New Spanish Class

To meet the demand for beginning Spanish classes, we have scheduled another beginners class that will start in early October.

Here is the information:
Mondays, Oct. 6 to Nov. 24 noon to 2 p.m.
8 weeks; $80
Instructor: Elida Gibson (a native of Venezuela)
Textbook: Spanish Now Level 1; $20
the textbook comes complete with 4 CD's

Please let us know if you are interested in signing up (859.254.4175)!
~warmly~ Katherine

Fall Classes Begin Monday

Join us Monday for the beginning of the fall season. The staff has been anxiously awaiting the return on all of our students and instructors. We've missed you!

Beginning this week:

French classes, Spanish 3: evening, Multiplication Madness, Beginning Spanish, Nonfiction Writing Group, Spanish 2, Spanish 3: daytime, Spanish 4, Fiction Writing, Writing Practice, Brownbag book Discussion Group and the first Eclectic Living Room.

Please note: The Craft of Nonfiction will begin next Wednesday, September 17th, as the instructor is out of town. This was a misprint in the brochure. The class will end as indicated.

See you soon!

~warmly~
Katherine

Roots and Heritage Festival

Visit the Carnegie Center this evening from 5-9 pm for the Roots and Heritage festival art exhibit, featuring Anthony Armstrong. His work will be on display in the Laurie S. Bottoms art gallery on our second floor.

Check out the other Roots and Heritage events, too!

We hope to see you then!

~warmly~
Katherine

Affrilachian Poet Reading Cancelled

A note to all of our writer friends:

The Affrilachian poets reading has been canceled at the Carnegie Center this evening. The induction readings have been combined with Friday night's reading at Al's bar, from 7-9 pm.

~warmly~
Katherine

Life Writing

Hi, all!

I hope that everyone enjoyed a relaxing, wonderful Labor day break. The Carnegie Center is back up and running---and excitedly awaiting the start of classes next week! We are continuing class registrations, but for our Life Writing Master Class, we are nearing the end of possible registration time. If you are interested in submitting for the Life Writing class, the submission deadline will be this Thursday, September 4th. Submissions can be mailed (251 West Second Street/Lexington, KY 40507) or emailed in (ccll1@carnegieliteracy.org). Here are the details:

Life Writing Master Class: Discovering the Form in Your Life’s Stories*
Wednesdays Oct. 1 to Nov. 19 5:00-7:30 pm

This advanced-level class aims to guide writers who are shaping a memoir or series of essays or stories based on life experience as they discover possible forms for this writing. We will look at the forms autobiography and memoir take and also explore how to create a linked series of essays or stories which reveal a theme (or themes) in our life experience. Applicants must submit a 15-page writing sample – memoir, essay, or story based in autobiography. The submissions will be juried. Class limit: 10 participants. $150. Leatha Kendrick

Here's Leatha at her recent book release party at the Carnegie Center. If you haven't worked with Leatha before, you are in for a real treat. For those of you that have taken her classes before, you know exactly what I mean.

See you soon!

~warmly~
Katherine

Holiday Building Schedule

For those of you planning ahead for the weekend, a quick reminder for all tutoring pairs and patrons---we will be closed for Labor Day weekend.

The Carnegie Center will be close for the Labor Day holiday at 5 pm on Friday, August 29th. We will reopen to the public on Tuesday morning, September 2nd at 9 am.

Tuesday is also the first day for Elementary Age Reading group with our reading specialist, Jason Routin. This class is specifically designed for students, grades 3-5, who need extra assistance in reading. The group will work on fun, book-related activities designed to encourage positive reading strategies and a love of books. Call to register today (859.254.4175) or send us an email!

Enjoy your holiday plans and we'll see you next week!

~warmly~
Katherine

Brochures are in!

Stop by the Carnegie Center to pick up our fall brochure! If you are on our mailing list, check your mailboxes, as brochures should be arriving any time.

Registration is now open, so call or email soon to reserve your space.

Classes begin September 8th!

~warmly~
Katherine

Upcoming FFLN Dates!

Here are the fall dates for Family Fun and Learning Nights, our VERY popular youth and family monthly event. Each FFLN has a different theme with FREE dinner and activities for all ages. Pre-registration is required for all FFLN's so be sure to sign up early (859.254.4175 or ccll1@carnegieliteracy.org)!

Tuesday, September 23rd, 5:30-7:30 pm: Game Night Unplugged


Tuesday, October 21st, 5:30-7:30 pm: Fall Festival


Tuesday, November 18, 5:30-7:30 pm: Celebrate Culture


We look forward to seeing you!

