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Wendell Berry at Arlington Reads – Now with Video

Watch video of the full program on vimeo.

The Real Deal arrived last night in Arlington.


It wasn’t the Beatles at Shea or Hendrix at Woodstock. Or even the Jonas Brothers at Times Square on New Year’s Eve. But it might have been. For when farmer-writer Wendell Berry slipped through the side door of the Central Library Auditorium, he caused an unprecedented eruption of goodwill and generosity, the likes of which he had never before witnessed. And neither had we.

So the evening began, our fifth annual Arlington Reads main event, presided over by a courtly storytelling philosopher who kept his audience both spellbound and hopeful. His messages were simple: keep faith with yourself, your community, your land—messages that have been lost in the haze of hubris and hucksterism.

He spoke of his influences — Wallace Stegner and other writers of place — and his progress as a writer. And he read from “The Memory of Old Jack” in a voice rich and sonorous, languid and unperturbed, sharing the excerpt about the ambiguity of leaving, the passing of the torch from the seasoned old to the barely formed young, like they did in the communities of bygone eras.

He told us to know and be proud of our space; to ignore what the educators tell us and to be from some place. To know the world through truly knowing what is familiar. To go back to biology, to touch, to feel and to value what is tangible. To stop using too much. To buy local. To exercise leadership from the bottom up. To understand that life is both lucky and luckless, something as a farmer he would know all too well. To know that to feel joy one must also feel pain. To value hard work, to be useful. To have hope, to look within ourselves for the strength and courage to beat back the false idol of bigger/better.

A class act – the real deal.

It has taken us five tries to get here, but with last night’s event we have finally created the Arlington Reads community that we have sought. It just took the right topic, the right persons, the right audiences, and the right time. Last night was absolutely Mr. Berry’s, but both he and Novella Carpenter have helped launch us on this path to transformative civic engagement.

It’s now up to us to look within ourselves and find the means to take the conversations we have been having during this season of Arlington Reads and pursue sustainable actions for the betterment of the whole community of Arlington.

We urge you to join us.

And we now know that one can not go wrong with any brand of Kentucky bourbon.

(Photos can be viewed on the Library’s Flickr collection.)

Central Redesign Update

The new home of Central’s Audio/Visual collection

If you’ve been at the Central Library during the past two weeks, you’ve probably noticed that our redesign plans have continued to move forward.  We’ve recently relocated some of our most-often used materials, so don’t hesitate to ask for directions if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

The following changes have been made so far:

  • New Books moved to the east lobby at the base of the staircase 
  • The Audio/Visual collection was consolidated and shifted into the former New Books alcove, to the left of the Circulation Desk
  • Audio/Visual service desk shifted to directly in front of the A/V collection
  • Patron Holds have been relocated to the former DVD alcove (directly across from the Circulation desk) in order to make them self-service.
  • Popular paperbacks moved upstairs, to the end of the Fiction section
  • ESL and Language Learning books and audio materials moved upstairs, next to the College and Career section
  • All of which has created much improved sight-lines on the first floor

In the coming weeks we will:

  • Create more public seating and an additional group study room, formerly the old Literacy Lab
  • Move the Literacy Lab upstairs, close to the ESL and Language Learning Collections
  • For the first time ever, we will open for public use the 10th Street entrance and create a community information area in the foyer
  • Create new art display areas

We hope you like what you see at the new Central – let us know what you think.

Travelers from Far and Wide for Mr. Berry

We had a packed house Tuesday evening for Wendell Berry’s appearance. People lined up early for the 7 p.m. events at Central Library – some as early as 5 p.m.! As we stated on Facebook, Twitter and the Arlington Reads blog, it was a free event, courtesy of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library, and seats were limited so arriving early was encouraged for those who didn’t want to miss out.

The excitement was palpable, so we decided to find out where these early birds were from, how they heard about Mr. Berry’s appearance at the Library, and whether they had read “The Memory of Old Jack”.

Here’s who we met, and what we learned:

Aida and Kate found out about Wendell Berry’s visit through the DC Area Community of Communities list serve. They haven’t yet read the Arlington Reads title, but they love Berry’s writings in general.

Sally, Sofia and Elizabeth (not pictured) found out about both Wendell Berry and Novella Carpenter’s appearances through a Weston A. Price Foundation email.
Elizabeth especially loves Mr. Berry’s essays, and said that she has been “waiting since 1980 for this night.”
Rob (left) lives in Arlington. He found out about Mr. Berry’s visit online (either the County site or the Library’s web page), and has read The Memory of Old Jack.
Ryan (center) and Alex are friends from New Hampshire. Ryan – who flew down from Laconia, NH just for this event – found out about Mr. Berry’s appearance from a Wendell Berry Yahoo Group, which got the info from Brother Tom Murphy’s Mr. Wendell Berry of Kentucky website. He then told Alex, who drove up from Lynchberg, where he goes to school.
Although Rob did not know Ryan and Alex before this evening, the three were kind enough to be photographed together. Thanks guys!
Judi and Mike drove down from Gaithersburg, and are big Wendell Berry fans as well – they showed us a photo they took of Mr. Berry at an event a year ago. Mike found out about tonight from his yoga teacher, and then soon after saw the event listed on a Slow Food website. Mike has read all of Mr. Berry’s work, and especially loves the Port William books.
Anna lives in Arlington, and said that she first heard about tonight in a Washington Post article – after which several friends also told her about the event.
Sarah (left), who has read The Memory of Old Jack, found out about tonight’s event through her DC church’s listserve. Then she told her friend Betsy (right) – who lives in Rosslyn, but has not read the book. These two were the first ones in line!

