Woody Guthrie and the Great American Folk Song

Woody Guthrie and the Great American Folk Song

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

6:00pm - 7:00pm

Tim Holt presents a brief history of the American folksong, from the old-time ballads of Appalachia to the Depression-era songs of Woody Guthrie. He will also discuss the origins of our folk music in the British Isles and West Africa.

Holt will sing a variety of American folksongs, representing various aspects of our history and culture, including songs of westward settlement, old-time gospel, Guthrie's original contributions and a couple of Lead Belly classics.
As Holt comments, "The history of the American folksong is really a people's history of this country."

Computer Training: Language Learning Databases

Saturday, October 2
4:00-5:00

Discover Mango Language and PowerSpeak - the Library’s new language learning databases! Class size is limited. Please sign up at the Information Desk or call 355-2858

Preparing Yourself and Your Companion Animal for a Disaster

Wednesday, September 22
6:30pm

Learn how to protect your beloved pets when an emergency or disaster occurs. A person from the Disaster Preparedness Coalition for Animals (DPCA) will discuss how to keep your animal companions safe, even in the event of rescue or evacuation. The DPCA is made up of the major stakeholders in animal protection and welfare in San Francisco, and the core of the Coalition includes San Francisco Animal Care and Control, the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Pets Unlimited, Pets Are Wonderful Support, Veterinary Street Outreach Services, and the California Veterinary Medical Association.

One of the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina was the number of pets lost during the hurricane as well as the people who endangered their lives by not leaving their pets.

Do you have a plan for your pets in case of an earthquake, flood or fire? Do your pets have an earthquake kit? Learn how to create an emergency plan and an earthquake kit for your pets.

This is a One City One Book event. The 2010 One City One Book is Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.

Music with Susan Pena and Michael Govea

This local family band sings and plays guitar, violin, trumpet, and accordion in traditional Mexican and American folk styles. They invite interaction and participation in both Spanish and English. Susan and Miguel have performed together for over 20 years.

Join us for this celebration of Latino-Hispanic Heritage Month.

Saturday, September 18
2:00 pm

For all ages

Henna for Teens

Thursday, September 10
3:30pm - 5:30pm

Henna body art, or mehndi, is an ancient art. Henna has been used to adorn young women's bodies as part of social and holiday celebrations since the late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean. In this workshop, you'll be able to choose a design for a free, safe, temporary tattoo, and learn how to apply it with henna. Henna artist Rachel-Anne Palacios will show you how. Program limited to 20 teens.

For ages 12-18. For participants under 18, a signed parent/guardian permission form must be returned prior to the workshop.

To reserve your space and/or request a permission form, contact Marla at (415) 355-2868 or mbergman@sfpl.org

Author talk: Burned: A Memoir

Saturday, August 5

4:00 pm

Local author, Louise Nayer, will read from Burned: A Memoir. When Louise was four years old her mother struck a match to light the pilot light in a rented vacation home. Immediately she and her husband were engulfed in flames. While their parents underwent treatment and surgery, Louis and her sister stayed with relatives. Eventually the children were reunited with the parents they no longer recognized. The story details the tragedy, separation and the family's return to love and life.

She will read a short piece from the book and talk about the process of writing and publishing a memoir including navigating through the world of agents and editors to get a book to publication.

Friendship Bracelets for Teens

Thursday, August 12
3:00 pm


Make a friendship bracelet for a friend or yourself. All materials provided. For ages 12-18. For more information, contact Marla , Teen Librarian, at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2858.