Lopez Island

Wondering if anyone is driving to Bellingham anytime soon? Want to post a class for folks interested in learning Mahjong? This sort of local online site is now available at LopezRock.com along with other Lopez Island community sites at: http://www.lopezlibrary.org/community.html. This site, designed and operated by Webfoot Design as a community service to Lopez Island, is a virtual bulletin board for exchange of goods, services and information between Lopez Island residents and organizations.

Residents and organizations of other San Juan Islands may use the site if the content is relevant to the Lopez Island community. Barter, buy, sell, post news and events!

I often get asked by parents why a movie is rated PG-13 or PG. I’m a big film buff, but even I can’t view EVERY film and know what scene might cause concern, but here is a web site to bookmark: http://www.kids-in-mind.com.

The purpose of kids-in-mind.com is to provide parents and other adults with objective and complete information bout a film’s content so that they can decide, based on their own personal value system, whether they should watch a movie with or without their kids. The definitive parents’ guide to movies and video since 1992, Kids-In-Mind rates films according to how much sex, nudity, violence, gore and profanity they contain. With that in mind, we are showing Slumdog Millionaire on April 18 at 2:00 p.m.

This is the film that swept the Academy Awards this year. It is the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? While being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers. Won Best Picture of the Year (2008). Rated R. You can also call us to reserve it for home (2265) or reserve it yourself via the library web’s page (http://www.lopezlibrary.org).

On April 24, the school’s multi-purpose room will be transformed into a tropical forest for a traveling production of “The Jungle Books” The BOOK-IT ALL OVER, the educational outreach program of Book-It Repertory Theatre, is bringing Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Books to life at Lopez School. The Jungle Books focuses on nature, friendship, adventure and survival. Appropriate for grades K-8. Homeschoolers are welcome!

Sponsored by the Friends of the Lopez Library. Immediately following, the will conduct a Free Acting Workshop – Lopez Community Meeting Room -3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

This workshop will be given by the actors from the Seattle Repertory Book-It Theatre. It is for children 2nd grade and up. Admission is free. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lopez Library.

Every art tour of Lopez should include a visit to the library. Currently on display, March 28 – May 8, are selected works of Pamela Maresten.

Experience the wonder of her quiet green woods, the sounds, the light and the magic. Read more about it and other upcoming art displays at: http://www.lopezlibrary.org/art_index.html. Lou Pray, Library Director (360)468-2265

San Juan Island

Do I Dare Disturb the Universe. For all the non-poets out there, this is a line taken from the T.S. Eliot poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.

Besides one cat sitting for a fairly neurotic cat named Prufrock, I have no experience with this poem and would never have known that without using a reference tool. The reason I bring it up is because it is from the 2009 poster for National Poetry Month, which just happens to be April!

Since it started in 1996, National Poetry Month has grown to where libraries, booksellers, schools, and other organizations across the nation all take the month of April to draw attention to poetry. At the San Juan Island Library we do something every year using it as an opportunity to think outside the iambic pentameter (yes, I stole that one) and promote the reading and writing of poetry.

We kicked off the month with a poetry workshop and reading last Friday. But if you missed that, don’t worry; there are still plenty of other ways to celebrate poetry this month. One of the easiest ways is to have us take you back to the poetry section of our nonfiction shelves and check out a book of poetry.

If you want to do more, the Academy of American Poets have come up with some great suggestions:

Put a poem in a letter – “It’s always a treat to get a letter, but finding a poem in the envelope makes the experience extra special.” (FYI: April is also National Card and Letter Writing Month!)

Sign up to have a Poem-A-Day emailed directly to you at: http://www.poets.org/poemADay.php Celebrate the second annual Poem-In-Your-Pocket-Day – “The idea is simple: select a poem you love, then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends on April 30.”

I’ve started to look for my perfect pocket poem already. Be sure to ask me on April 30 what I come up with!