Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Planning a Trip to a Spanish-speaking Country?

Attention All Travelers...
Planning a summer trip to a spanish-speaking country? Dreaming of Mexican beaches? Colonial towns like Morelia and San Miguel? The Alhambra? Madrid? Wherever travel takes you, it will be helpful to know some basic Spanish.
Join us Monday, May 5th and Wednesday, May 7th (5:30-7:30 pm) for a fun Spanish for Travelers course taught by Elise Mandel. Students will get quick exposure to some basic conversation and ways to navigate the language. This 2-session class will include greetings, hotel and travel vocabulary...and of course, how to order great food!
Cost $20! Call (859.254.4175) or email (ccll1@carnegieliteracy.org) to sign up!

~warmly~
Katherine

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Poems to Share

Carnegie Center friend, accomplished poet, former intern and upcoming CCLL instructor, Robert Campbell has agreed to share some of his work. Enjoy!

Lots
One wants to become a headlight
in the desert of impalpable dark.
What becomes of the neophyte,
flesh against flesh? They said to park


in the desert of impalpable dark,
the body a thing that fits cleanly between
flesh, against flesh. They said to park
there, on the left. They want to entwine


the body, a thing that fits cleanly in between.
One wants to glow behind the orange tape,
there, on the left. One wants to entwine
knower and known from lots six and eight.


One wants to glow behind the orange tape.
Meanwhile, they want you sexless as concrete,
nowhere, a no one from lots six and eight,
light licking shadow, yellow lines laid neat.


Skillet, Oil, Meat
My father’s mother, with those hands
that, at thirteen, hauled wood,
killed pigs, washed linens, paling
from the bleach, would set herself
to tilt skillets full of oil,
a circle of perfect dark
wider than a growing bulb,
smaller than the mouth’s hole.


She pruned hibiscus leaves
in her jet-black bathing suit,
sported the wig not for lack of hair,
but because, at the end of the day,
she could lay back, lift
the cumbersome load of curls
onto the manikin head staring back
from her vanity and sleep lighter,
tresses breathing in, out with
the bedroom window’s draft.


She stretched a bronzed arm
over the cement pots, tilted
the pitcher, watched water
tremble off the top,
then, to nourish the animate, pulled
chicken gizzards for the frying pan.


Hot oil rattles meat
almost as hard as grief.
The sizzle is not unlike
the dissolving body, bones
caved in under the weight of spirit,
smoke from burnt flesh, stygian hiss,
opaque when cooled, useful
for cornbread, pies, beans.


Song of White Noise
The hive is gone now;
the vacuum pounds complaint
at corners of a room.


I needed something to possess;
you needed possessions, but more,
someone calm to hold your hand


down the fluorescent aisles,
constructed other, flesh
of your flesh, voice of your device.


Now my voice will rise to you
from behind every automation.
Scan item. Validate pass. Hand me


your extracted cerebrum.

Look how I’ve grown exactly where
your old house used to be.


I’ll teach you how to count
your fingers into finger-bones,
a Sybil with mouths


all over, behind glass, wave-like,
my leaves encoded like a pollen
batting at your atmosphere.


Remember that tomorrow is the last day of National Poetry Month! Happy writing! Thank you again to Robert for sharing with us!

~warmly~
Katherine

Monday, April 28, 2008

Express Yourself! Writing class for 10-12 year olds

Express Yourself!
Thursdays, May 1 to May 22

5:30-6:30 pm
A writing workshop for 10 to 12-year-old students who want to express themselves and their experiences through various writing media. Bring your journal! Hands-on exercises will explore poetry, playwrighting, and creative nonfiction. This is a great opportunity to make new friends and Express Yourself!

Cost $10

Taught by Morgan Kirkland

Please call 859.254.4175 for more information or if you are interested in signing up.

You can also send your registration info to ccll1@carnegieliteracy.org.

(Name, Grade, Phone Number, Address, School, Guardian Name)

We take payment by cash, check or credit card (except for American Express).

We hope that you can join us! Make writing fun!

