Arlington Public Library says it is taking a stand against book banning across the U.S. and in Virginia, declaring itself a “book sanctuary.”
“Everyone should read whatever they want, whenever they want and however they want,” said Library Director Diane Kresh in an announcement on social media this week.
As part of that commitment, Kresh plans to host a panel discussion featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author Art Spiegelman, who is no stranger to the issue of book banning.
Last year, a Tennessee school board banned Pulitzer Prize-winning author Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale,” which uses animal characters to portray his father’s experiences during the Holocaust, citing claims of inappropriate language and lewd images.
Spiegelman later criticized the decision, arguing the need to confront difficult aspects of history to prevent whitewashing.
Spiegelman’s visit serves as an early kick-off to Banned Books Week, a campaign by the American Library Association and Amnesty International. The library director tied this year’s campaign, which runs from Oct. 1-7, to recent attempts to ban books across the country and the state.
“In recent months, events have moved closer to home in the Commonwealth of Virginia, as libraries have been threatened with removal of books by certain members of the community,” Kresh said. “They’ve been subjected to personal assaults in person, at public meetings and on social media.”
Several neighboring school systems — including those in Fauquier and Prince William counties — have faced book challenges from both parents and administrators. These challenges generally revolve around concerns that students are being exposed to “sexually explicit material.”
Last year, the Virginia Department of Education implemented new model policies requiring all school districts to notify parents when instructional material containing sexually explicit content will be taught. Schools are also required to provide alternative curriculum for students if requested by their parents.
While these model policies are designed to strengthen what is commonly referred to as “parental rights,” some school systems, such as Hanover and Spotsylvania counties, have taken used the policies as a basis to remove certain books from schools altogether.
“Upholding the freedom to read requires vigilance and action taken by all of us to ensure that a multiplicity of views and diversity of opinion is housed in each library,” Kresh said.
Several banned books are prominently displayed behind Kresh in her Instagram video this week, including “The 1619 Project.” The book’s author, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Nikole Hannah-Jones, came to Arlington last year for Banned Books Week.
The discussion between Spiegelman and Kresh will take place at Kenmore Middle School auditorium tomorrow (Thursday) at 6:30 p.m., followed by an audience Q&A session. The event will be streamed and in-person attendees can buy signed copies of Spiegelman’s book.
Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out the event submission form.
Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Tuesday, January 21
The Evolution of Political News
Westover Library (1644 N. McKinley Road)
Time: 7-8 p.m.
Dr. Kimberly Meltzer, from Marymount University, will be speaking about her upcoming book as part of a two-part series on civic engagement. Registration is required and everyone is welcome.
Wednesday, January 22
Ballston Sip and Mingle*
Ballston Exchange (4201 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 5-7 p.m.
The Ballston Exchange invites people to a happy hour with food, drinks and a live band. The event will also include a non-profit expo where people can get involved by helping their community. Space is limited so RSVP is suggested.
Thursday, January 23
Low-Cost Rabies Vaccine & Microchip Clinic
Animal Welfare League of Arlington (2650 S. Arlington Mill Drive)
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
The Animal Welfare League of Arlington encourages people to bring in their cats and dogs for a $10 rabies shot or a $35 microchip implantation.
Friday, January 24
Mount Olivet Players: Arrivals and Departures
Mount Olivet UMC (1500 N. Glebe Road)
Time: 7:30-9:30 p.m.
The Mount Olivet Players will perform a free show for the audience that tells funny stories about airports, flight and air travel. Donations are accepted and will benefit youth summer mission trips.
Saturday, January 25
Elementary/Middle School Open House*
Our Savior Lutheran School (825 S. Taylor Street)
Time: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Our Savior Lutheran School is host an open house, during which families can meet school leaders, tour the facilities and learn about program offerings for kids.
Phoenix Bikes CycleBar Fundraiser
CycleBar Columbia Pike (3400 Columbia Pike)
Time: 3-4 p.m.
This event offers people the chance to take a cycle class for a good cause. Proceeds will go to Phoenix Bikes, which teaches local youth life skills through bicycle repair. Tickets are $25 and attendees can donate more if they choose.
Sunday, January 26
Transgender Conversation Sponsored by Equality Virginia
Congregation Etz Hayim (2920 Arlington Blvd)
Time: 10:15-11:45 a.m.
Interested members of the public can speak with people from the Transgender Advocacy Speakers Bureau. Speakers will talk about how people can live their best lives and have productive conversations with members of the LGBT community.