We’ll have more photos and the video of the program later this week.

Shirlington's Post-It Note Poetry

Next time you’re at the Shirlington Branch Library take a moment to browse our National Poetry Month inspired bulletin board of Post-it note poetry.

There are many great bits of verse on the board – some original and some classics shared by patrons. Our favorites include:

A Boy’s Life
Water Secrets
Baseball Dreams
Chicken Dinner &
The perfect best friend
wet tongue, long tail
and all

Little Hyundai
Dreams of being Toyota
The Kia blushes

Which ones do you like? You can read more of them here, or at the Shirlington Library.

Some Library Hours Changing as of July 1

With the start of the County’s Fiscal Year 2011 on July 1, 2010, some of Arlington Public Library’s hours will change. Please note the following schedule changes that take effect July 1:

Central Library:

  • Will open at 10 a.m., Monday through Saturday

Branch Libraries:
With the exception of Plaza (which is not open weekends), branch libraries will be closed for one day of service during the work week (By closing on Tuesdays only during the work week, Cherrydale and Glencarlyn will keep their current total weekly hours as those were already reduced for FY 2010):

  • Aurora Hills, Cherrydale and Glencarlyn will be closed on Tuesdays
  • Shirlington, Westover and Columbia Pike will be closed on Thursdays



All other current scheduling will remain in place. Click here for the Library’s current schedule, valid through June 30, 2010. Visit the Library’s online calendar for daily events.

3rd Annual Tour des Bibliothéque a success!

Clear skies and warm (hot!) temperatures greeted the fourteen intrepid riders who showed up for our 3rd annual Tour des Bibliothèque.  If you were there, thanks for riding with us!

If you couldn’t make it, here’s what you missed:

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

Discoveries in the Westover Stacks – Get Cooking!

Discoveries in the Stacks is the Westover Branch Library’s bi-weekly exploration of our collection, delving into areas that you may not have visited yet.

This week we highlight the 641 section….Cooking and it’s many delights.

  • Did you know that vegetables cooked on the grill retain their crispiness because they cook at a higher temperature? Get restaurant quality Chinese take-away right in your own Wok on the grill. Look for The New Vegetarian Grill, by Andrea Chesman – 641.5636.
  • And, right near that book you might find great new ideas for using those fruits and vegetables you bring home from the farmer’s market, or grow in your own back-yard. Look for How to Pick a Peach, by Russ Parsons – 641.35.
  • Discover the art of using spices – you will find Modern Spice, by Monica Bhide at – 641.5954.
  • Don’t have much time? Try Fit and Fast Meals in Minutes, by Linda Gassenheimer – 641.555.

See you next time in another part of the stacks!

Traditional Thai Music at Columbia Pike

Children and their families are invited to enjoy a Thai tale at the Columbia Pike Branch Library, as well as beautiful music played on the traditional Thai instrument, the Kim.

The Kim is a percussive string instrument, which is played by striking the strings with two special sticks. Parita Tongtewin will demonstrate for us, dressed in her traditional Thai clothing, at the Fairies, Fables, and Funny Folktales storytime on Wed, May 12, from 4-5 p.m.

Bring your favorite Asian snack to share!

Infamous Arlingtonian Mary Ann Hall

Rixey Mansion, now part of Marymount University, stands on the site of Mary Ann Hall’s country house.

 

Mary Ann Hall, sister of Bazil Hall, the farmer and slave owner for which Hall’s Hill (now Highview Park) was named, also owned property in Arlington which she used as a summer home and country house. The main building of Marymount University, Rixey Mansion, now occupies the site of Mary Ann’s farmhouse.

Mary Ann was a high-class madam in Washington where she ran a brothel (located at the foot of Capitol Hill) for over 40 years. She bought the lot and had the brothel built to her specifications, a substantial house with four stories containing 25 rooms and a basement.

When the construction for the National Museum of the American Indian began, professional archeologists were called in to interpret the site where her house stood. The results of the excavation showed that the quality of materials at the site was better than that of the surrounding neighborhood. Tableware was expensive and seeds and bones found showed a nutritional diet that included substantial amounts of beef, poultry and fish as well as turtle, and fruits such as coconuts and berries. Also found were dozens of corks and bottles which seemed to indicate Mary Ann’s fondness for champagne.

A successful business woman, in 1853 she was able to purchase a farm in Alexandria County (now Arlington) to which she gradually added through 1869. As she grew older she spent more time at the farm and turned over business matters to her younger sister Elizabeth.

District of Columbia court records show that when she died, Mary Ann Hall was worth $87,000 (about $2,000,000 today) with no debts. A list of her belongings included Belgian carpets, oil paintings, plush red furniture and an ice box as well as a large number of sheets, mattresses, blankets, feather pillows and comforters.

Mary Ann never married, had children or kept a diary. She left no collection of personal letters or business ledgers, so there is little known about her as an individual. However, her obituary in the Evening Star described her as a person of unquestioned integrity and a heart open to “appeals of distress and a charity that was boundless.”

After her death in 1886, she was buried in Congressional Cemetery. The inscription on her grave monument reads:

Truth was her motto
Her creed charity for all
Dawn is coming.



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