Celebrating National Aviation Month

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People dreamt about the miracle of flight long before the American aviation pioneers, the Wright brothers, were born…remember the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci’s famed flying machine?  It is fascinating to think back to a time when airplanes were only vague dreams and to consider the hard work, ingenuity, creativity, intelligence, determination, and courage of the men and women who made aviation more than a flight of fancy!  November is National Aviation Month, which gives us an opportunity to celebrate and explore the history of aeronautics.

In recognition of National Aviation Month, we have listed a few of the aviation-related books available in the Hatfield Library on our WU Reads Reading Guide.  Enjoy!

You haven’t seen a tree until you’ve seen its shadow from the sky.–Amelia Earhart

(Image based off of NASA National Aviation Day Poster)

Hallie Ford Literary Series: Mike Scalise

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Please join us for the second event of the Fall 2017 Hallie Ford Literary Series, a reading by Mike Scalise. The reading will take place on Tuesday, October 24th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Hatfield Room (2nd floor of Hatfield Library) and is free and open to the public.

Scalise’s memoir, The Brand New Catastrophe, was the recipient of the Center for Fiction’s 2014 Christopher Doheny Award. Scalise’s story begins when a ruptured pituitary tumor leaves him with the hormone disorder acromegaly at age 24, and he must navigate a new, alien world of illness maintenance. His mother, who has a chronic heart condition and a flair for drama, serves as a complicated model. Ultimately, it is a moving, funny exploration of how we define ourselves by the stories we choose to tell.

Mike Scalise’s work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Agni, Indiewire, Ninth Letter, Paris Review Daily, and other places. He is an 826DC advisory board member, has received fellowships and scholarships from Bread Loaf, Yaddo, and the Ucross Foundation, and was the Philip Roth Writer in Residence at Bucknell University.

Harvest Time!

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Autumn is upon us and with it comes thoughts of cooler temperatures, colorful fall leaves, shorter days, Ocktoberfest, Halloween, and pumpkin everything! In the northwest, the fall is a wonderful time to hit the hiking trail, go for a bike ride, and relish every moment of sunshine before the rains set in. It is a time to bake cookies, pull out your comfy sweaters, fix a cup of tea, and enjoy a good book. Autumn also brings to mind the harvest…a period of time when we gather in crops and prepare for winter. To find out more about harvest events in the Mid-Willamette Valley, have a look at the Travel Oregon site.

In honor of the harvest, we’re highlighting some harvest-related books on our WU Reads Reading Guide. Check it out!

Take Good Care of Yourself

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The start of the academic year is here with all of its excitement, energy, and fun. Along with the thrill of new classes, new subjects, and new ideas comes hard work, long hours, not enough sleep, and stress. Practicing good self-care becomes essential in these hectic times. So in the months ahead remember to take a walk in the park, savor a cup of tea, read a fun book, play Monopoly, breath deeply and do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself…take time to smell the roses!

The library has a variety of books in our collection that offer good ideas on self-care so be sure and have a look at our WU Reads Reading Guide.

“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.” – Jean Shinoda Bolen

First Year of College

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The beginning of the new academic year is here. That means we are enjoying the arrival of a whole new litter of Bearcats. It is an exciting time for all but particularly for our first year students. Many will be living away from their families for the first time, meeting lots of new people, establishing new routines, transitioning from high school student to college student, etc. It is enough to make your head whirl just thinking about all the changes! The library is always here to help with this adjustment and in anticipation of the fall, why not check out a book dealing with first year students or college in general?

Have a look at our WU Reads Reading Guide.

To Market, To Market…

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Over the last several years, the number of farmers’ markets has been growing steadily across the country. It seems like every city and town has some sort of market and Salem is no exception! Outdoor farmers’ markets are open three days a week at three different locations during the summer/fall and a small indoor Saturday market is open year round.  The markets offer a bounty of fresh, healthy produce, a variety of fabulous food carts, interesting crafts,Produce and a great opportunity to support the local economy.  To find out more about farmers’ markets in Oregon, check out the Oregon Farmers Market Association.

As a tribute to farmers’ markets everywhere, we’re highlighting a selection of books related to the markets on our WU Reads Reading Guide.  Take a look!

LGBT Pride Month

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Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month is celebrated each year in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. These spontaneous demonstrations by the LGBT community occurred in protest over police raids at the Stonewall Inn, a well-known gay club in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots are considered by many to be the tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. “The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.” – Library of Congress, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month

As a tribute to LGBT Pride Month, we’re highlighting a selection of recent books related to the LGBT community on our WU Reads Reading Guide.  Take a look!

Graduation and Gratitude

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Graduation season is upon us so it is time for the graduates to be thankful that they successfully made it through the labyrinth. And to be thankful for parents, families, friends, professors and all those who helped them earn that degree. The tassel is worth the hassle! In honor of graduation and gratitude, check out a few related books listed on our Reading Guide.

You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world. — Tom Brokaw

Congratulations, graduates!

WU Reads: April’s Focus is Immigration

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“For all the noise and anger that too often surrounds the immigration debate, America has nothing to fear from today’s immigrants.  They have come here for the same reason that families have always come here, for the same reason my father came here—for the hope that in America, they could build a better life for themselves and their families.” —Barack Obama

Locally, nationally, and around the world, immigration is on everyone’s mind.  To find out more about this important topic, check out some of the current immigration-related books from our collection: http://libguides.willamette.edu/wu_reads

 

Hallie Ford Literary Series: Sister Outsider, April 19

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Please join us for the final event in the Spring 2016 Hallie Ford Literary Series at Willamette, an evening with acclaimed performance poetry duo Sister Outsider, on Tuesday, April 19. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Cat Cavern, on the second floor the University Center, and is free and open to the public.

Sister Outsider is the award-winning duo of Dominique Christina & Denice Frohman. Both Women of the World Poetry Slam Champions, the pair travel extensively to introduce students to the wider function of language and art as activism. Inspired by the life and work of Audre Lorde, they write and perform their “otherness” into the center and use spoken word as a tool for social change.

Dominique Christina is a writer, performer, educator, and activist. She holds five national titles in the three years she has been competing in slam, including the 2014 & 2012 Women of the World Slam Champion and 2011 National Poetry Slam Champion. She is the only person to have won two Women of the World Poetry Championships. She has published two poetry collections, The Bones, The Breaking, The Balm and They Are All Me.

Denice Frohman is an award-winning poet, lyricist, and educator. She is the 2013 Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, 2014 Canto Mundo Fellow, 2012 Leeway Transformation Award recipient, and 2013 Hispanic Choice Award winner. Her work has appeared in the Huffington Post and the forthcoming book, Jotas: An Anthology of Queer Latina Voices. Her debut spoken word album, Feels Like Home was released in 2013.

Get a taste of Sister Outsider performing here: http://www.sisteroutsiderpoetry.com/poems

This event is sponsored by the Department of English, Students for Feminism, and the Hallie Ford Chair in Writing.

Scott Nadelson
English Department, Willamette University