This week's poetry contest!

We have a riddle for you:

What do you get when you mix an old newspaper with a sharpie and a bit of inspiration?

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Redacted Poetry, of course!

Our weekly poetry contest is in this homespun art form which is more a challenge of wit than mastery of iambic pentameter. Redacted Poetry is recycled, minimalist art at it's best! The objective is to create a poem from a newspaper article and black out the unecessary text. By eliminating many ofthe original author's words, the new poet creates a piece of art to tell her own story.

Some entries so far:

We will be accepting entries until Thursday, April 14, so it's time to see beyond the lines of that New York Times articles and show peers your inner Whitman! All supplies available at the circulation desk of your favorite library. Winner and prize will be announced at Friday's morning meeting!

It's National Poetry Month!

April is National Poetry month and here in the library we are planning some activities and contests for you! To kick off the month long event, we are having a book spine poetry contest. What is book spine poetry, you ask? It is a kind of poetry that involves grabbing some interesting book titles and arranging them in a stack to be read vertically. We have some great entries, but are still looking for more brave souls to tweet their work to us at #govspoetry2016. Winners will be announced on Friday and will have the opportunity to choose a book or book related item from our gift treasury. We are also handing out candy to those of you who refer a friend to participate!

Here's a peek at a few entries so far:

Ariel

Jake

Alex

Mackenzie & Maeve

Joebro

Kevin

And don't let the cerative inspiration stop at our circulation desk!

Tweet your work on a national level at

#bookspinepoetry

Next week's poetry contest will be announced at Friday's morning meeting - Stay Tuned!

Literally Yours,

The Pesky Librarians

Pre Spring Break Ponderings

On the rarest of Leap Days, it was 60 degrees, I heard the song of the beautiful red winged black bird and could feel it all through my bones. Spring is coming! There is much activity in the library as we wind down the last week before spring break and you can see the stress in the procrastinator's eye. Everyone seems to have the seasonal fervor! For the next two weeks, some of you will jet set while others just veg. It is not a stretch to say that spring break is the beginning of the end (or the end of the beginning for some, you almost sophmores!). We have some great books to check out specifically aligned with spring break reading. These stories tell of baseball and young love, hiking and a mystery by the shore. What more could you ask for? Come on in to see our curated collection of Spring Break books - there is something for everyone.

Another query for spring break includes Mrs. Masterson's main intellectual heart throb, Joseph Campbell. Have you come to see her ode to this magnificent man?

“From the Star Wars trilogy to the Grateful Dead,” says the Joseph Campbell Foundation, “Joseph Campbell has had a profound impact on our culture, our beliefs, and the way we view ourselves and the world.” Need I say more?I promise you will not be let down by 48 Hours of Joseph Campbell


How can we blog about Spring Break without talking fashion. Well, bonjour, students! Today was the first day of Fashion Week in Paris! And wow, there are quite a few trends this Mainer will not be following, but can truly appreciate nevertheless.

Check the looks out here Fashion Week: Paris

Last but certainly not least, today is Read Across America Day, in honor of the late, great Theodore Seuss Geisel, who would be 112 years old today! He worked as a cartoonist and in advertising before making his pseudonym known the world over as author of children's books. So, in his honor today, read some rhymes and have some green eggs and ham. With Sam. By the dam. Don't forget the jam. Have fun with the fam!

We look forward to hearing of your Spring Break adventures!

Ebooks at Govs

We Pesky Librarians realize that some of you wish that the library had extended hours on the weekends or in those wee hours of the night when you just need a book immediately. Our lives are unfortunately so caught up in a culture of instant gratification, but what can we do? (It also seems to be general consensus that librarians need the lion's share of sleep!) So, what can we offer in your desperate hours of literary need? E-books, obviously!

We are now offering electronic book access via The Commonwealth eBook Collection. The program is brought to you by the MA Library System in partnership with the MA Board of Library Commissioners and funded, in part, by the federal Institute of Museum & Library Sciences.

