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Salon Éire 100 Celebrates 100 Years of Irish Culture

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 1202662
Castles of Ireland; ancient and modern. Image ID: 1202662

Actor and producer Alison McKenna wanted a way to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Easter rising and start of Ireland’s independence. Like the Roman god Janus, McKenna wanted to look back and reflect on the past as well as look forward. She developed and is the producer of Salon Éire 100 (Éire is the Celtic name for Ireland), a three-week series of events highlighting Irish poetry, music and literature at the New York Public Library for Performing Arts beginning Friday, May 13.

The events are produced in conjunction with New York Public Library for Performing Arts, the Irish Consulate, the Irish Repertory Theatre Company and the Irish American Historical Society.

“A big resonance of Salon Éire 100 is taking the journey of the artist and how it has been shaped over 100 years and showing the evolution of the nation,” said McKenna. “We are reflecting on 100 years and imagining the future.”

The first event, Salon Éire 100: Poetry Ireland, will be held on Friday, May 13, at 7 PM. Renowned poets Sinéad Morrissey (newly announced 2016 recipient of E.M. Forster Award), Irish American poet Fanny Howe, Nick Laird, Ciaran Berry, and Alvy Carragher will journey through one hundred years of poetry. In addition, world renowned Sean-Nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, who appeared in the film, Brooklyn, will recite.

Conor Linehan, acclaimed pianist and composer of the Abbey TheatreIreland’s National Theatre will lead a musical tour of Irish history on Thursday, May 19 at 6 PM Conor will play and discuss the cultural and political context of music by early twentieth and twenty-first century Irish and Irish related composers, such as Victor Herbert and Arnold Bax, along with excerpts from Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, which commemorates friends of the composer who lost their lives in World War I. He will also perform his own contemporary compositions and improvisations on Irish songs of 1916.

On Friday, May 27 at 7 PM, publishing icon Richard Nash will lead a discussion with up and coming Irish writers Liz Nugent, Danielle McLaughlin and others on what being Irish brings to writing in No Country for Old Men: 21st Century Irish Writers Liz Nugent & Danielle McLaughlin on Transformations Personal & Public.

“The scope of the work is broad and there is something for everyone,” said McKenna. “If you can’t go over and visit and see a concert, we brought the culture here,” she added.

You can begin your own journey through Ireland’s cultural history with the following library materials:

Modern Irish Poetry
An Anthology of Modern Irish Poetry
Irish Poetry and the Construction of Modern Identity

Modern Irish Poetry: A New Alhambra by Frank Sewell
Modern Irish Poetry: A New Alhambra introduces four leading modern Irish-language poets: Seán Ó Riordáin, Cathal Ó Searcaigh, Máirtín Ó Direáin, and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill.

An Anthology Of Modern Irish Poetry edited by Wes Davis
A comprehensive representation of Irish poetic achievement in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, from poets such as Austin Clarke and Samuel Beckett who were writing while Yeats and Joyce were still living; to those who came of age in the turbulent ’60s as sectarian violence escalated, including Seamus Heaney and Michael Longley; to a new generation of Irish writers, represented by such diverse, interesting voices as David Wheatley (born 1970) and Sinéad Morrissey (born 1972).

Irish Poetry and the Construction Of Modern Identity: Ireland Between Fantasy And History by Stan Smith
Smith (Nottingham Trent Univ., UK) has written extensively on major 20th-century poets and the origins of literary modernism. Here he traces literary modernism in Ireland through three generations of influence. Beginning with the major modernists, Yeats and Joyce, Smith examines the slow development of Irish nationalism in the modern age.

The Irishness of Irish Music
The Rough Guide to Irish Music
The Joy of Irish Music

The Irishness Of Irish Music by John O'Flynn
A brief and recent history of Irish music.

The Rough Guide To Irish Music
Sung in English and Irish Gaelic.

The Joy Of Irish Music: Best-Loved Songs and Folk Tunes In Easy Piano Arrangements selected and arranged by Denes Agay and Frank Metis
Best-loved songs and folk tunes in easy piano arrangements. 37 songs, including: "Danny Boy,"  "Irish March," "The Last Rose of Summer," "Sweet Molly Malone," "The Wearing of the Green," and more.

Twentieth-Century Irish Literature
Contemporary Irish Literature
The Literature of Ireland

Twentieth-Century Irish Literature by Aaron Kelly ; consultant editor, Nicolas Tredell
This guide helps the reader to relate Irish literature and criticism to debates surrounding such issues as national identity and nationalism, modernity and the Revival period, armed struggle, gender and sexuality, postcolonialism and the development of Irish studies.

Contemporary Irish Literature: Transforming Tradition by Christina Hunt Mahony
Collects the writings of a broad range of living Irish writers, with an introduction that provides a continuum from the Celtic Twilight to the present day, with sections on poetry, drama and fiction. Award-winning writers are discussed in terms of the role they play within the current Irish literary renaissance in addition to their own individual merits. Chapters on contemporary contributions include literature from Northern Ireland, the work of newly-canonical female writers, and recent innovative work for the stage.

The Literature Of Ireland: Culture And Criticism  by Terence Brown
This volume features essays on major figures such as Yeats, MacNeice, Joyce and Beckett, as well as contemporary authors including Seamus Heaney, Derek Mahon, Michael Longley, Paul Muldoon and Brian Friel.


The Art and Science of Problem Solving

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Ichnographia Labyrinthi
Finding the answer in the library. Image ID: 1613750

It seems like practically every day we read in both the popular media and academic reports that thinking and problem solving abilities need to taught in our schools, rather than memorization and standardized testing. But what exactly is problem solving, what does it entail?

The process of finding solutions to difficult or complex issues:
an expert at creative problem-solving

[AS MODIFIER]: problem-solving skills
oxforddictionaries.com

Generally speaking to teach, learn, or solve anything, we have to be able to describe it. We have to be able to talk about it. We need to assess our current situation. Assessment can be easier said than done; however, we need to make an objective assessment of any set of circumstances or problems in order to change them. Can we identify the root cause(s) of the problem? If we're able to do this, then a plan of action can be developed. Being open to the problem solving process, and realizing that some problems are more complex than others, are key concepts in problem-solving. Many problems are moving targets. We will need to accept that adjustments, throughout the process, will need to be made.

