Tom Wolfe to Receive 2008 Carl Sandburg Literary Award. Chicago Mystery Writer Theresa Schwegel Selected as 21st Century Honoree
Author and journalist Tom Wolfe has been selected to receive the 2008 Carl Sandburg Literary Award, presented annually by the Chicago Public Library Foundation and the Chicago Public Library in honor of a significant body of work that has enhanced public awareness of the written word.
The 21st Century Award, honoring recent achievement in writing by an author with ties to Chicago, will go to crime fiction and mystery writer
Theresa Schwegel. Both awards will be presented at a fundraising dinner for the Chicago Public Library Foundation on October 15, 2008 at the Harold Washington Library Center, chaired by civic leaders Deborah Bricker and John Bryan.
Awards to be Presented by Chicago Public Library and Chicago Public Library Foundation at October 15 Dinner at Harold Washington Library Center. Sponsorship and table reservation packages are now available.Seating is strictly limited.For reservations and information contact Rebecca Spence (312) 201-9830 ext.25 or e-mail rspence@cplfoundation.org.
Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye selected for spring One Book, One Chicago
Creator of private eye Philip Marlowe, author Raymond Chandler transformed 20th Century detective fiction with his distinct brand of witty, hard-boiled dialog. The Long Goodbye followed Chandler's earlier Marlowe stories The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, The High Window, and The Lady in the Lake. In The Long Goodbye, Chandler introduced a more complex Philip Marlowe. Set in atmospheric 1950's Los Angeles, The Long Goodbye features an older, more solitary Marlowe in a story of love and murder that examines friendship, justice and compassion amid endless cigarettes and gin gimlets.
Poet Nikki Giovanni Honored With 2007 Carl Sandburg Literary Award
World-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni was awarded the 2007 Carl Sandburg Literary Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation and the Chicago Public Library at an Awards Dinner on October 17 at the Harold Washington Library Center. An audience of five hundred supporters of the Chicago's Public Lbrary enjoyed the wit, charm and literary genius of Ms. Giovanni as she read her poetry and shared moving stories about her life. The Carl Sandburg Literary Award is presented annually in recognition of a significant body of work that has enhanced the public’s awareness of the written word and reflects the Chicago Public Library’s commitment to the freedom to read, to learn and to discover.
Also honored at the Awards Dinner was Sara Gruen, author of the New York Times bestseller, Water for Elephants, who received the 2007 21st Century Award honoring recent achievement by an emerging literary voice with ties to Chicago.
Bookamania—a celebration of books for the whole family!
Over 4,000 children and their families celebrated Bookamania 2007 at the Harold Washington Library Center on Saturday, November 17.
This day-long free celebration of books for children ages 3–10 years old was made possible by a generous grant from Target Corporation through the Chicago Public Library Foundation.
Avid reader and staunch Library supporter Mayor Richard M. Daley was a surprise guest who stopped in to stress the fun and importance of reading and to personally issue Chicago Public Library cards to some very young book lovers.
Bookamania is made possible by a generous grant from Target Corporation through the Chicago Public Library Foundation.
2007 Summer Reading Program City of Big Readers Breaks Record
Funded through the Chicago Public Library Foundation, the Chicago Public Library's 30th Summer Reading Program for children partnered with the Chicago History Museum to bring alive Chicago's rich history. Chicago City of Big Readers took place from June 11 through August 4 at all neighborhood libraries, the bookmobiles and the Thomas Hughes Children's Library in the Harold Washington Library Center. A total of 44,560 participating children read a record-breaking number of books during the program: 1,017,978!
Open to all Chicago children age 3 and up, participating children read, reported on books of their choosing and had fun with programs and projects about Chicago. Children received a sticker for their book log for each book read, won book prizes and earned a City of Big Readers t-shirt by reading books.
Programs about Ferris Wheels, the Chicago River and the City's skyscrapers took place at neighborhood libraries, along with puppet shows, ghost stories, poems and music. For more information, visit Chicago Public Library or download the PDF.
Chicago Public Library's First-Ever Summer Reading Program for Adults
Funded through the Chicago Public Library Foundation, the Chicago Public Library, in partnership with the newly reopened Chicago History Museum (formerly the Chicago Historical Society), presented City of Big Readers: Chicago Reads for Adults, the Library's first-ever summer reading program designed especially for adult readers. The program featured a wide range of reading opportunities and related activities with Chicago and its rich history as its theme. Together with City of Big Readers, the Chicago Public Library's Summer Reading Program for children, the program encouraged families to read together, with children and their parents and caregivers enjoying the stories of our great City.
Log on to www.chicagopubliclibrary.org to access the City of Big Readers: Chicago Reads for Adults extensive online bibliography.
2007 Annual Donor and Partner Recognition Luncheon
The Chicago Public Library Foundation and the Chicago Public Library welcomed 125 donors, partners and friends to the 2007 Annual Recognition Luncheon June 26 in the Winter Garden of the Harold Washington Library. Award winning author Sandra Cisneros delighted the group by reading from her childhood diaries and speaking about the important role the public library played during her childhood in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood.
Mayor Daley Announces $1 Million Bank of America Grant to the Chicago Public Library Foundation
At a ceremony March 1st at the Harold Washington Library Center, Mayor Richard M. Daley announced a grant of $1 million to the Chicago Public Library Foundation from the Bank of America Foundation, a gift that will provide free computer training to the public at the Chicago Public Library.
Mayor Daley was joined at the ceremony by John Brennan, President of Bank of America Illinois, who presented a check to Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey, Chicago Public Library Foundation Chairman Jim Donnelley and directors of the Chicago Public Library.
“One of the most important ways Bank of America creates opportunities for our customers and communities is through a grant like this to the Chicago Public Library,” said Bank of America’s Brennan. “It’s not just about providing access to computers, but educating Chicagoans on how to effectively and efficiently utilize the technology. Whether it is applying for college, conducting research for a school report, or submitting a resume for an online job opportunity, our support of the Library will enhance the lives of families across our community.”
David Mamet Receives 2006 Carl Sandburg Literary Award
Courtesy of Goodman Theatre
Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright and Author David Mamet was the recipient of the Chicago Public Library Foundation’s 2006 Carl Sandburg Literary Award at its 20th Anniversary Gala on October 12 at the Harold Washington Library Center. In his remarks accepting the Award, Mamet said "My alma mater is the Chicago Public Library… It never occurred to me that books I had written could take their place alongside those of my heroes, but it seems that that has come to pass, and I must thank the institution which then, for me, and now, for others, makes such accomplishment possible."
Co-Chairs of the event were Civic Leader Dia Weil and Robert Wislow, Chairman and CEO, U.S. Equities Realty. All proceeds from the Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner, which raised $525,000, benefit the Chicago Public Library Foundation and the collections and programs of the Chicago Public Library.
Adding to the significance of the occasion, Mayor Richard M. Daley was awarded the Library Champion Award for his nationally recognized and inspiring commitment to Chicago's libraries and literacy. Blue Balliett, known for the highly acclaimed young adult novels, Chasing Vermeer and Wright 3, received the 21st Century Award, which is given each year to an emerging Chicago literary talent.
Teen Volume
The McCormick Tribune Foundation is generously funding Teen Volume, a two-year commitment to create new and extensive book collections for teens in all Chicago Public Library locations. This teen literacy initiative includes author visits, online and branch library book discussions, a teen advisory council and a Reader's Theatre Project. more
