Author Rachel Wetsriru to appear at library program

Novelist Rachel Wetsriru will talk about self-publishing and her own writing at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 6, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Her appearance, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited.

Wetsriru, who lives in Randolph County, writes fiction aimed at teens. She has published Shadow and Smoke and Trials and Truth, the first two books in a fantasy saga called The Fire Horses Trilogy.

Famed children’s author and illustrator Ashley Bryan to visit Asheboro library

Author, artist and teacher Ashley Bryan, a leading figure in children’s literature for over 40 years, will share his wisdom at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 4, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Bryan’s appearance is free and people of all ages are invited. It’s sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

              

The program will include a display of Bryan’s artwork, and a sing-a-long of spirituals that Bryan illustrated for his recent books Walk Together Children and I’m Going to Sing, to be led by Philip Shore and other local performers.

The 89-year-old Bryan was the first African American man both to write and illustrate a children’s book, and has earned numerous honors including the Arbuthnot Award for lifetime achievement, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award and several Coretta Scott King awards and honors.

His work draws on African American traditions and folklore, blending the rhythms of the oral tradition in his writing with a wide range of media in his art.

He studied at Cooper Union and Columbia University, and taught art at Dartmouth College. He lives on Little Cranberry Island off the coast of Maine.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street in Asheboro.

Library to offer social media safety class

Asheboro library staff will present “Social Media and Internet Safety for Parents and Teens” at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 23, and again at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 30.

It’s free and the public is invited.

The one-hour class is designed to create common ground between parents and teens who use social media, and will include an overview of basic Internet safety, Facebook security and privacy settings, and an introduction to the microblog site Tumblr.

Issues covered will include cyber-bullying, trolls, social media etiquette, and potential dangers of Facebook, Tumblr and other social media sites.

February 1 documentary to screen at Central Boys/Girls Club

February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four will be shown at the Central Asheboro Boys and Girls Club, 621 Franks Street, at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 19. The public is invited.

A discussion will follow the free screening. The documentary profiles the four young men who organized one of the most pivotal events during the Civil Rights Movement

Writer Angie Kinghorn to speak at Asheboro library

Blogger/essayist Angie Kinghorn will talk about her writing at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at the Asheboro library.

Her appearance, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited.

Asheboro native Kinghorn is an attorney-turned-writer of memoir and fiction. Her work has been published in The Literary Anthology of Write on the Edge and the BlogHer 2012 Voices of the Year compilation. She was recognized as a 2012 BlogHer Voice of the Year.

Find out more at angiekinghorn.com.

‘Bedtime Bonanza’ launches library’s Every Child Ready to Read initiative

Bring the kids in their PJs for a “Bedtime Bonanza” as the Randolph County Public Library kicks off Every Child Ready to Read®,  its new early childhood literacy initiative for the whole family.

Bedtime Bonanza is free and will be offered at five locations in the library system. It will include a storytime, an age-appropriate craft and refreshments.

Parents/caregivers, children age 0-5 and older siblings are invited to any of the sessions as follows:

· Asheboro, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14;

· Archdale, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 30;

· Randleman, 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, June 4;

· Seagrove, 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, June 11

· Ramseur/Franklinville, 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, June 18 at Ramseur.

During each event, librarians will provide parents/caregivers with tips about how incorporate five key activities — talking, singing, reading, writing, playing — as they read and interact with their children. Employing these techniques has been shown to build pre-literacy skills that help ensure children will be ready learn to read when they begin school.

Every Child activities for parents/caregivers and children will be ongoing, and the techniques will be part of library storytimes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

Every Child Ready to Read®, developed by the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Services to Children, is based on research about language, early literacy skills and how children learn. The techniques give parents and caregivers simple but powerful ways to help kids develop the language and other skills they need to learn to read.

The Randolph County Public Library  ‘Every Child’ initiative is supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the federal Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

Library locations can be found at www.randolphlibrary.org, or call 318-6800. For more information about Bedtime Bonanza and Every Child Ready to Read, call 318-6830