March 5, 2010

Message from the Friends to State Senator Stan Rosenberg

In bad times as in good, in a democracy the public library is a great educator of the public, open and free to all, regardless of wealth or age or any qualification other than human curiosity to learn. To nourish our libraries is to nourish the Commonwealth. In light of that, the Board of the Friends of the Jones Library System in Amherst MA strongly supports the restoration of funding to regional libraries in the state budget that has been cut severely in Governor Patrick's original budget proposal.

February 16, 2010

Juliblat/Jones Poetry Reading this Sunday

jubilat and the historic Jones Library

present

A jubilat/Jones Poetry Reading

Featuring:

Jericho Brown
and
CAConrad


3:00 PM
Sunday, February 21st
Trustees Room, Jones Library
43 Amity Street, Amherst


The reading will be followed by a Q & A session with the poets.

At 2 PM, Dara Wier, Ben Kopel, and Zach Savich will host a poetry swap in the Trustees Room. Bring a poem--your own or someone else's--to share and discuss. All events are free and open to the public.

Jericho Brown worked as speechwriter for the Mayor of New Orleans before receiving his PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Houston. He also holds an MFA from the University of New Orleans and a BA from Dillard University. The recipient of the Whiting Writers Award, the Bunting Fellowship from the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University, and two travel fellowships to the Krakow Poetry Seminar in Poland, Brown teaches creative writing as an Assistant Professor of English at the University of San Diego. His first book, Please (New Issues), won the 2009 American Book Award.

CAConrad is the recipient of The Gil Ott Book Award for The Book of Frank (Chax Press, 2009). He is also the author of Advanced Elvis Course (Soft Skull Press, 2009), (Soma)tic Midge (Faux Press, 2008), Deviant Propulsion (Soft Skull Press, 2006), and a forthcoming collaboration with poet Frank Sherlock, The City Real & Imagined: Philadelphia Poems (Factory School Books, 2010).

Sponsored by the Friends of the Jones Library, jubilat, the Juniper Initiative of the UMass MFA Program for Poets & Writers, the Amherst Cultural Council, and Factory Hollow Press, the jubilat/Jones Series showcases established and emerging poets in six readings each year.

If you have questions, please contact the jubilat office at (413) 577-1064.

January 5, 2010

The Valentine Basket Auction is coming very soon!


The wonderful Valentine Baskets, full of books and chocolate and great gifts for everyone, will be in the Jones Library Atrium from February 3rd to February 11th. Please come and browse the baskets and place a bid on your favorite ones!
All proceeds go to the library book fund, so you can treat yourself (or someone you love) and help the library at the same time!