Books Come Alive in May at Alexandria Library

Alexandria library patrons know the library offers much more than books. In May, a plethora of activities are scheduled as part of All Alexandria Reads, a community reading project.

This year’s book is “Listening in an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project.” Facilitated by the Alexandria Library, this program is designed to create shared experiences through reading the book, which is a collection of compelling excerpts from more than 10,000 interviews from people of all walks of life.

In addition, StoryCorps will be in Alexandria May 20 through 22.

View a complete list of All Alexandria Reads activities, locations and start times here.

At the Beatley Central Library, highlights include:

May 1: I Can’t Year You: Marla Dougherty of NVRC will focus on coping and living with a hearing loss, communication strategies and local resources

May 6: Local author Judy Hogman: Judy Hogan will discuss her new murder mystery, “Killer Frost.”  Author Lane Stone will also present her mystery novel, “Current Affairs.”

May 7: Writing about History and fiction in DC settings: Author Ed Moser will speak about writing history and political comedy set in the Washington area.  

May 9: Liberated muse presents “In her Own Words.” A musical theatrical production about the lives of Nina Simone, Zora Neale Hurston, Billie Holiday and Lucille Clifton.

May 13: Interfaith Book Club: Bridge the gap and join us by reading nonfiction works that strive to find common ground through recognizing and celebrating common values.

May 14: Chocolate chocolate with the Park sisters: Authors and entrepreneurs the Park Sisters will speak about their lives as children of Korean immigrants and their successful careers as writers and businesswomen. Samples of chocolate from their boutique will be provided.

May 16: Writing is an act of love: Join us as we discuss and practice writing about ourselves and our loved ones. Bring a notebook and a pen!  With Bridget R. Pool, associate professor of English, Northern Virginia Community College.

May 16: Great books discussion group:  We will discuss “My Wife is a White Russian” by Rose Tremain and “A Woman of Fifty” by W. Somerset Maugham.  

May 19: Performance Art: Depicting our history: Artist Tina McPherson will lead you in making a performance art piece based on themes from “Listening is an Act of Love.”  

May 20: Biography book club: Read and discuss “Listening is an Act of Love.”

May 25: Meditation workshop: Learn relaxation techniques during this guided workshop.  

May 30: Sharing your story through social media. Learn how to tell your story through blogs and other social networking tools, such as Twitter, Pinterest and more.

Events are listed on the library’s events calendar. Book discussion groups will be held at 7 p.m. May 13 at the Barrett branch, at 7 p.m. May 15 at the Duncan branch, 7 p.m. May 20 at the Beatley Central Library and at 7 p.m. May 23 at the Burke branch.

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