Author Archives: beth

An Evening of Short Stories: Alice Munro & local writer Avi Gvili

Alice Munro-BkFriday, March 28, 7pm: Every Thing Goes Book Cafe, 208 Bay St, SINY 10301

A community gathering to celebrate the short story, comparing a marvelous story by Alice Munro – “master of the contemporary short story” and recent winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, together with a short story by Island writer Avi Gvili, Staten Island teacher and author of Life & Love & the Like: Stories from the Everyday.

The two short stories examine how men & women communicate (or not), what they seek from one another, and what they may find.

This event is the first in an occasional Staten Island OutLOUD series on the short story, contrasting global classics with works by emerging writers.

For directions via public transportation, visit www.hopstop.com

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I Am Malala – Courageous Young Woman

Saturday, March 1 at 2pm:  Todt Hill-Westerleigh Branch Library, 2550 Victory Blvd (near Willowbrook Rd), SINY 10314

Staten Island OutLOUD hosts a reading/conversation on I Am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai.  This special event is presented in honor of Women In History Month.  Co-hosted by Joan Harmon.

Malala Yousafzai is a teenage educational activist who grew up in the Swat district of Pakistan’s Kyber Pass area.  In 2012, she was shot in the face by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt, because she and her father were staunch supporters of education for girls.  But Malala would not be defeated.  After recovering from her wounds, she redoubled her work, and the world’s support has rallied attention to her cause.  As a result of her efforts, Pakistan ratified its first Right to Education Bill, and the United Nations launched a petition in favor of universal education for all children around the world

. Malala addressed the UN in 2013 to urge universal education. She was the first winner of Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize, and has also been awarded the Sakharov Prize, and the Simone de Beauvoir Prize. Malala is the youngest person (and the first girl) ever to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Malala now lives with her family in Birmingham, England. Malala - white veil closeup

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Twelve Years a Slave

12 Years Slave book coverSunday, Feb 23, 2pm at the Greenbelt Nature Center, 700 Rockland Ave, SINY 10314

Staten Island OutLOUD hosts a community reading from Solomon Northrup’s compelling autobiography.  We present this spoke-word event in honor of Black History Month.  Northrup’s 1853 autobiography chronicles his compelling story.  A freed African-American resident of Saratoga NY, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery.  He spent 12 gruelling years laboring on several different Louisiana plantations before finally securing his freedom.  This gripping story has now been made into a major motion picture, but everyone should read Northrup’s book.  Co-hosted by Virginia Allen

For directions via public transportation, visit www.hopstop.com

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First African-American Aviator, Bessie Coleman

Monday, Feb 10, 6pm at Mariners Harbor Branch Library, 206 South St, SINY 10303

Staten Island OutLOUD’s special events for Black History Month continue with this program at the beautiful new Mariners Harbor branch library.   Bessie Coleman was a game-changer in American aviation history.  She was an African-American pioneer.  She broke new ground for women’s rights and occupational opportunities.  But today, few people know her story –  Indeed, few people know her name.

Bessie Coleman wanted to be a pilot, but nobody in the US would train or license a Black woman.  So she went to France.  Learned the French language.  Learned to fly.  Got her pilot’s license.  Made history.

Join Staten Island OutLOUD, and our host Doris Nielsen, as we read excerpts from biographies of this courageous and talented woman.  This free event is goodBessie Coleman- closeup in helmet-larger for all ages.

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In-School OutLOUD events & Edgar Allan Poe!

Staten Island OutLOUD hosts in-school events, Sept 2013 – Feb 2014, on Edgar Allan Poe.

These in-school events are a component of our series for The Big Read, Stories & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.

If you are interested in scheduling an OutLOUD event at your school, please email us at sioutloud@yahoo.com.  We’ll be happy to arrange a program that suits your needs, and schedule.    We will prepare a program that’Poe closeup - Byronics age-appropriate for your students, and coordinates with your curriculum. Thanks!