In order to fully understand problem solving techniques completely, one must attempt to consider all the varieties of problems that can be encountered. Like most skills, the more practice we have at problem-solving situations, the more experience and confidence we build. The more pattern processes of analysis we handle, the more we will recognize and understand. You, the problem solver, can often manipulate, re-define and transform the problem or situation. The first step of solving any problem is having the patience and fortitude to believe that finding a solution is possible. Attitude is your first tool in solving any problem.

A central goal of problem-solving research involves specifying when and how the processes of analysis and transformation are applied, in order to resolve problem. It should probably be stated that failure, though painful, can be an useful experience. It's the lessons learned or insight gleaned from failure that can lead to solutions and better outcomes. Recognizing that there may be exactly the same set of processes, or variant patterns of certain processes involved, can be also be useful in solving problems of different or related types. We will always need to be wary of dogmatic approaches that fail.

Problem solving is the analysis and transformation of information towards a specific goal. The goal may be more or less well-defined. Solving problems may be directly attainable, or require some insight or special body of knowledge. Quite often re-defining the problem in a new light, will yield a better set of attainable goals, which can lead to a solution. Just as one does not need to know the mechanics of an automobile to drive, one does not need to necessarily be an expert on all subjects to solve problems! Consulting those who have knowledge, or obtaining just the knowledge you need to accomplish the task to solve a particular step of the problem at hand, needs to be considered.

A Four-Step Process

Billstein, Libeskind and Lott have adopted these problem solving steps in their book A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers (The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co.). They are based on the problem-solving steps first outlined by George Polya in 1945.

  1. Understanding the Problem
    • Can you state the problem in your own words?
    • What are you trying to find or do?
    • What are the unknowns?
    • What information do you obtain from the problem?
    • What information, if any, is missing or not needed?
  2. Devising a Plan
    The following list of strategies, although not exhaustive, is very useful.
    • Look for a pattern.
    • Examine related problems, and determine if the same technique can be applied.
    • Examine a simpler or special case of the problem to gain insight into the solution of the original problem.
    • Make a table.
    • Make a diagram.
    • Write an equation.
    • Use guess and check.
    • Work backward.
    • Identify a subgoal.
  3. Carrying Out the Plan
    • Implement the strategy or strategies in step 2, and perform any necessary actions or computations.
    • Check each step of the plan as you proceed. This may be intuitive checking or a formal proof of each step.
    • Keep an accurate record of your work.
  4. Looking Back
    • Check the results in the original problem. (In some cases this will require a proof.)
    • Interpret the solution in terms of the original problem. Does your answer make sense? Is it reasonable?
    • Determine whether there is another method of finding the solution.
    • If possible, determine other related or more general problems for which the techniques will work.

Much of the research used for this post was generated from our database, Literati. One of the reasons I like this database is the "brainstorming" tool that can give a" visual map" or an overview of related concepts. For the concept of
"Problem Solving" related concepts include, Problem, Lateral thinking, How to Solve it, Ellis Paul Torrance, Edward de Bono, Educational Psychology, Creativity, Creative Problem Solving, and Creative Problem Solving Process.
Correctly defining the problem and assessment can be the most crucial stages of the Problem Solving Process.

Solutions from both sides
Solutions for both sides of the board. Image ID: 426940

Recently I was following the story in the news about the artificial intelligence computer, Google's AlphaGo, that beat Go Champion, Lee Se-dol in March of 2016, and the historic 1997 Deep Blue re-match against World Chess Champion Gary Kasparov. The problem solving techniques that the computer programmers used to defeat the human champions rely on deep search knowledge. Both Go and Chess are games which have so many permutations and possibilities, that even the massive computing ability of today's computers cannot solve these games. Games such as checkers and tic-tac-toe are not as complex and thus lend themselves to brute force calculations. As our world faces increasingly complex issues, we will need to employ problem-solving skills and emotional compassion to discover the solutions for our present and future environments. Find the solutions and answers to your problems and questions at your library. If you don't like the future you see, build one in its place, and if you don't see a title in our catalog, please recommend it to us.

See also

accountability; behaviorism; case studies; critical theory; curriculum, theories of; decision making; empiricism; feedback; globalism; Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium; knowledge base, of the field; leadership, theories of; management theories; organizational theories; politics, of education; principalship; rational organizational theory; role conflict; school districts, history and development; superintendency; workplace trends in Credo Reference.

Further Readings and References

Making Better Business Decisions: Understanding and Improving Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills

Great Games for Young Children: Over 100 Games to Develop Self-Confidence, Problem-Solving skills, and Cooperation by Rae Pica; illustrations, Kathy Ferrell; photographs, Mary Duru.

Teaching Kids to Think: Raising Confident, Independent, and Thoughtful Children in the Age of Instant Gratification by Darlene Sweetland, Ron Stolberg.

DC Comics Animated Films

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DC Comics has some of the most well-known superheroes in comic history; Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to name a few. Despite this, their history in regards to live action films has dimmed with the advent of Marvel comics assuming control of their franchises. Marvel has managed to corner the market in live action adaptations of their characters starting with the Iron Man films, mostly because they have managed to produce a contained universe in which story lines relate to each other and  we get to know the characters. DC has had mixed success, in part because most of their characters have appeared in standalone films with no cohesion amongst them.

Batman vs. Superman marks the beginning of a concerted effort by DC to cultivate their brand. So far it is working: the film  has managed to gross enough money to date to become the fourth biggest global opening of a film in history (Variety). While this is just the beginning of the DC film juggernaut (check out this list for upcoming movies) one area in which they have always excelled has been their animated features. Most are based on previous graphic novel collections and the Library owns some of the most recent. Check out the list below for the feature films and their print counterparts.      

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
When a spaceship splashes down in Gotham Harbor, Batman and Superman encounter a mysterious Kryptonian with powers as great as Superman's. When Darkseid gets wind of this, he has the Kryptonian abducted and brought under his control on Apokolips. It's up to Batman and Superman to retrieve the Kryptonian, forcing them to infiltrate Darkseid's hostile world where super-powerful threats lurk around every corner.

