Main Library

Special Virtual “Upbeat with Alasdair”

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Sun Valley Music Festival Music Director, Alasdair Neale, returns to host his popular “Upbeat with Alasdair” speaking series on Tuesday, May 12.

Co-presented with The Community Library, the live program will feature Music Director Alasdair Neale at his home in San Francisco, joined by Associate Concertmaster Juliana Athayde and Principal Oboe Erik Behr from their home in Rochester, New York. It will be an immersive experience, with familiar interview-style observations on musical subjects paired with stories, a short musical performance, and opportunities to engage with the presenters.

The program will air live at 6:30 PM (MT) on the Festival website: svmusicfestival.org

From the homepage, click “Watch online broadcast.” No special software or technology is needed, other than a device with speakers or earphones that can access the internet, such as a computer, cell phone, or tablet. No sign-up or password is required. This program will not be recorded, so tune in!

Note, you may go to the broadcast as early as 6:15 PM to test your connection and audio. If you are having technical issues, you may contact the Festival office at (208) 622-5607 to have a staff member help get you connected. You can also contact the Festival office for more information on attending this broadcast at info@svmusicfestival.org.

“Churchill, Race and Empire: Fact and Fiction” with Lee Pollock

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August 12, 2020

Watch the Recording

More than a half-century after his death and eighty years since his “finest hour”, Winston Churchill remains an icon of modern times, admired for his determination and resilience leading Britain and the free world in the greatest conflict the world has ever seen.

Churchill created history but also chronicled it, believing it would be kind to him. He carefully laid the groundwork for the Churchill legend, most notably in his Nobel prize-winning history of the second world war, in which he played the leading role. To Churchill, “the longer you can look back, the farther you can look forward.”

Steeped as he was in the past, Churchill would not have been surprised that future generations might interpret his role in history in different and challenging ways.  Today, he is accused of transgressions from suppressing workers in England and revolutionaries in Ireland to neglecting or even causing a sweeping famine in India.  His views on race and empire, often expressed in moments of passion recorded by his contemporaries, are used to condemn him a racist and white supremacist.  By the definition of some, he is no longer worthy of commemoration and the recent defacing of his statue in London has become a powerful expression of that.

So what is fact and what is fiction in the differing portrayals of someone whose admirers still call the “Great Man”? Where does Churchill stand at a time when the world is increasingly focused on issues of race, identity, and equality? Is there much we can still learn from him or is he no longer relevant for our post-modern world?

Join acclaimed Churchill speaker and popular Community Library presenter Lee Pollock as he explores these vital questions in an insightful and fascinating presentation.

Lee Pollock is a popular writer, historian and public speaker on the life and times of Sir Winston Churchill and a regular presenter at The Community Library. He serves as a Trustee and Advisor to the Board of The International Churchill Society and was the Society’s long-time Executive Director. He also served as Publisher of the Society’s Journal, “Finest Hour,” and led the development of the National Churchill Library and Center in Washington, DC. A native of Montreal, Canada, Lee is a graduate of McGill University and hold’s a master’s degree from The University of Chicago.  He is a frequent editorial writer on Churchill topics for The Wall Street Journal, The New Criterion and other publications.  He is the author of Action This Day: Adventures with Winston Churchill.

Staying MIND FULL in the time of COVID-19: A Virtual Update from The Community Library

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Libraries as institutions are fundamentally about resilience through free access to information for all. In the context of COVID-19, The Community Library continues to reimagine its services and outreach to connect our community to information, ideas, and each other.

On  March 19, in response to Governor Brad Little’s shelter in place order for Blaine County, The Community Library and Gold Mine stores shut down their computers and sent staff home. In the six weeks since, our entire staff has been busy, remotely continuing the work of the Library through digital services and programming. We’ve also been preparing a plan to resume on-site operations and reopen the Library, Gold Mine, and Regional History Museum in alignment with community-wide efforts. Throughout this planning, the health and well-being of our staff and community are a top priority.

Join us for this 45-minute, livestreamed discussion to hear about our plans for a phased reopening, learn what Library services are available now and what services we’re planning to offer soon, hear about what changes to expect at the Gold Mine, and ask us your questions.

Note: You will need to register for a free Livestream account in order to ask us your questions during the discussion. You can also send questions in advance to mwilliams@comlib.org.

Click here to watch from our LIVESTREAM page on Thursday, April 30 at 2:00 p.m. Mountain.

Presenters will include executive director Jenny Emery Davidson, children’s and young adult director DeAnn Campbell, and Gold Mine stores managing director Craig Barry. We are here to serve YOU, and we look forward to seeing you again soon at the Library.

The Bitter and Sweet Exhibit Reception

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Before Jamie Ford’s Winter Ready closing keynote presentation, join us for a celebratory reception in the Library Foyer around the exhibit, The Bitter and Sweet: World War II Stories of Japanese Americans in the West.
 
The exhibit shares potent images and possessions from families who directly experienced incarceration because of their Japanese heritage and where they lived. It also tells the story of families who lived outside of the exclusion zone of the West Coast, but felt anti-Asian suspicion and bravely answered the call to armed services.

“Tiny Imperfections” with Alli Frank and Asha Youmans

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Join us for an evening with Alli Frank and Asha Youmans, authors of the new novel, Tiny Imperfections. They will be in conversation (and laughter) about their experiences working in private school admissions and collaborating on their fabulously funny novel, which brings their experiences to the page. The story has been called “hilarious, cringe-worthy and all too relevant” as it tackles one woman’s journey through work, race, and motherhood. Book signing to follow.

Tiny Imperfections

Josie Bordelon is on a mission to prevent her seventeen-year-old daughter, Etta, from making the same mistakes she did when she was coming of age. She’s now the Director of Admissions at Fairchild Country Day School, the most sought-after private school in San Francisco, which also happens to be her alma mater and the school Etta is about to graduate from. Josie was not a child of privilege, but rather one of four scholarship students of color at Fairchild in the 1990s. Her beloved Aunt Viv, who raised her and has helped her raise Etta, works as the school’s longtime head cook and is their family’s rock. As a new admissions season opens, Josie must contend with the obsessed, overbearing, ultra-wealthy parents willing to do just about anything to guarantee their child a spot in kindergarten. On the home front, Etta is fighting the path Josie has painstakingly laid out for her. 

A powerful mother-daughter story, interracial romance, and deliciously fun schoolyard drama, Tiny Imperfections is also a celebration of a fundamental truth: It doesn’t matter who you are—race, religion, sexual orientation. When raising a child all parents share a common goal: for their child to find success and true happiness.

Alli Frank has worked in education for over twenty years in San Francisco and Seattle, from an overcrowded, cacophonous public high school to a pristine private girl’s school. She has been a teacher, curriculum leader, coach, college counselor, assistant head, sometimes pastor, often mayor, and de facto parent therapist. A graduate of Cornell and Stanford University, Alli is a resident of Ketchum, Idaho, as of July 2020. Tiny Imperfections is her first novel.

Asha Youmans attended public schools until graduating from one of the foremost private schools in the Pacific Northwest. After receiving a degree from the University of California, Berkeley, she returned to Seattle where she taught in public and private elementary schools for nearly 20 years. Tiny Imperfections is her firstnovel.

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