               

Look for bestsellers in fiction and nonfiction at Axis 360 from Baker & Taylor. Go to the Axis 360 homepage and select The Governor's Academy, Carl A. Pescosolido Library from the drop down menu. Next, click on login in the upper right hand corner of the Magic Wall. You will then be prompted for a Library Card ID. This can be whatever you want but it must start with the word pesky. You will then register your account and you are ready to borrow.

Let us know if you create an account and if you read anything awesome! Have a great long weekend!

All you Need is Love!

Creative Ways to say I love you this Valentine's Day.

Inspired by books and fine art, I give you the following literary quotes of love and paintings of desire. If the following leave you longing for more, then stop by the library to make a card by hand or write an ode to a loved one. We are hosting a Valentine making station this week for all of you fatalistic romantics! Love pessimists are invited too! Get your Valentine's sentiment on in the library and see what happens, because all you really need is LOVE. 

Caravaggio, The Incredulity of Thomas, 1603

“Doubt thou the stars are fire,. Doubt that the sun doth move,. Doubt truth to be a liar,. But never doubt I love

-Shakepeare, Hamlet

Georgia O'Keefe, Poppies, 1928

"I have waited for this opportunity for more than half a century, to repeat to you once again my vow of eternal fidelity and everlasting love."

-Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

Frieda and Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, 1931

"Each time you happen to me all over again."

-Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence

J. W. Waterhouse, Lady of Shallot, 1888

“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”

- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

Robert Indiana, Love, 1965

"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way."

-Pablo Neruda

Apollo and Daphne, G.L. Bernini, 1622

"He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete."


-F.Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

My Wife, Nude, Contemplating Her Own Flesh Becoming Stairs, Three Vertebrae of a Column, Sky and Architecture, Salvador Dali, 1945

"I’m in love with you, and I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.”

—John Green, The Fault In Our Stars

...Love is all you need...

Groundhogs and Bees, Oh My!

Great news library fans! 

Punxsutawney Phil 

did not see his shadow today!

Phil and The Groundhog Club of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania this morning

(As if anybody around these parts was doubting that we would have an early spring this year. Ha, we have barely had winter!) With the unbridled sunshine of the past 2 days and temps in the 60's, I'm thinking we didn't need to bother a sleeping groundhog for this information, but I don't think this group of gents gets out too much. I'm curious if there are any women in the curious club or perhaps they find the garb too mundane?

Other famous groundhogs around the country corroborated on what Phil had to "say", so the outlook is promising for sunshiny days ahead. Although truth be told, my daffodils are already coming up and my bees took a cleansing flight today, so that's also pretty telling. Did I mention that I live in Maine?! It should be noted that ole Phil has an accuracy rate of like 28%, but for all intensive purposes let's just embrace this early spring thing. I like the sounds of it.

And thus I am thinking of getting you out of your winter reading funk and into some fresh and breezy literature. How's that sound to put a spring in your step? Think butterflies and Paris, love and verandas. 

I also mentioned my bees because this school is abuzz with our first successful hive and now we are fundraising for an additional one. If you have any interest in learning more about the hive and the bee club, contact Sophia  at sophia.duplin@govsacademy.org. If, however you would like to learn more about the nature of honeybees or the hobby of keeping bees, come check out our latest book display on one of nature's most darling species. You an also seek me out. We'll talk.

A Book of Bees by Sue Hubbell -
(my personal favorite book about honeybees)

In terms of springing ahead with a book selection, it's time to put down War and Peace or that depressing memoir from Maine (no offense, Elizabeth Strout, I love your work!). On Groundhog day, may I suggest we focus anew on a fresh start and rebirth?

A Room With a View by E.M. Forster: Spring may as well be a character in this romantic comedy set in Italy and England. As Miss Lucy Honeychurch, a proper young Edwardian lady destined for a respectable marriage, explores verdant Tuscany with her genteel chaperone, she finds the intoxicating atmosphere of spring and the allure of unsuitable (but kind and soulful) George Emerson threaten to loosen her lady-like reserve: “In the company of this common man the world was beautiful and direct. For the first time she felt the influence of Spring.” Lucy’s settled path, through a properly repressed girlhood to a properly repressed marriage, no longer seems so assured, as she awakens to the possibility of a different, more open way of living. (Huffington Post)

Breakfast at Tiffany's - In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Truman Capote created a woman whose name has entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape. Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany's; her poignancy, wit, and naïveté continue to charm. (Amazon)

                                                           *one of Mrs. Mcvicker's favorite books!