Batman: Year One
Comics legend Frank Miller's classic retelling of Batman's early days, depicting a young Bruce Wayne's return to Gotham City and his first endeavors at fighting injustice as Batman.

flash

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
The Flash gets a chance to go back in time and right a violent, decades-past crime against his mother. However, the ripples of his good intentions prove disastrous, as a fractured, alternate reality now exists in place of the familiar one. Superman is nowhere to be found, and Batman is a grittier, more violent Dark Knight. Together, with Cyborg, they race to restore the continuity of Flash's original timeline, while this new one is ravaged by war between the armies of Wonder Woman and Aquaman.

Justice League: War
Going back to a time when superheroes were new to our world, we learn how the Justice League came together during an alien attack of Earth.

batman

Son of Batman
The leader of the League of Shadows, Ra's al Ghul, and his daughter Talia, oversee an army of assassins with plans for world domination. A planned uprising within the ranks threatens the balance of power and sends Talia and her young son, Damian, fleeing to Gotham City. Talia seeks the protection of Batman, Damian's secret father. Batman must wage war against Deathstroke and the League, all while teaching the headstrong boy that one can't fight crime by becoming a criminal.

Batman: Assault on Arkham
When the government teams up a group of supervillains with the code name Suicide Squad and forces them to break into Arkham Asylum to bring back top secret information the Riddler has stolen, Batman soon becomes involved. But things go from bad to worse when one of the Squad (Harley Quinn) frees the Joker, who has the means to not only blow up the asylum, but most of Gotham City as well.

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis
Aquaman is forced to choose sides between the Justice League and Atlantis, when Atlantean warriors begin a war to conquer the surface world, starting with the coastal cities of Gotham and Metropolis.

Batman vs Robin
When Batman finds himself under attack by his own son, Damian (Robin), he at first suspects the hand of Ra's Al Ghul behind the treachery, but then comes to see that the boy may be controlled by a mysterious and murderous society known as the Court of Owls.

justice

Justice League: Gods and Monsters
In an alternative history, Zod is Superman's father, Batman is a vampiric Man-Bat, and Wonder Woman is the child of Ares, God of War. When these dark heroes form an alliance, the question everyone asks is: will they save the world, or rule it?

Graphic Novel Editions

justice
batman
gods
superman
aquman
flash
superman
batman

Want more? Check out this blog post on required reading for Batman vs Superman.

Before It Was Mrs. Dalloway... Novels That Came From Short Stories

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Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway was first published ninety-one years ago, on May 14, 1925. Its narrative describes a day in the life of its titular character and the tragic Septimus Smith, using Woolf's signature stream-of-consciousness style. What readers may not realize is that this was not the world's introduction to Clarissa Dalloway. Two years earlier, Woolf published the short story "Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street" in the literary magazine The Dial (via American Periodicals). Differing in only one word from the novel that followed, the opening sentence states, "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the gloves herself."

"Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street" by Virginia Woolf

Mrs. Dalloway is not the only novel to begin its life as a short story. With the New York Public Library's extensive collection of online newspapers, magazines, and journals, you can read many of these published short stories at home and compare them to their later, expanded versions—all you need is your library card. Here are ten such examples, along with guidelines and suggestions for finding these and other short stories, both historical and contemporary, in our online collections.

"Gogol" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Before it was The Namesake, it was “Gogol”

Jhumpa Lahiri published "Gogol" in The New Yorker in June 2003. Three months later, Lahiri continued the story of Gogol Ganguli and her exploration of inter-generational and cultural conflict in The Namesake. (via New Yorker Digital Archive)

"The Very Rigid Search" by Jonathan Safran Foer

Before it was Everything is Illuminated, it was “The Very Rigid Search”

Jonathan Safran Foer introduced the world to his inimitable narrator Alex Perchov in The New Yorker's June 2001 issue. In 2002, Foer interwove this story with a magical realist tale of the Trochenbrod shtetl for his debut novel Everything is Illuminated. He made it a trend for his next book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: his essay "The Sixth Borough" was first published in the New York Times before being incorporated into the novel. (via New Yorker Digital Archive and New York Times (1980-present))

"The Optimist's Daughter" by Eudora Welty

Before it was The Optimist’s Daughter, it was “The Optimist’s Daughter”

Eudora Welty published "The Optimist's Daughter" in The New Yorker in March 1969. She expanded this showdown of families, backgrounds, and values in the American South into a 1972 novel—well worth the effort, since the book subsequently earned her the Pulitzer Price for Fiction and is widely regarded as her best work. (via New Yorker Digital Archive)

"The Golden Vanity" by Ben Lerner

Before it was 10:04, it was “The Golden Vanity”

In June 2012, Ben Lerner published his short story "The Golden Vanity" in The New Yorker. In keeping with the metafictional character of his second novel 10:04, Lerner incorporated not just this story, but also a story about incorporating the story. (via New Yorker Digital Archive)

"Lassie Come-Home" by Eric Knight

Before it was Lassie, it was “Lassie Come-Home”

Eric Knight published "Lassie Come-Home" in the Saturday Evening Post in December 1938, featuring illustrations by Arthur D. Fuller. In 1940 he released a novel-length version, this time with illustrations by Marguerite Kirmse. The novel was followed, of course, by radio programs, television shows, and films. (via Academic Search Premier)

"The Virgin Suicides" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Before it was The Virgin Suicides, it was “The Virgin Suicides”

Jeffrey Eugenides' "The Virgin Suicides" appeared in The Paris Review in the winter of 1990. In 1993, he published a slim novel of the same name, further developing the tragic story of the Lisbon family and featuring Eugenides' unique first person plural point of view. (via Humanities International Complete, available at any NYPL library)

"Chez Lambert" by Jonathan Franzen

Before it was The Corrections, it was “Chez Lambert”

Jonathan Franzen began describing the Lambert family and their inner and outer lives in "Chez Lambert," a 1996 story for The Paris Review. Five years later, the story of St. Jude lived on in The Corrections. (via ProQuest Research Library)

"Hitting Budapest" by NoViolet Bulawayo

Before it was We Need New Names, it was “Hitting Budapest”

NoViolet Bulawayo published her Caine Prize-winning "Hitting Budapest" in The Boston Review in the winter of 2010. Three years later, it became the first chapter of her debut novel We Need New Names, which transplanted her brash, earnest, and vulnerable narrator from her native Zimbabwe to the United States. (via Literature Online)

