Tag Archives: Written Word

United Palace & Literature to Life: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Literature to Life presents The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

This thrilling adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Junot Díaz, which chronicles the life of Oscar, an overweight science-fiction enthusiast who dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien. Growing up in Paterson, he obsesses over fantasy novels, falling in love, and the curse that has plagued his family for generations. Despite the endless taunting from friends, family, and foes, Oscar remains true to himself, as the family curse declares its power and the violence of Oscar’s family history collides with his present.

Adapted by Elise Thoron and Directed by Kelvin Grullon.  With Jean Perez, a Dominican-American Actor & Filmmaker from The Bronx whose work is committed to bold and authentic storytelling, fusing genre with truth. He brings presence, depth, and emotional truth, with a passion for exploring narratives that highlight culture, resilience and the complexity of the human spirit. As Co-Founder of Altagracia Productions, he aims to reclaim narrative power, elevate his community, and leave a legacy that guides and inspires the next generation of storytellers.

LITERATURE TO LIFE (LTL) is a performance-based literacy program that presents professionally staged verbatim adaptations of American literary classics. LTL’s mission is to perform great books that inspire young people to read and become authors of their own lives. LTL was founded more than three decades ago as the educational program of the American Place Theatre. Now an independent organization, this mighty collective of artists and educators brings the voices of diverse authors to thousands of students and audiences nationwide, giving them the tools to become the empowered “voices worth hearing” of our future. www.literaturetolife.org | @lit2life

 

Inwood Library: Diverse Books + Banter–“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury

Diverse Books + Banter: “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury
Join the Inwood Library on Thursday, March 26th from 5:30 – 6:30 PM to discuss: “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury.

This is an IN-PERSON event only. You can register online to secure your seat.

You may reserve a physical copy of this book to pick up at a library branch. Copies of the book are currently available for borrowing at the Inwood Library. While supplies last!

Open to Adults 18+

Recirculation Word Up: Book Swap (A Paging Through the City Event)

Join fellow nyc readers for a book swap hosted at Recirculation, a project of Word Up!

​Please bring new or gently used books you are willing to pass along, and find new-to-you books to take home!  Bring any books—we will have sections set up for different genres to drop off books and look through!

​This event is ticketed and is pay-what-you-can ($5 minimum). All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Word Up Community to help continue their mission to serve the community in Washington Heights and beyond!

 

Fort Washington Library: WNYC Book Club ‘The Emperor of Gladness’ by Ocean Vuong IN PERSON

Join us for a neighborhood book club IN PERSON at Fort Washington Branch.  The New York Public Library and WNYC—two indispensable New York institutions—are partnering to host a book club that brings New Yorkers together and fosters community.

The January title is Ocean Vuong’s The Emperor of Gladness, a novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to transform Hai’s relationship to himself, his family, and a community on the brink.

Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Ocean Vuong’s writing—formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness—are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies: a second chance.

Join our neighborhood book club. Here’s how it works:

GET THE BOOK Borrow: NYPL Catalog E-Books: Check out this title—and even more NYPL e-books—on your favorite device. Learn more: nypl.org/ebookhelp