Posts by Sherri Machlin

As the days of the year count down, and the numbers on the bathroom scale go up post-holiday feasting, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the delectable and sumptuous cookbooks I've encountered this year.

On view at the Mulberry Street Library are two glass works by Brooklyn-based artist Evan Chamberlain.

We welcome back Ner Beck to the Mulberry Street Branch of the New York Public Library for his exhibit NYC Found Faces & Window Reflections, on view through November 5th, 2014.

Welcome to Part II of August in the Reader’s Den. We have been discussing Dave Egger’s novel about a monomaniacal digital corporation called The Circle. Our protagonist, Mae Holland, has grown ever more fervently to believe in the positive social impact of ‘completing’ the Circle.

Welcome to August in the Reader's Den! This month we will be discussing Dave Egger's novel The Circle, about an all too familiar social media mega-corporation (called The Circle) that is slowly but surely invading every single aspect of our daily lives. The central theme posits—do we even have a right to privacy anymore? What if we were forced to share the details of our private lives with everyone, and would it make for a more open and just society? Or just the opposite...

On view through June 30, 2014 at the Mulberry Street Library is the collective works of SoHo neighbor and artist, Anita Thacher. The show, titled Time Present/Time Past evokes the first lines of the T.S. Eliot poem 'Four Quartets', and exclaims the evolution of Thachers work over time and over a variety of mediums. I spoke with Anita about her oeuvre.

On view through April 30th, 2014 at the Mulberry Street Library is the stunning collaborative effort of five teaching artists who participated in NYPL/Lifetime Arts Creative Aging classes for Older Adults. 'Artists in the Library' curated by teaching artist Sabra Friedman, showcases the work of Mary Didoardo, Sabra Friedman, John Mendelsohn, Josh Millis, and Antonia Perez.

On view through February 28, 2014, the Mulberry Street Library is proud to present the work of multi-talented artist, Yuko K. Her solo show, Colors and Icons, shows a wide range of Yuko's artistic interests—graphic iconic paintings that speak to questions of belief, meditation, and peace, as well as colorful abstracts that leave the viewer delighted and perhaps even, unnerved. I spoke to Yuko K. about her art work, her methods, and her inspirations.

On view through February 28th, 2014 Muriel Taub Glantzman's dynamic jazzy paintings will be on display in the Great Room of Mulbery Street Library. I had the privilege of visiting the artist in her Upper West Side studio. I spoke with Muriel about her work.

How long have you been painting?

About 70 years.

Where and with whom did you study?

I first studied with Moses Soyer in 1941-2. I attended Parsons school of 

The dizzying array of cookbooks available from the New York Public Library never fails to tempt. Some are lavishly illustrated, others sparse and textual. From The Best of Albanian Cooking to A Zimbabwean Cookery Book, if you can think of it, NYPL can help you cook it.

Although I love a gorgeously illustrated tome on

John Lloyd's paintings, on view at the Mulberry Street Library through December 31st, are a breath of fresh air. When you walk into the branch, you are immediately taken by Lloyd's colorfully cheerful landscapes of New York City neighborhoods. Sans traffic, litter, anxiety, and all the other things one comes to expect from a New York City landscape, Lloyd breathes peace into his canvases, artfully conveying the solace that urban 

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was controversy surrounding The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales. The time was in fact the early 1990s, and the places were California and Arizona. In 1990, a California school district pulled an illustrated edition of Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman (originally called Little Red-Cap in the Brothers Grimm 1812 version) from a first-grade recommended reading list. The assistant 

Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness, a candid, semi-autobiographical novel about coming to terms with a lesbian identity, brought to the forefront the question of whether or not the frank portrayal of lesbianism in a book was grounds for charges of obscenity. First published July 1928 in England by Jonathan Cape, The Well was soon seized and criminalized for violating the Obscene Publications Act of 1857, which stated "The 

Likely one of the most frequently censored books in the history of American literature, Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller is a lascivious romp involving Miller's expatriate exploits among the world of writers and artists in early 1930s Paris. The book was first published in Paris in 1934 by Obelisk Press, publishers of books that were considered controversial in England and the US, such as Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness. Prior to 1961, Tropic of Cancer was distributed in the US only by those 

Greetings, and welcome to Banned Books Week! For each day of Banned Books Week, this blog will be highlighting a famous banned or challenged book. The campaign to highlght milestones in the history of banned and challenged books and promote intellectual freedom was spearheaded by library activist Judith Krug. She once said "You should have access to ideas and information regardless of your age. If anyone is going to limit or guide a young person, it should be the parent or guardian—and 

Tama Janowitz and Andy WarholAugust will soon come to a close, and so we wrap up Slaves of New York by Tama Janowitz, this month's selection in the Reader's Den.

As the stories attempt to tie loose ends with familiar characters such as Eleanor and Marley, Janowitz also weaves in some stand-alone short stories about some even more downtrodden characters, such as "Case History #15, Melinda". Melinda is a bartender in Alphabet City who takes in too many stray animals, and eventually, a stray boyfriend, who inevitably betrays her. "Ode to Heroine of the 

Jim Prez's artwork finds a welcome home at the Mulberry Street Library. His 'book-tures' (sculptures comprised of a book base with found objects artfully fastened atop) make inspired use of thrift store bric-a-brac and second-hand books. I spoke with Jim about his booktures and other art projects.

Booktures and book reservesWhat is your background in art-making?

I have been making things since grade school but very early on I took to photography and worked on making photographs for many years. I don't have an art 

Slaves of New YorkWe continue with a New York-themed Reader's Den this month—featuring Tama Janowitz's collection of intertwined stories set in Manhattan in the 1980s—Slaves of New York. Artists, dealers, junkies, prostitutes, and writers are just some of the colorful characters envisioned in what could be considered a post-modernist comedy of manners. Stumbling towards equal parts fame and/or the gutter, the common threads of precarious real estate situations, often embroiled in difficult romantic 

Michael PeguesMichael Anthony Pegues, a contemporary of Jean-Michel Basquiat, has been a fixture on the downtown scene and a passionate artist for many decades. A survivor and a fighter, Michael never gave up his artistic ambitions and inventions, having been through many trials and tribulations. Last year Michael had a one man show at the FB Gallery. This year, he decided to give back to his community and make a piece of art for the Mulberry Street