"The Beau Monde of Mrs. Bridge" by Evan S. Connell

Before it was Mrs. Bridge, it was “The Beau Monde of Mrs. Bridge”

Four years before publishing Mrs. Bridge in 1959, Evan S. Connell began sketching out the title character and her domestic dissatisfaction in inter-war, middle-class Middle America. "The Beau Monde of Mrs. Bridge" appeared in The Paris Review 's fall 1955 issue. (via Humanities International Complete, available at any NYPL library)

"A Room at the Normandy" by Michael Cunningham

Before it was The Hours, it was “A Room at the Normandy”

How fitting that Michael Cunningham's The Hours was not only a modern take on Mrs. Dalloway, but also paralleled its process of publication! "A Room at the Normandy" appeared in the September 1998 issue of The New Yorker. Two months later, Cunningham released The Hours, which went on to win the Pulitzer Price for Fiction in 1999. (via New Yorker Digital Archive)

Finding Short Fiction in Online Databases

To find more short stories using the Library's electronic resources, consider using one of these databases:

American Periodicals (1740-1940)

For historical short stories, a great place to start is American Periodicals. It includes runs of influential literary magazines like The Dial, The Bookman, McClure's, and The Smart Set. The latter alone published works by Willa Cather, Dorothy Parker, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eugene O'Neill, and James Joyce, among others.

New Yorker Digital Archive

Flip through a complete run of The New Yorker—that's over 90 years of issues, right up to the one on newsstands now—in our searchable database.

Periodical "Aggregators"

Many of our databases bring together hundreds to thousands of different newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals, letting you search across multiple sources at once. Some aggregators that are strong in literary fiction include:

  • Humanities International Complete (available at the library): for Paris Review, Five Points, Crazyhorse, Southern Review, Boulevard, AGNI
  • JSTOR (available at the library): for Threepenny Review, Antioch Review, Georgia Review, earlier issues of Callaloo and Kenyon Review
  • ProQuest Research Library (available from home): for Harper's, New England Review, Ploughshares, later issues of Callaloo and Kenyon Review

Often the run of a particular literary journal is broken up across multiple databases. One database might contain more historical issues, while another holds more current issues. If you're interested in a specific title, use our A-Z list to check its availability from a library or at home. And to read scholarly criticism of these and many other short stories, refer to Short Story Criticism—we have over 200 volumes' worth available in Literature Criticism Online.

May is Short Story Month, after all, so it's a perfect time to catch up on some short-form prose. Who knows—maybe tomorrow's classic novel lies within the pages of today's online journals!

No Capes! Undercover Superheroes

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Caped crusaders are having a moment right now—but what about the heroes who don’t wear costumes and leap tall buildings in a single bound?

no capes

The protagonists in these picture books save the day in less-expected but still-important ways.

 

katy

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel’s less-famous, cold-weather cousin! Katy is so powerful that she only gets called out when the City of Geoppolis really needs her… and then, nothing can stop her.

 

 

iggy

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty
When a teacher tries to stifle the imagination of a budding second-grade architect, our hero Iggy saves the day when his class gets stranded during a field trip.

 

 

 

 

maathi

Wangari Maathi: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Prévot
This biography of the Kenyan activist who eventually won the Nobel Prize tells the story of Maathai’s extensive work—including her quest to nurture trees and help the environment.

 

 

 

chuck

Chuck and Woodchuck by Cece Bell
Sharing is tough, but real heroes know everything is better when you have a true friend.

 

 

 

 

ella

Stand Straight, Ella Kate by Kate Klise
Born in 1872, Ella Kate Ewing was eight feet tall by the time she turned 18. This fictionalized biography reveals her unexpected status as an independent woman and a role model for anyone who looks different.

 

 

 

 

courage

Courage by Bernard Waber
Ordinary people—the ones who are first to make peace after a fight, or go to bed without a nightlight—can be superheroes too, according to this sweet book about empathy.

 

 

 

 


Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

#FridayRead Roundup: Seed Your Bookshelf to Trap a Librarian Friend, Literary Limericks, Uprisings, and New MG and YA Fiction

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Join us from 10-11 AM EDT for live reading recommendations on Twitter @NYPLRecommends!

 Want To Be Friends with a Librarian? Read These Books

We asked our NYPL staff to name a book that, upon seeing it on someone's shelf​, makes you think you've found a kindred spirit.

Can You Ace Our Literary Limerick Quiz?

We asked our NYPL book experts to—you guessed it—write some book-related limericks. We even asked their friends and families to play along.

Uprisings

A list of books about some recent uprisings that may one day be seen as tipping points.

NYPL Recommends: New Middle Grade Fiction

We are not quite half way through the year, and already 2016 is offering a feast of exceptional middle grade fiction.

NYPL Recommends: New YA Fiction

2016 is serving up a feast of new YA fiction. Browse titles NYPL staff recommend.

New York Times Read Alikes: May 15, 2016

White knuckles and pounding hearts top the chart this week, with two thrillers in the two top spots and three romances rounding out the rest of the list. 

Lynn is reading Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet. So good!

Gwen is finishing Before the Fall by Scott Hawley. Also so good!

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

Countee Cullen Remembered With Exhibits and Celebration

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Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen, about 1920. Image ID: 1953595

Celebrate Countee Cullen’s birthday (May 30, 1903) on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, at the Countee Cullen Library with a film screening from 12-1 PM, and readings from Cullen’s work and other artists from the Harlem Renaissance from 6-7:30 PM. In conjunction with celebration, there will also be pop-up exhibits on Cullen at both the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division of the Schomburg Center and also at the Cullen Library. The exhibits will contain rare documents and images from the Schomburg Center’s Research and Reference, Manuscripts, Archives & Rare Books, and Photographs and Prints Division. Events for children and teens will also be included during the celebration at the Cullen Library.

By the time the prodigiously talented Countee Cullen was in his mid 20s, his first book of poetry, Color, was released in 1925 and was a literary sensation. He became one of the most influential figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Cullen was educated at DeWitt Clinton High School, New York University, Harvard, and the Sorbonne in Paris. Sources such as Margaret Perry’s A Bio-Bibliography of Countee Cullen, 1903-1946, state that during his lifetime he worked as an assistant editor for Opportunity, a journal published by the National Urban League. He also taught different subjects at Frederick Douglass Junior High School before his untimely death in 1946. During his career, Cullen’s work spanned a variety of genres including poetry, fiction, children’s literature, music, drama and musical theater.

