Karen Leona Anderson

Fri 3/272009, 5-7pm: SALON – Poet Karen Leona Anderson on the interactions of poetry and science. Anderson's interest in the interactions of these two disciplines informs her new collection of poems, Punish Honey, and has led her to look for these interactions in the work of other poets - such as Emily Dickinson, for example - as well. Join us for a conversation about her discoveries - scientific, poetical, and the combination thereof - and then don't miss her reading from Punish Honey the following evening (Sat 3/27) at 6pm at the beloved Ada Books, 717 Westminster Street in Providence! For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Sponsor: Elad Inc, Industrial Consulting)

Listen Local Composers' Forum

Thurs 3/26, 6-7:30pm: Listen Local Composers' Forum, moderated by Open Source's Christopher Lydon, with composers including Mitchell Clark, Marilyn Currier, Garrison Hull, Mike Kelley, Forrest Larson, and Jessie Montgomery; presented with Community MusicWorks and the Providence Public Library. The event takes place at the Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street in Providence. Join us for a conversation with composers featured in last season's Community MusicWorks Listen Local project.

Free and open to the public, but reservations are REQUIRED due to limited seating. Please email Lisa Miller at lmiller@provlib.org (preferred), or leave her a message at 401-455-8057.

Picture courtesy of John Chiafalo.

Oasis International

Fri 3/20, 5-7pm: SALON – Oasis International. Oasis International serves African immigrants to Providence's West End, Elmwood, Southwest Providence, and Washington Park neighborhoods, focusing on health and wellness, consumer education, and programs for youth. Through funding from the National Constitution Center for their "Living News" program, Oasis is developing theatrical productions that present the young people they serve - American-born children of African immigrants - with constitutional issues in the media that have a direct impact on their everyday lives, and help them understand that in a democracy, their voices matter. Join us for a conversation with Oasis Executive Director Mary Smith and other participants on Africans becoming Americans, from one generation to the next. For Athenaeum members and their guests. Salon is presented in collaboration with The Rhode Island Foundation's Expansion Arts Program.

Giles Morris and Ben Jones

Fri 3/13, 5-7pm, SALON - Series: The Once and Future Library, part 5: From Charles Dickens to Giles Morris: A Self-Published Serial Novel in the Digital Age. Giles Morris is a journalist, former political speech writer, community organizer on Chicago's south side, and teacher. Faced with the daunting task of publishing his first novel, he decided to publish directly on the web, partly in hopes of generating a book deal. He called on friends at Providence-based Left Brain, including founder Ben Jones, to design and produce the online-publishing project. Using an open source content management system, Joomla, Left Brain created a site usable by a non-technically-expert author. With the ease of publishing made possible by content management systems - given the exigencies of the publishing industry today, where even proven writers face increasing hurdles - does the web provide a formula for more autonomy for writers? As writers adapt, can publishers keep up? And whither the library in all this? Join Morris and Jones to hear about their adventures and ponder these questions and more! Special thanks to Left Brain for making this event possible. For Athenaeum members and their guests. (Series Sponsor: Dan Siegel, M&S Rare Books, msrarebooks.com)

Wild Dreams: the Best of Italian Americana

Fri 3/6, 5-7pm, SALON - Readings from the newly published anthology, Wild Dreams: the Best of Italian Americana, with editor-in-chief Carol Bonomo (Ahearn) Albright and contributors Ann Hood, Mary Caponegro, Peter Covino, Christine Palamidessi Moore, and Christina Bevilacqua. For over 30 years the journal Italian Americana has showcased writers who have chronicled Italian-American literary culture and helped to define an Italian-American imagination. Wild Dreams offers the best of those pages - fiction, memoir, poetry, and interview - ranging widely in style and sentiment, tracing the arc of an immigrant culture's coming of age in America. Join us for a conversation with several contributors about how they deal with the complicated questions of identity in their art. Copies of Wild Dreams available for sale at 20% discount! Free and open to the public! (Sponsor: Elad Inc, Industrial Consulting)