What a Week!

Well, it's been quite a week since last time we were able to post here. Friday, we couldn't open because of power outages across the District, and Monday and Teusday were very busy indeed! Even our plans for today went somewhat awry, since we couldn't find out coloring books or the stories we wanted to tell. We made up for it with two fun replacements. After getting our wiggles out by singing the Hokey Pokey, we read "Leaf Man", by Lois Ehlert, and "Silly Sally", by Audrey Wood.

"Leaf Man" is an excellent story to read to small children. Each page contains pictures of animals, plants and places, all made out of a variety of fallen leaves. The kids were really great at pointing out all the things that were hidden on the pages, even pointing out things I missed the first time reading it.

As it turns out, the preschool already owns a copy of "Silly Sally", and they were very excited to hear it here at the library. In fact, they knew the story so well that some of them were able to read it right along with me, and tell me what was going to happen next! To cap it off, we watched the first half of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", which we will be continuing in two weeks.

Next week we will definitely be having a Dinosaur Day. Miss Robinson has been working all week long on a pair of collages for the children, with a wide variety of pictures and names of dinosaurs for them to learn about. We will have coloring, stories and activities all related to those ancient animals.

Then, exactly two weeks from today on July 2nd, we will have the National Opera here in Sursum to perform "Madame Butterfly".

Looking forward to an exciting couple of weeks,

~Nick H.

Wednesday Storytime

Yesterday morning, we had a lot of fun! Our preschool kids came in for storytime once again. This time, we read two stories. The first was a short story called "Who Hops?" by Katie Davis. The book had us hopping, slithering, crawling and flying all over the place.

Next, we read one of my personal favorites, "A Giraffe and a Half", by Shel Silverstein. This poem shows exactly how complicated the life of a giraffe can be!

Next week, we're going to be having a Dinosaur Day. We'll have stories, of course, and also songs, a movie and a coloring contest. Events will start at 10:00 am, and last until about 11:30 or noon.

Celebrate Theatre @ Sursum

On July 2nd at 1:30 pm, the Washington National Opera will bring a special presentation of the classic "Madam Butterfly" to the Sursum Corda Community Library. The event is geared for an audience aged six to twelve years old, but will doubtless be entertaining for guests of all ages.

Saturday @ the New Court

It was a stifling, hazy Saturday morning here in the District, but that didn't stop the crowd from coming together at the new basketball court on New York and First. It was an important day for the NW1 community, with a newly refurbished court here to kick off the start of the season for the Metropolitan Basketball League. Unfortunately, the scheduled game was cancelled on account of the heat, which peaked at a maniacal 98 degrees Farenheit during the day. That didn't stop Team Unique from shooting a few hoops on their own before heading off to cooler pastures.

The highlight of the morning was the ribbon cutting ceremony, when speeches were given by city councilman Harry Thomas Jr. and Police Commissioner Cathy Lanier, amonst others. Powerade was there as a sponsor to keep everyone cool, and to celebrate the opening, DC Parks and Recreations gave away 100 basketballs to all comers, and DJ Rico kept things bumping with tracks hot enough to match the weather.

All told, it was a successful day despite the heat, and everyone looks forward to a great season out on the beautiful new court. Photos can be found on our myspace page.

Peace.

~Nick H.

Weekend Fun!

As usual, we will be closed for the weekend, but at least one of us will be making an appearance at the ribbon cutting tomorrow at the new basketball court next door. Next week, look forward to further additions to our Myspace and Facebook pages, including more book reviews, new discussion board topics and information about summer programming.

Wednesday, anyone with children is welcome to come to storytime starting at 10:30 am. There will be a blend of nursery rhymes, folk tales and even a little song-and-dance. Be there!

Have a great weekend.

~Nick H.

