AADL Talks to Steven Ball

Tue, 06/21/2011 - 12:15pm by amy

In this episode, we talk with Ann Arbor's "village bell ringer," Steven Ball, about the history of the carillon in civic life and his experience writing and performing accompaniment to silent film. Steven also chronicles his journey as a carillonneur and organist, and his unique role in the restoration of two of Ann Arbor's rare and beautiful public instruments--the University of Michigan's Charles Baird Carillon and the Michigan Theater's Barton Pipe Organ.

On Tuesday, June 28, the Ann Arbor District Library and the Michigan Theater are pleased to present the WORLD PREMIERE of "Back Page: A Super Colossal Production," a silent film made in 1936 by Ann Arbor News staff and recently unearthed from the archives of the Ann Arbor News. This event, which is free, will also include a second short film from 1936 titled, "The Casting of the Baird Carillon." Steven will accompany both on the Barton organ following a brief talk at 4:30 p.m. And don't miss Steven's performance on the Baird Carillon that evening when he provides live accompaniment to the Top of the Park screening of "The Phantom of the Opera" (1927).

Redistricting: A Discussion with Washtenaw County Clerk Larry Kestenbaum

Mon, 06/13/2011 - 11:28am by Debbie G.

Following the US Census every ten years, new lines are drawn for congressional and legislative districts, county commission districts, and city council wards. We recently sat down with Washtenaw County Clerk Larry Kestenbaum, one of five members of the County Apportionment Commission to discuss the process of re-drawing the lines and the final plan that reduces the number of County Commission seats from 11 to 9. In this wide-ranging discussion Mr. Kestenbaum discusses the history of redistricting and politics in the county and the state as well as the likely scenarios for candidates in the newly combined commissioner districts. As many of you know, Mr. Kestenbaum also hosts one of the best (and funniest) political junkie websites out there, The Political Graveyard.

On Thursday, June 16th, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room, the AADL will host a panel discussion, Redistricting: It Matters to All of Us that will include include Mr. Kestenbaum, Jacqueline Beaudry, Ann Arbor City Clerk; Rep. Jeff Irwin, State Representative, 53rd District and Rep. Mark Ouimet, State Representative, 52nd District.

AADL Talks To Andrew F. Smith

Thu, 06/02/2011 - 11:09am by amy

When he last spoke at the Library, we had the privilege of chatting with culinary historian Andrew F. Smith, prolific author of the recent book Starving the South: How the North Won the Civil War and editor of the Edible Series. In this conversation, Andrew takes a witty and engaging view on a variety of topics, from recent culinary trends and the poor reputation of the potato to his fascination with the American Civil War. You can listen to or download the interview below, or watch the video of his talk at the Library on March 27, 2011, which was cosponsored by the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor.

For more information on Andrew Smith, visit: http://www.andrewfsmith.com.

AADL Talks To Jesse Thorn and Jordan Morris of Jordan, Jesse, Go!

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 10:47pm by andrewjmac

In this episode, AADL Talks To Jesse Thorn and Jordan Morris. Jesse is a self-made public radio host, producing the Public Radio International-distributed "The Sound of Young America" out of his house, and the founder of the podcast network Maximum Fun. Jordan is a comedian, writer, and host on Fuel TV's " The Daily Habit". When Eli and I spoke with them, it was the day after they recorded a live episode of Jordan, Jesse, Go!, their off the cuff comedy podcast, at AADL. We talk about how an episode of Jordan Jesse Go gets put together, how the media landscape is changing to make shows like theirs possible, and building a community of people who you’ve never met. Warning: foul language ahead.

Missed our Family Guy event? Enjoy the Podcast with Alex Borstein & Cherry Cheva!

Fri, 04/08/2011 - 11:10am by erin

If you're a fan of the TV show the Family Guy hopefully you were able to attend our special event with the only female writer on the show, Cherry Cheva and the voice of Lois, Alex Borstein back in November. If you missed the event or you were there be sure to listen to our special podcast interview with these two hilarious and edgy ladies! Alex used to be a writer on the show and it was blast chatting with the two of them about being the only women amongst a raunchy crew of male writers, how they got into comedy and what they're working on now. Cherry is also the is the author of two novels for teens Duplikate and She's So Money. She grew up in Ann Arbor and her family owns the Lotus and Marnee Thai restaurants.

AADL Productions Podcast: Richard Glaubman

Sun, 02/20/2011 - 12:34pm by amy

This episode features 2011's Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads author, Richard Glaubman. Richard spoke with us about his collaboration with Life is So Good, a chronicle of Dawson's inspired personal journey through the tumultuous 20th century, culminating in his learning to read at the age of 98. Richard talks about his experience developing the book's narrative structure and George's voice, as well as his personal friendship with George and the irresistible effect of his optimism and quiet humanity on everyone he encountered. You can also watch or download a video of Glaubman's presentation when he visited in January.

AADL Productions Podcast: Paul Saltzman and Patricia Aquino

Mon, 04/19/2010 - 11:36am by amy

We had the good fortune to sit and talk with filmmakers Paul Saltzman and Patricia Aquino when they were in town for a viewing and discussion of their 2009 film Prom Night in Mississippi, a documentary that details the efforts of a small town to integrate its high school prom after actor (and local resident) Morgan Freeman offers to foot the bill. Our conversation touched on the many issues involved in making this particular film, from the production and editing decisions used to address such a provocative topic, to the role of serendipity and perseverance in winning over skeptical participants. For more about the film, visit: www.promnightinmississippi.com

AXIS Coffeehouse Podcast - Take One

Mon, 03/29/2010 - 11:30am by DavidQ

The AXIS Coffeehouse is one of our teen programming mainstays... a weekly gathering of young adults sharing poetry and stories through the magic of the spoken word.

Last month, we tried something new. We recorded our Coffeehouse poets reading their own work, and we were glad that a few of them were willing to have us record and share their poetry. Thanks to all of you.

Since this was our first try at this, the recordings are a little rough, but their voices still shine through. We've already recorded a second batch with better sound quality, so keep your ears open and keep writing those poems for coffeehouse!

PS, Even though our poet Austin identified himself as Chuck Norris, it's not really him.

AADL Mini-Podcast: Alia Malek

Mon, 01/11/2010 - 12:16pm by Beth Manuel

I had the opportunity to sit down with Alia Malek and talk about her book A Country Called Amreeka: Arab Roots, American Stories. Alia touches on her experience advocating for election protection and civil rights for diverse groups. She also discusses the influence of the American Civil Rights Movement on her choice of setting and character in her book.

AADL Mini-Podcast: Holly Sorscher on Multi-cultural Children's Literature

Thu, 11/19/2009 - 4:02pm by DavidQ

I recently had a conversation with Holly Sorsher, the creator of our downtown exhibit: The Future of Our Past: The Evolution of Multicultural Children's Literature. Holly is a U of M School of Information student with a special interest in children's books. She worked with librarians and curators at the U of M library Special Collections to create a display of children's books representing the evolution of the genre in its representation of cultures. In our conversation, Holly highlights some of her favorite books and what she sees as the trend towards a more integrated vision of culture and diversity in books for young people.

Take a look at the exhibit while it's still here.