For Immediate Release: February 27, 2006

2006 National Library Week Celebration
Features Author Isabel Allende; Teen and Kid Events

(Oakland, CA)—Now in its 14th year, the Oakland Public Library’s Annual National Library Week Celebration in April will feature the theme, "Your library card…Get it! Use it!" A variety of free events aimed at attracting both new and return visitors to its libraries will take place throughout the month, highlighted by "An Evening with Isabel Allende in Conversation with Patricia Holt," scheduled for Thursday, April 20, 7:00 p.m. in the Oakland Museum of California’s James Moore Theatre, 10th & Oak Streets. A book signing and a chance to purchase titles by both writers will take place immediately following the program, courtesy of the OMCA Store. This evening is being co-sponsored by the Oakland Museum of California, Friends of the Oakland Public Library and The Oakland Tribune/ANG Newpapers.

Isabel Allende went into exile after the overthrow and assassination of her uncle, Chilean president Salvador Allende, in 1973. She traveled and worked as a journalist until the publication of her first award-winning novel, The House of Spirits, based on her family and Chilean politics, in 1982. Since then, Allende has moved to Marin County and published 14 books, many of them bestsellers, including Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna, Daughter of Fortune, and her latest title, Zorro (2005). Several of her books have been adapted as movies and Daughter of Fortune was selected as one of Oprah’s Book Club selections.

Critics such as Victoria Brownworth of The Baltimore Sun have praised Allende’s recent retelling of the story of Zorro as "a fully realized, definingly modern creation...not your tired matinee idol Zorro, nor the sexy cartoon Zorro of the comics." It has also been called "a picaresque novel with postmodern flourishes" (Allen Barra, Houston Chronicle), and a "rollicking adventure yarn" that "will make you want to pick up a sword and start slashing your initials into the nearest available bad guy" (Steve Bennett, San Antonio Express).

Patricia Holt will be interviewing Isabel Allende for her National Library Week appearance. Ms. Holt served as Book Review Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle for 16 years and currently writes a free e-mail column, Holt Uncensored (www.holtuncensored.com) that focuses on the publishing and bookselling industry. She also operates an editorial service, Manuscript Express. Her past credits include working as a columnist for Publishers Weekly and serving as senior editor for the San Francisco Book Company. She also founded the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association and served as a board member of The Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. In 1991, her biography of private detective Hal Lipset, The Bug in the Martini Olive, was published by Little, Brown and later reprinted in paperback as The Good Detective (Pocket Books).

Daniel Alarcón will be reading from and discussing his first book, War by Candlelight on Thursday, April 27, 6:00 p.m. at the Oakland Main Library, 125 14th Street-First Floor (between Oak and Madison). Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Alabama, Alarcón attended Columbia University and earned his MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His work has previously been published in The New Yorker, Virginia Quarterly Review, among others, and anthologized in Best American Non-Required Reading 2004 and 2005. He currently lives in Oakland where he is the Distinguished Visiting Writer at Mills College. War by Candlelight is a collection of striking stories that "take the reader from Third World urban centers to the fault lines that divide nations and people." The Washington Post Book World states that "Alarcón’s fierce, stylish and intricate stories announce a prodigious talent." Copies of Alarcón’s work will be available for purchase and signing.

In addition to these author events, the Oakland Public Library will also be celebrating with a series of programs for teens and children. On Thursday, March 30 from 5:00-8:00 p.m., the Main Library will be rocking out with "Hot Films, Cool Music." Performers from Youth Movement Records will showcase their musical talents, while Streetside Productions will screen short films made by some of their remarkable teens. Come on down to the Main Library’s West Auditorium, 125 14th Street, for a free treat! Youth Movement Records is a non-profit, youth-directed recording company and youth development project located in Oakland. Streetside Productions is a video production training program that provides youth with hands-on experience in documentary filmmaking.

Not to be outdone, the Children’s Services librarians will be hosting well-known local authors and illustrators, Elisa Kleven (The Paper Princess), and Thacher Hurd (Art Dog, MamaDon’t Allow). Ms. Kleven will present her stories and lead a collage workshop on Tuesday, April 4, at Elmhurst Branch Library, 1427 88th Avenue, 10:30 a.m., and Brookfield Branch Library, 9255 Edes Avenue, 1:00 p.m. Hurd will show young audiences how he creates his illustrations and will read stories to youngsters at Dimond Branch Library, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue, on April 6, 1:00 p.m. and Piedmont Avenue Branch Library, 160 41st Street, on April 10, 7:00 p.m. The Thacher Hurd programs are suitable for kids, ages 3 – 8 years old.

Puppeteer Willy Claflin will perform humorous stories and tall tales that will delight young people, ages K-8 th grade. He’ll take his show on the road starting Wednesday, March 29 at the Asian Branch Library, 388 9th Street, Suite 190, 10:30 a.m.; the West Oakland Branch Library, 1801 Adeline Street, 1:00 p.m.; and Melrose Branch Library, 4805 Foothill Blvd., 3:30 p.m. On Thursday, March 30, he’ll perform at Elmhurst Branch Library, 1427 88th Avenue, 10:30 a.m., and Temescal Branch Library, 5205 Telegraph Avenue, 1:00 p.m.

Pam Brown will present stories and crafts designed for K-5 th graders at Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch Library, 6833 International Blvd., Wednesday, April 5, 1:00 p.m.; Montclair Branch Library, 1687 Mountain Blvd., Tuesday, April 4, 1:30 p.m.; Chavez Branch Library, 3301 East 12th Street, Suite 271, Saturday, April 8, 11:30 a.m.; and Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College Avenue, Tuesday, April 4, 7:00 p.m.

Jazz poet Raymond Nat Turner will offer an interactive poetry workshop for older elementary and middle school students on Tuesday, April 4, 1:15 p.m. at the Golden Gate Branch Library, 5606 San Pablo Avenue. He will lead the group in creating poems, doing acrostics and participating in circle chants.

Puppet master extraordinaire Randal Metz will present "Perez and Mondinga," a Mexican folktale featuring wonderful animal puppets at the Eastmont Branch Library, 7200 Bancroft Avenue, Suite 211, on Wednesday, April 5, 10:30 a.m. Groups are asked to call in advance to reserve space, (510) 615-5726.

On a more serious note, our knowledgeable Children’s Librarians will teach an "Internet Safety Class for Parents" on Wednesday, April 5, 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library’s Children’s Room, 125 14th Street. Learn how you can help your child be safer on the Internet. Activities for children, ages 6 and up, will be provided, and participating families will each receive a free book!

Additional programs may still be added. For a complete list, please consult the Library’s Web site at www.oaklandlibrary.org, or pick up an April calendar at your nearest Oakland library. Please refrain from wearing scented products to library events. To request sign interpretation, or other accommodation, please call (510) 834-7446 (TTY) or the specific site at least five working days prior to the program. The Oakland Public Library is a department of the City of Oakland.

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