins, former executive director, Tulsa Zoo Friends, reviews “When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa” by Peter Godwin, Nov. 24. Godwin, the author of a previous memoir about growing up during Zimbabwe’s war of independence, has written a sequel of sorts, tracing the collapse of his country in the course of the past decade in tandem with the decline of his father.

The series concludes Dec. 1 with “A Michael Chabon Sampler.” Mary Wheeler Brown, chair, Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Selection Committee, introduces the works of Chabon, winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2008 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. Chabon will receive the award on Dec. 5 at a black-tie dinner and will give a free public presentation on Dec. 6 at Central Library.

For more information on library programming, call the AskUs Hotline, 596-7977, or visit the library’s Web site, www.tulsalibrary.org.