Tag Archives: Harper Lee

My Favorite Banned Books

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BBW15_518x800This is Banned Books Week.  Here are some of my favorite banned books.  Heck, they are some of my favorite books period.

  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
  • All the King’s Men, by Robert Penn Warren
  • The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
  • A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
  • The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
  • The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
  • Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
  • A Separate Peace, John Knowles
  • A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Go to the Central Arkansas Library System or a bookstore and get a copy of one of these this week.  Or if you already own them all, read one this week.

Atticus Finch prevails in CALS March Madness Heroes vs. Villains Character Face-Off!

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atticusThe man who has probably single-handedly inspired generations of attorneys was named the winner of the Central Arkansas Library System March Madness Heroes vs. Villains Character Face-Off!

Harper Lee’s Atticus Finch was the winner!

Atticus is a lawyer and resident of the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and the father of Jeremy “Jem” Finch and Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. Lee based the character on her own father, Amasa Coleman Lee, an Alabama lawyer who, like Atticus Finch, represented black defendants in a highly publicized criminal trial.

Book Magazine’s list of The 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900 names Finch as the 7th best fictional character of 20th century literature. In 2003, the American Film Institute voted Atticus, as portrayed by Gregory Peck, as the greatest hero in American film.

BANNED BOOKS WEEK

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ALA Freadom Slide 2013 (2)

This is Banned Books Week.  Here are some of my favorite banned books.  Heck, they are some of my favorite books period.

  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
  • All the King’s Men, by Robert Penn Warren
  • The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
  • A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
  • The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
  • The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
  • Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
  • A Separate Peace, John Knowles
  • A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman at Ron Robinson Theater this weekend

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One of the advantages of the new CALS Ron Robinson Theater is the fact it can be programmed fairly quickly.

In tribute to the late stage and screen actor/director Philip Seymour Hoffman, the Little Rock Film Festival and Central Arkansas Library System have programmed a special weekend of films celebrating his career.

It kicks off tonight at 7pm with Magnolia and continues tomorrow at 7 with Charlie Wilson’s War.  On Sunday, his Academy Award winning performance as the title character in Capote will be screened at 4pm.

All films take place in the CALS Ron Robinson Theater inside the Arcade Building on the CALS campus.  The screenings are free.

MAGNOLIA – Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2000 film is an epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. Arkansan Melinda Dillon and Hoffman were just two of the actors in this ensemble film.

CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR – Mike Nichols and Aaron Sorkin’s comic drama was based on a Texas congressman Charlie Wilson’s covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets have some unforeseen and long-reaching effects.  Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Hoffman teamed up to lead the cast of this movie.

CAPOTE –  During his research for his book In Cold Blood, an account of the murder of a Kansas family, Truman Capote writer develops a close relationship with Perry Smith, one of the killers. Hoffman won an Oscar for his uncanny portrayal of this brilliant and troubled writer. Catherine Keener received an Oscar nomination for her performance as lifelong Capote friend, reclusive author Harper Lee.

Arkansas Rep’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

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Scout, Jem, Atticus, Calpurnia and Boo Radley come to life as the Arkansas Repertory Theatre presents the stage version of Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird. This deceptively simple episodic tale of life in the South was adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel. All of the drama and humor from the novel and subsequent movie are found in the stage version as well.

Arkansas Rep’s Producing Artistic Director Bob Hupp directs this production.  After previews, opening night is Friday, January 27; the production runs through February 12.

John Feltch portrays the noble Atticus Finch with Abby Shourd and Damon McKinnis as his children. Others in the cast include Spencer Davis, Laura E. Johnston, John-Patrick Driscoll, Lawrence Hamilton, Michael Jones, Sam Kitchin, Kathy McCafferty, Jason Collins, Briana Pozner, Alanna Hamill Newton, Verda Davenport, Jackie Stewart, and Tricia H. Spione.  Will Frueauff and Julia Landfair understudy the children’s roles.

The creative team for this production includes Mike Nichols (scenery), Marianne Custer (costumes), Michael J. Eddy (lighting), Matt Duvall (properties) and M. Jason Pruzin (sound).

Clinton School next week features filmmaker, Rep play

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The University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service speaker series brings a wide variety of engaging speakers to Little Rock throughout the year.  For example, next week features an Ambassador and a World Food Prize Laureate.

Two of the programs next week have a cultural bent.

On Monday, January 23 at 6:00pm, Louie Psihoyos will discuss “The Ultimate Weapon of Mass Construction.  He is director of the 2009 Oscar winning film for best documentary, “The Cove,” which uncovers how a small seaside village in Japan serves as a microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide.

At the Clinton School, Psihoyos will discuss the importance of using art to inspire activism and show clips from his next eco-thriller about the sixth mass extinction on Earth. The new film will feature Scientist Roger Payne, who declares that in the near future all the famines and world wars experienced by humanity will be a footnote compared to the destruction humanity is creating on the planet.
Fittingly, the Clinton School will host the Academy Award winner the night before this year’s Oscar nominations are announced.  The day after the Oscar nominations come out, the Clinton School will feature a program about a stage adaptation of an Oscar winning film.
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre is producing the stage version of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird (which won Oscars when it was made into a film).  On Wednesday, January 25 at 12 noon, Arkansas Repertory Theatre producing artistic director Bob Hupp will host the cast of The Rep’s upcoming production of the play for a panel discussion.
Hupp and the cast will discuss the history of the famous novel, its compelling themes of compassion, justice, integrity and courage and their work to bring the story to The Rep stage. As it is told through the eyes of Scout, the tomboyish young daughter of small-town lawyer Atticus Finch, it becomes clear that To Kill a Mockingbird is a love story: a father’s love for his children, their love for him and a love for the South.
Both programs will take place at Sturgis Hall.   Reservations can be made by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu, or calling 501-683-5239.