P. D. Eastman (1909–1986)

For 25 years, Alison Bechdel created the immensely popular cult comic strip ‘Dykes to Watch Out For’, which was syndicated in 50 publications across the US. The infamous ‘Bechdel Test’, a widely adopted formula for testing whether a film or book is gender biased, grew out of a scene in her strip. This highly effective gender bias test asks whether the story features at least two women, who talk to each other, about something other than a man.

The Bechdel Test has since been adopted by many reviewers, with pressure brought to bear on Hollywood to increase the number of movies produced that pass the test. Thus immortalised in the popular lexicon, Alison Bechdel has become a true cultural icon. In the Guardian, Laura Miller branded Alison a ‘lesbian Woody Allen’, describing her as ‘comical and … adorable, a quality that allows her to carry readers where they might not otherwise be keen to go.’

Her work has been at the forefront of the move of comics into the literary mainstream, particularly her rave-reviewed books Fun House – Time magazine’s Best Book of 2006 – and Are You My Mother? In these memoirs about her parents, Alison explores her relationship with her father, a closeted gay man who died in a probable suicide months after his daughter came out to him, and her mother, an aspiring actress who became a frustrated housewife after her marriage. (rodneyvc)… (más)

Up, Tall and High by Ethan Long (Illustrator)
The best nest by P. D. Eastman, P. D. Eastman (Illustrator)
The best nest by P. D. Eastman

Storytime The best nest by P.D. Eastman will take us to some very peculiar spots as Mr. and Mrs. Bird search for a "better" nest. In Ethan Long's book Up, Tall and High we are going to meet a colorful cast of birds illustrating the concept of Up, Tall and High! (añadidos desde Barnes & Noble)… (más)

I Love Ewe by Aaron Zenz (Illustrator)
Are you my mother? by P. D. Eastman, P. D. Eastman (Illustrator)

Storytime Today we celebrate one of the most important people in our lives, our moms. We will be reading I Love Ewe: An Ode to Moms. This is the story of the animals and their moms. We will also share other favorite stories about Mom. (añadidos desde Barnes & Noble)… (más)

Where's My Mommy? by Carol Roth, Sean Julian (Illustrator)
Are you my mother? by P. D. Eastman, P. D. Eastman (Illustrator)

Storytime Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to pick out some books to sell. When she got there, the cupboard was bare -- the books were being used for show and tell. (añadidos desde Barnes & Noble)… (más)

Are you my mother? by P. D. Eastman, P. D. Eastman (Illustrator)
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, Patrick Benson (Illustrator)
Little Quack by Lauren Thompson, Derek Anderson (Illustrator)
Gossie and Gertie by Olivier Dunrea, Olivier Dunrea (Illustrator)

Storytime During this Storytime, we will read some of our favorite stories about our favorite feathered friends! Join us for such books as Little Quack, Gossie and Gertie, Are You My Mother and others! (añadidos desde Barnes & Noble)… (más)

Scholar and women’s studies pioneer Lillian Faderman is the author of several groundbreaking narratives of the cultural, social, and political history of LGBT life and identity, including Surpassing the Love of Men, “one of the most significant contributions yet made to feminist literature” (The New York Review of Books); Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; and To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done For America. The recipient of six Lambda Literary Awards and two American Library Association Awards, she is also the author of the memoir Naked in the Promised Land. In My Mother’s Wars, she reflects on her mother’s guilt-stricken life as a Jewish immigrant in 1930s New York.

Cost: $15 General Admission, $7 Students
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TICKETS ON SALE JANUARY 4, 2013 at 10:00 (MDGentleReader)… (más)