The Friends of the Altadena Library have announced their spring and summer program of performances and programs:
- Celebrate national poetry month in April with award-winning poet and poetry coach Mary Torregrossa on April 20 with "Essence and Essentials for Writing Poetry: go where it takes you but take only what you need." The program is Saturday, April 20 from 4 to 6 PM.
- Award-winning author, poet, and writing teacher Dr. Mira Mataric will hold a poetry and prose workshop, "Writing Under the Influence (of music.)" Bring pen, paper, and readiness to explore new ways to contact your muse. The workshop will be on Thursday, April 23. from 6 to 8 PM at the library.
- On Saturday, April 27, the LIbrary's annual Poetry and Cookies festival will be held at the Altadena Senior Center, 560 E. Mariposa Street, starting at 2 PM. The event is a chance for poets and poetry fans to get together, purchase poetry books, and enjoy the poetic muse (with cookies, of course). There will also be a short open mic.
- May opens with a world premiere staging of "Evenings with the Boys in the Backroom," a play by Peter Adum & Joyce Fante. The Moveable Theatre Co. production is produced and directed by Holly J. Witham and features David Datz, Joe Estevez, J. Todd Howell, Karen Louis, Shaun Duke Moosekian, Bruce Nehlsen, and Evelyn Ortiz. A Q&A with playwright Adum and reception follow the performance. Admission is a $20 donation to the Friends of the Library for the Sunday May 5 performance, at 3 PM at the library.
- On Monday, May 13, JPL engineer Rober Haw will look at "Extreme Weather." Haw, a founder of JPL's Climate Change Symposium, will talk about the strange weather events in the U.S. and throughout the world.
- On Tuesday, May 14, MonteCedro will present a program on "Neurobics: Memory Enhancement" from 10 AM-noon. Learn about the brain and exercises you can do to keep it young. There will be hand-outs and a free drawing for memory enhancement prizes.
- On Monday, June 17, after a short Friends meeting at 7 PM, JPL volcanologist Dr. Rosaly Lopes will amaze with a multi-media presentation, "Volcanoes I Have Known." Thrill to erupting volcano sites, lave flows, and their power and beauty, both on earth and on other planets.
- And on Saturday, June 22, author Amanda Winn Lee will talk about her e-book, "The Noodle Chronicles: Everthing I Know About Cheating Death I Learned From My Kid." Come take a stroll through her consciousness as she navigates the arduous, and sometimes surprisingly hilarious, journey of her family's battles with cancer (and don't worry, the kid lives).
Programs, except for Poetry and Cookies, are held in the Altadena Main Library, 600 E. Mariposa St., and all events (except the May 5 fundraiser) are free.
