2008 Common Reading Experience Kicks Off with The Graphic Novel

Cleveland State University kicks off the 2008 Common Reading Experience on Tuesday, September 30 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the Library's first floor. Anastasia Diamond-Ortiz, who developed Cleveland Public Library's graphic novel collection, will make a special presentation titled "The Graphic Novel" based on the book chosen for this year's program - Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, which all first year CSU students will read as part of their orientation to University life.

The book, selected by a committee representing faculty, staff, and the University Library, is a graphic novel that tells the story of a young girl growing up in Iran during the time of the Shah's overthrow and the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The young heroine struggles to make sense of her faith, her politics, and her place in society as an Islamic girl amidst political upheaval and change. Written in the tradition of works such as Art Spiegelman's Maus (1993), the book communicates powerful social and political commentary through a combination of black and white illustrations and text.

All CSU faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend the Common Reading Experience Events

For more information, visit the Common Learning Experience website or contact Dr. Elizabeth A. Lehfeldt, Interim Director of General Education at 687-3935 or e.lehfeldt@csuohio.edu.

Permanent link to this topic. Posted 2008-09-19 11:08:45. Reply to Barbara_Florjancic. Categories: Library News.

Politics & Propaganda: Designing the President

Spectrum: The Lockwood Thompson Dialogues presents Politics & Propaganda: Designing the President featuring Donna Brazile (CNN) & Frank Rich (NY Times) and moderated by Dan Moulthrop (WCPN). This event will be held on Monday, October 6, 2008 @ 6pm in the Cleveland Public Library Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium. It is FREE and open to the public, but seating is limited. To reserve tickets call 216-621-5330 or email contactus@clevelandpublicart.org before Sept. 24, 2008.

Click here for more information.

Permanent link to this topic. Posted 2008-09-17 10:36:49. Reply to Tracy_Kemp. Categories: CPL@CSU.

Grand Opening Writer's Lab--Thursday, September 25

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the University Library invite the Campus Community to the Grand Opening of the Writer's Lab on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 2:00 pm in the Library, Rhodes Tower, room 302.

A brief program will include a ribbon cutting with CLASS Dean Greg Sadlek and Library Director Glenda Thornton. Light refreshments will be served.

The Writer's Lab is a joint venture of the First-Year Writing Program and University Library to provide additional support for students enrolled in First-Year Writing courses. The lab's primary use is for computer-assisted instruction for developmental writing students; however, the lab is open and available to all writing teachers and students. The lab will also be used to support library instruction, particularly for First-Year Writing courses.

The Writer's Lab is funded by the student technology fee.

Please call 216-875-9734 for more information or to reserve a seat.

Permanent link to this topic. Posted 2008-09-08 11:04:54. Reply to Barbara_Florjancic. Categories: Library News.

A timely and timeless story of a young girl's life under the Islamic Revolution

CSU Friends of the Library Book Discussion
Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 3:00, RT 503
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

Richard Fox, Head of the Popular Library at Cleveland Public Library and his colleague, Anastasia Diamond-Ortiz, Head of the Computer Learning Connection at CPL, will lead a discussion on Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return. Ms. Diamond-Ortiz, who also worked in the CPL Popular Library and developed their Graphic Novel collection, will begin with an overview of graphic novels.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is Marjane Satrapi's wise, funny, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq.

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return is the continuation of her fascinating story. In 1984, Marjane flees fundamentalism and the war with Iraq to begin a new life in Vienna. Once there, she faces the trials of adolescence far from her friends and family, and while she soon carves out a place for herself among a group of fellow outsiders, she continues to struggle for a sense of belonging. Persepolis 2 is as funny and poignant as its predecessor.

The event is free and open to CSU faculty, staff, and students and to the general public. Refreshments will be served.

Call 216-875-9734 or email b.florjancic@csuohio.edu to reserve a seat or for more information.

First-year students enrolled in ASC 101 as part of the Common Reading Experience are also encouraged to attend.

Marjane Satrapi was born in 1969 in Rasht, Iran. She now lives in Paris, where she is a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers throughout the world, including The New Yorker and the New York Times. She is the author of several children's books, as well as the critically acclaimed and internationally best-selling memoir Persepolis, which has been translated into twelve languages, was a New York Times Notable Book, and was awarded the first Fernando Buesa Blanco Peace Prize in Spain and an Alex Award from the American Library Association.

Permanent link to this topic. Posted 2008-09-02 16:41:13. Reply to Barbara_Florjancic. Categories: Library News.