This year’s selection for the 5th annual One Book One Community program is Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. Ten different activities will be held during the month of February in support of this community program. All events are free. This year, the Friends of the North Plains Public Library are proud to have won a grant from the Cultural Coalition of Washington County to help put on the many events.

Join us on Saturday evening, February 4 beginning at 6:30 p.m. for the Kickoff Event-Party which will feature the music of Derrell Sekou Soumah Walker, a taste of Ethiopian cuisine, and the distribution of 100 copies of Verghese’s book. All ages are welcome to this free event.

Also during the month of February, clean and gently used running shoes will be collected at the Library to be donated to the Ethiopian Shoe Project.

Read more and get the complete schedule of events >>

Culture and Economics of Ethiopia

On Wednesday, February 8, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Library, guest speakers Steve Kountz and Bob Alexander, who have been going to Ethiopia regularly for four years for an economic development project, will discuss culture and economics in Ethiopia today.

This free event is suitable for adults and teens and is part of our One Book One Community reading event. Refreshments will be served.

My Own Country – A Biographical Movie

On Friday, February 10 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Library, the R-rated film, “My Own Country”, will be shown as part of our One Book One Community program.

“My Own Country” tells the story of an East Indian doctor who settles in Johnson City, Tennessee. The doctor’s name is Abraham Verghese, and he specializes in infectious diseases. It’s 1985, and AIDS is spreading from the big cities to the rural areas. Abraham takes AIDS as his personal crusade and is soon well-known for his compassion and non-judgmental treatment. He soon becomes overwhelmed with patients from the surrounding states, which strains his marriage. The movie stars Marisa Tomei, Naveen Andrews, Glenne Headly and Hal Holbrook.

This free event is suitable for adults 18 and older. Refreshments will be served.

Family Program of Stories, Games, and the Culture of Coffee

On Saturday, February 11 beginning at 1 p.m. at the Jessie Mays Community Center in North Plains, a children’s program for K-6th graders will feature African stories and the Ethiopian game of Mancala, and simultaneously, an Ethiopian coffee ceremony will be offered by Sonya Damtew for adults.

Sonya Damtew grew up in Ethiopia in an Eritrean family—Eritrea shares its southern border with Ethiopia. She’s lived in Portland for the past 11 years, working most of that time with the Portland-based Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization on city-wide African refugee resettlement.

This is a free event, and refreshments will be served.

Art in Ethiopia

On Monday, February 13 at 7 p.m. Daniel Amini will be our guest speaker at the Library. Mr. Amine is a naturalized US citizen who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He did both undergraduate and graduate studies in Business administration and conflict resolution management respectively from Portland State University.

Daniel is a professional with more than 15 years experience in the air travel industry serving the large African communities in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere. Daniel has also worked as a cultural broker, facilitator, and mediation specialist for various organizations that work with immigrant and refugee community members in Oregon.

This is a free event, and refreshments will be served.

Storytime Guest Reader

Children ages 0-6 are invited to join us for Storytime with Jackie every Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in the children’s section of the Library.

On Wednesday, February 15, hear dog stories with Miss Sheila and watch the antics of wonder dog, Fletcher.

Addiction in Africa

On Thursday, February 16 at 7 p.m. Rev. Steve Newton will be our guest speaker. This special One Book One Community event will be held at St. Edward Church in North Plains.

Father Steve Newton, C.S.C., is the pastor of St. André Bessette Catholic Church, traditionally known as the downtown chapel. He is originally from the Chicago area, and previously spent nine years in Portland (1977-86) developing DePaul Treatment Centers. In 1986 he was commencement speaker and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Portland.

Ordained in 1989, he has served as the founding director of South Bend’s Center for the Homeless, rector of a residence hall at Notre Dame, and executive director of Life Treatment Centers in South Bend, As president of the Institute for Central and East African Rehabilitation, he helped develop programs for addiction in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.

This is a free event, and refreshments will be served.

