Father John D'Amico Trio - Jazz Concert @ Overbrook Park Library

(LtoR) Bruce Klauber(drums), Kenny Davis (Bass), Marvin DeBose & John D'Amico(Piano)

On Saturday, April 27, 2013, to celebrate April’s Jazz Appreciation Month I had the pleasure of hosting the Father John D'Amico Trio at our very own Overbrook Park Library. The trio consisted of Father John D'Amico on Piano, Kenny Davis on Bass and Bruce Klauber on the drums. Nothing beats experiencing live jazz music as its being created right in front of you! These guys were awesome and the mixed age group crowd just loved their performance.

 Also to celebrate Philadelphia rich Jazz history we had on display vintage black and white photos of some Jazz artists that were born or at one time was a resident of our great city. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Bruce Klauber because without you this incredible program would of not be possible.



Billy Eckstine & Billie Holiday 1946

John Coltrane

Pearl Bailey 1940

Grover Washington

 

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Solomon Jones comes to Overbrook Park Library.....

Solomon Jones' visit to Overbrook Park Library was awesome although the crowd was a little light for an author of his caliber. This being my first time meeting Solomon, I was surely impressed with his demeanor in handling the younger than normal crowd that showed up for his book discussion. I'm looking forward to bring him back to our library this summer just in time for our Summer Teen Reading Program.

The Dead Man's Wife by Solomon Jones

A story about marriage gone awry—The 3rd thrilling novel in the all-new Colletti series from acclaimed author Solomon Jones  She’s a cop-turned defense lawyer. Her husband is a research scientist. She lives in a half-million-dollar home. Yet on this night, Andrea Wilson—a woman who seemingly has everything—awakens to a living nightmare. Her husband Paul is dead, she’s covered in his blood, and the police are banging on her door. Andrea doesn’t remember what happened, but she knows how it looks. With just a split second to make a choice, Andrea decides to run, and in doing so, risks everything in an attempt to clear her name.

Enter Detective Mike Coletti. He and Andrea shared a relationship once. Now all they share is the chase. As Andrea races to prove her innocence and Coletti struggles to track her down, they each uncover clues about the mystery of Paul’s death. Along the way, Andrea uncovers the biggest mystery of all: Is that her husband is actually still alive?
1st Book of series - The Last Confession
2nd Book of series - The Gravedigger's Ball




Solomon Jones & Marvin DeBose

Solomon Jones & Overbrook Park's young teenage readers!

Darren Keys visits Overbrook Park Library

From White Power To White Collar by Darren Keys

Take a journey with Dejohn Patterson as he goes from the mean impoverished streets of Baltimore to the glamorous mansions of LA. He's caught up and faced with life or death - as a middleman where a shipment mysteriously comes up missing, thereby forcing him to take a trip to California where he meets four beautiful women and stumbles upon the exciting, but dangerous, underworld of fraud and deceit. Will his race with time and fate end in triumph or tragedy?



Darren Keys with Librarian Marvin DeBose after his book discussion during the Free Library of Philadelphia Book Festival week. 




Overbrook Park Library Presents.....Father John D'Amico Jazz Trio!

Come out to Overbrook Park Library Sat. April 27  for this Free event to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month @ . The renowned "Father John D'Amico Jazz Trio" will provide the entertainment. All is welcome to this event and light refreshment will be served. Showtime starts at 1pm sharp and you do not want to miss this treat!

 

 

Overbrook Park Library

7422 Haverford Ave (Haveford & Woodbine)

215.685.0182

 

Click here for a sneak preview!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YadbllITOFw&feature=share&list=PLIcdbuqoHtKk-DgofoP0-wK17b0tkM9TX

Overbrook Park Library Presents......Solomon Jones & Darren Keys




7th Annual Philadelphia Book Festival

 @ OVP Library......

