More Library Innovation Lab 2018 Programming in October – California Humanities

Libraries participating in the 2018 Library Innovation Lab: Exploring New Ways of Engaging Immigrant Communities through Public Humanities Programming project are actively programming!  Please visit our online events calender to find out about events near you. A sample of what’s coming up in October includes the following: 

The Florence Branch of the County of Los Angeles Public Library, located in the southeast region of the county, encourages the public to submit photos and short written texts (in English or Spanish) on the theme of food, which will provide content for a curated exhibit in the library to be installed later in the month. As part of Lens into Mi Vida: Dishes of the Immigrant Experience, the library will host a  poetry reading on October 22, featuring local poets Kimberly Cobain, Luis Villalobo, and Sean Hill reading from their work and discussing food and its relationship to the immigrant experience. Refreshments will be provided! A series of cooking demonstrations by professional chefs will begin October 16 with a visit from Farhana Sahibzada, an expert on Indian and Pakistani foodways.  Cooking demonstrations continue with Chef Marco Zamien showcasing Mexican foods including chile verde on October 23rd and Chef Phoebe Chow on October 25th demonstrating Hong Kong street foods including egg waffles and sesame rolls. 

In recognition of the rich cultural heritage and history of the local Mixtec community, the Ventura County Public Library’s Albert Solis Branch, located in the El Rio neighborhood, will offer a special Dia de los Muertos program on October 27, that will include traditional music and dance performances, altar installations, children’s activities and opportunities to sample Oaxacan foods.  Browse the library’s collection of new materials about this indigenous group, learn a few words of Mixtec, and find out about the mural being created by students and faculty at CSU Channel Islands, with input and participation from local community members, that is another activity of this project. For more information, visit our events calendar posting or contact Project Director, Yvonne Tello.

Library Innovation Lab is an ongoing program of California Humanities that supports responsive and relevant public humanities programming in California’s public libraries by providing a practice-based, capacity-building, professional development experience for library programming specialists. Cash awards to the participating libraries support innovative programming that engages immigrant populations and offers welcoming and inclusive experiences for all community members. Click here for more information.