Burt Solomon, The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt
One More Page Books (2200 N. Westmoreland Street #101)
Time: 4-5 p.m.
Author Burt Solomon will discuss his experience writing his new book, about an incident that looked like and accident but might have been been a presidential assassination attempt.
*Denotes featured (sponsored) event.
Labor Action Planned at DCA — Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is among those expected to participate in a rally and picket at Reagan National Airport this evening, in support of airline catering workers who are seeking better wages and healthcare options. [Unite Here]
Restaurant Coming to Apartment Building — Update at 9:35 a.m. — Permit applications have been filed for a new restaurant that’s planned for the grounds of the recently-renovated Dominion Apartments at 333 S. Glebe Road. [Twitter]
Green Presidential Hopeful Visits Arlington — “The Arlington Greens recently welcomed one of their party’s presidential aspirants to the community. Dario Hunter, a member of the Youngstown (Ohio) School Board, participated in a roundtable discussion with Green Party members on July 16 at Central Library.” [InsideNova]
Author to Talk Hockey at Local Bookstore — “We’re bringing Sportsnet contributor and YouTube sensation Steve Dangle down to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, August 24, to sign copies of his hit book This Team is Ruining My Life (But I Love Them): How I Became a Professional Hockey Fan… One More Page Books, an independent bookstore in Arlington, Va. (which is run by Caps fans), will be hosting the signing from 2-4 p.m.” [Russian Machine Never Breaks]
Army Flying Secret Missions Over Region — “The Pentagon has revealed a few details about a secret Army mission that has Black Hawk helicopters flying missions over the Washington, D.C., area backed by active-duty and reserve soldiers. The mysterious classified operation was disclosed when the Army asked Congress for approval to shift funds to provide an extra $1.55 million for aircraft maintenance, air crews and travel in support of an ’emerging classified flight mission.'” [Bloomberg, PoPville]
Photo courtesy Clarendon Alliance/Instagram
Ribbon Cutting for Revamped Rosslyn Safeway — “Safeway will unveil renovations to its Rosslyn store at 1525 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, VA, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 10 am on Friday, July 12.” [Press Release]
More on Real Estate Boom Forecast — “Real estate agents and local economists said inventories are so sparse that some popular Zip codes in Arlington and Alexandria show no homes for sale at all. They added that investors are pouring into the market, looking to turn homes into rental properties.” [Washington Post, InsideNova]
Acosta Signs Books in Clarendon — CNN correspondent Jim Acosta showed up to an sparsely-populated Barnes and Noble store in Clarendon for a “surprise signing” of his book “The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America.” [Twitter]
Workers Vote for Strike at DCA — “On June 12, airline food workers who prepare, pack, and deliver food and beverages served onboard American Airlines flights departing from Reagan National Airport voted 100% to strike when released by the National Mediation Board.” [Press Release]
New Local Store at DCA — “The District of Columbia Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD) and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) today celebrated the grand opening of the Made in DC retail pop-up at Reagan National Airport, providing a new national and international presence for local makers and small business owners.” [Press Release]
ARLnow’s Press Release Section — For the next week, we’re experimenting with posting press releases directly on a special section of our site. Let us know what you think. [ARLnow]
Photo by Vernon Miles
Over 25,000 used books, DVDs and CDs are set to be offered for sale at a sprawling book festival in Rosslyn on Thursday (April 25).
The Rosslyn Reads Book Festival is an annual fundraiser for Turning the Page, a non-profit that helps students receive educational resources. The festival is planned to be held in Rosslyn’s Central Place Plaza at 1800 N. Lynn Street.
Book prices range from $1 to $8. Attendees are also invited to bring their own used books to donate as well.
A series of events are also planned throughout the day, with children’s activities through most of the day and adult-focused activities in the evening.
- 10 a.m. — Tunes & Dales, a family story time organized by the Arlington Public Library
- 4 p.m. — Magic of Zain, a magic show for children
- 4 p.m. — The bar opens
- 5:30 p.m. — Discussion with Elaine Weiss, author of The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote
- 6:30 p.m. — Weiss book signing
- 7-10 p.m. — Live music by UltraFaux
File photo
(Updated at 6:20 p.m.) Nostalgia is the most dangerous emotion for Andrew Gifford, the grandson of John Gifford, founder of beloved former area ice cream chain Gifford’s Ice Cream.
