LISTEN UP

FIRST CHAPTER FRIDAYS presents timeless advice from the most popular and best-selling career guide, What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles.  

SING, DANCE, FLY...Choose today to be HAPPY! series is celebrating the butterfly!  Did you know that it can see red, green, and yellow??

From We're a Club in the Woods by Bears and Lions!

In Episode 3 of our series Shawn speaks to Duran Bowie of I’m a Movement Not a Monument, an Inglewood based nonprofit that provides free tutoring to area teens. Shawn and Duran cover the history of his nonprofit, his dreams for the future of this city, and the road to achieving that dream. This episode also includes a bit about our host Shawn, and his path to librarianship.

FIRST CHAPTER FRIDAY presents Dreaming Darkly by Caitlin Kittredge, a teen gothic mystery novel. Listen to the first chapter of this book, where Ivy Bloodgood arrives on Darkhaven island to live in the Bloodgood manor with her uncle whom she’s never met, after the suicide of her mother. From the beginning she is told not to go beyond a certain area of the island because it is occupied by another family, the Ramseys, whom for generations have not gotten along with the Bloodgoods. One of Ivy’s fears is succumbing to whatever mental illness her mother had and led her to commit suicide. Check out this book to find out what family secrets lie within the Bloodgood manor.

Join us for NIGHTMARE BEFORE BEDTIME a Storytime series for Adults and Teens. This installment is a short story by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in August of 1925, He, appeared in the pages of legendary Weird Tales and has influenced countless writers of the macabre. 

Searching for remnants of centuries past on Manhattan Island in New York, a poet comes across a necromancer who takes him through forgotten parts of Greenwich Village to his ancestral estate. There the necromancer shows him visions of the past and future. The visions seen are terrible and absolutely shocking. Does the poet survive his trip? Take the trip yourself.  Nighty night...

How to reduce stress through square breathing.  Square breathing is a deep breathing technique that can help you slow down your breathing. It works by distracting your mind as you count to four, calming your nervous system, and decreasing stress in your body.

FIRST CHAPTER FRIDAYS presents writings by bell hooks.  What are the conditions needed for our nation to bridge cultural and racial divides?  By Writing Beyond Race,  noted cultural critic bell hooks models the constructive ways scholars, activists, and readers can challenge and change systems of domination.

In our second episode Shawn interviews Robert Kingi of KingiKaju, one of the longest running martial arts studios in Inglewood. Kajukenbo is a hybrid martial arts form from Hawaii.  It was developed in the late 1940s. Robert, the 2nd generation head of this martial arts school, discusses the history of the institution, the importance and value of martial arts, the future of the city, and he even gets into a few of his personal book recommendations.

FIRST CHAPTER FRIDAYS presents Deep Listening: A Healing Practice to Calm Your Body, Clear Your Mind, and Open Your Heart.  World-renowned restorative yoga teacher Jillian Pransky came to the practice of yoga to heal herself. For much of her life, she subscribed to a relentless work hard/play hard mentality, burying parts of herself beneath the pursuit of busy-ness and accomplishment. It wasn’t until a devastating personal loss and health crisis thrust her into suffocating anxiety that she stopped racing around. As she began to pause and examine her actions and emotions, she found herself able to unlock deeply seated tension in her mind and body. Since then, Pransky has been devoted to studying and teaching mindfulness practices, deep relaxation, and compassionate listening.

Pransky doesn’t ask you to “be your best self,” or “do more!” She asks you to “be here” and “do less.” She guides you gently through the stages of Deep Listening, from being present and noticing your tension to welcoming what you discover with softness and compassion. She integrates tools like guided meditations, journaling prompts, and restorative yoga poses to help you regard yourself with kindness and curiosity. Immersing yourself in the practice of Deep Listening will allow you to nurture your own well-being.

Join us for NIGHTMARE BEFORE BEDTIME a Storytime series for Adults and Teens. This installment is a supernatural short story by author W. W. Jacobs. It has been adapted many times in other media, including plays, films, TV series, operas, stories and comics, as early as 1903 and as recently as 2019. 

Three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with an enormous price for interfering with fate. So, make a wish, seal your fate! Nighty night...