~warmly~
Katherine

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Early Learner Book Club Recap

Last Saturday was another wonderful Early Learner Book club, our story program for 3-5 year olds. Here are some adorable pictures...


reading...

coloring...

making crafts...

If you are interested in more information about the next ELBC, give us a call at 859.254.4175.

~warmly~
Katherine

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Carnegie Center Welcomed 100 for Earth Day Celebration!

We were thrilled to welcome 100 people to the Carnegie Center in celebration of Earth Day. Families participated in a variety of hands on activities and crafts, as well as enjoying dinner. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who helped to make that possible!





Get plugged in for the next FFLN on May 13th. For more information about May's Game Night, call 859.254.4175.

~warmly~
Katherine

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Happy Earth Day!

Happy (38th) Earth Day! Do something special today to remind yourself of how you should live everyday. Reduce your ecological footprint by planting a tree, riding your bike to work, recycling, taking your own bags to the store---there is so much you can do----and one person makes such a HUGE difference!

We hope that you can join us tonight for FFLN: Celebrate Earth Day! Call today to reserve your spot (859.254.4175).

~warmly~
Katherine

Monday, April 21, 2008

FFLN: Celebrate Earth Day

The next Family Fun and Learning Night is this Tuesday on 5:30-7:30 pm. We will be celebrating Earth Day (April 22nd) with lots of fun family activities! We'll learn about recycling, rain barrell, rain gardens and more.

FREE Dinner will also be served.

This program is most suitable for students in elementary and early middle school.

Call today to sign up (859.254.4175)
We hope to see you then!

~warmly~
Katherine

Friday, April 18, 2008

Early Learner Book Club this Saturday

Early Learner Book Club will meet this Saturday, April 19th from 10:30-11:30 am. Please call ahead to pre-register as space is VERY limited for this popular class. Signing up ahead of time is the only way to secure your FREE, featured book.

If you can't make it this weekend, we'd like to recommend the featured book for you to read at home. We will be reading The Biggest Bear by author and illustrator, Adam Relf.

Have a wonderful weekend! Hope to see you all at tonight's Gallery Hop!

~warmly~
Katherine

Thursday, April 17, 2008

The votes are in--Most of you read one book per week---Are you suprised?

Last week's poll, "How many books do you finish in one week?" brought some interesting results. Most of you (57%) complete one book each week. Only 17% finished more than two in that time. No one completed 3+ books during a week. That left 28% of our blog readers finishing less than 1 book during the week.

Very interesting...

Happy reading---no matter how many books you finish!

~warmly~
Katherine

Check out this week's poll, too! It's in honor of National Poetry Month and Young People's Poetry Week.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Final New Books Event for 07-08 series


Please join us tomorrow night for Lynnell Edwards' FREE reading and signing of her book of poems, The Highwayman's Wife. The reading will begin at 6:30 pm. Then, at 7:30 pm, Lynnell will lead a hands- on workshop, "A CONSIDERATION OF THE 'LINE" IN POETRY." The cost of the workshop is $25. Lynnell's books are currently on sale at the Carnegie Center.

Lynnell Edwards is the author of The Farmer's Daughter. Her work has appeared in Poets Against the War; Raising Our Voices: Oregon Poets Against the War; and numerous literary journals including: Poems & Plays, Southern Poetry Review, Poetry East, and Dos Passos Review. She is a regular reviewer for The Georgia Review, Pleiades, and Rain Taxi. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky where she teaches at the University of Louisville. She received her doctorate in English at the University of Louisville and her undergraduate degree at Centre College in Kentucky. She is the recipient of a 2007 Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council.

Lynnell Edwards is the author of two collections of poetry, both from Red Hen Press: The Highwayman's Wife (2007) and The Farmer's Daughter (2003).


We hope to see you there!

~warmly~
Katherine

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Happy Tax Day--and other fun stuff


Hey, all...

Today is not only Tax Day, but also the 556th birthday of Leonardo da Vinci. In honor of this great artist, do something creative today!