When Cullen wedded Nina Yolande DuBois (daughter of W.E.B DuBois) on April 9,1928, at the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church in Harlem, it was one of the most talked about events of the year. His wedding attracted a thousands of spectators, and a host of celebrities from around the country and elite African Americans scholars, educators, socialites and artists attended. An April 10, 1928, New York Herald Tribune article reported that Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps and others notables served as ushers at the wedding. In addition to her maid of honor, Yolande reportedly had sixteen bridesmaids in her wedding party while Cullen’s close friend Harold Jackman was the best man.  A contemporary and fictionalized account of the events leading up to Cullen and DuBois’ short-lived marriage, Knock Me a Kiss, was written by playwright Charles Smith, and is in the anthology New Playwrights: Best Plays of 2000. You can also listen to the reading of a letter that was written by Harlem Renaissance author Nella Larsen to a friend regarding the wedding in this Live from the Reading Room post.

While you’re at the Cullen Library for the celebration, you may also check out circulating works by Cullen or stop by the Schomburg Center to look at items across the collections by and about Cullen including his Papers, 1921-1969, or the Countee Cullen Portrait Collection.  Audio recordings of Cullen’s work  such as To Make a Poet Black: The Best Poems of Countee Cullen Read by Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee and others are available at Library of the Performing Arts.

All About Historic Building Preservation

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May is Historic Preservation Month, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Here are some reads to get you into the building preservation mood no matter where your interests lie.

Do you love architecture and want to stare at it all day long? Check out these beautiful guides to America’s historic buildings:

seeking New York

Do you want to learn all you can about the history and future of preservation? Read on:

Keeping Time

Do you need inspiration or actual knowledge to start a restoration project of your own? Look no further:

Design Brooklyn

Resources for more information:


Mercy College: Scholarship and Career Opportunity for Veterans

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Mercy College recently received an award from the National Science Foundation to provide Veterans of the United States Armed  Forces, who have strong math backgrounds, with a Tuition-Free  Master of Science Degree in Secondary Math Education leading to New York State Certification, a credential recognized by many other states.

The Mercy College program includes the following components:

  • 36 graduate credits within 14 months of participation.   (All courses are "in-person" and held at the Dobbs Ferry womansoliderCampus)
  • $32,800 in scholarship support to cover the full cost of tuition.
  • 140 days of clinical internship in a Yonkers public secondary school under the mentorship of an experienced math secondary school teacher.
  • A Mercy College faculty member to provide professional mentoring and on-site classroom support for the academic year.
  • Professional support to prepare for teacher certification examinations.
  • On-site mentoring and online follow-up support during the first and second years of teaching.

Requirements include the following components:

  • Bachelor's degree including a minimum of 24 credits in mathematics
  • GPA of 3.0 or better
  • Commitment to teach two years in a high-needs school

For more information or to apply, please contact Professor William Farber, Program Director, Mercy College.

Email: wfarber@mercy.edu or call 914-674-7675

Speak of the Devil: It's Mikhail Bulgakov's 125th Birthday

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Master and Margarita book covers
 

“Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul to waste.”

Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil”

There is something about the Devil—that handsome, charming, oh-so-clever Devil who appears to us as a bewitching Romani woman (Hunchback of Notre Dame), a Martini-swilling angel (Sandman), or a wiley professor running around Moscow as in the iconic and subversive novel The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, who would have turned 125 today.

The Devil assumes so many shapes, always choosing the one that turn our heads the fastest (Hamlet).

Then he hisses in our ears what we want most: Knowledge (Bible), Power (Faust), Achievement (Devil Wears Prada), Sex (True Blood), and Strength (The Magicians). And we run after him, waving our souls in the air, begging him to take them.

Because we welcome damnation. Like the Devil, we’d rather reign in hell than serve in heaven (Paradise Lost). And, yeah, we may end up pushing boulders (Dante’s Inferno) but we also might emerge as victors (The Master and Margarita).

So we keep testing that viscous line between good and evil. We seek it out, tonguing it like a scrap of meat in our teeth, seeing if it will budge.

And Bulgakov argues we should be thankful for that tension: “Where would your good be if there were no evil, and what would the world look like without shadow?” We need the Devil. He destroys complacency, fuels our desires, and shapes our morality, casting shadow so we can see light.

So be thankful for the Devil. Without ruin, there could be no redemption.

So if you ever run across him, just remember Mick Jagger’s tribute to his favorite Russian novel and “have some courtesy, have some sympathy, and some taste.”

And give the Devil his due.

Live From the Reading Room: Josephine Schuyler to Philippa Schuyler

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Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence is a podcast series that aims to share interesting and engaging letters written by or to key historical figures from the African Diaspora.

Each episode highlights a letter from popular collections housed in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.

Today’s episode features a letter from journalist and essayist Josephine Schuyler, to her daughter, pianist, composer, journalist, and child prodigy Philippa Duke Schuyler.

Josephine Schuyler
Schuyler Family Photos, Box 3, Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.

Today’s correspondence is recited by Tiana Taliep, an Archivist in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.

*Special Note: All text is represented as originally written by the correspondent.

Job and Employment Links for the Week of May 15

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Adecco Staffing will present a recruitment on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 10 am - 1 pm for Customer Service / Call Center  (3 Temp openings), Mailroom clerk (3 Temp openings), Reception (3 Temp openings), Warehouse/Light Industrial (3 Temp openings) at Flushing Workforce 1 Career Center, 138-60 Barclay Avenue, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355.

Heightened Security, Inc. will present a recruitment on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 10 am - 2 pm for Security Management (1 opening), Security Supervisor  (3 F/T & P/T openings), Security Guard (20  F/T & P/T openings),  at New York State  Department of Labor - Workforce 1 Career Center, 250 Schermerhorn Strret, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Spanish Speaking Resume Writing  Workshop on Thursday, May 19, 2016, 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm for all interested jobseekers to organize, revise, and update resumes at Flushing  Workforce 1 Career Center, 138 60 Barclay Ave. 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355. 

Job Postings at New York City Workforce 1.  

