Events at the Orem Public Library

09/08/2008 - Monday

7:00 pm
Big Read Kickoff: Return to Maycomb with Rex Ellis
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

In an encore to his Timpanogos Storytelling Festival performances, nationally renowned storyteller Rex Ellis will kick off 2008's Big Read events. In addition to performing stories and songs from the time period of To Kill a Mockingbird, Dr. Ellis will show historical documents that provide context for understanding the novel. This program will be repeated at 2:30pm on 9/9/08 (see Community Events for more information).

09/09/2008 - Tuesday

11:00 am and 7:00 pm
An Introduction to Harper Lee
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Join Associate Librarian Eliot Wilcox in exploring the life of Pulitzer Prize winner Harper Lee. In addition to giving an overview of the life of this private author, Eliot will discuss how Ms. Lee's childhood and family spilled into her writing.

09/10/2008 - Wednesday

7:00 pm
Read Alouds: How to Use Books with Your Family
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Much of the intelligence children will ultimately have is developed before they even get to kindergarten. When children are read to, they develop auditory perception, vocabulary, language, and increased attention spans. Join BYU educators and learn why reading aloud is an important literacy tool for kids of all ages. Get some great ideas for getting your family into books.

09/11/2008 - Thursday

7:00 pm
An Introduction to To Kill a Mockingbird
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Award-winning author and professor Chris Crowe introduces audience members to the rich historical and cultural content of To Kill a Mockingbird. This program is designed for readers hoping to better understand this landmark novel and its themes.

09/12/2008 - Friday

7:00 pm
Cinema through the Eyes of a Child
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

BYU Film Professor Dean Duncan considers films whose stories are presented from children's perspectives.

09/13/2008 - Saturday

1:00 pm
Film Screening: To Kill a Mockingbird
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

Come watch Gregory Peck and the rest of the fine cast in the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird on our big screen with surround sound.

09/15/2008 - Monday

7:00 pm
Stories from Childhood
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Love Scout's innocent and charming voice? Listen to the Timp Tellers delightful tales of childhood and life.

09/16/2008 - Tuesday

3:00 pm
Mockingbird for Teens
Location: Orem Public Library - Teen Area

Whether it's running up to touch the Radley's door, facing down a lynch mob, or dying free of the clutches of addiction, Scout sees different definitions of courage throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Listen as we read Chapters 11 and 15 from Lee's novel then discuss your own views of courage and its value in our modern world.

7:00 pm
Growing up in the Jim Crow South
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Race is a major theme in Harper Lee's novel. Historian Rebecca de Schweinitz will help us understand what it was like to grow up under segregation, what ideas about childhood had to do with overturning Jim Crow, and how young people contributed to the black freedom struggle.

09/17/2008 - Wednesday

7:00 pm
Documentary Film Screening: To Kill a Mockingbird: Fearful Symmetry
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

See the documentary To Kill a Mockingbird: Fearful Symmetry. This film explores events and people involved in turning the book into the movie. It includes a behind-the-scenes look at the entire creative process - from interviews with actors to background about the book.

09/18/2008 - Thursday

7:00 pm
Small Town Southern Life
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Professor Gloria Cronin will explore 1930s small town Southern life through the lens of award-winning author and WPA photographer Eudora Welty's camera.

09/19/2008 - Friday

7:00 pm
To Kill a Mockingbird: The Movie
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

Join Associate Librarian Matt Kammerer as he shares information about the movie adaptation of the famous novel. The movie won three Academy Awards and was nominated for five more. Find out how it came to be shown in theaters throughout the world.

09/22/2008 - Monday

7:00 pm
Back Porch Southern Puppet Tales
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Puppeteer Mark Pulham has won the hearts of both children and adults at Orem Library and at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival with his puppet characters and charm. Watch him perform Southern tales that are sure to delight the entire family. Repeated on Tuesday, 9/23 at 7:00pm.

09/23/2008 -Tuesday

3:00 pm
Mockingbird for Teens
Location: Orem Public Library - Teen Area

Do you remember what you thought was heroic when you were a child? Scout and Jem have an evolving sense of what a hero is and does, and they are surprised when some of the greatest heroic deeds come from unexpected sources. We'll read from Chapters 4, 10 and 28 through 31 as we discuss acts of heroism in To Kill a Mockingbird.