Though The Art of Fielding is his fiction debut, Chad Harbach writes with the self-assurance of a seasoned novelist. He exercises a masterful precision over the language and pacing of his narrative, and in some 500 pages, there's rarely a word that feels out of place. The title is a reference to baseball, but Harbach's concern with sports is more than just a cheap metaphor. The Art of Fielding explores relationships--between friends, family, and lovers--and the unpredictable forces that complicate them. There's an unintended affair, a post-graduate plan derailed by rejection letters, a marriage dissolved by honesty, and at the center of the book, the single baseball error that sets all of these events into motion. The Art of Fielding is somehow both confident and intimate, simple yet deeply moving. Harbach has penned one of the year's finest works of fiction. (Amazon)

Now this blog post couldn't end without a recommendation to watch Bill Murray in Groundhog Day for the hundredth time! It's still funny, trust me on this one. I think The Groundhog Club in Pennsylvania is having a free showing tonight, if you're game! If not, we have it in our collection

Book Art in the Library

What do you get when you cross AP creativity with library resourcefulness? A sculpture made entirely of upcycled books depicting a mermaid-pirate on her tropical oasis - obviously. I swoon over book art and artist's books or anything that combines the written word and fine art for that matter, but when I saw this site of the  Most inspiring book sculptures , I felt compelled to get Ms. Srtuck's AP studio art kids to indulge in the idea. And that they did - check it out!

Detail of palm trees

A dragon fly detail

From 2011-2013, an anonymous artist left 10 beautiful book sculptures at libraries in and around Edinburgh, Scotland. Poetree, seen below, was the first of the ten. A delicate paper tree with a cracked open egg aside it. There was a gift tag attached which read:

"We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books...a book is so much more than pages full of words...This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas...a gesture (poetic maybe?)"

Truly exquisite, right? Just for the record, we Pesky Librarians would not be opposed to receiving any such anonymous sculptures from you!

Another variation on fine arts and books is Book Art, which refers to the physical book itself as a work of art.  If this catches your interest, look no further than the Victoria & Albert Museum's collection of artist's books V&A book arts.

In the meantime, stop by to see the work of your friends and imagine the book anew. Just don't take up the exacto knife just yet! See us if you are interested in making something similar as we can certainly provide you with the right stuff!

These days the very notion of the traditional book is constantly challenged, but I beg you to see validity in the book for its many virtues. The very concept of book art seems to be at the crux of what a book and a library could and should be, as it asks us to reflect on information resourcing and creativity. As the anonymous Scottish book sculptor suggests, a book is more than just a book after all! And the library - we like to think is a special kind of building, to inspire those who enter. To escape, to dream, to ponder and to create! Thanks for checking in and checking out!

New Year's Gifts

Last year, while visiting China, Dr. Quimby received a very beautiful and symbolic gift from the Hua Family of Bejing, in the form of a silk and brocade long scroll representing the "Painting of Dwelling in Mount Fuchun". The scroll was gifted to the Pescosolido Library and is now on display in the study nook next to the circulation desk. 

The scroll is a facsimile of the most famous work of Huang Gongwang (1269-1354) and renders what is a now a fragmented painting into a singular landscape as it was first created. "Dwelling in Mount Fuchon" is often referred to as a masterpiece of Chinese landscape painting and depicts the area around the Fuchun River in the central Zhejiang Providence. The painting was burnt in 1650 and the remnants existed in separate hands for 350 years, but has recently been exhibited as one in the National Palace Museum.

After talking with Fine Arts faculty member Joe Repczynski, it was decided to make a formal display for the scroll in the library using student carpentry.   The project didn't begin in earnest until the middle of the first semester this year when Zane Nishan, a junior, was selected to create the display.  A member of the Carpentry for Theatre course, Zane researched the project proposal and hit the ground running.  