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Caption

Brooklyn Community  Board 14: Available jobs

The New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCE&TC) is an association of 200 community-based organizations, educational institutions, and labor unions that annually provide job training and employment services to over 750,000 New Yorkers, including welfare recipients, unemployed workers, low-wage workers, at-risk youth, the formerly incarcerated, immigrants and the mentally and physically disabled. View NYCE&TC Job Listings.

Digital NYC is the official online hub of the New York City startup and technology ecosystem, bringing together every company, startup, investor, event, job, class, blog, video, workplace, accelerator, incubator, resource, and organization in the five boroughs. Search jobs by category on this site.

St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development provides Free Job Training and Educational Programs in Environmental Response and Remediation Tec (ERRT). Commercial Driver's License, Pest Control Technician Training (PCT), Employment Search and Prep Training and Job Placement, Earn Benefits and Career Path Center. For information and assistance, please visit St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development or call 718-302-2057 ext. 202.

Brooklyn Workforce Innovations helps jobless and working poor New Yorkers establish careers in sectors that offer good wages and opportunities for advancement. Currently, BWI offers free job training programs in four industries: commercial driving, telecommunications cable installation, TV and film production, and skilled woodworking.

CMP (formerly Chinatown Manpower Project) in lower Manhattan is now recruiting for a free training in Quickbooks, Basic Accounting, and Excel. This training is open to anyone who is receiving food stamps but no cash assistance. Class runs for eight weeks, followed by one-on-one meetings with a job developer. CMP also provides Free Home Health Aide Training for bilingual English/Cantonese speakers who are receiving food stamps but no cash assistance. Training runs Mondays through Fridays for six weeks and includes test prep and taking the HHA certification exam. Students learn about direct care techniques such as taking vital signs and assisting with personal hygiene and nutrition. For more information for the above two training programs, email: info@cmpny.org, call 212-571-1690, or visit. CMP also provides tuition-based healthcare and business trainings free to students who are entitled to ACCESS funding.

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) trains women and places them in careers in the skilled construction, utility, and maintenance trades. It helps women achieve economic independence and a secure future. For information call 212-627-6252 or register online.

Grace Institute provides tuition-free, practical job training in a supportive learning community for underserved New York area women of all ages and from many different backgrounds. For information call 212-832-7605.

Please note this page will be revised when more recruitment events for the week of May 15  become available.

New York Times Read Alikes: May 22, 2016

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Several titles from the thriller, suspense, and mystery categories are in the top five this week. Plus, a romance and a novel featuring a female friendship. If you liked any of these and are longing for more of the same, here are some titles to "check out" (pun intended).

15th Affair

#1 Recommendations for readers who enjoyed 15th Affair by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, more women detectives working suspenseful mysteries:

Garnethillby Denise Mina

The Crossing Placesby Elly Griffiths

The Various Haunts of Menby Susan Hill

 

 

 

Me Before You

#2 Recommendations for readers who enjoyed Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, more British love stories:

Other People's Childrenby Joanna Trollope

One Day by David Nicholls

The House We Grew Up Inby Lisa Jewell

 

 

 

The Last Mile

#3 Recommendations for readers who enjoyed The Last Mile by David Baldacci, more intricately plotted suspense:

Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta

 

 

 

The Apartment

#4 Recommendations for readers who enjoyedThe Apartment by Danielle Steele, more female friendships:

Friendshipby Emily Gould

How Should a Person Beby Sheila Heti

The Groupby Mary McCarthy


 

 

 

Extreme Prey

#5 Recommendations for readers who enjoyed Extreme Prey by John Sandford, more dark political thrillers:

I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter

Zero Day by David Baldacci

The 14th Colonyby Steve Berry

 

 

 

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

Recent Acquisitions in the Jewish Division: May 2016

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The following titles on our Recent Acquisitions Display are just a few of our new books, which are available at the reference desk in the Dorot Jewish Division.

Israeli Feminist Scholarship
 Jewish anxiety and the novels of Philip Roth
Skies of parchment, seas of ink

Anglo-American Diplomacy and the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1948-51 by Simon A. Waldman

Bringing Zion Home: Israel in American Jewish Culture, 1948-1967 by Emily Alice Katz.

Divine Scapegoats: Demonic Mimesis in Early Jewish Mysticism by Andrei A. Orlov.

Holocaust Versus Wehrmacht: How Hitler's "Final Solution" Undermined The German War Effort by Yaron Pasher (e-book available through Project MUSE)

In the Shadow of Zion: Promised Lands Before Israel by Adam Rovner (e-book available through OverDrive and Project MUSE)

Israeli Feminist Scholarship: Gender, Zionism, and Difference by Esther Fuchs (ed.).

Jewish Anxiety and The Novels of Philip Roth by Brett Ashley Kaplan.

Jewish Resistance Against the Nazis Edited by Patrick Henry (e-book available through Project MUSE)

Le-vashel Be-ṭaʻam Ladino by Matilda Koén-sarano

Memorials in Berlin and Buenos Aires: Balancing Memory, Architecture, and Tourism by Brigitte Sion.

Patronage, Production, and Transmission of Texts in Medieval and Early Modern Jewish Cultures Edited by Esperanza Alfonso (e-book available through Brepols Miscellanea Online)

Reading Maimonides' Mishneh Torah by David Gillis.

Scripture and Tradition: Rabbi Akiva and the Triumph of Midrash by Azzan Yadin-israel (e-book available through Project MUSE)

Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink: Jewish Illuminated Manuscripts Edited by Marc Michael Epstein

Splintered Divine: A Study of Ishtar, Baal, and Yahweh Divine Names and Divine Multiplicity in The Ancient Near East by by Spencer L. Allen.

Wine and Thorns in Tokay Valley: Jewish Life in Hungary: The History of Abaújszántó by Zahava Szász Stessel.

With my Many Chariots I Have Gone up The Heights of Mountains: Historical and Literary Studies on Ancient Mesopotamia and Israel by Hayim Tadmor

Zionism in Damascus: Ideology and Activity in the Jewish Community at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century by Yaron Harel

Podcast #112: Larissa MacFarquhar on the Bad Rap of Do-Gooders

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Subscribe on iTunes.

New Yorker staff writer Larissa MacFarquhar is the author of Strangers Drowning, a book about extreme do-gooders, the psychological origins of grand ethical commitments, and the existential contests embedded in a life of trying to do the right thing. MacFarquhar is one of the incredible finalists for NYPL’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism. Each year the award is given to journalists whose books have brought clarity and public attention to important issues, events, or policies. For this week's episode of the New York Public Library Podcast, we're proud to present Larissa MacFarquhar.

