A LITTLE TOO QUIET: THE FERNDALE LIBRARY PODCAST

In Conversation with Rochelle Riley - Author of 'That They Lived'

Rochelle Riley recently ended a 20-year career as a nationally-syndicated, award-winning Detroit columnist in 2019 to become the City of Detroit’s Director of Arts and Culture. In 2018, she published 'The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery,' and she's just followed that up with a new book, 'That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed the World.' In this new book, which is out this week via Wayne State University Press, Riley's words describe the formative moments in the lives of some of the icons of Black History, and those words are paired with the stunning photography of Cristi Smith-Jones, capturing black and white images of her daughter Lola, and Riley's grandson Caleb, dressed in full costume to recreate some of the most memorable images from our history books. 

 

 

"That They Lived fills in gaps in the history that American children have been taught for generations. For African American children, it will prove that they are more than descendants of the enslaved. For all children, it will show that every child can achieve great things and work together to make the world a better place for all. Available where books are sold and from WSU."

 

More info: https://www.rochelleriley.com/the-burden/ 

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Music provided by Chad Stocker: https://honesttogoodness.bandcamp.com/ 

Galleries as Gathering Spaces: M Contemporary Art's Melannie Chard

Melannie Chard (owner/director M Contemporary Art) is an art consultant and agent with more than a dozen years of experience working in the art world, including stints with Sotheby's and Galerie Camille. Chard founded M Contemporary in 2018, where she provides seasoned and emerging collectors with an unparalleled client experience. On the podcast, we're talking about the important role galleries can serve for their communities and the ways in which they support local artists. 

M Contemporary is located directly across the street from the Ferndale Library. They're open Thursday through Saturday, 12p-6p. For more info, and to see details about upcoming exhibitions, click here: https://www.mcontemporaryart.com/upcoming 

Dorene O'Brien on Maintaining Motivation

Dorene O'Brien is a Detroit-based creative writing teacher and writer whose stories have won the Red Rock Review Mark Twain Award for Short Fiction, the Chicago Tribune Nelson Algren Award, the New Millennium Writings Fiction Prize, and the international Bridport Prize.

This is our final episode in a mini-series on maintaining motivation, heading into 2021. 

 

https://www.doreneobrien.com/ 

Sarah Miller on Maintaining Motivation

Sarah Miller began writing her first novel at 10 years old, and has spent half her life working in libraries and bookstores. She has spent much of the last decade releasing books that illuminate the experiences of women with incredible stories who tend to get overlooked by most history textbooks. Miller joined us in the summertime for our local author showcase series, Beginning / Middle / End. She will be releasing a new book in April. http://www.sarahmillerbooks.com/ 

Kathe Koja on Maintaining Motivation

Back in March, Kathe Koja was on the verge of leading a live reading/performance right here in the library, featuring a story from her latest book, Velocities. Koja is an award-winning author lauded for her ability to blend genres and manifest themes of transcendence amidst some of the most unlikely and unconventional characters and narrative circumstances. We spoke with her about how writers can  maintain motivation, heading into 2021. 

 

Music by Chad Stocker. 

https://kathekoja.com/ 

 

Alana Carlson on Maintaining Motivation

Alana Carlson is a Ferndale-based artist who graduated from the Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids in 2003. She's featured some of her work in a couple of group exhibitions here in the Ferndale Library, along with showing in several esteemed gallery spaces over the years. She's also been a freelance portraiture artist, along with being the creator of the mural facing out from the Natural Food Patch here in downtown Ferndale, on 9 Mile. https://alanacarlsonart.com/about 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/arts/lynda-barry-diary-project.html

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