Using new skills in biscuit joinery, he first fashioned a display surface out of maple (a light colored wood in wide use in the library).  After setting up the dado blades on the table saw he created grooves in that surface in order to inlay darker walnut strips and a lip to keep the scroll from falling.  

Over two months he glued, sanded, and finished the display as his classroom project.  We're still waiting for the acrylic hinges to arrive for a plexi-glass cover, but you can already see his fantastic installation and the scroll on display.

We feel so lucky to such gifts bestowed on us. Perhaps we should play the Powerball!

Stop by to see a gift from China and the master craftsmanship of a peer! GREAT JOB, and thank you for all the hard work, Zane!

Hour of Code

Last Tuesday, in acknowledgement of Computer Science education week, Govs students filled up the Frost library to participate in an “Hour of Code”, which is a one-hour introduction to computer science and the language of coding. Hour of Code sessions are being organized and taught around the world, everywhere from Mozambuque to Miami! So far over 100 million students have participated in the event, in over 40 languages.

Mr. Karin organized the afternoon program here at Govs for students (and faculty!) to learn an introductory lesson about coding from AP Computer Science students in his class. Students that were already familiar with the basics were able to participate in “power coding” taught by the Govs Programming Club. 

If you are interested in learning more about coding, we suggest the following sources:

Next Steps in Coding 

Here you will find the next step in your coding education, whether you are age 6 or 106. Tutorials for ipads, making web pages or college courses from Harvard available here!

Khan Academy 

Learn how to program drawings, animations and games using JavaScript or webpages with HTML. You can also share what you create with others and vice versa!

And if you would like to host an Hour of Code somewhere near you check this short video out:

Hour of Code

If you are so inclined, you can also volunteer to be a part of 
Hour of Coding near you. Now that would look pretty fantastic on a college application, don't you think?
volunteer!

After you graduate from that fabulous college, you can feel grateful for whatever coding education you have because as of today there are reportedly over 600,00 computing jobs open nationwide and last year only 38,000 computer science graduated into the workforce!

T

Feast your eyes on this!

Although the turkey soup has been gobbled and the mashed potatoes are just a distant memory, we have plenty of great displays to feast your eyes on here in the library!
Appropriately enough, the first of which is called "Hungry for a new book?" All of the end caps in the fiction section offer up some delectable reads. Ms. Bennett handpicked a potpourri of fiction that deals with our insatiable appetite for FOOD!

And for all of you procrastinators out there, you know who you are, the ones who think there should still be 50 days left in the year, instead of the reality being a mere 25, for you a "Time is running out!" display. Here we have put out an array of short stories regarding the holidays. From David Sedaris to Alice Munro and John Green, we've got your holiday palette covered!

And since the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is upon us, we have sampled a few books from our collection on the Jewish tradition. Alongside the books we have a recipe displayed for traditional potato latkes!

In honor of Advent and Christmas, we have our festive trees surrounded by holiday books and DVDs. 'Tis the season for "A Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life". Or if your preference is more of the Will Ferell genre, we have "Elf" or "A Christmas Story", but don't get caught up in the occasion and shoot your eye out with a red rider B.B. gun!

And speaking of the color RED, Ms. Bennett created another very clever display called, 

"Red anything good lately?"in which all of the book covers are of the vermilion pigment. And though red can have both negative connotations (blood, fire & war) and positive (love, warmth and compassion), I believe we are going for the latter!

If none of the above displays speak to you and you are actually looking forward to the holidays being over before they even begin, we still have something that might flip your pancake! Check out the VIP/Backstage pass shelf located at the circulation desk. Here is a sampling of books from our music collection that will definitely take your mind off some of the not-so-wonderful parts of the season. 

Feeling cold? the autobiography of Aerosmith will heat you up for sure.

Feeling lonely? Eminem might make you feel a whole lot more loved in the Byfield bubble!

Feeling atheist? That's OK too, but U2 can dish out some authentic spirituality in a rock and roll way!

Want world peace? Find a kindred spirit in Lennon

Yours in books,
The Pesky Librarians