Guilderland Library Notes for Thursday, October 4, 2018

An interactive (and fun!) session at the Guilderland Public Library, on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m., will provide steps for students to take to immediately become stronger candidates for college acceptances and institutional scholarships.

This session is ideal for families with students in grades 10, 11, and 12. Students are encouraged to attend with their parent or guardian.

Kelly Linehan, a college admissions counselor and associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association as well as a National Board Certified Teacher, will make the presentation. There is no need to register; just attend and learn!

Nature Hunt

Create. Play. Explore. It’s time for a nature-filled adventure!

Come explore the outdoors around GPL — on Thursday, Oct. 11, at 3:30 p.m. — and gather items to create your very own nature collages and creatures. Since we will be going outside, please be sure to wear weather-appropriate clothing! For grades 3 to  5. Please call 518-456-2400, ext. 4 to register.

Trustees meet

The Guilderland Public Library’s Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting on Thursday, Oct. 11, at 6 p.m., to hear a presentation on a possible renewal of the library building.

The presentation will be given by the architectural firm of Butler, Rowland and Mays. The public is encouraged to attend. Information on this possible project is available at www.guilderlandlibrary.org/renewal

Two great writers atone great celebration!

On Saturday, Sept. 29, the Guilderland Library Foundation held its annual fundraising gala at the Albany Country Club, and the two honorees — Paul Grondahl and Gregory Maguire — had a great time!

In her remarks, Foundation President Rosemary Revoir spoke about why these two “hometown writers” were honored:

This evening’s Novel Affair is a special one because in the past we’ve celebrated leaders of the library and business community, but tonight we turn our attention to literature: This is, after all, “A Novel Affair.”  So we honor two marvelous local writers: Paul Grondahl and Gregory Maguire … and they represent the best of non-fiction and fiction.

While neither really needs an introduction, some highpoints must be hit:

Who else but Gregory Maguire could transform one of literature’s most hated and feared fictional characters into a sympathetic, lovelorn, misunderstood woman?

Gregory did so in his book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West”, which, since 2003 as “Wicked,” is now the seventh-longest running play in Broadway history. It’s been running since October 2003. Next month, it’s a 15-year run, with no sign of slowing any year soon.

But “Wicked” is just one among the dozens of Gregory’s books. In reviewing his backlist, I had to wonder if the titles some of his others – “Three Rotten Eggs,” “Out of Oz,” and maybe “The Good Liar” -- were reflective of the politics of his hometown, Albany.

Our non-fiction honoree, Paul Grondahl, by his own admission, wrote more than 8,000 stories for the Times Union. Even though he grew up in Tacoma, Washington, simply by chronicling the Capital District’s activities in some 8 million words, he became part of the fabric of the community.

Even though he “retired” from the TU last year, he continues to open our eyes to the reality around us.

Paul’s writing  – the quality of his reporting  – his ability to give us the unvarnished who, what, where, etc. – what made Paul’s reporting so trustworthy, is summed up in his own words from his TU retirement address: “My work was never about me.  I was a reporter, an observer, a witness – a conduit for the first draft of history.”