Book Review

"Light: Stories of Urban Ressurection", by R. Kayeen Thomas

Review by Nicholas Hirsch

"Light" is a powerful, inspired collection of short stories and poetry with a theme of urban redemption and, well, resurrection. His emotional range and impact are matched only by the extreme literary quality of his writing. His style covers a wide range; from the raw, jagged edge of inner city hip-hop to the neo-baroque inflections of horror writers like Anne Rice or Clive Barker.

The opening salvo of "Light" is a short story called "The Awakening". This is the story of a meeting between two inner-city teens whose lives are burdened by expectation and circumstance, each of whom harbors a secret light of knowledge and emotion kept invisible to everyone around them. Their meeting goes beyond the simple moment, though, and leaves both in a state of elevation and despair.

From there, Thomas takes us on a personal journey through a world of unheard screams and terrible whispers, casual divinity, sacrifice and, ultimately, renewal.

In his preface, Thomas tells the reader that "Light" is not simply a book but an experience to be lived through and changed by. After reading the whole thing through twice (it's not hard to do, at a deceptively short ninety pages), I agree whole-heartedly. This is especially evident in the final segment, a second-person narrative entitled (appropriately) "You". "You" is no simple story. Thomas does not ask, but tell the reader what is happening, and there's nothing else to do for it but to follow. In the mere space of four pages, Thomas renders bare the laughter and despair found in living, through the medium of a related dream.

Ultimately, "Light" is not simple a collection of "stories of urban resurrection". It is an open challenge to the reader, demanding that we be resurrected. It is a revival, told in poetry and prose. There is no suggestion to it. R. Kayeen Thomas doesn't leave room for equivocation, and, most important, leaves us with a sense that the door is open for this new generation to find its wings.

More Storytime

This morning, like every Wendnesday, was our story time with the preschoolers from across the playground!

Today's stories were "Old Black Fly", by Henry Holt, and "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?", by Dr. Seuss.



It was excellent fun, and we all learned to make some crazy sounds together.

What sounds can you make?

~Nick H.

Saturday B-Ball @ New York Avenue Playground

Saturday, June 7th, the ribbon will be cut on the new basketball court at the New York Ave Playground at the corner of 1st and N st. NW, right between Dunbar High School and Sursum Corda Library. That day will also kick off a 3 on 3 Tournament between Divs. 13U, 16U and 19U.

The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 10 am, with games starting at 11 am. Throughout the day, there will be a dunk contest, three point shootout, food, games, prizes and giveaways, blus live performances and a DJ provided by Triple Team Entertainment.

Info @ (240) 832-9351 or (202) 497-6210

Come out and support the community!

~Nick H.

Storytelling!

Today was the first of our summer programs, and it was quite successful!

Mr. Jon Spelman came to Sursum at 10:30 am today to share stories about a variety of things, from what happens to little boys who watch too much t.v. to why spiders have big bellies and little bodies. The children had a blast, and so did Mr. Spelman.



What a great start to the summer. Thank you to everyone who came, and we look forward to seeing you again!

Addendum to the Awesomeness

With the onset of summer, there are a lot of great things planned here over the summer. Aside from the pre-planned events that are happening city-wide, we'll be putting on our own programs and having our own workshops. Be sure to check for updates!

Love and Peace, and plenty of Vitamin D~

~N~

New Blog - Better Library!

This is the first ever post of the Sursum Corda Community Library weblog!

Along with our new presence on Myspace and Facebook, this will complete our new internet trifecta of awesomeness (tm) here at Sursum Corda - an attempt on our part to bring this community space into the digital age (and maybe get to know our patrons a little better, at that ^_^).

Here, we'll be posting library news, events and book reviews, along with the occasional op-ed piece by members of our staff. We'll also be keeping an ongoing update of Sursum's collection as new books continue to come in over the summer. Even better, we'll be creating a new Staff and Patron Favorites shelf, and posting its contents for all to see, discuss and enjoy.

Onward and Upward - Peace and Love.

~N~ - the Sursum Staff Webslinger