7:00 pm
Back Porch Southern Puppet Tales
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

If you couldn't be here for Mark Pulham's Monday (9/22) performance, don't miss this special encore. Puppeteer Mark Pulham has won the hearts of both children and adults at Orem Library and at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival with his puppet characters and charm. Watch him perform Southern tales that are sure to delight the entire family.

09/24/2008 - Wednesday

7:00 pm
Mockingbird Goes to the Movies
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

Janet Bradford (BYU Lee Library) and Chris Clark (UVU Department of Drama) discuss the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. Ms. Bradford will analyze Elmer Bernstein's musical score, and Mr. Clark will focus on Horton Foote's award winning screenplay.

09/25/2008 - Thursday

7:00 pm
Writing for Change: An Introduction to Civil Rights Literature
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Harper Lee wasn't the only author hoping to create social change with her writing. Dr. Kristin Matthews highlights other prominent authors and playwrights who worked to help Americans re-imagine their relationships with those of differing backgrounds.

09/26/2008 - Friday

7:00 pm
BYU Dixieland Jazz Band
Location: Orem Public Library - Fireplace

Dixieland jazz flourished in the 1920s and 1930s. Here's a chance to listen to the area's premier Dixieland jazz band - the BYU Dixieland Jazz Band, an award-winning group with an international reputation. Arrive early to ensure a seat for this special performance.

09/27/2008 - Saturday

1:00 pm
Film Screening: To Kill a Mockingbird
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

Come watch Gregory Peck and the rest of the fine cast in the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird on our big screen with surround sound.

09/29/2008 - Monday

7:00 pm
Southern Folktales
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Debi Richan entertains audiences of all ages with a rip-roaring repertoire of Southern folktales. A favorite of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Debi Richan's stories will earn a place in your heart.

09/30/2008 - Tuesday

3:00 pm
Mockingbird for Teens
Location: Orem Public Library - Teen Area

Scout says "...there's just one kind of folks - folks." But it seems to be human nature in Maycomb County (and everywhere else) to divide and stratify those folks. Join us as we read aloud from Chapters 2 and 23 and discuss Harper Lee's views on tolerance.

10/01/2008 - Wednesday

1:00 pm
To Kill a Mockingbird: Book Discussion
Location: Orem Public Library - Book Discussion Room

Share your opinions of and experiences with Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird with Orem librarians and other readers from the community.

7:00 pm
The Story of Orem: A Glimpse at Orem's Colorful Past in Black and White
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Do you know which famous boxer trained in Orem? Do you know who found a Wooly Mammoth in their Orem backyard? Join local history buff and Orem resident Lon Bowen for a night of tales and photographs starring Orem City.

10/02/2008 - Thursday

7:00 pm
Chris Crowe presents - The Emmett Till Case
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

10/03/2008 - Friday

7:00 pm
Music of the South: The Birth of the Blues
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

Harper Lee considered To Kill a Mockingbird a tribute to her town and to the Southern tradition. In this program Media Librarian James Scarbrough explores the blues tradition of the South, tracing it from the music's early roots to the heyday of this truly American art form.

10/04/2008 - Saturday

1:00 pm
Documentary Film Screening: To Kill a Mockingbird: Fearful Symmetry
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

See the documentary To Kill a Mockingbird: Fearful Symmetry. This film explores events and people involved in turning the book into the movie. It includes a behind-the-scenes look at the entire creative process - from interviews with actors to background about the book.

10/06/2008 - Monday

7:00 pm
Story Power with Resonance Story Theater
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Designed for a younger audience, this entertaining program created by the Resonance Story Theater demonstrates themes of race and diversity in To Kill a Mockingbird through stories, dance, and narratives.

10/07/2008 - Tuesday

3:00 pm
Mockingbird for Teens
Location: Orem Public Library - Teen Area

In his closing argument, Atticus says "..our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal." The founders of our nation set a lofty goal when they declared justice for all, a goal we've had mixed success in attaining. This week we'll read from Tom Robinson's trial in Chapters 20, 21 and 23 and discuss the role of justice in To Kill a Mockingbird.