Solomon Jones | The Dead Man's Wife Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 5:30pm Overbrook Park Branch 7422 Haverford Avenue, 19151-2995 215-685-0182 An award-winning columnist for the Axis Philly, Philadelphia Daily News, and WHYY’s NewsWorks, Solomon Jones is the author of the Essence Magazine bestselling novel The Bridge, as well as the critically acclaimed books Pipe Dream, Ride or Die, C.R.E.A.M., and Payback. A former columnist for Philadelphia Weekly, Jones is the founder of Words on the Street Literacy Program. He previously taught creative writing at Temple University and served on the boards of several committees to end homelessness. The Dead Man’s Wife is his eighth novel and the latest in the Coletti crime series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darren Keys | White Powder to White Collar Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 1:00PM Overbrook Park Branch 7422 Haverford Avenue, 19151-2995 215-685-0182 An award winning author and talk show host for Fraud Chronicles Radio Show, Darren Keys is spearheading a new genre of writing—white collar street lit—with his seven-part series, Fraud Chronicles, beginning with White Powder to White Collar. White Powder to White Collar has appeared in Wahida Clark’s Redemption Magazine as well as Mink Magazine. He is nominated for the Bryant McKennie National Book Award and teaches creative writing at EMC Alternative Learning Center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senior's Enjoy Reading Book Club

 

Here’s the reading list for the "Senior's Enjoy Reading Book Club". This is a senior book club that operated out of the West Philly Senior Community Center. My job as their Advisor is to assist this group with selecting good titles to read and acquire enough copies so that the seniors can borrow the books free through the “Free Library of Philadelphia”.

 

Noting Last Forever by Sidney Shelton (September 2012)

 

 

 Racing from the life-and-death decisions of a big San Francisco hospital to the tension-packed fireworks of a murder trial, this story lays bare the ambitions and fears of healers and killers, lovers and betrayers. As the book surges toward its unpredictable climax, Sidney Sheldon proves once again that no reader can outguess the master of the unexpected

 

 

 

 

 

 Gone Fishin by Walter Mosley (October 2012)
 

In the beginning...there was Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins and Raymond "Mouse" Alexander -- two young men setting out in life, hitting the road in a "borrowed" '36 Ford headed for Pariah, Texas. The volatile Mouse wants to retrieve money from his stepfather so he can marry his EttaMae. But on their steamy bayou excursion, Mouse will choose murder as a way out, while Easy's past liaison with EttaMae floats precariously in his memory. Easy and Mouse are coming of age -- and everything they ever knew about friendship and about themselves is coming apart at the seams




The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl (January 2013)


A series of grisly murders is rocking the streets of nineteenth-century Boston. But these are no ordinary killings. Each is inspired by the hellish visions of Dante's Inferno. To end the bizarre and bloody spree, no ordinary detective will suffice. Enter the unlikely sleuths of the Dante Club: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and J. T. Fields --- renowned scholars with the skills to decipher the devilish clues. But can this band of bookish gentlemen outwit a crafty killer? A terror-stricken city --- and their own lives --- depend on it



Cross Fire by James Patterson ( October 2012)



 



 Detective Alex Cross and Bree's wedding plans are put on hold when Alex is called to the scene of the perfectly executed assassination of two of Washington D.C.'s most corrupt: a dirty congressmen and an underhanded lobbyist. Next, the elusive gunman begins picking off other crooked politicians, sparking a blaze of theories--is the marksman a hero or a vigilante

 

Fifth Born by Zelda Lockhart (Feburay 2013)

 

When Odessa Blackburn is three years old her beloved grandmother dies, and so begins her story, set in St. Louis,Missouri, and rural Mississippi. As the Þfth born of eight children, Odessa loses her innocence at Þrst when her drunken father sexually abuses her, and then again when she alone witnesses her father taking the life of his own brother. Fifth Born is Zelda Lockhart's debut novel, lyrically written and powerful in its exploration of how secrets can tear apart lives and families. It is a story of love, longing, and redemption, as Odessa walks away from those whom she believes to be her kin to discover the true meaning of family






Satin Doll by Karen E. Quinones Miller (April 2013)

