kmerwin

Science, Metaphysics, and Passion

June 7, 2022 by kmerwin

The Library has curated a very special display with titles from Arion Press, which pairs great artists with great literature to create beautiful books by hand. Arion Press publishes several limited editions every year, each conceptually unique and printed from metal types cast on site.
See the rare display outside the Idaho Room in The Community Library.

Poetry of Sappho

Poems by Sappho in their original Greek

English translation by John Daley with Page duBois; Introduction by Page duBois; 23 wood engravings by Anita Cowles Rearden with twenty prints by Julie Mehretu; signed by the artist.

On Certainty

by Wittgenstein, Ludwig

Introduction by Arthur C. Danto; Edited by G.E.M. Anscombe & G.H. Von Wright. German text translated by Denis Paul and Anscombe. Illustrated by Mel Bochner with 12 prints in black, red and blue ink.

Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research

Non-fiction by John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts With six wood engravings by Richard Wagener; A map illustration by Martin Machado; Deluxe edition box by Jonathan Anzalone, and a note on the publishing history by Jeffrey Yang.

Book Review: Swimming in the Dark

June 6, 2022 by kmerwin

by Tomasz Jedrowski

Review by Kelly Noble

I love this story but (spoiler alert) the ending is sad. This is a captivating love story between two young college students set in Communist Poland in the 1980s. . .a love story that mirrors life in many ways with all its pain and suffering. This novel is beautifully written and captivates the reader in such a way that I found it difficult to put down. I wanted to know the ending. I wanted to see some positive outcomes from this relationship.

To my disappointment, it ends the way many relationships end. Both characters denied what they wanted and ended up unhappy in separate places. Heartbreaking as it may be, the characters understand this suffering well. After reading the last note from Janusz, Ludwik remembers, “Because you were right when you said that people can’t always give us what we want from them; that you can’t ask them to love you the way you want.”

Being gay may be difficult enough in western countries, but it seems more dangerous in communist ones. This love story is set in Communist Poland. Two young college students meet and spiral into a relationship that they both know to be dangerous. Not only for them, but for their families as well. As the novel progresses, both see diverse ways forward in life. Janusz seeks to work within the government for changes and Ludwik seeks to join the protests and demonstrations against the government.

As the story unfolds, both men are questioning their trajectories in life, but they never question their love for each other. The discouraging part of the story is that both know they cannot live the life they want. They cannot be together as lovers in a society that condemns homosexuality.

As the communist government starts to close in on Ludwik, he plans his escape to the West. He tries hard to convince Janusz to leave Poland with him. Janusz does not want to leave but ends up living in a marriage to a friend that he knows is just a front. He uses it to get ahead in the communist government.

There is no question of who Janusz truly loves, he makes this clear in a final note to Ludwik, “I adore this book (Giovanni’s Room) more than you knew. I want to keep it…but it’s yours. Bring it back one day if you can. I’ll be here. J.” The novel ends with Ludwik living alone in New York, and Janusz living with his wife and child in Poland.

I found the story fascinating yet depressing. How many relationships end because of discrimination? I once thought that love would conquer all, but that is not the reality of the world we live in. I do highly recommend this novel. It is an excellent read. The story has a sad ending, but I believe the more we learn about the impact of discrimination, especially on the LGBT community, the more we can change the future.

Gender and the Court

June 3, 2022 by kmerwin

with Mary Pat Gunderson

Each new Supreme Court nomination prompts discussion of how the newly appointed justice will impact the Court. Much is made off the candidate’s political persuasions, but what about the gender of a judge? Does the gender of the judge impact the opinions rendered?

Retired District Court Judge Mary Pat Gunderson will present her recently published research examining the real possibility of implicit gender bias in judicial opinion writing. In this one-hour presentation she will deconstruct recent Iowa Supreme Court ethics opinions written by an all-male Court wherein the victims were female clients and/or an intimate partner of the male attorney/abuser. Not only do the case results themselves raise questions, but the language those results are wrapped in may be even more revealing. The subject matter of this presentation will contain brief descriptions of physical and sexual abuse.

Register to save your seat. This program will be livestreamed on the Library’s Vimeo, but it will not be recorded for later viewing. Click here to join us live.

