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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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.”

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.

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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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Poetry Stacked presents “Talkback Ekphrastic”

In November 2023, faculty and student artists from UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) joined the poets of Poetry Stacked to create three paintings spontaneously while immersed in the reading’s live audience.

To complete the creative loop of that dynamic collaboration, the Elliston Poetry Room and the University of Cincinnati Libraries are hosting Talkback Ekphrastic, a two-part discussion and workshop about art, poetry, inspiration and process on Thursday, March 21 at 6:30pm in the Elliston Poetry Room, 646 Walter C. Langsam Library.

The event kicks off with the official, public debut of the Poetry Stacked paintings. Kyle Angel, adjunct instructor in DAAP, will provide opening remarks about the collaboration, followed by a talkback/Q&A with Kyle and the other artists.

After that, the discussion will transition from the painted ekphrastic to the written, where Alecia Beymer, poet and assistant professor/educator in UC’s Department of English, will share an introduction to ekphrastic poetry (poems written about works of art). Alecia will then facilitate an ekphrastic writing exercise with the gathered audience, asking participants to draft poems inspired by the three art pieces created at Poetry Stacked.

The event concludes with a short open mic for anyone to share their work and where the artists (who are also writers!) might share some of their poetic work.

Refreshments will be provided. The event is expected to last 75 minutes and is free and open to all to attend, including students, staff faculty and the community. More information about Poetry Stacked is available on the Libraries website.

UC Libraries seeks books good enough to eat for the International Edible Books Festival

Know of a good book to eat?! Create an Edible Book for UC Libraries International Edible Books Festival!

It’s time once again for the fan-favorite International Edible Books Festival scheduled for Monday, April 1, 2024, 11 a.m. on the 4th floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library. UC Libraries is seeking people interested in creating an edible book for the enjoyment of all in attendance. There are few restrictions – namely that your creation be edible and have something to do with a book – so you may let your creativity run wild.

As in previous years, entries will be judged according to such categories as “Most Delicious,” “Most Creative,” “Most Checked Out” and “Most Literary.” Those awarded “Best Student Entry” and “Best Overall” will win UC merch.

If you are interested in creating an edible book, e-mail libraries@uc.edu by Monday, March 25 with your name and the title of your creation.

Looking for inspiration? View the Facebook album to see photos from the previous festivals.

edible books graphic

Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.

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Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.

In this issue of Source, Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian, writes about moving forging a path as we create our strategic plan. Readers can access the Strategic Plan to give a sense of what we accomplished in 2022/2023. Collections play a prominent theme in this issue, including in a new DAAP Library exhibit, Rediscovering Catherina van Hemmessen’s Flagellation of Christ: Women as Artists, Patrons and Rulers in Renaissance Europe, that features prints, books and manuscripts from the collections of UC Libraries and in the acquisitions of Blue Books in the Archives and Rare Books Library. Collaboration is another theme of this issue when we write about Poetry Stacked Beyond the Bookshelves and the efforts of several librarians and staff to present for school children participating in the College Mentors for Kids program. And don’t miss the article about the lost mural in the CEAS Library.

Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the website. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list

Celebrate Pi Day early with a Pre-Pi Day Potluck at the Marcotte Library

Pi Day is happening over spring break, but that won’t keep the Frederick A. Marcotte Library from celebrating early!

RSVP for our Pre-Pi Day Potluck on the event’s GetInvolvedUC event page today and join us in the library at noon on Thursday, March 7th for the festivities. You bring a pie to share and we’ll supply the plates and cutlery. We’ll see you there!

Join us Wednesday, March 6 for an afternoon of poetry…and dance!

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.

At the next event, scheduled for Wednesday, March 6 at 4:30pm, three poets will read their original work:

poet images
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Board Game Night at the Library

What: Board Game Night

When: Friday, February 23rd, 5-8 PM.

Where: 462 Langsam Library (by the Triceracopter)

This event, co-hosted by the UC Board Game Club and UC Libraries, is featuring the CEAS Library Board Game Collection.

What to expect: fun and free snacks.
Come on your own or bring friends.
Play your favorite games or learn new ones.
Learn about the Board Game Club and discover our collection.

Questions? Please contact Olga Hart of Ben Edwards.