Arts & Culture

  • Get Lost (Part 6)

                                                    (Sixth in a series) I’ve been to Hollywood…                           I’ve been to redwood…                       I crossed the ocean for a heart  of  gold…   I’ve been in my mind,                   its such a fine line…   That keeps me searching                           for a heart of gold… Third stop Vallecito and Redding: 2 days, 2 nights The… Continue reading

  • Get Lost (Part 5)

                             (Fifth in a series) Now I don’t know what I’ll find…           Just want to get in the car and drive… Been living too long this way…                                                It’s getting me down…                I know what I need…                                    What I need…             California sun…      It’s calling me… Next stop Calistoga and Napa: 1 day, 1 night… Continue reading

  • ¡Celebre el Día de los Muertos! Celebrate Day of the Dead!

    So, what is Día de los muertos and why would anyone want to celebrate death? México and other Latin American countries have an intimate and playful attitude towards the life/death relationship. Unlike the sober Memorial Day celebrated in the United States, the dead are invited to return and enjoy costumed parades and personalized altars festooned… Continue reading

  • All Your Bass Are Belong To Us, Part II

    To continue our electronic odyssey began in Part I here are some artists you might find at SPL to plug in to and up the amperage of your playlist. Bombay Dub Orchestra – Take a fully orchestrated Bollywood soundtrack, chop it up, chill it down and this is what you get: a 2-disc set, the second… Continue reading

  • Get Lost (Part 3)

    (Third in a series) You look to the sky…                                 Set your course on into the night… You say good-bye…                                                             You hold your head high…     Wherever you’re goin it’s alright… Second stop was Cannon Beach and Salem: 1 day, 1 night We headed out early morning on a sunny Sunday from Portland to… Continue reading

  • All Your Bass Are Belong To Us, Pt. I

    Back in 1919, when the world was in black and white (I’ve always wondered how they knew the sky was blue and the grass was green but every time I ask a librarian about it they get a funny look, mumble something, and wander away. But I digress … ) Leon Theremin was working for… Continue reading

  • Hmongs New Year Festival

    There is something about other ethnic groups and cultures in American that never fails to fascinate me!  As a child of immigrant parents, I’ve always had a keen interest in other people’s culture, and especially their “immigrant experience”.  A few months ago, I re-read The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. This book… Continue reading

  • Get Lost (Part 2)

                                 There are signs…                Dividing in…                               That I couldn’t abide…  I wouldn’t miss it again…          Burning every bridge that I cross…               To find some beautiful place…                                            To get lost… First stop was Portland: 2 nights, 2 days We pulled on to Division Street around ten at night, parked the car, unloaded the bare necessities,… Continue reading

  • ¡Viva! Celebrate Latin America’s Independence Days and National Hispanic Heritage Month with Children’s Books!

    September 15th through October 15th is designated as National Hispanic Heritage Month.  It is a time to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures of Latin America and the struggle for independence.    Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua celebrate their Independence Days on September 15th, Mexico on September 16th, and Chile on September 18th.… Continue reading

  • Music + Books = Delightful Synergy

    Music and reading are subjects that, separately, many people are passionately enthusiastic about.  But what about great music-book pairings for those of us who love them both?  A way to soundtrack our reading, if you will.  For my own personal love match, there is something about the Death Cab for Cutie album Transatlanticism that I… Continue reading

  • Standards and Forgotten Gems: Part II

    Following up on my earlier post, I have a few words on three more undeservedly forgotten songwriters: Arthur Johnston, James V. Monaco and Richard A. Whiting. They may not have household names but their classic songs are still recognized the world over. Arthur Johnston received an Oscar nomination for the standard “Pennies from Heaven,” which… Continue reading

  • Standards and Forgotten Gems: Sheet Music at SPL

    So, all you old sheet music of the 1930s and 1940s nerds (I know you’re out there–and I proudly include myself in this group!), did you know that The Seattle Public Library has a massive, uncataloged collection of this material–available for check-out? Well, we do! Do the names Richard A. Whiting, Harry Revel, Arthur Johnston,… Continue reading

  • Latin Dancing in Seattle, Baile Latino en Seattle!

    It’s August but autumn is right around the corner – yes?! – so keep your dancing feet warm by learning some salsa, cha cha, bachata, and merengue dance in Seattle! There is a surprising number of options for Latin dancing in the Northwest, and Latin dance is one of the most accessible partner dances around.… Continue reading

  • Films Found at my Branch

    I often browse the shelves of my branch library for impulse DVD’s to watch instead of commercial TV. This can lead to some winners and some losers. Staring at the shelves one asks oneself, “If this film is really any good, how come I haven’t heard of it?” Every now and then I get lucky… Continue reading

  • Always a bridesmaid …

    Nancy Pearl, bless her, tells us never to apologize for our reading tastes. I hope her advice extends to TV: I am an addict of the reality series The Bachelorette  (and The Bachelor). I get a lot of teasing for this, and you are welcome to chime in! I don’t know why I find them… Continue reading

  • Dynamic Duo

    “I just want to make sure                       that a million years from now                                         I can still see you up close and                                                          we’ll still have amazing things to say.” Two of my favorite unconventional stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are coming together for a second time in the movie titled (500) Days of… Continue reading

  • Seattle’s Coming Out Party

    According to Paul Dorpat, Seattle’s iconic historian, in the introduction of the wonderful new book by Alan Stein and Paula Becker, Alaska-Yukon-Pacific-Exposition A Timeline History (published by Historylink),  Seattle caught a lucky break back in 1907 when Jamestown, Virginia claimed that year for their tercentenary celebration. The event Seattle had planned to celebrate the 10 year… Continue reading

  • “The Black Mozart”: Chevalier de Saint-George

    How does the son of a slave in eighteenth-century France grow up to become a skilled swordsman, violin virtuoso, inspirational composer and famed military commander?  Joseph Boulogne was born on Christmas Day in 1745 on the island of Guadeloupe.  His mother was a slave; his father a wealthy planter and soon-to-be minor nobleman in France. … Continue reading