Teens Rule Next Week With Debut of The Alexander Muse and A Teenage Stroll!

A busy week is on hand for Alexander County Library - especially for the teens. On Tuesday, April 17 at 3:30 pm, the 2012 edition of The Alexander Muse will make its debut at The Spilled Bean coffee house in Taylorsville. Join us for awesome teen readings of winning works, view winning art and photography, and enjoy delicious refreshments provided by the Alexander Friends of the Library.

Music will be provided by the bands, Home For The Day and the Not So Mighty Bosstones, and singers, Grace Williams and Matthew Campbell. There will be door prizes, so come join the fun! Shannon Childers, owner of The Spilled Bean, plans to electrify the outdoors for this epic event.

On Thursday, April 19 from 5- 7 pm - in tandem with the 45th anniversary of Alexander County Library, we will have A Teenage Stroll. Teen artists from Alexander County will have works displayed throughout the library for everyone to enjoy. Alexander Friends of the Library will provide refreshments. (Aren't they awesome?) Music will be provided by local band, Ghost of Gertrude. Join us!

And let me throw in that this Friday, April 13, is Alexander County Library's 45th Anniversary celebration. We will serve doughnuts, coffee, and juice all day since having a library available to everyone here is sooooo sweet!

Did you know that there was a library here from 1936 to 1942? Then, there were 25 years that passed before the county library reopened in 1967. That is so sad...

Hope to see you at the library!
Mel

Elsewhere for YAYAs, Photography for TPH at The Bean

The YAYAs have spoken about Elsewhere, the novel by Gabrielle Zevin that was the focus of our November meeting. There was a resounding thumbs up on the book which is told from the point of view of Liz, a teen who is hit by a taxi while riding her bicycle. She dies and ends up in Elsewhere.

YAYAs talked about the well, the binoculars that could see to earth, rivers, a 7 year old ship's captain,the benefits of fishing, doggiespeak, and knocking on pipes. If you want to know about these things, we suggest you read Elsewhere as well. :)

Tuesday, November 8 at 3:30 pm is the next meeting of Teen Poetry Happens at The Bean. Ms. Duncan, Ms. Is, and I are very excited to announce that another "P" has been added to Poetry, Prose, Painting, Pen and Ink, Pencil, and other Printings. Photography! Yes, that's right. Photography will be a new category we will discuss at TPH. It will also be a new category for The Alexander Muse teen art and literature magazine we will publish in the spring.

So bring some photos we can wax poetic about! Micah Henry, our editor of The Taylorsville Times, will also join us at the meeting to give great tips on getting the awesome shot.

Hope to see you soon at the library! Or at a great library function. Such as Sunday, November 6 at 3:00 pm at Reformation Lutheran Church when Tamra Wilson will be talking about her book, Dining With Robert Redford and Other Stories. Should be a wonderful time! Sponsored by our beloved Alexander Friends of the Library, the program is free and open to the public.

Ciao for now!
Mel

It Only Takes A Minute!

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday was the final official Teen Poetry Happens @ The Bean meeting for the 2010-2011 school year. We will, of course, have our huge Alexander Muse celebration on April 19 at The Spilled Bean! TPH folks will be there, but we won't do any art or poetry activities for the party.

For our final activity, we created minute poetry - a form embraced by North Carolina Poet Laureate, Cathy Smith Bowers. Ms. Bowers has a lovely tome, A Book of Minutes, from which I read to the teens. Then, we got down to business and created some minute poems.

The rule for minute poetry is to have 3 stanzas. In each stanza you have an 8 syllable line, then a 4 syllable line, another 4 syllable line, and a final 4 syllable line. This 8-4-4-4 stanza can have a rhyme scheme as well, but it is not necessary.

Check out these fine minutes!


Charisma
Confidence is a precious gift
Magnetic selves
Having a voice
Moving a crowd

Sometimes it is better this way
Wall flowers bloom
Hanging silence
I cannot choose

I can't help the personal traits
There is no choice
I like it now
I hate it then
by Christina


Me In Your Head
Hiding in your closet smiling
Holding a knife
With rainbow clothes
What am I, huh?

Giggling while you are sleeping
Creeping the door
To watch you sleep
Not knowing me

When you wake up and I'm not there
Wondering why
I wasn't there
It's in your head
By Pa Jai, Xeng and Karla


Who We Are
In the depths of time we perceive
always too far
always too close
always afraid

Looking for our person to change
To perfect it
To complete it
To control it

While oblivious to the truth
We are the now
We are the present
We are future
by Josh




This was a combined art and minute poem by Rebecca. Click to enlarge it.

Great job guys!

Tomorrow is Judgment Day for The Alexander Muse! I am so excited about the panel we have on board. Cathy Smith Bowers will be one of the judges for the poetry category. What an honor to have our NC Poet Laureate be a part of the process.

There were 63 poems entered, 28 prose entries, and 54 art entries. We will announce the winners on April 19 at The Spilled Bean. The public is welcome to join us! More details will be forthcoming.

Have a great day!

Mel