Category Archives: Literature

Construction begins on March 16 on new parking deck at CALS downtown

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Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) plans to begin construction on a new parking deck at thcalse corner of Rock Street and President Clinton Avenue on Monday, March 16.

Rock Street will close from the corner to the alley on the north side of the Main Library to accommodate construction barriers. Access to Rock Street is from 2nd Street, and through traffic will be routed through the alley.

“We will more than double the number of parking spaces at the Main Library with the addition of the new deck,” said Bobby Roberts, CALS director.

“More than 800,000 people visited the Main Library campus last year, so having more parking spaces will make it easier for our patrons to use books and computers and attend meetings and programs.”

Construction should be completed by November, 2015. The new deck will have about 130 spaces, with an estimated $3.9 million construction cost. Little Rock voters approved a bond issue in 2012, which provided funds for the construction.

For more information contact 918-3086 or sgele@cals.org.

Lights! Camera! Arkansas! book signing with Robert Cochran and Suzanne McCray

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The authors of a new book that explores the legacy of Arkansas on film will be center-stage for a panel and book-signing at the Old State House Museum. 

On Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m., Robert Cochran and Suzanne McCray will be discussing their new book, “Lights! Camera! Arkansas!” on a panel hosted by Ben Fry, general manager of KUAR and host of Second Friday Cinema. 

“Lights! Camera! Arkansas!” traces the roles played by Arkansans in the first century of Hollywood’s film industry, from the first cowboy star, Broncho Billy Anderson, to Mary Steenburgen, Billy Bob Thornton and many others. 

The Arkansas landscape also plays a starring role: Crittenden County as a setting for Hallelujah (1929), and various locations in the state’s southeastern quadrant in 2012’s Mud are all given fascinating exploration. 

Cochran and McCray screened close to two hundred films—from laughable box-office bombs to laudable examples of filmmaking – in their research for this book. 

They’ve enhanced their spirited chronological narrative with an appendix on documentary films, a ratings section and illustrations chosen by Jo Ellen Maack of the Old State House Museum, where “Lights! Camera! Arkansas!” debuted as an exhibit curated by the authors in 2013.

 The exhibit will close on July 31, 2015. 

Legacies & Lunch Looks at “The Way It ‘Wuz’ Back Then”    

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Lonoke County native Aretha Dodson attended segregated public schools and worked for the same school district during and after integration. She details these experiences in her memoir, That’s the Way It “Wuz” Back Then, which she will discuss at Legacies & Lunch, the Butler Center’s monthly lecture series, on Wednesday, March 4, noon-1 p.m., in the Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street. Books will be available for purchase, and Dodson will sign copies after her talk.

Dodson is a school improvement educational consultant who worked nearly forty years for the Lonoke public schools. That’s the Way It “Wuz” Back Then uses Dodson’s experiences, interviews she conducted, and clippings from the Lonoke Democrat to depict “the hardship and suffering of black families during the early twentieth century, segregated schools in the South, and the unrest experienced in the South during the desegregation of schools.”

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. For more information, call 501-918-3033.

A Year Long Party for Arkansas Rep 40th Season

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The 2015-2016 season is the 40th one for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. The audience gets the gifts.

The season kicks off with William Shakespeare’s Scottish play about the Thane of Cawdor and his wife Lady M. It will run September 11-27.

Next up is the Tony winning musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This tuneful, witty musical with book by Rachek Sheinkin and songs by William Finn, will play from October 16 to November 8.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be the holiday show running from December 4 to January 3.  It will be a regional premiere of this musical featuring a book by Pulitzer and Tony winner Doug Wright and a score by the Oscar winning team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, with additional lyrics by Glenn Slater.

2016 will start off with another regional premiere–Peter and the Starcatcher.  This prequel to the Peter Pan stories is by Rick Elice. Though a play, it does have some songs by Wayne Barker and Elice.  This winner of  five Tony Awards will be on stage from January 15 to February 7.

