Losing My Cool: How a Father's Love and 15,000 Books beat Hip-Hop Culture by Thomas Chatterton Williams

Our next Lunch & Literature will be on Tuesday, February 7 at 12:30pm in the library seminar room. Our selection is Losing My Cool: How a Father's Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Culture by Thomas Chatterton Williams.

The book grew out of an op-ed article that Williams wrote in 2007. He details the contrast between life inside and outside his house, where hip-hop culture competed with his father's intellectual influence, and how he ultimately chose an academic life.

Williams' website contains a lot of great information, including a playlist that goes along with the book.

Finally, here is an interview with Williams and his father:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Join us for our next book discussion, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. We'll discuss one of the most popular titles of the year on Thursday December 8th @ 12:30pm in the 2nd floor Seminar Room.

A limited number of copies are available at the Reference Desk.

Next Up: The Help

If you haven't read The Help by Kathryn Stockett, or seen the movie, and wonder what all of the hoopla is about, then join us for our next Lunch and Literature selection. We have copies available at the Reference Desk. Discussion date is TBA.

Great booktalk!!

Thanks to all who came out last Thursday for Lunch and Literature. If you missed author Valerie Nieman at last week's discussion of Blood Clay, you definitely missed a treat!! The author, the book, and the discussion were great! Even the punch was great:) We hope to have Valerie back in the future. Pics posted soon.

Lunch & Literature: Blood Clay, with Special Guest Author Valerie Nieman (Thurs. 11-10-2011 @ 12:30pm)

Join us on Thursday, November 10 at 12:30pm in the Library Seminar Room for a discussion of Blood Clay featuring the author, Valerie Nieman. The library has one copy available for checkout (on the New Books shelf) and two available for library use in A&T Reserves and in Special Collections.

For more information about the book and the author (who is an A&T faculty member), please visit the event page on the Bluford Library Website.

We look forward to seeing you. Bring your lunch and bring a friend! Books will be available for purchase.

There's Always Work at the Post Office

Did you know that NC A&T Professor Phil Rubio was recently on The Colbert Report?! He was speaking about his book, There's Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight For Jobs, Justice, and Equality. You can check out the book at Bluford Library, call number A&T HE 6499:R82 2010. If you missed him on The Colbert Report, check it out below.

The Colbert Report

Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

#RT: A&T Creative Writing Contest

The North Carolina A&T State University Creative Writing Program is sponsoring its first J. California Cooper and John Edgar Wideman Short Fiction Prize. The competition seeks to honor the literary legacy of these two American writers.

Cooper and Wideman have authored numerous collections of short fiction and novels among their accomplishments. The award winning writers have been celebrated for their rich depictions of African American families via their ability to translate the breadth of the Black American experience into poignant tales of urban and rural life. Through their creative vision, Cooper and Wideman fuse history, myth, fiction and autobiography to create a symphony of black voices, from the vernacular to the highly educated.

The competition is open to writers without regard to geographical region or previous publication background.

Fictional short story entries (any style) of no more than 7,000 words per short story – only one story per submission – will be accepted. Entries must be written in English and include the following per entry: four typed (12-point font), double spaced, stapled copies of an unpublished manuscript (author’s name must not appear on the manuscript); one cover sheet with name, address, telephone, email, word count and title of story; and $15 entry fee (check or money order made payable to NCAT/CWP-Fiction Prize) per submission. Writers may submit more than one entry; however, each entry must be accompanied by a separate $15 entry fee. Entrants may enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for acknowledgement of receipt of manuscript (optional).

Mail submission(s) to Dr. Anjail Ahmad, Creative Writing Program-Short Fiction Prize, A427 GCB, North Carolina A&T State University, 1601 E. Market St., Greensboro, NC 27411. All entries must be mailed and postmarked by Monday, Oct. 31, and the winners will be announced Thursday, Dec. 1.

The grand prize winner will receive $250. The winning entry and honorable mentions will be published on the university’s website.

A committee of poets and writers will judge the competition. Committee members reserve the right to withhold the prize should entries not meet their standards.

For more information, contact Ahmad at (336) 334-7771, ext. 2370, or arahmad@ncat.edu.

National Hispanic Heritage Month: Sept 15 - Oct 15

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with these great reads located at Bluford Library.

• Allende, I. (1985). Casa Del Los Espiritus/ The House of Spirits. New York, NY: Bantam Books. A&T STACKS PQ8090.1.L54 C313 1986
• Castro, R. (2009). Adversity is my angel: The Life and Career of Raul H. Castro. FortWorth, Tx: TCU Press. A&T STACKS F815.3.C37 A3 2009
• Jimenez Roman, M., Juan Flores. (2010). The Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and Culture in the United States. A John Hope Franklin Center Book. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. A&T Stacks E185.615 .A37 2010
• Simeon-Jones, K. (2010). Literary and sociopolitical writings of the Black Diaspora in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Location: A&T STACKS DT16.5 .S56 2010
• US Department of Labor (2011). The Hispanic Labor Force in the recovery. Washington, DC. available online

Check out this video of Coretta Scott King speaking in support of the Farmworkers Movement in 1972

courtesy of National Farm Worker Service Center

Where's Lunch & Literature?!

Where's Lunch & Literature?! We're busy here at Bluford Library welcoming our new Dean Vicki Coleman. Once our calendar is confirmed for the academic year, you'll be the first to know.

While you are waiting for our next book selection:

• 9/22 @ 4pm: Visit the NC A&T State University General Classroom Auditorium. Dr. Myrtle Boykin Sampson, author of “Crazy Lady: Achieving Against the Odds” will be book signing. This event is hosted by the University Bookstore. For more information call 336.334.7593.

