Wednesday, September 7, 2016, noon – 1 p.m.
Book Talk: The Art of the Sabbath: An Illustrated Talk by Artist and Author Debra Band on her book “Kabbalat Shabbat: the Grand Unification.”
This program is presented by the Hebraic Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division. The talk will be followed by a display of Rare Books from the collections of the Library of Congress.
Location: African and Middle Eastern Reading Room, LJ-220, second floor, Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Washington, DC. Metro stop: Capitol South
Event free and open to all. Please allow time to clear security.
Contact: Ann Brener, [email protected], (202) 707-4186
Request ADA accommodations five days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or [email protected]
Click here for information.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016, noon – 1 p.m.
Lecture: “‘Claim to oblivion!’ The New York Group”
by Ukrainian-American Author Yuriy Tarnawsky
The New York Group consisted of Ukrainian émigré writers who formed in the late 1950s and continued until informally ceasing in the 1990s, though several members continue to be active individually to this day. Their creativity revitalized Ukrainian émigré literature but also influenced literary movements in Ukraine. Acclaimed poet, novelist, playwright and essayist Yuriy Tarnawsky, a founding member of the New York Group, will discuss its history and read from his works. This event is sponsored by the European Division.
Location: European Division Conference Room, LJ-249, Thomas Jefferson Building, 2nd floor, 10 First Street, S.E., Washington D.C. 20540. Metro stop: Capitol South
Free and Open to the Public.
Contact: Erika Spencer (202) 707-4371, [email protected]
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 (Voice/TTY) or email [email protected]
Click here for information.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016, 3:30 p.m.
LAUNCH OF THE SPANISH VERSION OF THE “MEXICAN REVOLUTION AND THE UNITED STATES IN THE COLLECTIONS OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS”/ “LA REVOLUCIÓN MEXICANA Y LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS EN LAS COLECCIONES DE LA BIBLIOTECA DEL CONGRESO” ONLINE EXHIBIT
The Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress will celebrate the launch of the Spanish version of this online exhibit, which tells the dynamic story of the complex and turbulent relationship between Mexico and the United States during the Mexican Revolution, approximately 1910-1920. The site features extraordinary items from the Library including letters from U.S. President William Howard Taft (1903-1913), photographs, books, manuscripts, maps, and more.
Location: Hispanic Reading Room, Thomas Jefferson Building, 2nd floor (LJ-240)
Event is free and open to the public.
Reception will follow.
Contact: [email protected]
Request ADA accommodations five days in advance at 202.707.6362 or [email protected]
Click here for information.
Thursday, September 8, 2016, 11:30 a.m.
Book Talk: READING CLAUDIUS: A Memoir in Two Parts
by author Caroline Heller
The European Division and the Hebrew Language Table of the Library of Congress in cooperation with the Embassy of the Czech Republic present “READING CLAUDIUS: A Memoir in Two Parts,” a book talk by author Caroline Heller. A stunning elegy to a vanished time, Caroline Heller’s memoir traces the lives of her parents, her uncle, and their circle of intellectuals and dreamers from Central Europe on the eve of World War II to present-day America. The story, set primarily in prewar Prague, brings to life the lost world of European café culture, and reminds us of the sustaining power of literature in the most challenging of times. Professor Heller is the director of the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Educational Studies at Lesley University, where she also teaches in the graduate school of education.
Location: Dining Room A, 6th floor, Madison Building, Library of Congress. Metro stop: Capitol South
Event is free and open to the public.
For information: Gail Shirazi [email protected], Galina Teverovsky [email protected]
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 TTY or [email protected]
Click here for information.
Friday, September 9, 2016, noon – 1 p.m.
LECTURE: CERVANTES IN LOVE AND THE PEOPLE IN LOVE WITH CERVANTES
Spanish playwright Jordi Casanovas, the author of the play “Cervantes: The Last Quixote” / “Cervantes: El último Quixote,” which was commissioned by GALA Hispanic Theater and will have its world premier at GALA on September 8, will deliver a talk on Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, author of “Don Quixote” (1605) the first modern novel and one of the most beloved literary figures of all time. The event will be mostly in Spanish, and it will be part of a series of events at the Library of Congress commemorating the 400th anniversary of Cervantes’ death.