Last month Gifford released his first book, “We All Scream: The Rise and Fall of the Gifford’s Ice Cream Empire.“ The book depicts Gifford’s abusive relationship with his parents growing up, the deaths of his grandparents and how his father ruined Washington’s largest ice cream empire.
When Robert Gifford, one of John Gifford’s other sons, took over the company, things quickly went downhill. Gifford described his father’s actions during the reading, explaining how he would never pay his taxes, cheated his customers and didn’t pay employees, ultimately leaving the company in financial ruin.
Despite the collapse, many local residents still remember Gifford’s fondly. And that means the brand is still valuable.
“It doesn’t matter what’s in the cup,” a person trying to reboot the company said last year, according to Gifford. “As long as I say it’s Gifford’s Swiss Chocolate, people will pay me anything I ask.”
“It’s these people who are so focused on this fantasy and nostalgia that frustrate me,” said Gifford. “I want the lesson to be nostalgia is dangerous, don’t give into it. Don’t buy $6 ice cream from someone who said they once bought machines from the people who once supplied Gifford’s 50 years ago.”
Gifford was at One More Page Books in Arlington’s East Falls Church neighborhood earlier this week, where he read two excerpts from his book, held a Q&A session and signed copies.
In the excerpt Gifford read during the event, he described how his mother decided to sit him down at the age of 6 and tell him that his grandmother was murdered by his grandfather. This was a lie: his grandmother had passed several years beforehand, but Gifford had been told she was still alive during his entire childhood.
“We All Scream” made an impression on members of the audience, most of whom grew up in the area and had warm memories of Gifford’s Ice Cream.
During the Q&A session, many questions were about what happened to the old Gifford’s ice cream flavors and recipes people adored, and if anyone could find any remaining Gifford’s products. Instead of focusing on the horror and abuse around the Gifford story, the questions were full of yearning and nostalgia.
“This was a beautiful thing that people loved but it needs to die,” said Gifford after the event. “It needs to end. There’s this obsession with the Gifford’s of old, when really it wasn’t that fairytale.”
Former GOP Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will be signing books at the Barnes and Noble in Clarendon (2800 Clarendon Blvd) this weekend.
Gingrich will be signing copies of his new political novel Treason starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22.
Speaker Gingrich will be joined by his wife, Callista, who will be signing copies of her new children’s book, Hail to the Chief.
Callista, a former House staffer, serves as president of Ballston-based Gingrich Productions. The couple lives in McLean.
Courtesy photo
It’s September — Bid an especially hot and sweaty August adieu, September is here. Get ready for kids going back to school, fall beer tastings, outdoor festivals, Pumpkin Spice Lattes and cooler weather. As a reminder, however: it’s still summer until Sept. 22.
Author Talk at Kenmore — Best-selling author Ann Patchett will be discussing her new book Commonwealth, which is set in part in Arlington, at an event on Thursday, Sept. 15. The event, at the Kenmore Middle School auditorium, is open to the public, with RSVP; it’s sponsored by One More Page Books and Arlington Public Library. [Eventbrite]
CEB CEO Stepping Down — Tom Monahan, the CEO of the publicly traded, Rosslyn-based firm CEB, is stepping down. The search is now on for a new chief executive for the 4,500-employee company, which will be moving to a gleaming new office tower after construction wraps up, likely in 2018. [Washington Business Journal]
Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley
An NPR correspondent will host conversation on the history of immigration in America at Arlington Central Library next week.
Tom Gjelten’s latest book A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story considers the impact of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act.
Gjelten will be at the Arlington Central Library auditorium at 1015 N. Quincy Street from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10. for a conversation on immigration and book signing.
The book uses demographic and political issues in addition to personal stories to analyze this topic. The stories used are those of families in Fairfax County, including the family of Delegate Mark Keam. He will also be at the event as a special guest and contributor to the conversation.
Copies of the book will also be on sale from One More Page Books, and 10 percent of all sales will benefit the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia.
The book talk is free and open to the public. Interested guests do not have to register in advance.
Photo via Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
Best-selling children’s and young adult novel author Judy Blume is coming to Arlington next month to talk about her latest book.
Blume will speak in the Washington-Lee High School auditorium (1301 N. Stratford Street) on Oct. 22 from 7-9 p.m. The event is free; copies of Blume’s latest book, “In the Unlikely Event” will be available for purchase.
