Poetry abounds in the Sacramento region and what better way to celebrate all the city has to offer in terms of poetry & literature than during April, National Poetry Month? In honor of National Poetry Month, Sacramento365.com's Featured Local Artist for April is poet Shawn Aveningo. With four published books of poetry and her work appearing in dozens of publications, Shawn is an accomplished and prolific poet. Learn about Shawn in her Featured Artist Profile and catch her performing live this Friday, April 12 at the Poets Showcase and reading with Poetica Erotica at Luna's Unplugged on Thursday, April 25. In addition to events listed above and in this round-up on The Sacramento Press, h

If you're like many people, you may have forgotten one or two gifts, but never fear. With several shopping days left before Christmas, Book Talk can guide your car to some interesting stops. Maybe you'll even find a gift for yourself. Books make wonderful gifts, but you don't have to buy the titles listed on the top ten or bestselling lists, and you really don't have to buy those gift books that weigh more than an old-school laptop. In fact, you don't even have to buy new books. Consider shopping at one of the many used book stores in the Sacramento area. Several are affiliated with various Friends of the Library, including the newest storefront in Rio Linda at 440 Elkhorn Blvd. This sto

Sacramento Public Library’s Del Paso Heights branch hosts free programs The Sacramento Public Library will host the following free programs at its Del Paso Heights branch, 920 Grand Avenue, Sacramento. For more information, please telephone (916) 264-2920 or visit www.saclibrary.org. Krafty Kats Crafting Club (for families): Saturdays at 10 a.m. Krafty Kats is a Saturday morning get together to share ideas, train each other, and work on project together for any and all things crafty. Knitting, crocheting, modeling, creating something new out of recycled materials, you name it - we do it. If you have something new and/or special - we will feature it as our special craft of the week. Kraft

Heyday is local. If you haven’t heard of this press, now’s your chance. Several books and book events are taking place in Sacramento, Davis and Oakland, the latter being the setting of Mariah K. Young’s debut story collection, “Masha’allah and Other Stories.” * * * “California Glaciers” by Tim Palmer Heyday ISBN - 978-1597141741 2012, 128 pp., $29.95 Local interest There are several local events tied to the release of this book of photographs and words that capture the beauty and power of California’s last glaciers. Palmer spent spring, summer and autumn of 2010 among his subjects, and this book is a tribute to these disappearing glaciers. On Friday, Oct. 26, and Saturday, Oct. 27, at

I love libraries, book stores, book sales, yard sales with books and my overflowing bookshelves. For me, the feel of a book is akin to that of a record album. I'm not a fan of the compact disc. I may be drawn to a book because of the author or the title. Other times, the cover art pulls me in. I’ve even been known to buy books that I will likely never read only because I liked the cover. I tried a Nook once. The Sacramento Public Library has them available to borrow, and I thought I should give one a try. I like to talk with the Nook sellers at the local Barnes & Noble. I enjoy when they load a new book and show me all of the features. I even enjoy when they tell me about the accessories,

Let’s start off this week with a question. What are you reading now? What book(s) do you recommend others read, and why? Okay, three questions. I’m currently reading Lorrie Moore’s “A Gate at The Stairs,” and a book I’ll be reviewing in a few weeks, “An Uncertain Age,” by Ulrica Hume. Also, I’m reading “The Collected Stories” by Amy Hempel and “Landscapes with Figures” by Robert Root. The books I recommend include any of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short stories and any of Hemingway’s short stories. I’ll toss in Raymond Carver’s short stories and “Black Tickets” by Jayne Anne Phillips. Poetry books include anything by Robert Hass and Kazim Ali, as well as Connie Post’s newest book, which I’l

If you want to learn how to defend yourself against night creatures, then mark your calendar for Aug. 11 at 2 p.m. “How to Defend Against a Creature of the Night” will be presented at Your Space Studio, 4120 Franklin Blvd. Written by Sacramento actor and playwright, Michael Pollock, produced by Generation Next Media LLC and well-received by audiences at the Sacramento Public Library, the hour-long production blends comedy, song, dance and supernatural lore. The event is suitable for all ages, but be warned: this is a participatory production. Tickets are a bargain at only $4 for children and $6 for adults. Parking is available behind the building.

SCORE and the Sacramento Public Library are teaming up to present Formula for Starting a Well-Run Business. This free class will be held Saturday, Aug. 4, from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Central Library branch, 915 I St., in the East Meeting Room. This class is a prerequisite for other classes in SCORE’s offerings, and is well-suited to people who are thinking of starting a business or are already drafting their business plan. Learn to take the right steps in the right order and discover the formula that successful companies follow. SCORE is a nonprofit association that has been helping small businesses for nearly 50 years. The volunteers of SCORE provide education and mentorship, often free of

Rio Linda Library presents free summer programs The Sacramento Public Library has many fun, exciting, and free Summer Reading programs at its Rio Linda branch whose programs are temporarily being held in The Depot building, 6730 Front Street, Rio Linda. Upcoming special programs include: Thursday, July 5, 3:30 p.m.: Learn About Insects with the Bohart Museum of Entomology. See and learn about all kinds of beautiful, interesting, and useful bugs. There will be lots of bugs to see, and you might even get to pet a live walking stick or cockroach! Thursday, July 12, 3:30 p.m.: Dream Catching: Story and Craft with ArtBeast. Children will hear the powerful story Grandmother’s Dreamcatcher, abou