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Masque of the Red Death @Island Tattoo Parlor

This gallery contains 9 photos.

Our host, Dozer, and his wife Danielle, are the proprietors of Island Tattoo, where Staten Island OutLOUD’s Big Read event of Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death took place on a Sunday afternoon. In the top photo, Dozer welcomes some of early-arriving OutLOUD guests who came to the tattoo parlor to read and discuss Poe. #NEABigRead          … Read More

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Posted October 15, 2013

Audubon’s Journals

john-james-audubonSaturday, Feb 1, 2014 at 2pm – Clay Pit Pond State Park Interpretive Center, 2351 Veterans Road West, SINY 10309

We’ll read from the journals of John James Audubon. Pioneering naturalist, consummate artist, African-American visionary.  Weather permitting, after our reading concludes, we’ll also enjoy a short walk in the woodland with the park’s Environmental Educator.  This event is good for all ages.

For directions via public transportation, visit www.hopstop.com

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“Stories & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe” – NEA / Big Read

This gallery contains 43 photos.

Here are just a few of the scores of photos that Staten Island OutLOUD & friends have snapped during our Poe Big Read.  A few of our 45 events are photographed below, including: A very young reader creates her unique drawing of The Black Cat, reading Spirits of the Dead in a historic cemetery, Poe’s wine tasting, a visit to … Read More

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Posted October 6, 2013

Moby Dick: Sat July 27 at Fort Wadsworth

Staten Island OutLOUD’s annual celebration of Moby Dick on Saturday, July 27, 6:30pm at Fort Wadsworth’s scenic Harbor Overlook.(Enter through the guard station at Bay St & School Rd).  Rain or shine; if it rains, we have a comfy indoor location adjacent to the Harbor Overlook, just a few steps away.

Every summer, Staten Island OutLOUD reads Moby Dick in a spectacular setting: the Harbor Overlook of historic Fort Wadsworth.  Music by the Staten Island Philharmonic Orchestra.

As you sit on the bluff listening to Melville’s haunting tale, you’ll feel as if you’re on the prow of a great ship. Our readers share the story of Ishmael, Ahab and the crew of the Pequod as they begin their mystical journey.  This is a place that Melville loved; he wrote lyrically about it in Redburn, one of his first novels. He visited the site during his many trips to Staten Island (where his brother lived), and he wrote about it in one of his last short stories.

Park in the Visitors Center lot, and follow the sidewalk to the Harbor Overlook.  If you have a permit for special-needs parking, ask the guard to direct you to that reserved parking area, located just a few steps from our event locale.

For directions via public transportation, visit www.hopstop.com.

This event is perfect for all ages; often three generations of families join us.  Free and open to the public. PLEASE BE SURE TO BRING A LAWNCHAIR!

For directions via public transportation, visit www.hopstop.com.

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Memoirs OutLOUD – Creative Writing Workshop

  • Memoirs OutLOUD – A creative writing workshop for adults age 50+.  Our workshop sessions meet at 10am on the first and third Saturday of each month, at the St George Library Center, 5 Central Ave, SINY 10301 (just up the hill from the Ferry Terminal & Borough Hall).  Check at the desk to confirm our room location for that date.

  •   OUR NEXT WORKSHOP WILL TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1st, 10am.

  •   Please arrive promptly as a courtesy to your fellow writers.

  • For details on related NYPL scheduling, visit www.nypl.org.    
  • We thank our participants for arriving promptly as a courtesy to your fellow writers.  Staten Island OutLOUD welcomes Islanders to this stimulating writing studio, open to adults only.  Whether you are an experienced writer, or just beginning to explore your writing potential, this free workshop offers a supportive environment.  If you plan to visit Memoirs OutLOUD for the first-time, please arrive by 10am, as a courtesy to other participants. Be sure to bring a pen and paper.  If you’d like to read a short excerpt from your previous work, we’d be happy to accommodate if time permits.  If you are just beginning to explore your writing potential, that’s just fine; we’ll help you get started at your own pace. 

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