Events of the Library Foundation of Hennepin County

Is globalism as we know it dead? What will replace it? Since the 1980s, neo-liberalism supporters have advocated for government deregulation of the economy and a dismantling of political borders in order to permit the free flow of capital across countries. Yet the global economic crash of 2008-2009 seriously questions the continued viability of these practices. Dr. David Schultz examines the contending perspectives on globalism and what possibilities there are for the creation of a new world economic order. Schultz is a Professor at Hamline University’s School of Business and a senior fellow at the Institute of Law and Politics at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of more than 20 books and 100 domestic and international articles. A frequent commentator for television and radio, he has appeared on Almanac, Today Show, National Public Radio, and elsewhere.

Timothy Brennan, author of Secular Devotion: Afro-Latin Music and Imperial Jazz, dissects the perplexing term of "world music" by exploring jazz's neo-African and Latin roots. Sumanth Gopinath, currently working on a book on the ringtone industry, examines the new microindustry of musical ringtones and its impact on the world economy, artists, and social practices. Presented in partnership with the University of Minnesota's School of Music and the Minnesota International Center.

David Smick argues, "The world is curved. We can't see over the horizon" and that is why the world has become such a dangerous place." Looking back at how the economic deck of cards was formed and how it failed, Smick will examine the challenges presented by a curved world. From the local mortgage mess to Wall Street to the global Asian markets, Smick will address: How bad can things really get in today’s volatile economy? And what can we do about it? Smick is the best-selling author of The World is Curved. Global economic strategist and founder of The International Economy, his writing has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. Recorded live on June 2, 2009 at the Central Library in Downtown Minneapolis. Globalization Unearthed is presented by the Library Foundation of Hennepin County with promotional support from the Minnesota International Center.

David Plotz is the Slate's new editor. Contributor to the New York Times Magazine, Harper's, Rolling Stone, New Republic, Washington Post, and GQ, Plotz won the National Press Club's Hume Award for Political Reporting in 2000. His newest work, Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible, is based on his Blogging the Bible series which previously appeared on Slate.com. Examining the Bible from a cultural and personal perspective, Plotz explores such theological questions as: Does God prefer obedience or good deeds? How many commandments do we actually need? Why are so many women in the Bible prostitutes? And why does God love bald men so much? Recorded live on March 10, 2009 from the Minneapolis Central Library's Pohlad Hall. The Talk of the Stacks is presented by the Library Foundation of Hennepin County and US Trust.

In March 2009, The Minnesota Opera will be stages the American premiere of The Adventures of Pinocchio. This fantastical tale brings to life the wooden boy who wants to be good, but just can't stay out of trouble. Guided by the Blue Fairy, Pinocchio has a lot to learn before he can discover the secret to becoming a real boy. Jonathan Dove's exhilarating music is paired with magical stagecraft and storybook scenery. Come explore how a beloved fairy tale becomes a full-scale opera. In this People's University class, literature and opera buff Marcia Aubineau leads composer Jonathan Dove, director Martin Duncan, and librettist Alasdair Middleton in a look behind the scenes at the opera, The Adventures of Pinocchio. Recorded live on March 17, 2009 from the Minneapolis Central Library's Pohlad Hall. The People's University is presented by the Library Foundation of Hennepin County.

This winter the library hosts "32 x 4," a photography exhibition that documents 32 Twin Cities neighborhoods through the lenses of 4 commissioned photographers (Michael Dvorak, Dusty Hoskovec, Sarah Stacke, and Xavier Tavera). "32 x 4," a project by Over Exposure, explores the changing characteristics of local neighborhoods and engages the community in the artistic process. In this installment of the People's University, join experts from artistic, public policy, historical, and economic fields as they discuss this landmark exhibition and the intersection of art and community. Panelists include photographer Xavier Tavera; Minneapolis City Council member Elizabeth Glidden; historian and photography curator George Slade; and Ann Markusen, professor and Director of the Arts Economy Initiative at the Humphrey Institute, and visual and performing artist Camille Gage as moderator. Recorded live on January 27, 2009 from the Minneapolis Central Library's Pohlad Hall. The People's University is presented by the Library Foundation of Hennepin County.

M.T. Anderson is the multiple award-winning author of several books for children and young adults, including The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, (2006 National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature) and Feed (2002 Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner). Anderson has published six novels, two collections of young-adult stories, four middle-grade picture books, and adult short stories. Known for his keen sense of social criticism, complex narratives, and masterful use of language, Anderson proves young-adult novels are alive and well. Co-hosted by Teen Central's Teen Advisory Group. Recorded live on December 11, 2008 from the Minneapolis Central Library's Pohlad Hall. The Talk of the Stacks is presented by the Library Foundation of Hennepin County and US Trust.

Author George Rabasa, soprano Jennifer Baldwin Peden, and pianist Barbara Brooks present The Wonder Singer through a program of storytelling and song. Rabasa's critically acclaimed 2008 novel, The Wonder Singer, tells the story of Mark Lockwood, who is hired to ghost-write the autobiography of an aging operatic diva. When she dies suddenly, leaving him with hours of interview tapes, he realizes he has the greatest story of his life, but he faces the greatest struggle of his life in telling it. The Wonder Singer, takes shape as a book-within-a-book and sweeps Lockwood along the dizzying chronology of the diva's life. Recorded live on December 5, 2008 from the Minneapolis Central Library's Pohlad Hall. The Holiday Toast is presented by the Library Foundation of Hennepin County.