~warmly~
Katherine

Class Registration is Open

Fall 2008 classes are online!

Check it out! Call (859.254.4175) or email (ccll1@carnegieliteracy.org) to sign up.

Have a wonderful weekend.

~warmly~
Katherine

2008 Kentucky Women Writers Conference

Remember to stop by the Carnegie Center for the KY Women Writers Conference on Saturday, September 13th. This year's conference boasts an incredible lineup: Joyce Carol Oates, Natasha Tretheway, Malin Alegria, Laura Benedict, Debra Marquart, Kim Osorio, Jennifer Sahn, Ginger Strand, Samantha Thornhill and Lisa Williams. Check out the itinerary and registration information.

We hope to see you then!

~warmly~
Katherine

New Exhibit in Gallery Space

Come visit the Carnegie Center's Laurie S. Bottoms gallery, named for the founding executive director. The gallery, located on the second floor, is open during regular business hours, and houses a rotating showcase of local work. Our latest exhibit features the mixed media and fiber work of Sandra Welleford and photographs by Carol Rice, titled "Art Mix." This exhibit is free and open to the public.

M-Th 9-7:30 pm
F 9-5 pm
S 10-2

Sn CLOSED

Here's executive director, Jan Isenhour, with one of the pieces, as the exhibit is installed.

Hope to see you soon! Remember, we are also a stop for all Gallery Hops (next one is Sept 19th)!


~warmly~
Katherine

Traveled a lot this summer? Hopped a flight to a lovely destination? Today is "National Aviation Day!" Read up on the Wright brother's famous flight, honored by today's holiday.

~warmly~
Katherine

Fall Brochure

To all of our excited fall registrants:

The Fall 2008 class schedule will be out soon! Stay tuned to the website--as the schedule will be put on there prior to getting mailed to homes. Classes will begin the September 8th. If you are interested in a particular class, give us a call and we can let you know the dates.

We're excited about the line-up of fantastic classes and instructors. Can't wait to see you all!

More details soon! Thanks again so much for your patience.

~warmly~
Katherine

Back to School Bash a Success

The Carnegie Center's annual Back to School Bash was held last week and was another HUGE success. We were able to give out supplies and backpacks to over 50 elementary school students and share crafts and dinner with many families. A BIG thank you to those that were able to donate supplies. As always, we really appreciate your support.






We'd also like to thank Charlene Mingus, coordinator of special programs, for all of her hard work. She served as an Americorps VISTA at the Carnegie Center for two years (that's a lot of Family Fun and Learning Nights!) and was able to start so many exciting programs for youth and families. We'll miss you, Charlene!



Stay tuned for more information on our next FFLN to be held in September. Those dates will be available when the fall brochure comes out in the next couple of weeks.

Enjoy the last day before school is back is session!

~warmly~
Katherine

School Year Tutoring program

School year tutoring registrations have begun! If you are interested in signing up your student (Kindergarten-12th grade only), please stop by the front desk or give us a call to fill out an inquiry form.


Here's how it works:
For those of you that were a part of the summer tutoring program, please note that the school year program is much more formal one-on-one tutoring, and therefore a few more steps in the process. First, Fatimah Shalash, the current tutoring coordinator for the '08-'09 school year, will be contacting you after receiving your inquiry to set up an intake meeting. Be patient, as it may take a couple of days to get back in touch with you due to to the large number of inquiries. Next, you and your student are required to attend an intake meeting with Fatimah, where a formal assessment will be done of the student, all of the paperwork filled out, and possible tutoring times discussed. Based on your meeting, Fatimah will go to our pool of tutors to match your student up with the best tutor match possible, during the times that you have available. Remember, that the more times you give as options, the more quickly that you can be matched. The entire process tends to take 3-4 weeks.


Here are the slots available in case you need to check your schedule.

School year tutoring time possibilities:
M-Th 3-7 pm, FR 3-5 pm, Sat 10-2 pm

Please let us know if you have further questions!

Also, a special thanks to Becky Plas who just completed one year of Americorps VISTA service at the Carnegie Center as our tutoring coordinator. Good luck in Hawaii, Becky! We miss you already!

~warmly~
Katherine

PS. It's good to be back on the blog! I enjoyed my first anniversary trip to Blackberry Farm very much, but it's great to come home, too!

Ready Set Study!

Having a desk in a child's room is shown to improve study habits and thus academic performance. With this in mind, the Carnegie Center's annual Ready Set Study project reaches out to a local elementary school and 15 children receive desks. With the help of volunteers, the students paint the desks to make them truly their own. Take a look:

They're getting the new school year off to a good start! I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as we do.

