A Conversation for Caregivers
Are you a caregiver? Come join a presentation and community discussion about resources for family caregivers. The conversation will be led Elkins Park neighbors Melissa Twersky, geriatric social worker, and YosaifAugust, life coach and author of Coaching for Caregivers: How to Reach Out Before You Burn Out. Melissa is part of a national conversation about caregiving, organized around the book The Age of Dignity by Ai-Jen Poo (books will be available for sale). Yosaif is currently doing a national speaking tour for the Christopher Reeve Foundation’s Caregiver Day program, presenting the concepts from his latest book. Join the conversation to share your concerns, meet others in a similar position, and learn new information. DATE: Thursday, January 14, 2016 TIME: 7 TO 8:30PM LOCATION: Open Book Bookstore, 7900 High School Rd, Elkins Park, PA 19027 Call 267-627-4888 or email lynn@openbookphilly.com with questions or for more...
A Night of Readings About Social Justice
DATE: Thursday, December 17th TIME: 7pm to 8:30pm PLACE: Open Book Bookstore, 7900 High School Rd., Elkins Park, PA 19027 What do Genetically Modified foods, Freedom Summer of 1964 and building community through urban agriculture all have in common? They are themes that can be found in the novels and short stories of The Head & The Hand Press. Of course these themes are also all social justice issues. But as The Head & The Hand Press upholds its mission to tell stories that have the power to “change and entertain,” this Philadelphia publisher has added a literary depth to these issues that are at the forefront of progressivism in the United States. If your love of literature intersects with your passion for social justice, then please join The Head & The Hand Press and The Open Book Bookstore as we welcome Jon McGoran reading from his food advocacy essay “Long Range Meal Planning,” Simone Zelitch reading from her civil rights novel Waveland and Nic Esposito reading from his urban farming essay collection Kensington Homestead. Jon McGoran is the author of six novels, including the biotech thrillers Drift and Deadout, as well as their forthcoming sequel, Dust Up (April 2016), all from Tor/Forge Books, as well as the novella After Effects, from Amazon StoryFront. Writing as D. H. Dublin, he is also author of the forensic thrillers Body Trace, Blood Poison and Freezer Burn, from Penguin Books. His short fiction and nonfiction can be found in a variety of anthologies, and his short story “Bad Debt” received an honorable mention in Best American Mystery Stories, 2014. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, and a founding member of the Philadelphia Liars Club, a group of published authors dedicated to writers helping writers. Simone Zelitch’s previous books include Louisa, which gained a starred review from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus as well as praise from the New York Times. She also the author of Moses in Sinai and The Confession of Jack Straw. Once a Peace Corps Volunteer in Hungary, Simone is now a professor at the Community College of Philadelphia where she coordinates the English Degree and established the Creative Writing Certificate Program. After developing urban farm projects in West Philadelphia with the organization Philly Rooted, Nic Esposito now co-manages Emerald Street Community Farm with his wife Elisa as well as their own homestead populated by their son, Luca, a dog, a cat, and a whole bunch of chickens. He writes about social change, urban farming and sustainability for blogs and magazine and spoke on urban farming at the 2010 TED X...
Mind the Gap: Rereading the Classics — A Literature Class
If you go for a ride on the “tube” (the London Underground), you’ll hear a recording telling you to “mind the gap” as the doors are closing. I’ve always loved that phrase! Here I use it not to warn you about train safety, but to address a different gap: the missing books in our education. There are so many classic books we always meant to read but never got around to. Or maybe we just didn’t read them quite as attentively as we might have when they were assigned in high school or college. Now is the time to revisit them and, this time, to really appreciate them! “Mind the Gap” is an ongoing series in which we’ll return to and reconsider a variety of literary classics and learn why these books live on and are as fresh and meaningful as when they were first published. We’ll also experience the pleasure of finding new meaning in an old work, a book we are reading now at a different time in our lives, with different experiences behind us which lead to new insights. The class will be led by Lynn Rosen, an experienced teacher, editor, and publishing expert. Lynn holds a Master of Arts in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University, and an Honors Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. She has taught writing and publishing at Drexel University, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania, and she previously ran the Graduate Publishing Program at Rosemont College. Lynn has spent much of her career in the New York publishing world working as an editor for Random House and other publishing houses, and running her own literary agency for eight years. She is the author of several books, including Elements of the Table: A Simple Guide for Hosts and Guests. She and her husband Evan Schwartz own and run the indie Open Book Bookstore in Elkins Park, PA. Lynn also runs the Open Book program of book discussion classes and author events, which includes the popular class “Hot Off the Press.” Each class meeting will focus on one author and one significant work by that author. Class will open with an introduction by Lynn Rosen in which she will provide a brief biography of the author’s life and an overview of their body of work. Lynn will touch on critical opinion and analysis of the author’s work and look at the overall impact of their life and work. Following this, the class will join Lynn in a discussion of the particular book selection. Class participants are asked to read the selected book to prepare for...
Local Authors are Guest Booksellers on Small Business Saturday November 28th
The Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, November 28th, is Small Business Saturday. On this day, many indie bookstores invite authors to be guest booksellers. It’s fun for customers to come in and find the authors working in the store! Come meet some of the authors who live in our community as they take a shift guest bookselling at Open Book Bookstore on 11/28. Here’s the schedule: 11am to Noon: Daniel Sean Kaye, author of Never Underestimate a Hermit Crab Noon to 1pm: Jon McGoran, author he author of six novels, including the biotech thrillers Drift and Deadout 1pm to 2pm: Andy Schloss, author of cookbooks too numerous to mention here! 2pm to 3pm: Stephanie Feldman, author of the novel The Angel of Losses 3pm to 4pm: Karen Toz, author of many middle grade books, including Nate Rocks, and a novel for adults 4pm to 5pm: Christine Weiser, author of Broad Street and co-founder of Philadelphia Stories magazine Shop indie, shop local! Oh, and did we mention...
Cheltenham High School Vocal Arts Coffee House
Enjoy a variety of musical performances by members of Cheltenham High School’s fabulous music program! DATE: Friday, December 4th TIME: 7pm to 9pm PLACE: Open Book Bookstore, 7900 High School Rd., Elkins Park, PA 19027 Come hear some talented Cheltenham High School Vocal Arts students perform and, while you do, support them as they fundraise for a school trip to travel to Puerto Rico, where they will meet and perform with local...