Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Explore the Poetry of Place! Poetry Reading and Workshop at Cloquet Public Library

Poets Sheila Packa and Michelle Matthees will lead these programs on Wednesday, April 4, starting with a poetry reading at noon that will feature the poets’ work as related to place. Sheila Packa grew up south of Biwabik and has a deep understanding of how place helps define identity and can be celebrated in poetry. Michelle Matthees shares how place informs her poetry, especially as it relates to travel—including her recent trips to Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Local poets are encouraged to share their poetry as well.
Following the reading,at 1 p.m., participants can take part in a writing workshop that explores and celebrates the role of place in our lives. Using guided writing exercises, participants will explore themes like memory, tradition, pride and even alienation. This workshop is designed for everyone, from beginning to more experienced writers. Pre-registration is required for the workshop. To register, please contact the Cloquet Public Library at 879-1531 or email markking@arrowhead.lib.mn.us.
Sheila Packa is the author of “Echo & Lightning” and “Cloud Birds,” editor of “Migrations: Poetry & Prose for Life's Transitions,” and serves as Duluth’s Poet Laureate. Michelle Matthees is a current Minnesota State Arts Board Fellow and the author of “Served,” “Outside,” and “Junket.”

Monday, March 19, 2012

Library Open House

Join us on March 31 at 11 a.m. to celebrate our new teen area, public service desks, and digital microfilm reader/scanner. Refreshments will be be provided by the Cloquet Shaw Memorial Library Foundation.

Monday, March 12, 2012

A Tale of Courage and Friendship! PuppetTellers to perform at Cloquet Public Library


The Arrowhead Library System (ALS) and Cloquet Public Library invite children and their caretakers to a vibrant puppet adventure at 10 a.m., March 31, 2012, at the Cloquet Public Library. The program is free of charge and open to all.

Puppeteer Heron Gardner and his PuppetTellers recount “A Night on Bear Island,” the story of Basil and Samantha who become marooned on Bear Island and must overcome their fear of monsters and the dark. Told with rod puppets, bold graphics and dramatic sound effects, this fast-paced, family-friendly tale of suspense and friendship is suited for children of all ages.

Admission to the event is free thanks to sponsorship by the Arrowhead Library System and funding by money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. For information regarding other Arrowhead Legacy Events, please see our events calendar www.arrowhead.lib.mn.us/whats-new/. Find us on facebook at “Arrowhead Legacy Events” or on Twitter @ArrowheadLegacy.
Questions can be directed to Miriam Kero, Arrowhead Library System, miriamk@arrowhead.lib.mn.us.

Friday, March 9, 2012

St. Patrick's Day: A Celebration of Word and Music


Celebrate St. Patrick's Day at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, with a special program uniting the spoken literary word and music. Traditional Irish folk music on the Celtic harp and penny whistle will be performed by Mary Hagen and Linda Crumpton. Following the musical prelude, avant-garde writer Séamas Cain will read from his recently published novel, "The Dangerous Islands." A Cloquet native, Mr. Cain has lived in and traveled extensively in Ireland since the late 1960s, when he began writing about the Irish experience during the conflict between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Cain has described the Irish Civil Rights Movement as the struggle to create a non-violent humanist movement against the tyranny of the British establishment. As early as 1968 while living in Northern Ireland, he nevertheless decried the "mindless violence" of the paramilitaries, in reference to the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Ireland's Troubles form the backdrop to "The Dangerous Islands," an unconventional work that melds a poetic sensibility with a coming-of-age story. The novel depicts the moral and political education of a generation of activists, focusing in particular on a young Irish-American man. Cain also draws on his experience as a playwright and theater director, which is reflected in aspects of the novel's form. Copies of the novel, which was published in Ireland last fall, will be available for purchase following the reading. All proceeds from the sale of "The Dangerous Islands" at this event will go to support event programming at the library. (Photo credit: Mary Cain)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

One Book One Community


Our One Book One Community read starts this month. The book selections are: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. The featured event will be a live interview of author Rebecca Skloot by Kerri Miller from Minnesota Public Radio at the DECC on Wednesday, April 18 at 7 p.m. Admission is free but you must present a ticket. The event at the DECC is sponsored by the College of St. Scholastica. Call 723-7000 for free tickets. Click here for more information on this event and other One Book events. St. Scholastica is also offering free bus service to Canal Park for those interested in having dinner before the program. Please call 879-1531 and ask for Mary or Mark for more details and to reserve a seat on the bus. Click here for more information on this event and other One Book events.

Henrietta Lacks, a poor Southern tobacco farmer, was buried in an unmarked grave sixty years ago. Yet her cells - taken without her knowledge - became one of the most important tools in medical research. Known to science as HeLa, the first "immortal" human cells grown in culture are still alive today, and have been bought and sold by the millions. Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey from the "colored" ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to East Baltimore today, where Henrietta's family struggles with her legacy.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Jane Eyre


There have been countless film and television adaptations of Charlotte Brontë's perennially popular 1847 novel, Jane Eyre. 2011's Academy Award-nominated version is far superior to most of them. Australian-born Mia Wasikowska brings an inner strength and grace to the role of the young governess who gains the admiration of her employer at Thornfield Hall, Mr. Rochester (Shame's Michael Fassbender). Oscar winner Judi Dench's Mrs. Fairfax is an example of acting at its best: she wears the character as comfortably as an old shoe and never strives to be showy in the role. The movie is updated in its technique, but the adaptation is faithful to the original without trying to "improve" it or "make it relevant." The actors' superior performances show why some classics are timeless. The film also stars Jamie Bell. Our screening will be held on Tuesday, March 13, at 7 p.m., showing on our 55" widescreen, high-definition TV.