Until that fateful moment when she was shot and left for dead, Regina Harris was living la vida loca with pimps and hustlers and using whatever money she had to get high and forget that she was living in poverty in Harlem. Now she's a college graduate and journalist who has turned her life around, living on the Upper West Side and hobnobbing with movers and shakers. She's become the classy Satin Doll of the Duke Ellington song...but she's never forgotten where she's from.
On a night out partying with her homegirls in Harlem, Regina meets aspiring lawyer Charles Whitfield, who comes from a prominent, upper-class black family in Philadelphia. As a relationship begins, Regina tries desperately to hide her former life -- and her friendships with Yvonne, who's a single mother looking for a man; Tamika, who's raising two kids while their father does time; and Puddin', who has a weakness for bad boys and weed. But when Regina's past is revealed, it threatens to destroy both her relationship with Charles and the life she has worked so hard to create

 

 

Satin Nights by Karen E. Quinones Miller (April 2013)
 

 

 

 

 

 

   My Alma mater was books, a good library... I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.

Malcolm X 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2013 Street Literature Book Award Medal Winners

 2013 STREET LITERATURE BOOK AWARD MEDAL WINNERS (based on 2012 publications)

The Street Lit Book Award Medal (SLBAM) Committee is proud to announce the 2013 award winners for 2012 publications. The following winners and honorees were nominated based on popularity of books as read by the reading public in school, academic, and public library settings across the U.S.

 

ADULT NON-FICTION WINNER: THE NEW JIM CROW BY MICHELLE ALEXANDER (reprint, 2012)

Honorees: 

1) A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball by Dwayne Wade

2) Empire State of Mind:  How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office by Zack O'Malley Greenburg

3) Purpose: An Immigrant's Story by Wyclef Jean

 

SLBAM Feedback:

-- “The New Jim Crow has seen an amazing resurgence in its reprint edition, becoming an important read for many.”

-- "People won't stop asking for The New Jim Crow."

-- "My students enjoy A Father First … learning how Wade, a homeboy from Chicago, juggles fatherhood and the NBA."

 

ADULT FICTION WINNER: ANIMAL BY K'WAN

Honorees:

1) Get It Girls by Treasure Blue

2) Murder Was the Case by Kiki Swinson

3) Coca Kola by Nisa Santiago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SLBAM Feedback:

-- "For a second year in a row, K'wan keeps readers flocking to the library looking for his latest release."

-- "It always boils down to K'wan and Treasure Blue. This year, the battle between Kwan and Treasure Blue can be compared to    Holyfield and Tyson." 

YOUNG ADULT FICTION WINNER: ON THE FLIP SIDE: A FAB LIFE NOVEL by NIKKI CARTER

Honorees:

1) How to Get Out of Your Own Way by Tyrese Gibson

2) Shattered by Kia Dupree

3) Back to Me by Earl Sewell

 

 

 

 

SLBAM Feedback:

-- "Many of my students began their pre-teen years reading Nikki Carter’s So For Real series and now have graduated to her Fab Life series. It's great to see Nikki Carter honored."

-- "My young library patrons love Nikki Carter."

-- "Tyrese Gibson's book is the talk among teens at my school."

-- "DuPree does it again and takes her readers on an emotional rollercoaster ride."

-- "My teens can't get enough of books written by Sewell."

EMERGING CLASSIC: ANIMAL BY K'WAN

SLBAM Committee Feedback:

-- "Readers are voraciously enjoying Animal!"

-- "The character Animal is one of the most ruthless and misunderstood characters in modern day Street Literature."

-- "A masterpiece... a continuation of setting the high standard for street lit..."

AUTHOR OF THE YEAR: K'WAN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For 2013, the SLBAM Committee honors Essence (magazine) bestselling author K'wan, for his continuous commitment to raising the bar for the literary quality of Street Lit. K'wan approaches his stories with a Dickens-esque quality, paying deep attention to social ills that motivate his characters to live the lives they live in his stories. K'wan is also cited for his prolific writing career with having authored 20 very popular novels, plus two novellas, and has been featured in three anthologies, all within the past decade, offering a solid foundation upon which contemporary Street Lit continues to evolve. Readers love K'wan. Case in point, one SLBAM Committee member shared: "After an intense debate, my book discussion group picked K'wan."