• 9/28 @ 7pm: Visit the Central Library of Greensboro. New York Times Best Selling Author Sharyn McCrumb will be reading and signing her latest book The Ballad of Tom Dooley. For more information call 336-373-3617

• 10/2 @ 11am: CNN news anchor Soledad O'Brien will be the Founder's Day Speaker at Bennett College. In Fall 2010, O'Brien released The Next Big Story: My Journey Through The Land of Possibilities. For more information, call 336-517-2100

8/11 Lunch & Literature Postponed

We regret to inform you that today's discussion of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will be postponed. We will let you know as soon as we have a new date and time. We are very sorry for the inconvenience and short notice.

We do hope that this delay gives you some extra reading time to finish the book or to dig into the sequel, The Girl Who Played with Fire. You can also check out the Swedish movie adaptation.

Thanks for your understanding. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Summer Reading!!

As Bluford Library’s Lunch and Literature Book Club reflects poolside about the wonderful titles shared over the past semester, we can prop our feet up with this summer’s new selection: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. Take all summer to dive into this New York Times’ best seller packed full of conspiracy, murder, secrets, and betrayal. A limited number of copies of the titles are available at the Reference Desk. The next meeting will take place Thursday August 11 at 12:30pm in the Seminar Room of Bluford Library. Happy Reading!!

Post-Zelda

Oh, what a magnificent conversation we had with Zelda on last Tuesday! She's a truly extraordinary person and her work is just a small glimpse into who she is. After the Lunch & Literature session, students from the Middle College at NC A&T participated in a creative writing workshop tailored just for them. That, too, was awesome. It was especially wonderful to see the transparency and willingness of the young men to share their experiences with a complete stranger, and each other.
We had a good day.


BTW: Zelda (we're on a first name basis now:)) has a couple of weekend writing intensive workshops coming up. Check those out at www.zeldalockhart.com

Author Zelda Lockhart Visiting!!!

We're so excited to have author Zelda Lockhart visiting with us next Tuesday April 12 @ 12:30pm for our next Lunch and Literature. We'll be completing our reading of Cold Running Creek while also sharing about her latest release Fifth Born 11. Ms. Lockhart was the 2010 Piedmont Laureate for NC and we can't wait to have her here celebrating National Library Week!! See you there...

African American Read-In at Bluford Library

The Bluford Library will be participating in the 22^nd National African American Read-In on Tuesday, February 22 from 1-4pm in the Bluford Library Seminar Room. This event, which is sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English, works toward the goal of making African American literacy a part of Black History Month. We invite all members of the A&T community to read from books and poetry written by African American authors. To participate, simply select a work by an African American author and come to the Seminar Room on February 22^nd between 2 and 4 pm. You can drop in and stay for as long or as short as you want. Light refreshments will be served.

If you need help selecting a book, the Black Studies Collection on the third floor of Bluford Library is a great place to look. We will also have some copies of books by African American authors on hand if you don't have time to make a selection in advance.

Time correction! Lunch and Literature at 12:30pm on 1/20

My apologies to our readers! Lunch and Literature will take place at 12:30pm on Thursday, January 20th, NOT at noon. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Lunch and Literature returns! 1/20/11 at 12:30pm

As we settle into the Spring Semester, please join us for Lunch and Literature on Thursday, January 20 at 12:30pm in the Bluford Library Seminar Room to discuss Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success. This book covers fascinating topics such as wet rice agriculture's impact on mathematical skills and how cultural norms can contribute to airline crashes.

For more information, check out Malcolm Gladwell's official website for the book. It includes a few excerpts that are sure to pique your interest.

If you can't make it this Thursday, never fear! We have two great titles picked out for February and April:

February 16, 2011: always outnumbered, always outgunned by walter mosley. You can pick up a copy at this week's L&L discussion.

April 12, 2011: Cold Running Creek by Zelda Lockhart

REMINDER: Lunch and Literature Tuesday, November 9 @ 12:30pm

Please join us on Tuesday, November 9 at 12:30pm in the Faculty Dining Room of Williams Cafeteria for Lunch and Literature. Come prepared to talk about a book that you've read recently. Hopefully this will give us all some ideas for leisure reading over the holidays!

I am looking forward to telling the group about The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. This literary novel takes on characteristics of many genres, including mystery, historical fiction, and horror. If you're interested in the vampire craze but want something a little more grown-up than Twilight or more cerebral than Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books, The Historian is a great choice. To learn more, come to Lunch and Literature!

Next Lunch and Literature on Tuesday, November 9

We had a great discussion of The Soloist last week! We had eight participants, and covered a number of topics related to mental health and homelessness. The book definitely gave all of us food for thought.

Our next Lunch and Literature meeting will be on November 9, 2010 at 12:30pm. For our last meeting of 2010, we're shaking things up a bit. Rather than all reading the same book, we'll each come prepared to talk about a book that we have recently read. Hopefully this session will give us some ideas for holiday reading! We're also planning a change of venue: the faculty dining room.

Hope to see all of you there!

One City, One Book

Lunch and Literature is back and ready for Fall 2010!! Our next selection, The Soloist by Steve Lopez, coincides with Greensboro Public Library's One City One Book initiative. There are tons of programs all over the city, including a reception with Nathaniel Ayers' sister. For more programs and great ways to get involved, click on One City, One Book post title.
See you next week at Lunch & Literature, Thursday October 14 @ 12:30pm in the Seminar Room at Bluford Library.

Mark your calendars...

The next Lunch and Literature will take place on Thursday, October 14th from 12:30-1:30pm in the library's 2nd floor Seminar Room. This month's read is the Greensboro Public Library's One City One Book selection, The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music. Bring your lunch and bring a friend for lively discussion!