Location: Whittall Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Building, ground floor.
Event is free and open to the public.
Contact: [email protected]
Request ADA accommodations five days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or [email protected]
Click here for information.
Monday, September 12, 2016, noon – 1 p.m.
The Discovery of Karamanlidika: Disappearing Literature, Artifacts and Cultural Heritage
featuring Selenay Aytac, Associate Professor, Fulbright Scholar, Long Island University, NY, and Constantia Constantinou, Dean of University Libraries,
Fulbright Scholar, Stony Brook University, NY
This program is sponsored by the Near East Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division, Library of Congress. Free and open to the public. Please allow time to clear security.
Location: The African and Middle Eastern Reading Room, LJ-220, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St., SE, Washington, DC 20540. Metro Stop: Capitol South.
For additional information contact: Joan Weeks (202) 707-3657.
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 (Voice/TTY) or email [email protected]
Click here for information.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016, 11 a.m. – noon
Hispanic Reading Room Research Orientation
Sign up for our research orientation and learn about the Hispanic Reading Room services and collections. Orientations are offered to the public the second Tuesday of every month from 11:00am-12:00pm. Those attending should obtain a Library of Congress Reader Identification Card prior to the session. Click here for more information about reader’s cards.
Location: Hispanic Reading Room, Thomas Jefferson Building, LJ-240. Attendees should use the First Street Carriage Entrance of the Jefferson Building. Contact: [email protected]
(NEW DATE!) Tuesday, September 13, 2016, noon – 1 p.m.
“The Persian Book Lecture Series” 2016 Focus: Literature and Performing Arts
Mehdi Saeedi’s Persian Calligraphy Series Titled: EVOLUTION
Jointly organized by the Near East Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress and the Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland, this program is made possible with the generous support of the Aftab Committee.
Location: African and Middle Eastern Reading Room, LJ-220, second floor, Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Washington, DC. Metro stop: Capitol South
Event free and open to all. Please allow time to clear security.
Contact: Hirad Dinavari, [email protected], (202) 707-4518
Request ADA accommodations five days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or [email protected]
Click here for more information.
Thursday, September 15, 2016, noon – 1 p.m.
Lecture: Dubious Gastronomy: A Brief Story of Korean Food in America
by Dr. Robert Ji-Song Ku, Associate professor of Asian and Asian American Studies at Binghamton University of the State University of New York
Co-hosted by the Asian Division and the Asian Division Friends Society, this lecture will examine the story of Korean food in the United States, beginning with its essential place on the dinner table of the earliest Koreans immigrants to the current gastronomic scene in which Korean food and Korean American chefs are the toast of the culinary world. In telling this story, two foods in particular will take center stage: kimchi, the fermented vegetable dish that is considered the national food of Korea, and SPAM, the canned meat product that has been beloved by Koreans for nearly half a century. These two foods are examples of what the speaker refers to as “dubious” Asian foods in his published book, “Dubious Gastronomy: The Cultural Politics of Eating Asian in the USA.”
Location: Asian Reading Room Foyer, LJ-150, Thomas Jefferson Building. Metro stop: Capitol South.
Event is free and open to the public. Please allow time to clear security.
Contact: [email protected]
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 (Voice/TTY) or email [email protected]
Thursday, September 15, 2016, noon – 1 p.m.
Lecture: Hebrew Printing in Arab and Islamic Lands
Brad Sabin Hill, Curator of the I. Edward Kiev Judaica Collection, Gelman Library, George Washington University
This program is presented by the Hebraic Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division. A display of rare books from the Library’s collections will follow.
Location: African and Middle Eastern Reading Room, LJ-220, second floor, Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Washington, DC. Metro stop: Capitol South
Event free and open to all. Please allow time to clear security.
Contact: Ann Brener, [email protected], (202) 707-4186
Request ADA accommodations five days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or [email protected]
Click here for more information.