 

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Methodology: The SLBAM Committee conducted three nomination rounds where they reported on field research of patron readership and reader response to street lit in libraries. The committee discussed all nominated titles. The "Emerging Classic" category recognizes a street lit-plotted or -themed book that was published during or before the year of nomination but continues to be in popular demand by the reading public. Another special category, "Author(s) of the Year", recognizes an author or writing team whose publications were particularly well-received by the reading public during the nomination year. Aside from the "Emerging Classic" category, books eligible for 2013 SLBAM nomination were required to be published between January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012.

 2013 SLBAM Committee Members:

K.C. Boyd, M.Ed., M.L.S., is the Library Media Specialist at the acclaimed Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago, IL. Boyd is a nationally sought-out lecturer on street lit, and she blogs about Young Adult street lit at http://theaudaciouslibrarian.blogspot.com/.  

Marvin DeBose, Sr., M.L.S., is an Adult/Teen librarian with the Free Library of Philadelphia. An often sought-out panelist for discussing street lit in libraries, Marvin manages the largest street lit library collection in Philadelphia, PA, and also runs a teen street lit book club where they discuss their readings at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/277733218945733/.

Connie Farley is Reference Technician for St. Louis (MO) Public Library where she runs an Urban Lit Discussion Group that boasts a diverse membership coming from several African and Caribbean nations.

D.L. Grant, Jr., M.L.S., is an Assistant Branch Manager with the San Antonio (TX) Public Library System. Grant is studying for his doctorate's degree in English studies.

Patrice Grimball-Smith is a Librarian Assistant in Young Adult Services for the Charleston County Public Library System in Charleston, South Carolina.  She is also the Outreach Coordinator for Readers in Motion Bookclub, http://facebook.com/ReadersInMotion.

Takiyah Jemison, M.L.S., is currently Head of the Cataloging Department at Fayetteville State University. She has a B.A in History and she received her Master in Library Science from North Carolina Central University. Takiyah is an avid reader of different genres such as psychological thrillers, urban literature, and true crimes.

Vanessa Irvin Morris, M.L.S., Ed.D., is the convener of the Street Lit Book Award Medal Committee. She is the author of the Street Literature blog at http://www.streetliterature.com, and the award-winning publication, The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Street Literature (2011). Vanessa teaches library and information science at a private research university in Northeast USA.

For more information about the Street Lit Book Award Medal (SLBAM) or if you are interested in participating on the committee, contact: vanirvimorris@gmail.com. For a historical listing of SLBAM Awards from 1999 - present, please visit: http://www.streetliterature.com/p/slbam.html.

Karen E. Quinones Miller author of "An Angry-Ass Black Woman" vists Overbrook Park Library

Essence best selling and NAACP Literary Award Nominee, Karen E. Quinones Miller came to Overbrook Park Library Saturaday March 30, 2012 to discuss her new book An Angry-Ass Black Woman, an autobiographical novel about a girl growing up poor in Harlem during the 1960's and 1970's facing obstacle after obstacle, grows up to become a successful author. She starting her literary career in 1999 when she self-published her novel, Satin Doll, and sold 3,000 copies in six weeks, and ultimately 28,000 copies in less than six months. This astounding and quick return really opened many publishing oppertunities for her including a six figure offer. This led to many literary nominations and beoming CEO of Oshun Publishing Company. Her talk at the library was very inspiring, genuine and vivid. By her retelling of her life conditions even if you have not experienced what she spoke of you could feel her pain. Karen also provided motivation for aspiring authors by expounding on her trajectory from 8th grade dropout to Top 5 Street Lit books of 2012 in the Library Journal. Shortly after her presentation the crowd stayed to ask questions and praise her for work and recieve autographed copies of her newest book. I would like to thank Karen for stopping pass Overbrook Park Libray, the patrons just love her bubbly and warm personality.