Presnell poetry book, play document work in Asheboro’s textile mills

Life and work in Asheboro’s textile mills are the focus of a series of events in October built around Asheboro native Barbara Presnell’s book of poetry Piece Work.

Presnell will read from her work at a reception sponsored by the Friends of the Library, 7 p.m. Thursday, October 22, at the Randolph Arts Guild’s Sarah Smith Self Gallery. The reception is free and the public is invited.

Then, Randolph Community College will host the Touring Theatre Ensemble of North Carolina’s dramatization of Piece Work, 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 27, at the RCC Auditorium. A discussion led by Presnell, Touring Theatre Artistic Director Brenda Schleunes and the cast will follow.

The performance is free; seats can be reserved by calling 633‐0244 (leave your name, phone number and number of tickets required) or at www.2009piecework.eventbrite.com.

Meanwhile, library’s Senior Book Club will discuss Piece Work at 2 p.m. Thursday, October 15, at the Asheboro library.

Based loosely on the textile manufacturing plant where Presnell’s father worked until his death in 1969, Piece Work uses the voices of workers to tell the story of an industry that once flourished in the region, shaping the lives of people who worked in the plant as well as those who lived among them, and chronicles the industry's demise in the early 2000s.

A portion of the poems was awarded the 2004 Linda Flowers Prize from the North Carolina Humanities Council. The full collection won the 2006 Cleveland State University (CSU) Poetry Center’s First Book Prize, and was published by CSU in 2007.

Presnell, whose poetry has appeared in many journals and anthologies, now lives in Lexington.

The Touring Theatre’s adaptation of Piece Work premiered in May at the Greensboro Historical Museum. The Greensboro‐based troupe is a non‐profit, professional theatre company that produces original productions based on literature and historical documents.

1st Annual Marjorie W. Memory Pottery Auction

Two classic pieces of traditional Seagrove area pottery will be auctioned to benefit the library in what will become an annual event.

The pottery was donated to the Friends of the Library by Stanley Hicks of Enid, OK, in memory of Marjorie Whittington Memory (1918‐2009) of Randleman.

Memory was author of A History of the Randolph Public Library, 1935‐1967, which she completed as her master of library science thesis at UNC‐Chapel Hill. Hicks, a pottery expert and collector, was a friend and colleague of Memory at the UNC‐Greensboro library.

To inaugurate the auctions, Hicks has donated a teapot and a tea bowl. The teapot, a Jugtown piece, was made in 1978 by Vernon Owens in a Sandhills glaze.

The tea bowl is an old Jugtown piece by Ben Owen circa 1930 in Chinese blue. The bowl has a large amount of red in the glaze which makes it more valuable.

The Auction

The pottery will be on display at the Randleman Library September 28‐October 3, the Seagrove Library October 5‐10 and the Asheboro Library October 12‐22.

The silent auction will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, October 19, at the Asheboro library, and close at 5 p.m. Thursday, October 22. The winning bid will be announced at the Friends of the Library program featuring Barbara Presnell at 7 p.m. that night at the Randolph Arts Guild.

How to Bid

To bid, visit the Asheboro library to obtain a bidder number. Bidders will be able to place their number and a bid on bid sheets accompanying the pottery display through the close of the auction. All bidding must be in person; no phone, fax or email bids will be accepted.For more information, call 336-318-6814.

All proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Randolph Public Library.

Doggy obedience demo rescheduled to Tuesday, Sept. 22

The doggy obedience class featuring Rory, star of RSVP Community Theatre’s summer production of Annie, has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 22, on the lawn in front of the Asheboro library.

The originally-scheduled event was postponed due to rain.

Ally Tomas, owner of Southern Tails Dog School in Randleman, will present the program. Bring your dog on a short, cloth leash (no retractable leashes, please), and also bring a yard chair.

Thomas will be joined by Rory, her three-year-old Belgian hunting dog and Annie scene-stealer.

In case of rain, the demonstration will take place in the library’s meeting room; participants are asked not to bring their dogs if it is raining. Call the library at 318-6801 on the day of the event if there is a question about the weather or for further information.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the event is free, and all dogs and their best friends are invited.

Homeless musician finds hope in library’s Movie Monday

The true story of virtuoso musician Nathaniel Ayers is the subject of The Soloist, the Asheboro library’s Movie Monday for September 21.

Jamie Foxx plays Ayers, a homeless man on the streets of Los Angeles who once had a promising musical life before developing schizophrenia. A reporter looking for a story finds Ayers one day and develops a close relationship with the troubled but gifted artist.

The film also stars Robert Downey Jr. and Catherine Keener.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more at here, or call 318-6824.

Doggy obedience demo postponed

The doggy obedience demo scheduled for tonight (9/17/09) has been postponed due to rain. A new date will be announced presently.

Friends of the Library to present doggy obedience demo

Meet Rory, canine star of the RSVP Community Theatre’s production of Annie, at a doggy obedience demonstration, at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 17, on the lawn in front of the Asheboro Public Library.

Ally Tomas, owner of Southern Tails Dog School in Randleman, will present the program. Bring your dog on a short, cloth leash (no retractable leashes, please), and also bring a lawn chair.

Thomas will be joined by Rory, her three-year-old Belgian hunting dog and Annie scene-stealer.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the event is free, and all dogs and their best friends are invited.

Say “yes” to library Movie Monday with “Yes Man”

What if you said “yes” to every opportunity, good and bad, that came along?

Jim Carrey tries to do just that for a year Yes Man, the Asheboro Public Library’s Movie Monday for adults, 2 p.m. September 14.

Carrey plays Carl Allen, who decides make his life more interesting and positive by saying yes. Along the way, he wins $45,000, meets a hypnotic dog, obtains a nursing degree, travels the globe and finds romance.

The film also stars Bradley Cooper and Zooey Deschanel.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more at here, or call 318-6824.

Friends of the Library to host romance novelist Tracey Marley

Franklinville resident Tracey Marley, author of the forthcoming novel Promise for Tomorrow, will appear for a book talk and signing at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 10, at the Asheboro library.

The program, sponsored by the Friends of the library, is free and the public is invited.

Set in Greensboro, Promise for Tomorrow is the first novel in the Heritage House series of romances, and will be released on September 8 by Tate Publishing and Enterprises.

Marley is a wife, mom and graphic designer whose creative spirit allows her to enjoy a life of service through drama, storytelling and channeling the gospel into pages of Christian fiction.