Join us on Tuesday September 22 at 5:30 pm for a fabulous workshop with “SueB” Bracksieck from ENMU. Do you have questions about college prep classes, scholarship applications, and college entrance exams like the ACT? Do you want to know what you can do to prepare for a great college experience? Then come to this free workshop for parents and teens in grades 7 through 12. Imagine yourself in college, and find out what you can do to make it happen!
Winners Announced!
August 11, 2009
Interesting stuff, Teen Events Leave a comment
The winners of the Picturing America Essay Contest are:
1st Place: A Byrd’s Eye View by Megan Byrd
2nd Place: A Nation of Choice by Katie Bickley
3rd Place: My America by Jennifer Salomon
Congratulations to all our winners! You can read all three winning essays in this Sunday’s edition (August 16) of the Portales News Tribune.
Digital Fun
July 21, 2009
Teens had fun playing with digital photography at today’s teen program. Here are some of the results:
No teen programming this week
June 29, 2009
Hello Portales Teens!
Just a reminder–we aren’t doing any summer reading programming this week, due to the Fourth of July holiday. You can still bring in your reading logs and Bingo cards. We’ll meet next Tuesday (July 7) at our regularly scheduled time of 2:00 pm. We’ll be discussing John Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley so I hope you’re all reading! We have several copies in the library if you haven’t read it yet.
Summer Reading
May 27, 2009
It’s summer reading time at the library! Registration for the program begins June 1 and the first program will be Tuesday June 2 at 2:00 pm. We’ll start off the summer with a book discussion group on the book Picture This by Molly Bang, which is a fascinating exploration of the way pictures tell stories. We have several copies at the library, and my personal copy will be available for review in the library. On Tuesday we’ll discuss her ideas and look at how they hold up against some children’s picture books.
Poetry Palooza
May 8, 2009
STAR recently had fun with poetry during Poetry Appreciation Month. We read poetry from poets like Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, e. e. cummings, Shel Silverstein, and T.S. Eliot. Then teens took one line from a famous poet and incorporated it into their own poems. Here are some samples: Can you tell which line came from a published poem?
in just
in just
just just
a shortest span of time
I heard the clodk a ticking
And waved the moon good-bye.
-Hannah Sommer
Blank page
There is a blank page before me
And how do I begin?
Once my life is written out
How do I go to end?
–Katie Bickley
To tip the hands of nature
There will be time, there will be time.
To mask pain for beauty
To hide away truths for lies.
There will always be time.
–Madison Bridges
After the rain
when the world is puddle-wonderful,
and all the kiddalumps
come out to play,
I like to scadoodle
into my corner
into my world of books.
-Hannah Christensen
If you enjoyed this program, you might want to check out Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, and the sequel, Hate That Cat, both of which have a magical mix of poetry, allusion, and immitation.
Writer’s Workshop
April 17, 2009
Teen Events Connie Willis, Writer's Workshop 1 Comment
Teen writers and author Connie Willis
Author Connie Willis inspired teen writers during last week’s young writer’s workshop at the library. The two and a half hour workshop provided teens an opportunity to glean from the wisdom of a master writer. Ms. Willis gave teens ideas on developing plot and characters, and noted some “rules” to keep in mind when structuring a novel or short story. After the workshop, Ms. Willis noted that this was one of the most engaged group of writers she’s ever worked with. Judging from the laughter emanating from behind the meeting room door, it’s pretty safe to assume that the teens admiration for the author equaled or excelled hers. A big thank you to Connie Willis for donating her time and to Betty Williamson for making the necessary arrangements for this fabulous opportunity!
Spring Break Book Discussion
March 27, 2009
Teen Events book discussion, Gary D. Schmidt, Spring Break, Wednesday Wars Leave a comment
Don’t forget the spring break book discussion on March 31st at 4;00 pm. We’re reading The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. If you haven’t already picked up your copy, you can get one at the library. We even have it on Playaway if you would rather listen to it on audio book. This is a hilarious, yet heartwarming story about a young boy living on Long Island during the turbulant sixties. Join us for a great discussion about a terrific book.
Teen Writing Workshop
March 20, 2009
Teen Events teen writing workshop Leave a comment
Friday, March 20 is the last day to turn in your application for the Teen Writing Workshop with author Connie Willis. Space is limited, so get those applications in. This is a wonderful opportunity to work with a published author. Hope to see you all there!
