Monthly Archives: October 2009

West of Ireland, Second Life – All Hallows is just around the corner, and the West of Ireland (WOI) charity estate is gearing up for their annual Samhain Festival.  The West of Ireland Library and Cultural Center is warming things up with BOO! Surprise Ghost Stories beginning Sunday, October 18^th and continuing through Midnight on Halloween, October 31.

A group of nine accomplished readers and storytellers will present 25 sessions in thirteen days at ten different locations across four different public sims in the WOI estate.  These short, 30 minute sessions will be in addition to the Library’s regular weekly programming.  “This is such a great chance to take our fabulous storytellers and let them showcase some of the amazing places to be found across the estate,” said West of Ireland CEO Sioban McMahon.

Ghost story presenters will include Corwyn Allen, Marian Dragovar, Kghia Gherardi, Aoife Lorefield, Shandon Loring, Derry McMahon, Elder Priestman, Caledonia Skytower and Elegia Underwood.  Sites will include locations on West of Ireland, Cork, Neart, and in the Northern Ireland Development Coop on Connemara. A test of BOO! in the late evening on Saturday, October 10 brought 28 individuals to a spooky graveyard on Cork to listen to Caledonia Skytower read from Neil Gaiman’s Newbery Medal-winning The Graveyard Book.

There will be no pre-announced or published schedule.  Notices and IMs will go out fifteen minutes in advance of the reading to the following groups: Beautiful Minds, West of Ireland Library, Bookstacks, Caledon Library, Librarians of Second Life, Storytelling Guild of Second Life, and Wild Irish Women as well as through the WOI Library subscriber list.  Residents on line when the notices go out will be in for a special treat: a ghost story in the remote and scenic wilds of the West of Ireland – perhaps a castle ruins or a cathedral graveyard.  Sessions will be short, roughly 30 minutes and will feature the works by Edgar Allen Poe among many other authors of spooky fiction.  All will be read live in voice.  All the performers are volunteers and donations are accepted to support Project Children, a real world non-profit positively affecting the lives of children in Northern Ireland: Second Life activity, with meaningful Real Life results.

For information on the West of Ireland Storytelling: http://www.tr.im/woistory

You can also view a gallery of recent library events and story sessions at:  http://www.irelandsl.org/west-of-ireland-library-and-cultural-center/

Useful SLURLS:

West Of Ireland Library and Cultural Center . . .
http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/174/26

The West of Ireland is a Second Life charity estate created to support the programs of the South Texas Celtic Music Association (STCMA), a recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in the United States. Additionally, the West of Ireland has been approved by Linden Labs, the creators of Second Life, as a certified nonprofit.

The mission of the West of Ireland is to promote Irish and Celtic culture within Second Life and raise awareness of Project Children, while providing guests and community members with an entertaining and welcoming environment and to raise funds for Project Children.

For information on the West of Ireland sim: www.irelandsl.org

Project Children is an international organization that takes children from Northern Ireland on summer trips to stay with host families in the United States. Catholic and Protestant children are brought together in a calm and multi-cultural environment in an effort to overcome the stronghold of prejudices that have burdened Northern Ireland for so long. The South Texas Celtic Music Association (STCMA) raises funds for Project Children at its annual Celtic Music Festival and through the Second Life West of Ireland charity estate to pay the transportation costs for children participating in Project Children.

For information on Project Children: http://www.projectchildren.org

Derry McMahon, West of Ireland Librarian
derrymcmahon@gmail.com

Saturday

Noon – Book Trivia: Banned Books
Banned in Australia, or challenged in America, it seems no book has been left uncensored – which has given us a lot to work with for Saturday’s quiz on Banned Books.  Simeon was disappointed to find that not all of them had naughty bits, but we’ve done the best we can.  So come along at 12 noon on Saturday and don’t forget to wear an appropriate (or Simeon would prefer inappropriate) costume.  Quiz winner takes home 500L, as does the costume winner.
Location: Bookstacks Pub (slurl)

2:00 p.m. – Science Fiction Saturday
Jago Constantine leads a weekly discussion where participants sharing their recent science fiction reads. Discuss old favorites and discover some new writers at this regular event.
Location: Bookstacks Pub (slurl)

Sunday

11:00 a.m. – Poetry & Pints
One the first Sunday of each month, Bookstacks hosts Poetry & Pints. Bring some work from your favorite poets to share. This is NOT an open mic event; it is an opportunity to explore other poets and perhaps find someone new to read.
Location: Bookstacks Pub (slurl)

3:00 pm – Poetry Libre Open Mic
Join hosts Leonardo Zimring and Serene Bechir in the cozy room behind the fireplace at Bookstacks for some of the best poetry in SL.  Reads in any language are encouraged.  Everyone is welcome to read and if you do not have a mic or prefer not to read aloud we have several people who would be glad to read for you.
Location: Bookstacks Pub (slurl)

October Book Discussions

October 18 – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Though it deals with a dark period in history, this first novel is an essentially sunny work. It affirms the power of books to nourish people enduring hard times—not so surprising, since Mary Ann Shaffer, who died earlier this year, had a long career as a librarian, bookseller and editor. Her niece Annie Barrows, a children’s author, finished the manuscript after Shaffer fell ill; between them, they crafted a vivid epistolary novel whose characters spring to life in letters and telegrams exchanged over the course of nine months shortly after the end of World War II…You could be skeptical about the novel’s improbabilities and its sanitized portrait of book clubs (doesn’t anyone read trashy thrillers?), but you’d be missing the point. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a sweet, sentimental paean to books and those who love them.

October 19 – Who Killed Marylin Monroe? by Liz Evans
The Marilyn Monroe in question is a beach donkey and Grace Smith – too broke to be selective when it’s a question of work – is called in by the donkey’s owner, Drysdale, to investigate this bizarre crime. While doing so she finds herself inexorably drawn into the mystery surrounding the murder of a young woman, Tina, whose aunt lived in the house backing on to Drysdale’s land. As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that the murders of Marilyn and Tina are connected – and that Grace has stumbled on a whole lot more than she bargained for . . . ‘Witty dialogue and spirited pace make this an enjoyable start to what I hope will be a series of Grace Smith investigations’ Daily Telegraph

October 25 – Heart of Stone by C.E. Murphy

In Murphy’s exciting series opener, Alban Korund, a winged, shape-shifting gargoyle, is framed as a murderer. He begs legal help from Margrit Knight, a human lawyer who at first thinks he’s your average Central Park stalker. Margrit soon becomes attracted to her stony client and fascinated by the shadowy world of the Old Races, who live secretly among humans. As she struggles to prove Alban’s innocence, Margrit herself battles a dangerous dragonlord, other gargoyles and a powerful vampire, as well as taking on the case of a selkie mother and baby living in a building destined for demolition. Margrit must also decide what to do about her jealous on-again/off-again boyfriend, Tony, a homicide detective who dislikes Alban and thinks he’s guilty. Realist, feminist Margrit makes for a deeply compelling heroine as she struggles to sort out the sudden upheaval in her professional and romantic lives. Murphy (Coyote Dreams) has created a refreshing addition to the urban fantasy landscape. (Nov.)
From Publishers Weekly