Enoch Pratt Free Library Podcast

George Saunders is the author of three collections of short stories: the bestselling Pastoralia, set against a warped, hilarious, and terrifyingly recognizable American landscape; CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award; and In Persuasion Nation, one of three finalists for the 2006 STORY Prize for best short story collection of the year. The New York Times Magazine called Saunders's latest collection, Tenth of December, "the best book you'll read this year."

In 2006, Saunders received a “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation, which described him as a “highly imaginative author [who] continues to influence a generation of young writers and brings to contemporary American fiction a sense of humor, pathos, and literary style all his own.”

Saunders reads from his new book and talks with Tom Hall, Arts and Culture Editor, “Maryland Morning,” WYPR. Signing will take place after the program on the library's first floor adjacent to the Barnes & Noble table.

CityLit Festival was made possible in part by the generous support of the following:

Recorded On: Saturday, April 13, 2013

Poets laureate Stanley Plumly of Maryland and Dick Allen of Connecticut read their latest work. Plumly is the author of Orphan Hours and is recipient of the 2010 John William Corrington Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature). Allen is the author of Present Vanishing and recipient of the 2013 New Criterion Poetry Prize, one of the country's most prominent prizes for a book-length collection of poems that pays close attention to form. Introduced by Michael Salcman, poet and critic, Past Chair, CityLit Project

CityLit Festival was made possible in part by the generous support of the following:

Recorded On: Saturday, April 13, 2013

Letters About Literature is a national writing contest for students in grades 4 to 10 sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The program encourages young readers to write to the author of a book expressing how that book changed their view of themselves or the world. In state program is managed by the Maryland Humanities Council. Every year at CityLit Festival, students and their families from around the state gather to recognize regional winners.

Special Guest Author:Jonathon Scott Fuqua’s latest book, Calvert the Raven In the Battle of Baltimore, is an illustrated book for children. Fuqua has written YA novels, novels for adults, illustrated chapter books, and graphic novels.

CityLit Festival was made possible in part by the generous support of the following:

Recorded On: Saturday, April 13, 2013

Fiscal sponsorship allows a nonprofit organization (the “fiscal sponsor”) to provide administrative services, access to 501 (c)(3) status and capacity building support for groups or individuals engaged in work that relates to the fiscal sponsor’s mission.

The program is presented by Keith Gavazzi of FusionPartnerships, Inc., a local nonprofit fiscal sponsor for grassroots community based projects and programs working for social change in Baltimore.

Recorded On: Friday, April 5, 2013

Actions have consequences -- and the ability to learn from them revolutionized life on earth. While it's easy enough to see that consequences are important, few have heard there's a science of consequences, with principles that affect us every day and applications everywhere -- at home, at work, and at school. Despite their variety, consequences appear to follow a common set of scientific principles and share some similar effects in the brain. Further, scientists have demonstrated that learning from consequences predictably activates genes and restructures the neural configuration of the brain.

In The Science of Consequences, Susan M. Schneider, an internationally recognized biopsychologist, brings together research from many scientific fields to tell the story of how something so deceptively simple can help make sense of so much.

(www.scienceofconsequences.com)

Recorded On: Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Inextricably connected to issues of autonomy, privacy, and sexuality, the abortion debate remains home base for the culture wars in America. Yet, as Sarah Erdreich argues in Generation Roe, there is more common ground than meets the eye in favor of choice. Erdreich tells the stories of those who risk their lives to pursue careers in the abortion field. She also outlines the legislative battles that are being waged against abortion rights around the country. A women's health advocate, Sarah Erdreich has worked for several prominent pro-choice organizations and written for numerous publications.

Presented in partnership with Planned Parenthood of Maryland.

Recorded On: Wednesday, March 27, 2013

In this overview of health and healing in early America, Elaine G. Breslaw describes the evolution of public health crises and solutions. Breslaw examines "ethnic borrowings" of early American medicine and the tension between trained doctors and the lay public. Orthodox medicine didn't take hold over other healers until the early 20th century when germ theory finally migrated from Europe to the United States and American medical education achieved professional standing.

Elaine Breslaw taught in the history department of Morgan State University for 29 years and is now a visiting scholar at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is the author of Tituba, Reluctant Witch of Salem.

Recorded On: Tuesday, March 26, 2013

How can multiculturalism go wrong? Through extensive interviews conducted in a large Midwestern school district, Antonia Randolph explores how teachers perceive students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and the unintended consequences of a kind of "colorblind multiculturalism." This provocative book challenges readers to look beyond the surface benefits of diversity and raises issues about American schools that need to be addressed.

Antonia Randolph is assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware.

Recorded On: Thursday, March 21, 2013

The first book to investigate Jane Austen's popular significance today, Everybody's Jane considers why Austen matters to amateur readers, how they make use of her novels, what they gain from visiting places associated with her and how they create works of fiction and nonfiction inspired by her novels and life. 

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice, the Pratt Library is proud to present this talk by Austen scholar Juliette Wells, associate professor of English at Goucher College.

Recorded On: Wednesday, March 20, 2013

In 1961 President Eisenhower warned Americans about the dangers of a "military industrial complex." Today, as more and more Americans fall into poverty and the global economy spirals downward, the U.S. is spending more on the military than ever before. Melvin Goodman, a 24-year veteran of the CIA, argues that U.S. military spending is making Americans poorer and less secure, while undermining our political standing in the world. Drawing on his first-hand experience with war planners and intelligence strategists, Goodman offers an insider's critique of the U.S.  military economy and outlines a much-needed vision for how to alter our military policy, practices and spending.

Melvin Goodman was a Soviet analyst at the CIA and the Department of State for 24 years and a professor of international relations at the National War College for 18 years. Currently he is Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington and adjunct professor of government at Johns Hopkins University.

Recorded On: Tuesday, March 19, 2013