Valerie Hemingway Book Signing/Talk

As I was driving in my car yesterday back up to East Lansing from my hometown I heard an ad on the radio about a book signing and talk by the author Valerie Hemingway as part of The Great Michigan Read statewide reading program. She spoke tonight at the Library of Michigan; I'm sorry I am just posting this now in case any of you wished to have heard her speak tonight. I immediately thought of this class when I heard this announcement on 99.1, and it sparked curiosity that made me want to research a little bit more about her to see what she is all about. Valerie Hemingway is the author of Running with the Bulls, which is a memoir of her years as Ernest Hemingway's secretary. There is also going to be an exhibit at the Library of Michigan in Lansing that goes until May 5 that focuses on the influence of northern Michigan and the Nick Adams stories. It is open to the public 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. I hope some of you check this out if this interests any of you.

I thought it was interesting that on this random drive I heard an announcement that related so well to this class.

Two poetry events!

Poem in Your Pocket
Thursday, April 17th

The Academy of American Poets has declared "Poem in Your Pocket" to be the theme of the 2008 National Poetry Month. They are encouraging all of us to put a poem, or poems, in our pocket (small poems) on Thursday, April 17th, and as we go through the day, reach into our pockets and pull out those poems to share with folks we encounter. You could have ten copies of the same poem in your pocket, or ten different poems. Or twenty. Or thirty.

TRILLIUM
College of Education Evening of Poetry
Wednesday, April 23, 7:00 p.m., Erickson 252

April is Poetry Month, and once again the College of Education is holding a Trillium Evening of Poetry. The evening will feature poetry by Laura Apol and Janine Certo. Open mike time will include readings by staff, students and faculty across departments and levels. Music of any form is also welcome.

Please consider participating in any way you wish: read an original work, read a favorite piece by another writer, read a translation or a poem in your own language, be a part of the audience, bring students and friends. If you are a visual artist, please consider displaying your work; if you are a musician, please consider performing.

Open mike readers and musicians will be given 3-5 minutes for their performance; please plan accordingly.
We are looking forward to another wonderful evening. Please plan to join us, and please announce this event to your classes and to the elementary, middle and high school teachers and students with whom you work.

Jewish Folklore

On Thursday evening, Howard Schwartz spoke at the Union on “Jewish Tales of the Supernatural”. Howard Schwartz is a writer whose focus is on Jewish folklore. I had never heard of Jewish folklore before and I was interested in what this is like. Because I was raised Jewish, I wanted to see if the morals presented in these Folktales are ones that I would like to identify myself with.
At the presentation, there were many picture books lying out with Jewish folklore stories. I had a couple minutes to look through one of the books, and I also stayed to hear the speaker talk about a couple Jewish folktales.
Like other folktales I have read or heard of, there were underlying themes and personification with animals. The themes, however, were different from other folktales. For example, in the book I read, the theme was to keep the Sabbath.
Some of the main themes in the folklore Howard Schwartz shared were ideas I do not necessarily agree with. This led me to reflect on many things, including folklore itself. What significance does folklore play in religion? What is the difference between biblical stories and religious folklore?
If any of you are interested, he is giving another lecture on Saturday, March 29 at Noon, on the topic “Is There a Jewish Mythology?” You can contact Congregation Shaarey Zedek for more information.

Pumps & Glitter II (McDonel Hall Drag Show)

Hey all this is a cool and fun event attend if you can.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=12228133851

Time and Place

Date:	Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Time:	9:30pm - 11:00pm
Location:	McDonel Hall Kiva

Come join us for THE event of the semester. You never know what might happen!

Planned events include a showing of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" as well as performances by the HOTTEST dragstars on campus. But please... expect the unexpected.

Author visit - TOMORROW!

Meet Best Selling Young Adult Author Lauren Myracle!
Tuesday, March 25th at 7:00 p.m.
Lauren Myracle is the author of numerous best selling books for tweens and teens. She will be visiting Schuler Books to talk about two of her newest books, Thirteen and L8R, G8R.

Thirteen, the much anticipated sequel to Eleven and Twelve, continues the story of Winnie Perry, who is FINALLY a teenager! But Winnie is about to find out that the bigger you get, the bigger your problems get too!

L8R, G8R, now available in paperback, is the best-selling sequel to TTYL and TTFN, Myracle’s innovative novels for teens told entirely through instant messages. Following best friends Maddie, Angela, and Zoe, also known as the winsome threesome, as they get closer to graduation, L8R, G8R shows just how important it can be to have your best friends only an instant message away!

Visiting authors

This was sent to me by one of the librarians at the East Lansing Public Library. It sounds like a great opportunity!:

If you have seen and loved these books, you might be interested in this program at the library in a couple of weeks. Please let your students know!

