Literary reading on Nov. 7 in New York to support Kitengesa Library and FAVL

The Canadian organization YouLead has raised CAN$10,000 towards a computer center for the Kitengesa library. Before we can buy computers, however, we must purchase land and put up a new building, for the present building is not appropriate for expansion, nor can we stay on the school’s land for ever. The new building will include a community hall that can be rented out to generate an income. All this cannot, however, be covered by $10,000 (even Canadian ones); so we are now engaged in a drive to raise a further $10,000. We would like to invite you all to a special benefit reading on behalf of the library on Wednesday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m., in the Hunter College Archives, Room 222A, Hunter East (i.e. in the college library); the building is on the southeast corner of Lexington Avenue and 68th Street. The readers will be Donna Masini, Jan Heller Levi, Tom Sleigh, and Michael Thomas, all of whom teach in Hunter’s acclaimed MFA in Creative Writing Program. The suggested donation is $25 or $5 for students; or you may choose to sponsor a Library Scholar for $100.

Jacb Lawrence's Library - 1969

For more on Jacob Lawrence, see the great website created by the Phillips Collection.

What Books to Read After the Kung-Fu Movie? Digital Book Reviews to Inspire African Village Readers

We've made an application to the Knight News Challenge for a new program in Burkina Faso... you can read it there and comment (search for Africa, and you will see the handful of proposals, including ours).

Young village readers are often reluctant to experiment with new books, worrying that the grammar, style and vocabulary (books are in French) might be too difficult. These same young readers are avid viewers of local evening video sessions where an entrepreneur shows kung-fu and Bollywood movies for a small fee on a television powered by a generator (the villages have no electricity). There is no feasible way for them to get written book reviews of new and notable books, a traditional function of print newspapers. FAVL would create a regular bi-monthly stream of short (15 minute) video book reviews featuring local readers speaking in local languages, giving short plot summaries of readable new books available in the local libraries. These reviews would range from novels to memoirs by famous politicians. A FAVL staff member would be trained to shoot, edit and transfer to DVD short videos. The DVD's would be shown on video movie nights and other occasions when televisions are used in the villages.