Geology of Wood River-area Landscapes

May 27, 2022 by kmerwin

How Seafloor Sediments Became Mountainous Land – with Paul Link

There was a time in the geologic past when Washington and Oregon didn’t exist and an ocean flooded inland across Idaho. Many of the rocks that make up the Boulder, Pioneer, Smoky, and White Cloud Mountains were formed in this oceanic setting.

Join Dr. Paul Link of Idaho State University for a morning lecture and afternoon roadside field trip where you’ll learn the remarkable story of how this ocean formed and how rock that amassed below sea level became the highly elevated land that surrounds us today. The field trip will follow Trail Creek Road to Trail Creek Summit and continue 7 miles beyond the summit to the North Fork of the Big Lost River.

This full-day class is limited to 20 students. Pre-registration is required. The one-hour lecture begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Library’s Lecture Hall, then the group will eat lunch before heading into the field. Bring your own lunch, snacks, water, and a car (carpooling for the afternoon is encouraged!), and lots of curiosity. The group will return to Ketchum no later than 6:00 p.m.

All attendees are responsible for their own safety during the field portion of this class. The field portion involves riding in a car with yourself or others, stopping at points of interest, and some light walking.

Paul’s presentation will also be recorded for later viewing through the Library’s Program Archive.

Paul K. Link is Professor Emeritus in the Idaho State University Geology Department. He started in 1980 and retired in 2020. He has a B.S. from Yale, and graduate degrees from the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was ISU Geolology Department Chair from 1986 to 1992. Before coming to ISU he was a Mountaineering Instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Lander, Wyoming. In the 1980s he and about 15 Masters Students worked U.S. Geological Survey field geology projects in the Ketchum area. For 15 years he directed the ISU Geology Field Camp at the Lost River Field Station north of Mackay, Idaho. He supervised over 100 M.S. students. He is co-author of the 2012 Idaho State Geologic Map, the book Rocks, Rails, and Trails, and the 2021 2nd edition of the Roadside Geology of Idaho

Space is limited. Registration is required.

Register here.

Programa en Español

May 26, 2022 by kmerwin

Como ayudar a los niños bilingües a convertirse en lectores fuertes

La lectura es uno de los indicadores más sólidos del futuro éxito escolar y profesional de un niño, y la lectura es fundamental para poder participar plenamente en todo tipo de asuntos comunitarios. El experto en alfabetización Antonio Fierro hablará específicamente sobre cómo desarrollar sólidas habilidades de lectura en niños que crecen en hogares bilingües español-inglés. Hablará sobre las formas en que los padres, abuelos, niñeras y cuidadores pueden apoyar el desarrollo de las lectura y como es importante. Antonio es un maestro cálido y talentoso que creció siendo bilingüe y comenzó su vida profesional trabajando en el sistema penitenciario. Es un ex Maestro del Año del Estado de Texas y tiene más de 25 años de experiencia en el campo de la educación. Se proporcionarán refrescos.

Regístrese aquí.

Book Review: The Golden Thread

May 26, 2022 by kmerwin

How Fabric Changed History by Kassia St. Clair

Review by Olivia Terry, Regional History Librarian

Upholding to my love of fashion and dress history, I selected The Golden Thread by Kassia St. Clair for my book review. I grew up loving clothing, and even more, the history stitched into its seams.

This book examines the textiles that have made up centuries of clothing, starting with a couple of linen fibers discovered in a cave in the Republic of Georgia, dating back to 34,000 years ago.

St. Clair breaks down the saga of cloth in thirteen fascinating chapters, spanning centuries, continents, and different cultural implications. My favorite chapters explored the battle over lace production in sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe, and enslaved people’s personal relationship with clothing and cotton in the American South.

St. Clair does a wonderful job balancing micro- with macro-examination of cloth, starting from the harvesting of raw materials, to weaving the resources into textiles, and finally to major cultural events shaped by the fabric produced. From the woolen sails used on Viking ships to the space suits used to put a man on the moon, St. Clair argues that fabric has a tremendous effect on historical events that appear seemingly unrelated to the craft.

The book is especially relevant to today, as it explores the invention of synthetic fabrics and the humanitarian and environmental repercussions of fast fashion. On her chapter on cotton, St. Clair declares an outstanding statement, writing “transmuting cotton into useable fabric is …wasteful: a single pair of jeans requires 11,000 liters of water.”

St. Clair weaves a fabulous tale for anyone interested in learning more about the clothes on their back, and for history lovers in general!