Posts by Alfredo Gutierrez

In April we hosted our first World Literature Festival as one way to highlight authors and organizations that reflect our diverse communities, especially in regards to language. We are happy to share recordings of eight of these programs which were conducted in a English, Spanish, Japanese, French, Mandarin, and more.

On April 14th, the Library hosted Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of the acclaimed novels, 'Patsy' and 'Here Comes the Sun.' She fielded questions on the immigrant experience, the crossroads of literary fiction and Caribbean storytelling, and the challenge of writing about pain and trauma without romanticizing.

On April 12th, the Library hosted poets Dunya Mikhail and T. Urayoán Noel for “Languages of Poetry,” a panel discussion about poetry and language. In conversation with NYPL librarians Grace Yamada and Leanna Frankland, they discussed poetry in translation, their writing process, and other poets they look up to.

On April 21st, the Library hosted Ha Jin for a discussion in Chinese Mandarin about his novel 'A Song Everlasting'. In conversation with NYPL's Hung-Yun Chang, they discussed the difference between writing in English and Chinese, the challenges when writing short stories vs novels, and much more!

On April 17th, the Library hosted Alexander Stessin for a discussion around his novel New York Rounds and his work overall. In conversation with NYPL's Marianna Vertsman and Elie Weitsman, they discussed why he wrote a book about New York City hospitals, how different people are brought here by fate, and how conditional this difference becomes in the face of adversity and the desire to help each other.

On April 19th, the library hosted author Don Miguel Ruiz for a discussion around his novel The Actor: How to Live an Authentic Life. In conversation with NYPL's Elisa Garcia and Luz Valdez, they talked about his writing style and practice, how to tune out the “noise” in our lives, his other titles, and more.

On April 24th, the Library hosted Colombe Schneck for a discussion about her novel Nuit D'été à Brooklyn. In conversation with NYPL's Sallie Baron, she discussed why she decided to center her book in New York City, the influence of literature on her characters, and her connection to Brooklyn.

On April 29th, the Library hosted author Naomi Hirahara for a discussion about her forthcoming novel "Clark and Division" set in WWII era Chicago.

On April 30th, the Library hosted members of the Quechua Collective and Mixteca Organization for a discussion of the work their organizations do and to provide a bridge for patrons to learn more about the work that is being done to support indigenous speaking communities in New York City.

Listen to a conversation about transformative justice with Ro Garrido, Nadja E. Guyot, and Simone Sobers and check out these suggested books and zines for anyone interested in learning more.

This year, Italian has been the sixth most circulated language in our collections—take a look at what we have available!

Congratulations! If you are reading this, you are interested in voting in the upcoming 2020 election.

Con la Biblioteca reabriendo en bibliotecas selectas con servicio listo-para-llevar, tal vez está buscando los recursos que estaban disponibles antes de que cerraramos. Unos de esos recursos incluyen materiales para prepararse para el examen de ciudadanía, que normalmente se encuentran en nuestras Esquinas de Nuevos Americanos.

To support our patrons, we have compiled some of the resources and materials to prepare for the test that are accessible from outside the library.

From London to Brooklyn, immigrating from Haiti or Nigeria, the authors featured on this list explore what it means to have two homes and what the experience of moving from one country to another does for the protagonists of these stories.

The stories of New York City and beyond help remind us about the beauty and wonder of being an immigrant in this, our wonderful city.

The characters in these books grapple with two lives: life back home and life in New York.