When teenage cousins Jen and Yumi Chen walked into the McClatchy Library Friday, Branch Manager Sally McGrath took the girls by the crook of the elbow – one girl on each arm – and led them from the small, crowded foyer and through a wide doorway into the adjacent room: a big, bright new space dedicated to some of McGrath’s favorite library visitors. “Can you believe it? This is for you now,” McGrath told the teens. The girls smiled and thanked McGrath as they looked around. They noticed the posters of Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Elvis Presley and others – one for each decade the library has been open – that McGrath bought with her own money to make the space "even more teen friendly.” Th

The Sacramento Public Library Authority imposed furloughs on 241 library employees Friday after six months of intense negotiations with the employees’ union broke down. Calling it their “last, best and final offer” to International Union of Operating Engineers Local 39, Library Director Rivkah Sass said in a press release Monday that the SPLA will implement 12 furlough days per year for the next two fiscal years for the library workers. “Wage reductions, furloughs and layoffs are unfortunately more the rule rather than the exception in public employment these days,” Sass said. But the union sees it as "little more than a 4 percent pay cut" – and they consider the move to implement furlo

April 1 kicked off National Poetry Month, an event “inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 . . . when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.” Although National Poetry Month is held every April, and Sacramento and its neighbors are celebrating in various ways, Sacramento is certainly no stranger to poetry and the banding together of poets. About poetry, bookseller Richard Hansen, aka The Book Collector (24th a

NFL player Lance Briggs will make a special appearance at the Sacramento Public Library’s celebration of Dr. Seuss’ 108th birthday on Friday afternoon, March 2 at the Elk Grove branch, 8900 Elk Grove Boulevard, Elk Grove. The library’s free party honors Dr. Seuss, author Theodor Geisel. The 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. family festivities include a visit with Scooter the Safety Dog, craft making, face painting, refreshments, and Dr. Seuss stories. A graduate of Elk Grove High School, Briggs will read a favorite Dr. Seuss story at 3:30 p.m. in the library branch. For more information, please telephone the Sacramento Public Library at (916) 264-2920 or visit www.saclibrary.org. # # #  

Has it been a while since you’ve gone out on a date? Perhaps you are you looking for something different to do? However you would like to spend this Valentine’s weekend, let The Sacramento Press be your guide. Valentine’s craft day Thursday Sacramento Public Library 4235 Antelope Rd., Antelope 3 - 4 p.m. Free Children and teens are invited to make their own paper valentines with candy roses. The library will supply all the necessary materials. According to Teen/Adult Librarian Justin Azevedo, this event was organized by the teen volunteers. “They wanted to organize an event for other kids and teens,” Azevedo said. “It’s a fun and easy way to make unique valentines just in time for Val

The Sacramento Youth Symphony and Academy of Music enchanted an audience of approximately 350 guests at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria. The free holiday concert was hosted by the Central Library on Sunday afternoon. The Sacramento Public Library invited the public to celebrate music performed by the 85-member ensemble. Musicians played to a full house which has been common for many of the events held at the Central Library. Sacramento Youth Symphony and Academy of Music’s Artistic Director, Michael Neumann, presented the Academic Orchestra and the concert also featured the Saltarello Flute Ensemble and the Clarion Clarinet Ensemble. Neumann addressed the audience by welcoming and t

It was like a pub crawl for history buffs – without the crawl. Saturday was the first ever Archives Crawl in Sacramento, an event where four leading historical research facilities highlighted their offerings to the general public. For five hours the California State Archives, the California State Library, the Sacramento Central Library and the Center for Sacramento History opened their doors, their files and their secret vaults to the general public. All of the information on display Saturday, can be seen for free but other than serious historians few people ever take advantage of the resources. For those who missed the crawl, here were some of the highlights: Mugshots: One of the popu

In light of the most recent cuts to its operating budget, the Sacramento Public Library system is conducting an online community feedback survey to receive input on what programs and services the community values most. The goal is to make the “best possible decision we can with the least amount of impact,” said Denise Davis, deputy library director of the Sacramento Public Library. The Sacramento Public Library system held three community forums in mid-July to address the 10 percent cut in its general fund, which came out to about $800,000. Sixty-five people in total attended the three meetings, most attending the McKinley Library forum. In order to receive the input from those who were

When the Sacramento City Council passed the budget last week, funding for the Sacramento Public Library system was cut by nearly $800,000, and that means the possibility of reduced branch hours and even branch closures. But deciding just what to cut is a challenge that library staff wants the community to help with. “We want to talk to the community to see what’s important to them,” said Brenda Haggard, Strategic Communications Officer for the Sacramento Public Library. “We want to make decisions based on what’s important to the people we serve.” Haggard said the desire is to keep public service intact as much as possible, despite the cuts to funding. Library staff members are inviting

The American Sabor exhibit at the Sacramento Public Library got a boost on Wednesday bringing in many visitors. Renowned percussionist Pete Escovedo was at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria with his Latin Jazz Orchestra. The Galleria was packed early but standing room was available. Limited seating, on a first-come basis was offered on the second floor but that too was packed. Pete’s son, Juan, joined his dad and the Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra as they played several songs that had people dancing in the aisles. As I looked up towards the glass walls leading to the second and third stories of the library I could see people inside moving to the Latin rhythms. Pete Escovedo will be 76 y

The Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition is in town for an exhibit called “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music,” which showcases the contributions of Latinos in popular music. The Sacramento Public Library, located at 828 I St., is hosting the exhibit. Although the library will be closed Saturday through Monday for the Memorial Day holiday, the exhibit will stay in Sacramento until Aug. 7 and then depart for a showing in San Francisco starting on Aug. 27. The exhibition was created by Experience Music Project and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. “American Sabor,” its national tour and related programs are made possible by the Ford M