The East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbot Road, will host a special program on Saturday, March 29 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. based on the best-selling and award-winning children's book, �Lost in the Woods,� by nature photographers Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick.

This event, recommended for ages 4 and up, is free and no registration is required. The brother-sister team of Laura and Rob Sams, cousins of Carl R. Sams, will demonstrate how the book was created and share a few highlights of the book�s evolution into a movie. This energetic and informative presentation will feature video clips, live music, animal voices and even an interactive game show to bring the creative process to life.

Hope to see you all there!

Mary

Copies of the book and movie will be available for purchase at the event. More information and pictures can be found at www.sisbro.com or www.strangerinthewoods.com.

Donations for Nicaragua!

Hey everyone,

I'm studying abroad over spring break in Nicaragua. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, so if your feel like being in a giving mood I'd be glad to accept donations in class on Monday. If you're interested, bring any new or slightly used MSU swag, anything from pencils to t-shits. Everything is much appreciated!

Thanks a ton,
Megan Schneider

Self Defense for Women

I just wanted to let you all know about the opportunities on campus that are available for people who are interested in learning more about self defense. The group that I am part of focuses in on the issue of sexual assualt awareness/prevention/resources etc. There are two different ways that people who are interested can get involved.

There is a Self Defense Club on campus that all MSU students are free to join, for more info. go to either www.msu.edu/~sdclub or join the facebook group "Self Defense Club."

Another option for people who may not have the time to committ to a club is to request a two hour program, run by trained MSU students, for a group of friends, hall mates, or even a social group. These programs are free and available upon request, in order to schedule one contact Michelle Harkins at harkins9@imsports.msu.edu or by calling (517) 431-2661.

NCLB Video

"No Child Left Behind"

“After spending a year as a student teacher in a New York City elementary school, documentary filmmaker Lerone Wilson explores the effects of President Bush's momentous No Child Left Behind Act on schools across the country.”

Boondoggle Films

Lerone Wilson, a Detroit native, includes Michigan schools in this documentary

Friday, February 8^th * Room 252 * 10:30am to 12pm

Film followed by Discussion ~ Brown-Bag session

Vocabulary Visits: LARC is hosting Blachowicz

I'm sorry that I'm posting this at the last minute. Blachowicz is speaking tomorrow (Friday 1/24/08). From her articles, I think her talk will connect to our discussion last week about reading aloud, vocabulary and concept development. Everyone is welcome!

Camille Blachowicz, National Louis University

Vocabulary Visits: Enhancing Content Vocabulary Learning in the Primary Grades

Room 133F Erickson Hall

10:30-12:00.

For more information on the talk, and to link to some of Camille’s work on this topic, check out the LARC website, www.msularc.org

Safe Schools Seminar Series

Hi everyone,

Here's the schedule for the MSU Safe Schools Series. If you aren't familiar with Safe Schools, it is an organization that promotes education and discussion in the teacher education department around issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. The group and the sessions welcome anyone who would like to learn more! (And there's always free pizza!)

Seminars for Spring, 2008

Transgender Issues in Education

Award-winning author, performer, and educator S. Bear Bergman will visit share insights, stories and perspectives on the experiences of transgender people in schools. This event will be entertaining and informative.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Erickson Kiva

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Legal Rights & Responsibilities

Attorney Jay Kaplan from the ACLU will return to provide an overview of the teachers’ and schools legal rights and responsibilities towards GLBT students, teachers, and parents. He will also give us an update on the current legislation affecting Michigan schools, including the school bullying bill.

Thursday, March 13, 2008, 5:00 – 6:30 252 EH Erickson Hall

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Identity in the Classroom: Traversing Teacher's Multiple Identities

What issues arise as a teacher enters the classroom? How does a teacher's "identity(s)," be it related to race, gender, sexual orientation, etc., impact his/her/hir interactions with not only students, but with parents, colleagues, and administrators? This seminar will allow participants to think through the complexity of their own identities and ask questions perhaps left un-asked in their curriculum.

Wednesday, April 2, 5:00-6:30, 252 EH Erickson Hall

Upcoming Event: "Culturally Contested Literacies..."

One of the ways that we'll use this blog is to tell each other about upcoming events. Here's one that sounds interesting.

Book Launch and Presentation:
Culturally Contested Literacies:
America's 'Rainbow Underclass' and Urban Schools
By Guofang Li (Dr. Li is a professor here at MSU!)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Noon-1:00, Room 507 Erickson I think this has been moved to Erickson 252
Light Lunch Provided

If you attend, please let us know what you learned or thought by writing a post or commenting on this post!