April 10th Poetry Stacked to feature UC poetry students

The University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce the next roster of poets for Poetry Stacked, a semi-regular poetry reading series held in the 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library.

The next event, scheduled for Wednesday, April 10 at 4pm, will be an expanded program in celebration of National Poetry Month. The poetry reading will feature four University of Cincinnati student poets (pictured above clockwise from top):

  • Holli Carrell is a writer originally from Utah, now living in Cincinnati, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in creative writing at the University of Cincinnati with a certificate in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Her poems have recently appeared in 32 Poems, The Journal, Salt HillBennington Review, Quarterly West, Blackbird, Poetry Northwest, and other places. She currently serves as an assistant editor at The Cincinnati Review.
  • Tyler McDonald is a 3rd year undergraduate student at the University of Cincinnati studying Creative Writing and Professional Writing. He is a poet whose work deals with survivorship, relationships, and exploring personal identity. His poetry has appeared in Short Vine, Outrageous Fortune, and Mind Swimmer. In 2022, he was the recipient of the Robinson Essay Prize. Outside of writing, he can be found serving coffee, wandering nature, and copyediting the work of other writers.
  • Andy Sia is a poet and scholar from Brunei currently residing in Cincinnati. His recent manuscript, Sleuth, engages with whodunnit tropes and is an exploration of modes of reading and habitation. He is currently researching theories of reading and books as objects.
  • Grace Guy is a poet and writer, who currently splits her time between Cincinnati and Toledo. She is an undergraduate student studying English at the University of Cincinnati. Their poetry can be found in Short Vine Literary Journal. She is the recipient of an honorable mention for the 2023 Academy of American Poets Prize (Undergraduate Prize). When in Toledo, they work at a local coffee shop which they absolutely love.
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Greek Refugees from Asia Minor: Exhibition and Presentations

On the day before Greek Independence Day, commemorating the start of the Greek Revolution on March 25, 1821, ca. 100 Greek American Cincinnati residents met for a day of remembrance of the so called Population Exchange following what in English is referred to as the Greco-Turkish War, lasting from 1919 to 1922 and ending with a treaty, the Treaty of Lausanne, signed by Greece and Turkey and also by Britain, France, Italy and others in 1923, establishing the current borders of Turkey and Greece, and stipulating the relocation of ca. 1.2 million Christian Orthodox Turks to Greece and ca. 400,000 Muslim Greeks to Turkey, upending the lives of so many who had never known any other country than the one in which they had been raised and the language they had spoken from birth.

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Hungry?! Bite into an Edible Book with UC Libraries

Celebrate books good enough to eat at the International Edible Books Festival April 1st

Once again, the University of Cincinnati Libraries will celebrate the International Edible Books Festival with an event scheduled for Monday, April 1, from 11 a.m. to noon on the 4th floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library.

At the event, participants will present edible creations inspired by an author. There are few restrictions in creating an edible book — namely that the creation be edible and have something to do with a book.

harold and the purple crayon

Submitted entries so far include intriguing titles such as “Catching Fire,” “Squish Delish,” “3D Graphics Rendering Cookbook,” “Angle of Repose,” “And Then There Were None” and “The Scarlet Letter.” Nature is a theme this year with “The Shell Seekers,” “Bunnies on Ice,” “Gathering Moss,” “The Secret Garden” and “Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of our Planet.” Out-of-this-world titles “War of the Worlds” and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” will thrill attendees while “Pop-a-rif-ic” and “Trufflemadorian” will leave them happy. Numerous children’s books will make people smile with such titles as “The Little Prince,” “Dragons Love Tacos,” “Corduroy’s Lost Buttons,” “Porkopolis” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Poetry will be represented with “Apricots of Donbas” along with biographies “Tupak” and “The Story of My Life.” See, and taste, these delicious entries and more at the event on April 1st.

As in past years, entries will be judged according to such categories as Most Literary, Most Delicious, Most Adorable and Most Gruesome. In addition, the Top Student Entry and Best Overall Entry will receive UC merch. After the entries are judged they will be consumed and enjoyed by all in attendance.

According to the International Edible Book Festival website, the edible book was initiated by librarian and artist Judith A. Hoffberg during a 1999 Thanksgiving celebration with book artists. It became an international celebration in 2000 when artist Béatrice Coron launched the Books2Eat website. Traditionally, the event is celebrated on April 1st (April Fools’ Day) to mark the birthday of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), a French lawyer and politician who became famous for his book, “Physiologie du gout” (The Physiology of Taste).

The Libraries International Edible Books Festival is free and open to the public. Following the event, pictures of the edible books and their awards will be posted on the Libraries Facebook page. Come to celebrate (and eat) “books good enough to eat.”

Learning Commons at the Library: Survey question 6

Thank you for the feedback you’ve given throughout this academic year regarding the Marcotte Library and Learning Commons space collaboration. Your responses are helping us to make our space into what you need it to be.

Starting today, we have one final survey question for you: What, if anything, should the library adjust in our partnership with the Learning Commons? Please submit your response by Friday, April 19th.