Larissa MacFarquhar

MacFarquhar traced her decision to write Strangers Drowning back to a sense that, oddly, altruists got a bad rap. She described a constellation of associated traits ascribed to do-gooders:

"There's two contradictory clichés that exist simultaneously about very morally driven people. One is that they are boring, that they are kind of simple and that goodness is kind of simple and boring, whereas evil is complex and fascinating. I felt that that was deeply wrong, and I wondered why there weren't more good characters in fiction, and I thought this one of the reasons... There's something pushing against goodness in our culture, and I wanted to figure out what that was because I think that's another one of the reasons that most of us don't do more, and it's this sense that there's something irritating. There's something perverse. There's something boring, all kinds of contradictory bad things about good people."

Where does the impulse for altruism come from? MacFarquhar was particularly interested in one theory about the psychological roots beginning in dysfunctional households:

"There's this theory of the parentified child. The idea is that a child who grows up with one parent who is not functioning as a parent either because he or she is an alcoholic, perhaps, or a drug addict or is severely mentally ill or for some other reason is not working out as a parent, and obviously in many cases this just messes the kid up. But in some cases, the child will react by desperately trying to fix her family. Maybe she will try to become the perfect student. Maybe she will take care of the parent, take care of her younger siblings, learn how to cook, learn how to clean the house, try to fix things, and the idea is that this child will grow up to feel an outsized sense of moral duty, to try to fix the world as she tried to fix her family as a child. When I first read this, I thought it was yet another one of these pathologizing theories that was just trying to explain why altruists were mentally ill, but then I realized that thinking about the people in my book, almost every single one of them falls into this category. Not all of them, but almost every single one. So I do think there is something to this, which is interesting because if you read stuff about bringing up children and how to encourage ordinary altruism, it usually talks about love, if you love your child well that child will grow up to be able to love in turn. But this seems to suggest to me that there's something about a lack of love or an absence of the kind of healthy childrearing that we all think is ideal that produces in some cases this extraordinary result."

When asked about the traits of the subjects of her book, MacFarquhar spoke of a willingness to subvert certain mores:

"They are very stubborn. They're very unconventional. To do this kind of work, you have not to care what other people think of you because other people are going to think you're a freak, and statistically speaking, you are a freak. You just have to do it anyway, even though other people are not only going to think you're freakish but even bad, especially because as we were discussing before, to devote yourself to strangers will at a certain point conflict with caring for your family, and most people feel that you should care for your family. If caring for strangers interferes with that in any way, it's not good, and that indicates that there's something deficient about you, if you override the care for family. To be the sort of altruist that I'm writing about in this book, you have to ignore the enormous weight of that societal prescription."

You can subscribe to the New York Public Library Podcast to hear more conversations with wonderful artists, writers, and intellectuals. Join the conversation today!


For Fans of HBO's Silicon Valley

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For fans of HBO’s Silicon Valley, here are a few books that will satisfy the urge for social commentary and satire aimed at start-ups, social media, and tech culture in general.

 

Cash Out

Cash Out by Greg Bardsley

This novel follows a Silicon Valley executive as he scrambles to cash out his stock options.

 

 

 

 

 

The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest

The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest by Po Bronson

Andy Casper dreams about a technological breakthrough that will make him a giant in the industry.

 

 

 

 

Microserfs by Douglas Coupland

The story of six coders who spend sixteen hours a day writing computer code for Microsoft and worrying about being fired, until they seize a chance to become more than cogs.

 

 

 

The Underwriting

The Underwriting by Michelle Miller

Follows a five-person start-up taking a dating app through an IPO.

 

 

 

 

 

Iterating Grace

Iterating Grace: Heartfelt Wisdom and Disruptive Truths from Silicon Valley’s Top Venture Capitalist by Koons Crooks and Annonymous

This small chapbook was anonymously mailed to 140 prominent tech figures in June 2015. The book is a satire aimed at the worship of the tech elite.

 

 

 

 

The Circle

The Circle by Dave Eggers

A chillingly plausible vision of a near future in which social media and self-quantification go monopolistic.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

An unemployed web designer finds himself working at a highly unusual bookstore in San Francisco.

 

 

 

 

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

NYC Parks: 500 Temporary Park Worker Openings

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The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation has 500 City Park Worker positions in need of immediate hire.

Major Responsibilities

  • Assist in general maintenance work, including lawn mowing, edging, seeding, snow removal, cultivating, fertilizing, sod laying  and hedge  trimming, sweeping and raking of litter and emptying of receptacles.
  • Clean and maintain facilities including comfort stations.
  • Perform minor repair work including but not limited to plumbing, masonry, electrical, painting, carpentry, metal work and vehicle and equipment repair.
  • Drive vehicles and operate certain other motorizd equipment.
  • Perform safety checks on facilities and equipment.
  • May move furniture , climb and perform other physical activities as required in the performance of assigned duties.

Qualification Requirements

  • There are no formal education or experience requirement for the position.
  • A Motor Vehicle Driver's License valid in the State of New York is required.City Park and Recreation
  • Ability to read  and to understand and obey orders is required.
  • There are certain medical and physical requirements.

Preferred Skills

  • Ability to drive to locations in all five boroughs.
  • Ability to work flexible hours, nights and weekends as needed.
  • Bilingual English/Spanish.
  • Commercial Driver License a plus.

Additional Information

Fees:  Hired candidates will be subject to a processing fee of $54.00.  Hired candidates who are not currently employed by the City will be subject to an $89.75 background check fee.

Duration:  May 15, 2016 to September 6, 2016  (Salary:  $15.03  hourly)

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume.   Please include in your cover letter which borough  (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens or Staten Island ) you prefer to work in.

City Employees:

Apply through Employee Self Service (ESS) under Recruiting activities

  • Search for Job ID# 239763
  • Include your ERN on all correspondence

For all other applicants:

Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Residency Requirement

Residency in New York City, Nassau, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, Putnam or Westchester counties required for employees with over two years of city service.  New York City residency required for all other candidates.