Friday, September 16, 2016, noon – 1 p.m.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH 2016 KICK-OFF EVENT:
SPANISH GUITAR RECITAL: MAESTRO SOLER: A HOMAGE TO MIGUEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA
Kicking off the month-long Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration will be a Spanish guitar recital by Maestro Francesc de Paula Soler. Maestro Soler has been called the new “Poet of the Guitar” and is considered one of the most notable artists in the guitar world. This program is part of a series of events at the Library of Congress commemorating the 400th anniversary of Cervantes’ death. Cosponsored by the Hispanic Division, the Music Division, and the Hispanic Cultural Society of the Library of Congress.
Location: Whittall Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Building, ground floor. Metro stop: Capitol South.
Event is free and open to the public. Please allow time to clear security.
Contact: [email protected]
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 (Voice/TTY) or email [email protected]
Click here for information.
Monday, September 19, 2016, noon – 1 p.m.
Lecture: “The Thirteenth Hour: the poetry of Rivka Basman Ben-Haim, translated from the Yiddish by Zelda Kahan Newman,” a reading and discussion with the translator
Rivka Basman Ben-Haim, Israeli award winning Yiddish poet, is one of the last representatives of the golden age of Yiddish poetry. As a young teenager, she witnessed the Nazi destruction of her Jewish world. She began composing Yiddish poems in the Vilna ghetto, and at 90 years, she is still writing poetry. Translator Zelda Kahan Newman, former head of Judaic Studies at Lehman College/CUNY, is a linguist whose specialty is Yiddish, language and culture. For more than two decades, she has translated the Yiddish poetry of Rivka Basman Ben-Haim. This program is jointly organized by the Hebraic Section of the African and Middle Easter Division and the Hebrew Language Table of the Library of Congress in cooperation with the Embassy of Israel.
Location: Pickford Theater, 3rd Floor, James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E. Washington, D.C. 20540. Metro stop: Capitol South
For additional information contact: Gail or GalinaFree and open to the public. Please allow time to clear security.
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 (Voice/TTY) or email [email protected]
Click here for more information.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016, noon – 1 p.m.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH 2016:
Lecture: “I JUANA LIVE IN AMERICA: AN IMMIGRANT’S [CREATIVE] JOURNEY”
Award-winning illustrator Juana Medina will discuss her work and her artistic journey as a Colombian artist living in the United States. Medina is an illustrator and author for children’s books, as well as a teacher at George Washington University. This event is cosponsored by the Hispanic Division and the Hispanic Cultural Society of the Library of Congress.
Location: Dining Room A, James Madison Building, 6th floor. Metro stop: Capitol South
Event is free and open to the public.
Contact: [email protected]
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 (Voice/TTY) or email [email protected]
Click here for information.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016, noon – 2:30 p.m.
The 20th Annual Vardanants Day Armenian Lecture
In Commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Republic of Armenia
“A World Monument: Zvart‘nots‘, Armenia, and the Wars of the Seventh Century”
Christina Maranci, Arthur H. Dadian and Ara T. Oztemel Associate Professor of Armenian Art, Tufts University
The Vardanants Day lecture series is sponsored by the Near East Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division. It is named after the Armenian holiday that commemorates the battle of Avarayr (451 A.D.), which was waged by the Armenian General Vardan Mamikonian and his compatriots against invading Persian troops who were attempting to reimpose Zoroastrianism on the Christian state. As a religious holiday, it celebrates the Armenians’ triumph over forces of assimilation. Maranci’s lecture will focus on the iconic church of Zvart‘nots‘. Though it lies in ruins, the church has long been of interest to those who study the Armenian and Byzantine architecture of the era.
Free and open to the public. Please allow time to clear security.
Location: The Northeast Pavilion. Enter through the African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room, Room 220, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, SE, Washington, DC 20540. Metro stop: Capitol South
Contact: Levon Avdoyan (202) 707 – 5680
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362
(Voice/TTY) or email [email protected]
Click here for information.