Longview Library Literally Speaking

(Page 14)

April is to be an exciting month at our library. On Wednesday, April 13th from 7 to 8pm Dusty Jorawsky will present a slide show of his photos of Antartica. Dusty, the grandson of Millie and Lorne Fuller and son of Pat and Jim Jorawsky, has been a pilot in the north for several years and has some sensational pictures to share with us. Coffee will be served. Then on Wednesday, April 27th, Julie Walker, Dame on the Range, will give a talk on hiking experiences in the Foothills. You will learn about easy and challenging trails, wildflowers, safety tips and wildlife awareness.

We have a Book Arts Exhibition in the library for the month of April. The Book Arts is a travelling exhibition that focuses on the artist of books, demonstrating typography, illustration, binding, paper making and marbling. So come in and see what it's all about.

On Friday, April 29th from 2 to 6pm, Blanca Botero Fuentes will be conducting a special artistic workshop in honour of Mother's Day. It will be held at the Town Hall and is for 15 years and older. Come into the library to see samples of the Transfer Art that we will be doing. Please register with our librarian Joan and she will give you the list of supplies not provided in the workshop.

Just a reminder that our hours are: Tuesday and Thursday: 10am-5pm and on Wednesday: 12-7pm. Our phone number is 558-3927 and our librarian's name is Joan.

In May we will be offering a workshop on Tai Chi given by a Cancer survivor and a talk on Medicinal plants of Alberta and their uses. More about this next month.

Sing you Home by Jodi Picoult is a profoundly moving story about a gay couple who marry and would like to have children. Three frozen embryos are banked from one of the women's previous marriage. Picoult explores the anxiety suffered by these two women when the former husband becomes a religious zealot who takes life coaching from a militant anti-gay preacher and then refuses to release the embryos. The struggle for these embryos becomes a widely publicized court drama. Vanessa, one of the couple, says "Homosexuality isn't a choice, any more than heterosexuality is. And I know this because, why on earth would I want to put myself through all the bullying, name calling and physical abuse I've faced? Why would I willingly 'pick' a lifestyle, as you call it, that is such an uphill battle?" And one that incites such cruelty and dislike. One of the characters is a musical therapist and one learns from her about the healing and nurturing aspects of the therapy and how it is used to help sufferers of dementia and teenage depression. Picoult's nineteen year old son revealed his sexuality to her and her husband just as she was beginning the book. She hopes fervently that the world will be a kinder, gentler place as he carries on in life. Hopefully we are now living in a more loving society that does not judge, and that is compassionate, supportive and accepting of one another, no matter who we are.
Picoult is a master at exploring the social issues of our time. In House Rules, she deals with Aspergers Syndrome. In Change of Heart, she writes of capital punishment and organ donation and transfer, and in Nineteen Minutes, she writes of high school shootings and cruel bullying. I like her because she brings up current topics that are troubling and encourages us to think about them and to become more informed, so that we can be more responsible, caring citizens.