Blume is the author of books like “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” and “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret,” which have sold millions of copies and tell life lessons for young readers.
While Blume is noted for her children and young adult novels, she also has written books for adults, like “Summer Sisters.”
“She’s one of those few people who have several different audiences,” said Peter Golkin, spokesman for Arlington Public Library, which is organizing the event.
Library Director Diane Kresh will lead a question-and-answer conversation with Blume about writing, having an effect of her many readers at “pivotal moments in their lives” and the challenges that come from writing for multiple audiences, according to the library website.
Fans can submit questions through the comments section on the event page, and some of them may make it on to Kresh’s list. Kresh will ultimately decide what she will ask the author, Golkin said.
The library is also planning to have audience questions at the end, he said.
Blume will sign copies of her new book, “In the Unlikely Event,” which tells the story of a series of plane crashes in a small New Jersey town. The library does not know if she will sign other books at this time, according to its website.
Photo courtesy of Arlington Public Library
(Update at 12:25 p.m.) Over the years Arlington has been home to numerous eccentric characters and groups. And those local eccentricities have been faithfully chronicled by Charlie Clark, the man who writes the weekly “Our Man in Arlington” column for the Falls Church News-Press.
Clark peppers his columns with unusual people and Arlington history, and he saved the best 100 columns for his book, he said. Clark will discuss “Arlington County Chronicles,” which was published in April, at Arlington Central Library on Monday, July 7, at 7:00 p.m.
“It’s a little bit of history, public policy, baby boomer nostalgia and neighborhood flavor,” Clark told ARLnow.com. Clark will read from his book at the talk, cherry-picking ones that are “humorous enough in style to bear reading aloud.”
Included in the talk may be some nuggets of local history that attendees were previously unaware of. Readers may be surprised to learn from “Arlington County Chronicles” that:
- At the Arlington Metaphysical Chapel off Wilson Blvd, church-goers hold seances, give tarot readings and read from all manner of religious texts.
- There is a preserved dueling ground at N. Randolph Street and Glebe Road, one which bore witness to the famed 19th century duel between Henry Clay and John Randolph, as well as a few of Clark’s own scraps. “Neither was very violent,” Clark said of his childhood fights. “In both cases, my opponent and I agreed, like duelers, to end it after we’d both stood up to the enemy and saved face.”
- The Doors’ Jim Morrison lived at 2320 N. Evergreen Street in his teen years, and at two other Arlington addresses that Clark gives in the book. “I associate many Arlington sites with the memory of the Doors’ carnivalesque organ,” Clark said in his Morrison essay.
- When Katie Couric interviewed Warren Beatty, a Washington-Lee High School graduate, on The Today Show, she mentioned that she went to Yorktown and he answered: “What’s Yorktown?” Beatty is one of 14 thespians Clark mentions in his essay “Arlingtonians in Hollywood.”
- The two oldest retail businesses currently in Arlington, according to Clark, are both shoe stores. The Public Shoe Store on Wilson Blvd and the Sam Torrey Shoe Service on Lee Highway were established in 1938 and 1945, respectively.
- During the Cold War, Arlington Hall was the hub of a code-breaking operation, where linguists worked to decipher Soviet and Japanese messages for government officials. The operation shut down in 1949 after being infiltrated by Soviet double agents.
- A stand-off between civil rights activist Dion Diamond and American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell occurred in 1960 during a lunch counter sit-in at what was then the Cherrydale Drug Fair store. A few days after the protest, Arlington restaurants desegregated, Clark said in his essay. “All you had to do was crossover the Maryland and Northern Virginia line to find de facto segregation,” Diamond, then a Howard University student, told Clark.
- One of Arlington’s wealthiest landowners in the late 1800s may have been the product of a sex scandal, according to Clark’s essay “A Lee Family Scandal.” Nicholas Febrey owned 600 acres of George Washington Forest, in the area of what is now Swanson Middle School. Clark writes that Febrey’s mother, an unwed daughter of a preacher, delivered him as a baby to the wealthy George Washington Parke Custis, who raised him.
Many of the included columns pay homage to the culture of Clark’s parents’ generation, especially his essay about attending “cotillion” dance lessons as an Arlington youth.
“They did a great job of trying to pass their culture on to us, and I feel a little bad that we were so tough to handle,” Clark said. “This is a thank you.”
An additional book talk will be Sunday, July 13 at Cassatt’s.