As always, you can answer the survey question through one of the drop boxes located in Jones across from the library’s entrance or in the McDonough lobby. You can also anonymously submit your response via this online form.

New Books in the Science Libraries

Check out the new science books that have been added to the Geology-Math-Physics Library. A couple of interesting titles are The Native Landscape Reader and A Spider’s World.

Click here to access the January-February 2024 list.

If you have any questions about these books, contact Ted Baldwin, Director of the Science and Engineering Libraries, at Ted.Baldwin@uc.edu.

Join us April 11 for “Protests, Boycotts, Lawsuits and Persistence: Reflections on Police Reform and Public Pressure in Cincinnati”

DETAILS: Thursday, April 11, 3:30pm, Walter C. Langsam Library FEC 540E – with remarks by Linda Newman, Iris Roley and Al Gerhardstein.

respect graphic

Cincinnati in 2000 – 2002 was alive with ideas for change and disagreement on how to make it happen. The presenters will discuss protests, boycotts and other activism that pressed for progressive goals including police reforms. Tension among the reformers, deep frustration with racial discrimination and economic oppression will also be the basis for reflection. One outcome of these efforts was the Collaborative Agreement and broad citizen engagement on public safety issues in Cincinnati that have been cited as a national model. The current state of the Collaborative Agreement will be reviewed as well as ongoing efforts to improve public safety while reducing arrests and mass incarceration. Opportunities to get involved in justice issues will also be shared.

  • Linda Newman was a leader in the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati (CJC), and one of the persons sued by the Cincinnati Arts Association which sought to end a boycott by artists the Coalition organized.
  • Iris Roley has served as the Program Director of CBUF for the past 24 years and also remains engaged in the implementation of the Collaborative Agreement.
  • Al Gerhardstein is a civil rights attorney and has represented the Cincinnati Black United Front (CBUF) for the last 24 years.  He remains engaged in the implementation of the Collaborative Agreement.

In 2022, prominent civil right attorney, Al Gerhardstein donated his papers to UC Libraries. Housed and available for study and research in the Archives and Rare Books Library, the extensive collection includes briefs, pleadings, depositions, trial transcriptions, newspaper, magazine and journal articles, as well as correspondence and speeches spanning Gerhardstein’s career and notable legal cases.

The event is free and open to all and is presented by a mini grant the UC Libraries RESPECT (Racial Equity Support Programming to Educate the Community Team).

Preventing Systemic Discrimination of Persons with Disabilities:  How You Can Initiate the First Steps

When/Where: 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, Tues., April 9 and Wed., April 10, Room 462 Walter C. Langsam Library

Join UC Libraries for two workshops aimed at educating and promoting change and empathy related to the systemic discrimination of persons with disabilities – “Preventing Systemic Discrimination of Persons with Disabilities: How You Can Initiate the First Steps.” Matthew Sauer, assistant director of accessibility resources at UC Clermont College, will facilitate hands-on activities and develop individual stories to give attendees a foundation in the systematic discrimination of persons with disabilities and challenge them to determine what transformations and next steps they will take for themselves. The result of the workshops will be to envision a strategy for building a culture of inclusion at the university and in UC Libraries with the hope that the feedback from these sessions will lead to annual events regarding the impact of eliminating systemic intolerance in favor of equity. 

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Women’s History Month Books

by Lauren Wahman

The UCBA Library is featuring a selection of books highlighting the 2024 theme for Women’s History Month – Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Visit the Women’s History Month virtual featured books to view or stop by the UCBA Library during open hours to browse the full selection and check out an item with your UC ID.  

Check out library Spring Break reduced hours, March 9-16

Most University of Cincinnati Libraries locations have reduced hours for Spring Break, March 9-16. Check the library website for a list of hours by location.

Have a safe and rejuvenating Spring Break, Bearcats!

spring break vine with lemons

Devhra BennettJones joins UC Libraries as Winkler Center Archivist/Curator

On February 19, 2024 Devhra BennettJones joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries as the archivist and curator of the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions.

Devhra is a certified archivist and holds a Master of Science in Organizational & Human Resources Development from Abilene Christian University and a Master of Arts in History from our own University of Cincinnati. Previously, Devhra worked in the Cincinnati area at both the Lloyd Library & Museum and the American Jewish Archives. Devhra is actively engaged with the Society of American Archivists and the Society of Ohio Archivists and brings a wealth of knowledge to UC Libraries.

“The main thing that I am looking forward to in the new position is the opportunity to contribute to the preservation of medical history and to provide access to the rich historical collections held by the Winkler Center,” said Devhra. “It is an honor to work here!”

About the Winkler Center

winkler center

The Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions is an archive and exhibit facility chronicling the history of the health sciences primarily in the Cincinnati area. The Winkler Center’s over 35,000 volumes of rare and classic works on health history however broaden that scope to include Europe and date back almost 500 years. In addition to its archival collections, books, and medical objects, the Winkler Center also presents public and educational programming, and workshops throughout the year.