What: A Contract with God by Will Eisner, part of the free five-part reading and discussion series Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature – Modern Marvels
Where: Highland Park Branch Library
When: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 • 7 p.m.
Facilitator: Judith Katz, University of Minnesota Center for Jewish Studies
Free and open to the public.
More information: http://wilson.lib.umn.edu/outreach/marvels.html

Set among 1930s Bronx tenements, these four stories capture the brutal, tender world of working-class Jews. In the title story, Frimme Hersh's daughter suddenly dies, sorely testing the "contract" this self-made man once entered into with God. In "Cookalein," Eisner casts a humorous eye on the amorous, social-climbing tendencies of young urbanites spending a summer in the Adirondacks. Wry, honest, and sad, these four stories showcase Eisner's unique ability to capture character with the quick stroke of his pen.

This series explores Jewish literature and culture through scholar-led discussions of contemporary and classic books on the theme of “Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel.” The program is the result of a grant to the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities Libraries, which is partnering with The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Local support is provided by the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Minnesota. Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature, a reading and discussion series, has been made possible through a grant from Nextbook and the American Library Association.

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What: The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman, part of the free five-part reading and discussion series Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature – Modern Marvels
Where: Highland Park Branch Library
When: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 • 7 p.m.
Facilitator: Judith Katz, University of Minnesota Center for Jewish Studies
Free and open to the public.
More information: http://wilson.lib.umn.edu/outreach/marvels.html

The comic book transfigured, this graphic novel tells the story of Spiegelman's parents Vladek and Anna, Jews reaching maturity in a Europe on the verge of Nazism, and their terrifying history and eventual survival in the concentration camps. Spiegelman uses the broadest tools of the genre—Jews are drawn as mice, Nazis as cats, Poles as pigs, Frenchmen as frogs, and so on—to make vivid the unimaginable, both to the reader and to himself, appearing as a character in the book listening to his father's story.

This series explores Jewish literature and culture through scholar-led discussions of contemporary and classic books on the theme of “Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel.” The program is the result of a grant to the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities Libraries, which is partnering with The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Local support is provided by the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Minnesota. Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature, a reading and discussion series, has been made possible through a grant from Nextbook and the American Library Association.

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What: Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer: Stories by Ben Katchor, part of the free five-part reading and discussion series Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature – Modern Marvels
Where: Highland Park Branch Library
When: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 • 7 p.m.
Facilitator: Judith Katz, University of Minnesota Center for Jewish Studies
Free and open to the public.
More information: http://wilson.lib.umn.edu/outreach/marvels.html

Steeped in a melancholy, grey-tinted world of elevated trains, luncheonettes, and gently decaying tenements, Katchor's perambulating photographer Julius Knipl documents a rapidly vanishing urban netherworld. Peopled by men who map the migration of hairstyles and those who belong to the Amalgamated Panty-Waist Fitters Union, his cityscape is a familiar one, albeit with the touch of a demented fairy tale.

This series explores Jewish literature and culture through scholar-led discussions of contemporary and classic books on the theme of “Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel.” The program is the result of a grant to the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities Libraries, which is partnering with The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Local support is provided by the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Minnesota. Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature, a reading and discussion series, has been made possible through a grant from Nextbook and the American Library Association.

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What: The Quitter by Harvey Pekar, part of the free five-part reading and discussion series Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature – Modern Marvels
Where: Highland Park Branch Library
When: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 • 7 p.m.
Facilitator: Judith Katz, University of Minnesota Center for Jewish Studies
Free and open to the public.
More information: http://wilson.lib.umn.edu/outreach/marvels.html

Ostensibly covering Pekar's early years, this dark graphic novel tackles everything from his brief stint in the Navy to jazz criticism and mid-century race relations. The gritty and atmospheric artwork by American Splendor collaborator Dean Haspiel perfectly captures Pekar's cantankerous tone. But a surprisingly hopeful message ultimately surfaces. It's possible to find your way in the world, Pekar suggests, even if it takes a lifetime to do it.

This series explores Jewish literature and culture through scholar-led discussions of contemporary and classic books on the theme of “Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel.” The program is the result of a grant to the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities Libraries, which is partnering with The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Local support is provided by the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Minnesota. Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature, a reading and discussion series, has been made possible through a grant from Nextbook and the American Library Association.

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What: The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar, part of the free five-part reading and discussion series Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature – Modern Marvels
Where: Highland Park Branch Library
When: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 • 7 p.m.
Facilitator: Judith Katz, University of Minnesota Center for Jewish Studies
Free and open to the public.
More information: http://wilson.lib.umn.edu/outreach/marvels.html

After eating a parrot, an aged Algerian rabbi's cat develops the ability to speak and quickly declares his desire not only to be Jewish, but to have a bar mitzvah. The rabbi engages his pet in a spiraling debate, touching on topics such as spelling, parental love, and the very nature of Jewish identity.

This series explores Jewish literature and culture through scholar-led discussions of contemporary and classic books on the theme of “Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel.” The program is the result of a grant to the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities Libraries, which is partnering with The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Local support is provided by the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Minnesota. Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature, a reading and discussion series, has been made possible through a grant from Nextbook and the American Library Association.

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Who: Lise Lunge-Larsen
What: Kerlan Professional Development Morning
Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library, room 120
When: Saturday, May 10, 2008 • 9 - 11:30 a.m.
Cost: $25 ($20 for Kerlan Friends)

From Idea to Word to Final Brushstroke and Period: How a Book Is Born
Come hear author Lise Lunge-Larsen talk about her collaboration with Betsy Bowen on The Troll with No Heart in his Body. Following the presentation, participants will discover more about how a book is created by exploring original materials from the Kerlan Collection. Tours of the Andersen Library storage caverns will be available.



      

Who: Walter Dean Myers, 2008 award recipient (with a posthumous Kerlan award to Robert Kraus)
What: Kerlan Award Ceremony
Where: Lunch: Elmer L. Andersen Library atrium & room 120 • Ceremony with speech by Walter Dean Myers: Willey Hall 125
When: Lunch: 12 noon • Ceremony: 1 p.m.
Cost: Lunch: $25 ($20 for Kerlan Friends) • Ceremony: Free and open to the public

Author Walter Dean Myers will be honored along with author/illustrator Robert Kraus (posthumously) as the recipients of the 2008 Kerlan Award. The award is presented annually "in recognition of singular attainments in the creation of children's literature and in appreciation for generous donation of unique resources to the Kerlan Collection for the study of children's literature."

Please register for morning and afternoon events by May 1
Registration and Kerlan Friends membership information available at http://special.lib.umn.edu/clrc/2008KerlanAward.php

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Three robots, three student groups…a battle of the intelligent versus the artificially intelligent.

What: SCImagine! 2008, the Science & Engineering Library's annual spring event.
Where: Upson Room, Walter Library 102
When: Friday, May 9, 2008 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public.

Come see live robot demonstrations and the latest creations of artificial intelligence by students from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. The presentations will be accompanied by light refreshments and stimulating conversation.

SCImagine! emphasizes the Science & Engineering Library's role as an intellectual gathering place on campus. Each spring the library showcases university teaching, learning, and research in the physical sciences and engineering offering fascinating presentations and lively discussions.

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