Author, poet, storyteller, humorist, and creator of the radio show A Prairie Home Companion, Garrison Keillor has been entertaining audiences for more than 34 years with his tales from Lake Wobegon. Author of more than a dozen books including Lake Wobegon Days, Pontoon, and Good Poems for Hard Times, Keillor writes a syndicated newspaper column and is a frequent contributor to Time, The New Yorker, and National Geographic. His radio show inspired the 2006 movie, A Prairie Home Companion. Keillor's latest book is titled Liberty. Recorded live on November 11, 2008 from the Minneapolis Central Library's Pohlad Hall. The Talk of the Stacks is presented by The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library and US Trust.

Romanian-born poet, novelist, screenwriter, and commentator on National Public Radio, Andrei Codrescu is internationally known for his satiric wit and biting political perspective. His newest collection of poetry, Jealous Witness, honors the dispossessed, artists, lovers, and cultural icons who have influenced his life. Published by Coffee House Press, Jealous Witness includes a CD by the New Orleans Klezmer AllStars and some spoken word performances by the poet. Recorded live on October 30, 2008 from the Minneapolis Central Library's Pohlad Hall. The Talk of the Stacks is presented by The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library and US Trust.

Marilynne Robinson's first novel, Housekeeping, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1980. In 2005, her long-anticipated second novel, Gilead, won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her newest novel, Home (set in the same town as Gilead), is a moving and healing book about family secrets, love, death, and faith. Home has been named a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award for fiction. In this recording, Robinson treats a Talk of the Stacks audience to a reading from Home and took questions ranging from writing to religion. Recorded live on October 16, 2008 from the Minneapolis Central Library's Pohlad Hall. The Talk of the Stacks is presented by The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library and US Trust.

Presented by Dr. Neil Baldwin, Distinguished Visiting Professor in the College of the Arts at Montclair State University, and best-selling author of eight books, including To All Gentleness: William Carlos Williams, The Doctor-Poet. William Carlos Williams is celebrated in our cultural memory as the author of modern lyrics crafted in the speech of the working-class streets he knew so well; in addition to novels, short stories, essays, plays -- and the epic long poem, Paterson. He was also a devoted family doctor, delivering more than three thousand babies in the course of a forty-year career at his suburban home-office in Rutherford, New Jersey, the town where he was born in 1883, lived his entire life, and died in 1963. Join best-selling author and historian Dr. Baldwin for a lively discussion in celebration of the 125th anniversary of Williams' birth. Presented by The Friends and the Marquette Financial Companies on August 14, 2008 at the Minneapolis Central Library's Pohlad Hall.

For centuries, brew masters both professional and homegrown have pursued the perfect pour - a delectable combination of barley, yeast, water, and hops and few states can claim as devoted a relationship to beer as Minnesota. Starting with its first brewery in 1849, Hoverson will tell the story of the state’s beer industry from the small-town breweries that gave way to larger companies with regional and national prominence (including Hamm's, Grain Belt, and Schell's) to the vibrant beer culture of today, led by a new wave of breweries such as Summit, Lake Superior Brewing Co., and Surly. Presented by Doug Hoverson. Hoverson is a teacher at St. Thomas Academy, associate editor of American Breweriana Journal, a certified beer judge, and the author of Land of Amber Waters: The History of Brewing in Minnesota. Presented by The Friends and the Marquette Financial Companies on July 31, 2008.

For more than twenty years, Lynne Rossetto Kasper has been recognized as one of America’s leading food authorities, commentators, and cultural historians. Her national radio show, The Splendid Table, is a staple of American Public Media. Her first cookbook, The Splendid Table, is the only book to receive The Cookbook of the Year Award from both the Julia Child/IACP and James Beard Awards. Now with her third book, How to Eat Supper, Kasper goes far beyond the recipe and standard cookbook by exploring the people and stories that shape America's changing sense of food. Examining rarely heard perspectives on food from the quirky to the political from the highbrow to the humble, Kapser shows the essential role breaking bread together plays in our world. Tom Crann, host of Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered, and Sally Swift, co-author and managing producer of The Splendid Table, join Kasper on stage for this delicious edition of Talk of the Stacks.

Tim Weiner is a Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter for The New York Times and has on American intelligence for more than twenty years. Weiner will discuss his newest work, A Legacy of Ashes, which won the 2007 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was a Finalist for the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award. Based on more than 50,000 documents (primarily from the archives of the CIA itself and hundreds of interviews with CIA veterans), A Legacy of Ashes examines the CIA from its creation after World War II through its battles in the cold war to its near-collapse after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Weiner’s work has been praised as "impressively reported" and "immensely entertaining" by The New York Times and "truly extraordinary . . . the best book ever written on a case of espionage" by the Wall Street Journal.