@ Your Library
Recent library events, news and more.
Nostalgia, recession-induced frugality, and a desire to have more control over what goes into food are reasons why many cooks are trying homemade versions of their favorite condiments.
Julie Stanley, owner of Food Dance Café, demonstrated how easy it is to make your own ketchup, ranch dressing, chutney and butterscotch sauce. All four were made in less than one hour without causing a load of dirty dishes.
All of these condiments are made with ingredients readily found at the supermarket. And, while many ketchup recipes call for long, slow cooking of tomatoes, Julie showed us a shortcut involving canned tomato paste.
And what about taste? We sampled these creations and confirmed that homemade does indeed taste better. For instance, there’s no comparison between ranch dressing from a bottle and one you whisk up from scratch with sour cream, buttermilk and fresh herbs.
Download and print Julie’s recipes from the program PDF
Use the season’s cooler weather and longer nights to rediscover the kitchen. Homemade foods make special gifts or memorable accents to any family gathering. For some ideas, browse KPL’s vast collection of cookery books.
Books
Julie Stanley
julie-stanley-2009-0542-160
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalamazoopubliclibrary/4090153820/in/set-72157622644368235/
Anyone who has been around the West Michigan blues and festival scene during the past decade is certainly no stranger to the award-winning Blue Moon Blues Band. In one incarnation or another, these folks have been part of the Kalamazoo Blues Festival and WRKR’s wintertime blues series at the State Theatre for years, sharing local and regional stages with the likes of Bernard Allison, Smokin' Joe Kubec, Son Seals, Hubert Sumlin, Lonnie Brooks, Jimmy Johnson… the list goes on and on. Blue Moon was also awarded a WYCE radio “Jammie” for best local blues album debut.
But last Wednesday’s performance at Central Library – show number seventeen in KPL’s ongoing Live Music series – was a unique chapter in this versatile band’s history. With equipment stripped to the bare essentials – share n’ hi-hat, acoustic guitars, piano and all, Blue Moon gave the crowd of sixty or so a chance to hear some band favorites, unique covers and homegrown originals in a more intimate than usual setting. For many of us, this was also the first opportunity to witness the band with its new lead vocalist, Bryan Michael Fischer. What a treat! These guys have grown from an adequate cover band into a true performance powerhouse. WMUK’s Mark Sahlgren (Grass Roots) summed the show up in one word… “Wow!”
Highlights included some rippin’ cover tunes like “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie” (Clarence Smith), “My Babe” (Willie Dixon), “Bring It On Home To Me” (Sam Cooke), and a blistering version of B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone.” The show also featured several band originals, including public debut of the brand new, somewhat Santana-esque “Heart Has Turned to Stone” - a very cool tune. And of course, they dedicated “Miss Ann” to our library director!
“Thanks so much and please tell everyone at the library that we were honored to perform there and we had an awesome time!” – Bill LaValley, Blue Moon Blues Band
Check out Blue Moon CDs from the KPL catalog, and visit the band’s MySpace page for some recent pix and tasty song samples. Be sure to catch the band’s final performance (sniff...) on November 14 at Bell’s Eccentric Café.
And… there’s plenty more music coming at KPL, too… don’t miss a special performance by Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart on November 1st, and be sure to visit (and bookmark) KPL’s music page for highlights of past shows and more terrific upcoming performances.
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Blue Moon Blues Band
blue-moon-076-160
/music/
Those who packed Van Deusen Room were very privileged to hear David Small discuss the story and process behind his National Book Award nominated graphic memoir, Stitches, in a world premiere event on September 10, 2009.
The interview was set-up to resemble the popular television show Inside the Actor’s Studio, which provided David with a casual atmosphere to discuss Stitches. He answered a variety of questions about his life growing up in 1950’s Detroit with a family that could hardly be described as tightly knit.
The presentation also included some fabulous animated videos of the books, shots of sketches, and panel by panel storyboards. David was candid about both the physical and emotional wounds which took years to finally stitch together into a memoir that will touch many lives.
A second David Small visit is being planned for 2010, so please check the website often for more details.
David Small’s Presentation
Listen to David Small’s presentation (44:52)
Download David Small’s presentation as a podcast(MP3 audio file)
Watch David’s complete presentation in the series of videos below.
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David Small
david-small-kpl-048-160
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalamazoopubliclibrary/sets/72157622367213312/
Storytime with Mr. Steve & Friends started off with a bang with special guest Professor Code from Western Michigan University's School of Music.
Professor Code shared four different instruments with us: the Swedish nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle), the Norwegian hardingfele (Harding fiddle), the Norwegian seljefløyta (willow flute) and the munnharpa (mouth harp).
Bean Bag Balance Record!
He also broke our bean bag balance record, balancing 13 bean bags on his head while counting in Norwegian!
Join us for books, rhymes, crafts, parachute games, and a surprise special guest at the next Storytime with Mr. Steve & Friends on Monday, October 26 at 6:30 pm at the Central Library.
Book
Storytime with Mr. Steve & Friends
david-code-004-160
http://www.kpl.gov/kids/storytime/mr-steve.aspx
By the time autumn arrives, many gardens are looking a bit spent and shabby. Gardeners themselves may feel a bit spent and shabby, too, but now’s the time to muster energy and prepare for next year’s growing season.
Bruce Shultz, a long-time gardener and volunteer with Fair Food Matters, spoke at Oshtemo on Sept. 14 sharing tips for how to put the garden to bed. At this time of year, we should clean up debris from annual plants, but leave parts from perennials in place. Add amendments to the soil — compost, fertilizers, leaves, lime or the like — so these nutrients have time to settle in over the winter. Autumn is the time to plant cover crops or relocate bulbs and spring flowering perennials. Pruning, too, can be accomplished now.