Women Made Women Superheros

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Superheroes are all over the media these days. There is the Marvel series on Netflix.  Captain America: Civil WarBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and X-Men Apocalypse are all competing for ticket sales in movie theaters across America. On TV, viewers can followThe Flash (CW), The Arrow (CW), and Marvel's Agents of  S.H.I.E.L.D (ABC).

Much like the television and film industries that draw from it, the comic book industry skews decidedly male: the artists, writers, and characters. In honor of the small minority of women making their way in a male-dominated profession, and turning out some exceptional work, here is a list of female superhero comics created by women, which runs from the traditional superheros in the DC and Marvel vein to more unconventional superhero comics:

Batgirl

Batgirl Volume 1: The Darkest Reflection by Gail Simone

Barbara Gordon is back as Batgirl, this time she is up against a nightmare-inducing villian called The Mirror.

Gail Simone is an American comics writer who lives in Portland. Her work includes: Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Welcome to Tranquility, Wonder Woman, Red Sonja, and Batgirl.

 

 

 

 

Astonishing X-Men

Astonishing X-Men Volume 11: Weaponized by Marjorie Liu

Newlywed Kyle learns that marrying Northstar also means marrying the X-men.

Marjorie Liu is a writer of paranormal romance and fantasy novels as well as comics. Her work for Marvel includes: NYX, X-23, Wolverine, and Astonishing X-Men.

 

 

 

 

Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson

Kamala Khan is an ordinary Muslim teenager from Jersey City until she gains her powers and takes NYC by storm. 

G. Willow Wilson is an American comics writer, novelist, essayist, and journalist. She herself is Muslim and lived in Egypt for a time. She has written for both DC and Marvel. 

 

 

 

 
The Adventures of Superhero Girl

A lighthearted twist on the superhero genre.
 
Faith Erin Hicks is a Canadian web comic, comics artist and writer, and animator. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.  She is best known for her webcomic, "Dermotology 101."
 
 
Lumberjanes
Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Noelle Stevenson

Five best friends spend the summer at Lumberjane scout camp battling supernatural creatures and solving a mystery. Each character has her own special skill/power. 
 
Lumberjanes came about as a result of Boom! Studios editor Shannon Watters approaching Grace Ellis and Noelle Stevenson about  creating a girl-centric comic book. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

A shapeshifter with anger management issues working undercover posing as a supervillian. 
 
Noelle Stevenson is an American comics writer and artist. She is best known for her work on Nimona and Lumberjanes. She also created the cover art for Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl
 
 
 
 
 
 
Steven Universe

 Steven Universe Volume One created by Rebecca Sugar

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Steven are the Crystal Gems. They will always save the day. And if you think they won't, they'll always find a way.
 
Rebecca Sugar is an American animator, composer, and director. She is best known for creating the TV series Steven Universe, making her the first woman to independently create a series for The Cartoon Network.
 
 
 
 
 

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

Women Made Women Superheroes

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0

Superheroes are all over the media these days. There is the Marvel series on Netflix.  Captain America: Civil WarBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and X-Men Apocalypse are all competing for ticket sales in movie theaters across America. On TV, viewers can followThe Flash (CW), The Arrow (CW), and Marvel's Agents of  S.H.I.E.L.D (ABC).

Much like the television and film industries that draw from it, the comic book industry skews decidedly male: the artists, writers, and characters. In honor of the small minority of women making their way in a male-dominated profession, and turning out some exceptional work, here is a list of female superhero comics created by women, which runs from the traditional superheroes in the DC and Marvel vein to more unconventional superhero comics:

Batgirl

Batgirl Volume 1: The Darkest Reflection by Gail Simone

Barbara Gordon is back as Batgirl, this time she is up against a nightmare-inducing villian called The Mirror.

Gail Simone is an American comics writer who lives in Portland. Her work includes: Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Welcome to Tranquility, Wonder Woman, Red Sonja, and Batgirl.

 

 

 

 

Astonishing X-Men

Astonishing X-Men Volume 11: Weaponized by Marjorie Liu

Newlywed Kyle learns that marrying Northstar also means marrying the X-men.

Marjorie Liu is a writer of paranormal romance and fantasy novels as well as comics. Her work for Marvel includes: NYX, X-23, Wolverine, and Astonishing X-Men.

 

 

 

 

Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson

Kamala Khan is an ordinary Muslim teenager from Jersey City until she gains her powers and takes NYC by storm. 

G. Willow Wilson is an American comics writer, novelist, essayist, and journalist. She herself is Muslim and lived in Egypt for a time. She has written for both DC and Marvel. 

 

 

 

 
The Adventures of Superhero Girl

A lighthearted twist on the superhero genre.
 
Faith Erin Hicks is a Canadian web comic, comics artist and writer, and animator. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.  She is best known for her webcomic, "Dermotology 101."
 
 
Lumberjanes
Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Noelle Stevenson

Five best friends spend the summer at Lumberjane scout camp battling supernatural creatures and solving a mystery. Each character has her own special skill/power. 
 
Lumberjanes came about as a result of Boom! Studios editor Shannon Watters approaching Grace Ellis and Noelle Stevenson about  creating a girl-centric comic book. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

A shapeshifter with anger management issues working undercover posing as a supervillian. 
 
Noelle Stevenson is an American comics writer and artist. She is best known for her work on Nimona and Lumberjanes. She also created the cover art for Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl
 
 
 
 
 
 
Steven Universe

 Steven Universe Volume One created by Rebecca Sugar

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Steven are the Crystal Gems. They will always save the day. And if you think they won't, they'll always find a way.
 
Rebecca Sugar is an American animator, composer, and director. She is best known for creating the TV series Steven Universe, making her the first woman to independently create a series for The Cartoon Network.
 
 
 
 
 

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

Ep. 30 "Trying to Reach the Next Generation" | Library Stories

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Myles Dawson, a Junior Scholar at NYPL’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, has a dream: to change the world through comic books. As a budding comic book artist, Myles hopes to help educate his generation about black history and black culture through a medium that everyone can understand and enjoy. Learn more about Myles’s vision for a more peaceful world, and how the Junior Scholars program inspires his work, in this week’s Library Story.

Library Stories is a video series from The New York Public Library that shows what the Library means to our users, staff, donors, and communities through moving personal interviews.

Like, share, and watch more Library Stories on Facebook or YouTube.

 

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