Best,

Jen.

Guest Blogger

School is just around the corner...

Sharpened pencils. Elmer's glue. A brand new box of Crayola crayons never before opened, never before used. Backpacks. Composition books and college-ruled paper and 5 subject notebooks... These are the things that remind me of the end of summer, of those days just before school will start. There's a certain amount of excitement that goes along with it and the promise of new things to be learned. We're in those days now, and for some school is just a couple of days away.

Here at the Carnegie Center, we're also preparing families for a new school year. Spaces in tonight's Back to School Bash are completely filled, and we are already taking enrollments for our afterschool tutoring program. In the next couple of weeks we'll have a schedule of fall workshops and events that youth and families will LOVE, including Family Fun and Learning Nights, Early Learner Book Club, writing workshops, and more. If school days are behind you, you'll still find we we have something for you too--including workshops, art events, and our New Books by Great Writers series. E-mail Katherine if you'd like to join our e-mail or snail mail list to receive the fall brochure.

Speaking of new books...as you may have seen, National College hosted a Breaking Dawn book release party to celebrate Stephenie Meyer's newest book, complete with actors to play the characters and act out a couple of scenes. National College also collected donations for the Carnegie Center at the event--many thanks! Here are some photos from the party:

The "cast" of Breaking Dawn

A scene from "Edward & Bella's wedding"

starring Justin Witt & Kayla Perkins

And me with "Edward"

And who says reading, writing, and learning can't be fun? (Someone who's never been to the Carnegie Center, I'd imagine! Maybe you should introduce them...)

Warm wishes,

Jen.

Guest Blogger

TONIGHT: Breaking Dawn Book Release Party to Benefit Carnegie Center

If you're a fan of the Stephenie Meyers books--or of the Carnegie Center--then tonight's event at National College (2376 Sir Barton Way) is where you ought to be! An action-packed night of dancing, reading, and cosplaying is planned, with proceeds to benefit the Carnegie Center. Here are more details:

Win Free Twilight Themed Prizes including Books and T-shirts

Come dressed in a wedding theme or as any character from the Twilight books

8:00pm Registration and Scavenger Hunt
9:00pm Beginning of Edward and Bella’s Reception Party
Dance with Characters for donation to Carnegie Center
10:00pm Black and White Pictures with characters for $1
Cosplaying and continue with scavenger hunt
Book Discussions
11:00pm Reading of Chapter 1 of Breaking Dawn
11:45pm Door Prizes and Costume Contest
Midnight Walden’s Book Sale of both Breaking Dawn and The Host

All Night Read A Thon for those 18 years and older.

Admission is Free but requests are made to either bring a Twilight themed gift to be used as a door prize later or to make a donation to the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.

Also tonight: Waldenbooks will be taking pre-orders of the newest J.K. Rowling book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, with 40% off the cover price!

Tonight's Sponsors:

National College

Waldenbooks

The Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning

Hope to see you there tonight!
Jen.

Guest Blogger

Back To School Rallies

Be sure to contact Lexlinc (859.381.1302) about the Lexington Neighborhood Back to School Rallies. These events will take place Saturday, August 9th from 10-2 pm. Crafts and activities will be going on all afternoon for families. FREE backpacks and school supplies will be given out. Be sure to arrive early, as supplies are limited!

Rally locations include: Cardinal Valley, Woodhill, Georgetown, Green Acres, Eastland, Southend, Gainesway, Bracktown, Coolivan, East End, Winburn, Marlboro, Arlington, Castlewood, Spiegel Heights and Pralltown.

~warmly~
Katherine

Final Camp Carnegie Pics!

Here are some more pictures to round out our look at Camp Carnegie 2008:

Your Media, Your Message

Computer time!

Playing "Werewolf" game

Instructor, Aaron, and Camp assistant, Susan, iron on the students transferables to T-shirts

Completed Your Media, Your Message T-Shirts

Showing it off!
AND

Poetry for the Page, Poetry for the Stage

Performance pieces...

Field trip to Third Street Coffee

So much to choose from!

Italian sodas

The Poetry group enjoys some treats at Third Street Coffee

Getting inspired at Third Street...writing prompts

WHEW!
The VISTA staff members pose for a group picture. We're exhausted! These past three weeks were a blast! Special thanks to Stephanie Pankow, this year's Camp Carnegie coordinator. We'll miss you!

We hope that you can join us next July!

~warmly~
Katherine