Check of Leonardo's workshop for kids. Explore interesting sites about his life and work.

Ponder da Vinci's advice to writers, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Get inspired! Happy Tax Day Tuesday!

~warmly~
Katherine

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Young People's Poetry Week Next Week


Stop by the Carnegie Center next week to celebrate Young People's Poetry Week! There will be a ton of exciting activities: poetry listening stations, a poetry wall, magnetic poetry stations, featured poems throughout the bldg, a poetry window, and lots, lots more!

We are also still taking submissions for our Young People's Poetry Contest (see earlier post or call for further details!)

~warmly~
Katherine

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Crafting the Legal Thriller


New Carnegie Center class THIS SATURDAY!

The Details:
Crafting the Legal Thriller
Saturdays April 12 and 19 1
0:30 am to 12:30 pm

Cost $50
scholarships available
taught by Milton Toby

Interested in writing a legal thriller, but don’t know where to start? Join attorney and author Milton Toby for a discussion of the genre. Learn why a thriller isn’t a mystery and why the difference matters, where to find story ideas, how plot structure can build and maintain suspense, and some common mistakes to avoid. If you have a work in progress to share, feel free to bring it along.

Call (859.254.4175) or sign up today!

~warmly~
Katherine

Monday, April 7, 2008

The Evening Writers Have It!

This weekend, the polls were closed on our blog question of the week, "During what time of day do you prefer to write?" It looks like there are more evening writers out there than any other time option. Since I count myself among those evening writers, I completely agree!---there is no better activity to unwind at the end of a long day.

Keep writing and stay tuned for our next poll question.

~warmly~
Katherine

Friday, April 4, 2008

New Class: Test-Taking Tips for Elementary Age Students


Here are the details on this new class:

Test-Taking Tips
for Elementary School Students


Mondays, April 7 & 14
5:30-7 pm
$5 materials fee per student

Take the anxiety out of test-taking and do your tip-top best! Handy tips and practice activities. It will be fun!

Give us a call or send us an email to sign up!

Happy Weekend!

~warmly~
Katherine

Thursday, April 3, 2008

It's Not Too Late--Sign up for the 5K Run/Walk or to Make a Donation

Just a reminder that the Carnegie Center's 4th annual 5K Run/Walk event is this Saturday, April 5th at 6:30 pm. The event is sponsered by UK Honor Program, UK Student Government Association and John's Run/Walk Shop. Sign up today! Find yourself free on Saturday?--Late entries are also welcomed the day of the race. Registration fees are $15.

Can't join us? Make a donation to the Carnegie Center instead! Contact Jennifer Mattox for further information (859.254.4175 or jmattox@carnegieliteracy.org).

Happy Thursday!
~warmly~
Katherine

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Updated Family Resource Room Wish List

Hi, Carnegie Center friends! Thank you so much for many of your generous donations to our new Family Resource Room. The new additions have been a significant help to the 130 tutoring pairs meeting each week! If you still haven't seen the new space, stop by anytime---we'd love to show it to you!

We wanted to publish an updated list of items that we still need for the space.
Our Wish List:

1. Coffee table (preferably light wood, super solid)
2. Large rug (3.5 yd x 4 yd)
-muted children’s colors appreciated but not necessary. It could be a finished carpet remnant rather than an official rug. It is for the sitting corner, where tutoring pairs will be able to sit and read comfortably beneath the shade of a large potted tree.
3. As always, gently used or new children and young adult books
4. Microsoft Office software

Thanks to all of our generous supporters!

~warmly~
Katherine

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Full Text of Legacy Winner Now Up on Website

Bruce Florence's winning Legacies story is now up on the Carnegie Center website. Click here to check it out!

~warmly~
Katherine

April Fools' Day

Can you believe it? It really is April 1!

Happy April Fools' Day! In honor of this (kind-of) holiday, check out some of the world's greatest April Fools' hoaxes and pranks. You'll have to think BIG, but you may get some ideas.

If you fancy yourself a prankster, leave us a little story of your best.

Happy Fooling!

~warmly~
Katherine