But Shultz also encouraged us to think about gardening year-round, not as an activity between Memorial Day and Labor Day. “Why put the garden to bed at all?” he asked.
Extend the growing season with protection. Row covers, cold frames, tunnels, cloches and straw can give you an early start in spring and fend off autumn frosts. Another way to extend the growing season is to bring it indoors. Shultz starts his garden by planting seeds and letting them get a good start under grow lights. He’s out planting peas in March as soon as the soil is soft. When the weather turns cool, in comes the large potted rosemary shrub. And, they may be old-fashioned, but they definitely work: root cellars. They store produce at a cool but not freezing temperature.
To read more about gardening year round, check out these books by Eliot Coleman.
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Bruce Shultz, Fair Food Matters volunteer
bruce-shultz-2115-160
http://www.fairfoodmatters.org/index.php
Come and visit the Alma Powell Branch and view our newest art acquisition Sudan: land of blood. During our June Art Hop we greatly appreciated the Sudan: Land of Blood along with many other extraordinary paintings in Fred Zemlick’s exhibition. At the closing of his June and July showing Fred Zemlick honored our branch by presenting this gift of art to the library.
We are hoping that many people from the Powell community will stop in and tell us what the Sudan: land of blood says to them. What is its message? What does it symbolize?
The Powell Branch would like to thank Fred Zemlick for showing his work in our Barnabee Gallery and giving us this valued piece of art for our branch. Fred’s next showing will be at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Portage. And in October he will be at the new Midtown Gallery on the Mall.
Book
Sudan: Land of Blood
sudan-land-of-blood-002-160
http://www.kpl.gov/powell/barnabee.aspx
Michael Zadoorian grew up in a suburb of the Motor City, so it makes sense that the characters in his new novel The Leisure Seeker travel on a classic American road, Route 66. This novel is easily one of the best love stories I have read in years. John and Ella are taking one last trip in their “recreational sarcophagus” before their serious medical conditions overtake them. John has Alzheimer’s and Ella is riddled with cancer, but that does not stop them from going to pay homage to the “Mouse” in Anaheim.
On July 22nd, Zadoorian visited KPL to provide the background to this hilarious and touching novel. It gave all who attended insight on how true love can survive sickness, roadside diners, and lack of air-conditioning in Texas.
Book
The Leisure Seeker
9780061671784
A crowed of some 93 would-be chicken owners flocked to the library on August 3 to learn about the care and feeding of urban hens, and the laws and ordinances governing such practices.
The guest stars — five hens of various breeds — were charming and tolerant.
Co-sponsored by Fair Food Matters, the program featured Lori Evesque who shared her experiences in raising chickens from downy chicks to egg-laying adulthood.
Not all communities are chicken-friendly, said attorney Suzanne Klein who explained that statutes and ordinances vary according to where you live. Curious whether your community allows chickens in the yard? Pay a visit to KPL’s Law Library.
If you’d like to read more about raising chickens, here are two selections to check out:
Keeping Chickens: The Essential Guide to Enjoying and Getting the Best from Chickens by J.C. Jeremy Hobson and How to Raise Chickens: Everything You Need to Know by Christine Heinrichs.
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Fair Food Matters
lori-evesque-0357-160
http://www.fairfoodmatters.org/index.php
In some libraries across the country you will still find what is commonly known as a “Listening Room.” These rooms were usually equipped with technology to play the music in the library’s collection. On July 15th the Van Deusen Room turned into a huge “Listening Room,” but instead of listening to something on LP or CD patrons were treated to the sweet sounds of Mark Duval and Two-Track Mind. The super intimate setting allowed concert-goers the chance to absorb the touching and powerful lyrics of Kalamazoo singer-songwriter Duval. The band comprised of Traci Seuss (vocals, guitar), Bill Caskey (bass), and Cori Summers (violin) were tight and entrancing. How often do you get to experience an amazing live show in such a great atmosphere?
Book
Mark Duval, Two-Track Mind
mark-duval-two-track-160
http://www.catalog.kpl.gov/uhtbin/cgisirsi/x/0/0/5?searchdata1=Two-Track Mind%7BTI%7D+AND+Mark Duval%7BAU%7D
Writing effectively is a struggle for many of us, but in the end it can (and should) be an incredibly satisfying experience. On July 1st, Jo Wiley led a creative writing workshop at the Oshtemo Branch Library, exploring “a variety of creative writing genres.” Participants were invited to bring along their creative ideas and ask questions about the writing process and publishing.
With more than a dozen participants registered, the program was highly successful. Here are a few follow-up notes from the program facilitator that shed light on the scope of the workshop...
“After a general discussion about why we, in particular, write and then, in general, why writers write, I introduced the participants to the concept of poetry’s ‘abiding image,’” said Ms. Wiley, “and they did a multi-stepped exercise resulting in them establishing an ‘abiding image’ for themselves. Using their responses to the exercise, I then introduced development strategies for poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. I offered them the option of developing a poem at home and mailing it to me for feedback, if they’d like.”
A full-time instructor at Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business, Jo Wiley was the recipient of the 2009 Community Literary Award for Adult Poetry, an annual competition sponsored by the Kalamazoo Gazette, Kalamazoo Public Library and Portage District Library.
“With poetry,” she added, “we talked a lot about language and structure; fiction we reviewed the ‘seven basic plots,’ and then creative nonfiction we talked mostly about the differences between CNF and fiction and when and why writers chose one over the other. I ended the workshop with some information and discussion on ‘the writer's life’ and publishing.”
With a primary interest in creative nonfiction, the same group plans to meet later in the month to focus on essay writing.
Jo’s Recommendations:
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Jo Wiley
jo-wiley-160
http://www.mlive.com/special-sections/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/03/inside_my_fathers_trunk_adult.html