Women’s Health Issues in Ethiopia Today

On February 18 at 7 p.m. Dr. Kaitlin Masarie will be our guest speaker as part of our One book One Community program. Dr. Masarie recently spent a month in Ethiopia working at a fistula clinic to learn more about this issue that is so preventable and so prevalent in many developing nations.

Kaitlin is a recent graduate from Oregon Health and Sciences University and currently is living in Seattle where she is a resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her interest in women’s health started in college and has blossomed since, through work in reproductive health clinics, teaching sex education to middle and high school students, and now through the medical venue. International women’s health is one extension of this. She is inspired and amazed by the women and health care providers she encountered while working in Ethiopia and will share her experiences with us.

This is a free event, and refreshments will be served.

Mango Safari Travel

On Wednesday, February 22 at 7 p.m. Teresa Sullivan from Mango Safari Travel will come to speak to us about travelling in Africa.

Started in 1998 by Teresa Sullivan and Casey Hermansen, Mango has grown to become a leader in the luxury and adventure travel industry. Teresa and Casey have been guiding safaris and exploring remote corners of East and Southern Africa for the past nine years. They have worked and traveled with many different safari companies.

This is a free event, and refreshments will be served.

Craft Night

Bring your handicraft projects to the Library on Thursday, February 23 from 5:30-8 p.m. Meet new friends, learn new skills, and enjoy the camaraderie. Craft items are sold at community events throughout the year in order to raise funds for Library materials and programs.

African Dance and Percussion

On Saturday, February 25 at 7 p.m. at the Jessie Mays Community Center, Derrel Sekou Soumah-Walker and the Sebe Kan dancers will perform for us.

Derrell Sekou Soumah-Walker is a talented dancer and drummer from Portland, Oregon. Sekou made his professional dance debut in 1998, when he began performing and touring with the acclaimed Northwest African American Ballet. In the year 2000, Sekou began apprenticing with several of Guinea’s best drummers and dancers. In his effort to bring this rich culture of music & dance to the Northwest, Sekou continues to organize tours for his teachers annually, traveling throughout the Northwest, California, Idaho, Montana and Canada.

Sébé Kan (meaning “Serious Sound”), formed by Derrell Sekou Soumah-Walker in 2004, is a drum and dance performance group consisting of eleven members. Sebe Kan has performed in many different Festivals and Multicultural events all over Oregon. Over the past ten years, Sekou has performed and taught at more than 70 schools, including universities and artistic camps throughout the United States, and continues to share with students and audiences his passion and enthusiasm for the traditional drum and dance culture of Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Mali.

You won’t want to miss this exciting performance. This is a free event, and refreshments will be served.

Book Discussion

On February 29 both at 10 a.m. and at 7 p.m. there will be a book discussion of this year’s One Book One Community’s book selection, “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese. The 10 a.m. book discussion will be led by Mike Spooner, a retired English teacher and a member of our North Plains Book Club. The 7 p.m. book discussion will be led by Dr. Mark Leavitt, an active member of the Friends of the North Plains Public Library.

This will be the final event of our 5th annual One Book One Community program. Along with the book discussion, a short video interview by Dr. Verghese will be shown. Refreshments will also be served.

2011 Tax Forms are Here

For anyone wanting to get a head start on their 2011 Federal Taxes, the IRS tax forms have arrived and are available at your library.

Quilt Raffle

The Westside Quilters Guild has donated a new quilt, now on display, for the Library to raffle. Tickets are $1 each. Proceeds help fund Library programs and materials.

Teen Summer Reading Artwork Contest

Are you a local teen artist? Submit a design to our Teen Summer Reading Artwork Contest. The deadline is February 29th!

The winning design will be used on all 2012 Teen Summer Reading program materials across Washington Co., including posters, bookmarks, flyers and more!

The winner also receives a $150 gift certificate from Powell’s Books.

For all the contest details and application form, read more >>.

Many Thanks to North Plains RV and Self Storage

The Friends of the Library have been given a free storage unit to house books between sales events. Friends members, city staff, and library staff are very grateful for this donation. We applaud the corporate support shown by owner Jeff Jensen and manager of operations, John Eisenbarth.