10/07/2008 - Tuesday

6:30 pm
Film Screening: To Kill a Mockingbird
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

Come watch Gregory Peck and the rest of the fine cast in the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird on our big screen with surround sound.

10/08/2008 - Wednesday

11:00 am and 7:00 pm
Notable Authors: Annie Dillard
Location: Orem Public Library - Book Discussion Room

Like Harper Lee, Annie Dillard's award winning works are an anthem to history, place, and community. Join UVU professor Deb Thornton and explore these themes in such works as The Living, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, An American Childhood, The Maytrees, and Holy the Firm.

10/09/2008 - Thursday

6:00 pm (Screening of Lecture)
7:00 pm (Teleconference with author Charles Shields)
Special Book Discussion with Harper Lee biographer Charles Shields
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

This very special night will be a chance to learn more about the author behind a modern classic, Harper Lee. Charles J. Shields, author of Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, joins us via live teleconference at 7:00 pm to discuss what he discovered during the four years he spent researching and writing his book. Come at 6:00 pm to view a recorded lecture Shields gave on Lee in 2007. For more information on Charles Shields, or Mockingbird visit his Website.

10/10/2008 - Friday

7:00 pm
The Boo Radley Effect
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

Hollywood's love affair with social misfits following the success of the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird is the subject of BYU Film Professor Dean Duncan's talk.

10/11/2008 - Saturday

1:00 pm
Film Screening: To Kill a Mockingbird
Location: Orem Public Library - Media Auditorium

Come watch Gregory Peck and the rest of the fine cast in the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird on our big screen with surround sound.

10/13/2008 - Monday

7:00 pm
Readers Theatre
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Assistant Library Director Meg Spencer and playwright Jared Anderson will present an engaging adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird.

10/14/2008 - Tuesday

3:00 pm
Mockingbird for Teens
Location: Orem Public Library - Teen Area

To Kill a Mockingbird has been revered since its debut in 1960 because it touches readers. We laugh at Scout, Jem and Dill, we cry for Tom Robinson, we rage at Bob Ewell. For our final read-aloud, choose a passage from the novel that touches you to read and share.

7:00 pm
Mockingbird Fly
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Utah Valley University's Contemporary Dance Ensemble and Orem's own Resonance Story Theatre will come together to present this memorable look at rising above the perceptions and problems of race through music, dance, and story. If you can't make this performance, two other performances will be available at the SCERA and UVU theaters (see the Community Events section of this website for more informationfor more information). Be sure to invite your friends and family, and join us for a special evening. This unforgettable event was funded in part with a grant from the City of Orem CARE tax.

10/15/2008 - Wednesday

7:00 pm
Why Reading Matters
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Author and BYU professor Brad Wilcox will discuss the importance of developing literacy. After his address, listen to a panel discussion regarding the important process of promoting literacy in our community. Panel members will include Orem City Councilman Carl Hernandez, BYU Education Professor Jim Jacobs, and Alpine School District Superintendent Gary Seastrand. Dr. Wilcox will sign copies of his new picture book There's Always a Way, Annie McRae following the event.

10/16/2008 - Thursday

7:00 pm
What to Read Next
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Love To Kill a Mockingbird? Looking for more books like it? Join librarians Lori Stevens and Eliot Wilcox as they talk about other books you might enjoy once the Big Read comes to an end.

10/17/2008 - Friday

7:00 pm
Big Read Finale: Old Time Fiddlers & More
Location: Orem Public Library - Storytelling Wing

Join us for the finale of The Big Read 2008. After recognizing Alpine school district educators who partnered with the library and incorporated the Big Read into their classrooms, be whisked to another era with the wonderful tunes of the Utah County chapter of Old Time Fiddlers. Finally, we'll conclude the evening by unveiling next year's book. Come savor a night of celebration, fiddles, basses, and all-out fun and help us celebrate the conclusion of the Orem Library's 2008 Big Read Program.