The regional theatre premiere of The Bridges of Madison County will take place on the Arkansas Rep stage from April 8 to May 1.  This musical has a Tony winning score by Jason Robert Brown and a book by Pulitzer and Tony winner Marsha Norman.

The main stage season will conclude with a world premiere play Windfall.  Directed by Tony winner Jason Alexander, this comedy by Scooter Pietsch looks at greed among a group of office workers.  It will run from June 10 to 26.

The Rep also has three special offerings during the 2015-2016 year.

From February 11-14, Rebecca Wells, author of the “Ya-Ya Sisterhood” novels will present a one-woman show about the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

The Summer Musical Theatre Intensive production will be called Broken Wings and will play from March 1-12 of 2016.

From May 3-15 the Second City will return to Little Rock for Second City: Hooking Up. 

The Rep’s 40th season features comedy, tragedy and musicals spanning from Elizabethan times to world premieres.  It truly is a showcase of the Rep’s mission and the breadth and depth of the Rep’s commitment to bringing great stories to life for Little Rock audiences.

Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday with Read Across America Day

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Oh, the places you’ll go when you read!

Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the National Education Association’s (NEA) Read Across America Day with the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) and millions of others at events and programs on Monday, March 2 and throughout the week.

On Monday, March 2, from 4-7 p.m., The Cat in the Hat and Pete the Cat will join participants at Park Plaza Mall, 6000 W. Markham Street, for crafts, reading, and fun. Events at branch libraries may be found below. All events are free and open to the public.

  • Main Library
    Dr. Seuss Storytime with Lupe Pena Valadez • Saturday, March 7 • 10:30 a.m.
  • McMath Library
    Dr. Seuss Birthday Bash • Monday, March 2 • 6:00 p.m.
  • Terry Library
    Dr. Seuss Family Night • Monday, March 2 • 6:30 p.m.
  • Thompson Library
    Dr. Seuss Family Night • Thursday, March 5 • 6:30 p.m.
  • Children’s Library
    Dr. Seuss on the Loose Party • Saturday, March 7 • 10:30 a.m.

NEA’s Read Across America Day, which celebrates Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the joys of reading, expects more than 45 million readers, both young and old, to pick up a book and read. The goal is to show America’s children the joy of reading and build a nation of readers.

March Madness at Central Arkansas Library System

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The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) is throwing a twist into the traditional March Madness bracket. 

Beginning March 1, all CALS branches will be bracketing locations for Heroes and Villains: Character Face-Off, a bracket competition to determine CALS patrons’ favorite literary character. 

The Heroes and Villains bracket includes sixteen characters; eight heroes and eight villains. Each week, patrons may vote for their favorite character at http://www.cals.org, at any CALS branch, or both. There is no limit to how many times participants can vote. 

During the week of March 2-March 8, patrons can try to predict the ultimate winner of the Heroes and Villains: Character Face-Off bracket competition for a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card.

Shakespeare Scene Festival at UALR today and Friday

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The 2015 Shakespeare Scene Festival will be held in UALR’s University Theater in the Center for Performing Arts on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 26 and 27.

shakespeare scene

The festival, held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. both days, is free and open to the public.

The Shakespeare Festival brings students from central Arkansas schools to campus to celebrate learning through the performance of Shakespeare.

Approximately 600 students are expected to visit UALR over the two-day the festival and about 300 are expected to perform, with players ranging from fifth graders to high school seniors.

Participating schools include Oak Grove Elementary, Warren Dupree Elementary, Henderson Middle School, Sheridan Middle, J.A. Fair High, Little Rock Central High, Clarendon High School, and Perryville High School.

Sponsored by the UALR Departments of English and Theater Arts and Dance, the festival was founded by Roslyn Knutson in 1998 and inspired by a workshop at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.

To see a schedule of performances and to find out more about the festival, visit ualr.edu/shakespeare.

Questions should be directed to the festival’s director, Dr. Kris McAbee, at 501.569.8312.