Russell J. Archives - Page 3 of 12 - Evanston Public Library

An Interview with Amy Lee Segami

February 28, 2015

amy-lee Amy Lee Segami is a Chicagoland painter and the latest featured artist in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL. Her show Frozen Dreams: Painting on Water is currently on display on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library where you can catch it through March 7th. Weaving her backgrounds in art and science with Eastern and Western perspectives, Segami draws on her Asian heritage and physics knowledge for her contemporary take on the ancient art form Suminagashi. We recently spoke with her via email about the fusion of art and science, the 2,000-year history of Suminagashi, her creative process, and her future plans.

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An Interview with Maryna Danylovych

December 14, 2014

Maryna Danylovych is a Chicagoland painter and the latest featured artist in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL. From now until December 31st, more than three dozen of her impressionist still lifes and landscapes will be on display on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library. Inspired by her favorite painters Monet, Renoir, and O’Keefe, Danylovych strives to ensure that the emotions she puts into her pictures reach the people who view them. We recently spoke with her via email about her artistic origins, creative process, and future plans.

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EPL's Best Reads of 2014

December 4, 2014

book-lover We’ve turned Thanksgiving to leftovers, cyber shopped ’til we’ve cyber dropped, and now at long last, our “most wonderful time of the year” has finally arrived. That’s right, ’tis the season for “Best Book” lists, and much to our page-turning delight, the NY Times, NPR, and many others will soon be casting their votes for the top reads of 2014. In fact, we’re so excited for the coming of the lists that this year we’re adding a local flavor to “Best Books” season. Throughout December, we’ll be featuring real-life EPL patrons and their favorite 2014 reads regardless of what years their picks were published. So grab a pen, grab some paper, and get ready to visit Off the Shelf early and often. Thanks to your fellow Evanston bookworms, your next favorite read is likely right around the corner.

An Interview with Alain Potrel

October 29, 2014

Puck_16x20 Alain Potrel is a Chicagoland painter, NU Research Associate, and the latest featured artist in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL. His show – titled Ambidextrous – is currently on display on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library where you can catch it through October 31. Specializing in Jackson Pollock-esque oils, Mr. Potrel has shown throughout the U.S., Canada, and France though he admits, “I never really studied art. I just paint my life, and life is an art.” We recently spoke with him via email about his artistic origins, creative process, and future plans.

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An Interview with Joshua Corey

September 30, 2014

Five years ago Evanston poet Joshua Corey began to experience an unusual sensation. After publishing three celebrated poetry collections, the Lake Forest College professor suddenly felt the “uncharacteristic itch to write some prose.” Readers everywhere should be thankful he scratched that itch because the result was Corey’s fantastic first novel Beautiful Soul: An American Elegy. Described as “an impressive postmodern noir debut,” Beautiful Soul “centers around Ruth, a bored and frustrated young mother in the Chicago suburbs haunted by the letters she receives from her own mother, who has been dead for several years.” On Thursday, October 2nd, you can hear Mr. Corey read from Beautiful Soul when he visits EPL’s 1st Floor Community Meeting Room at 7 p.m. along with local authors Patrick Creevy and Dennis Byrne. In anticipation of his visit, we recently spoke with him via email about the evolution of Beautiful Soul, poetry vs. prose, mother-daughter relationships, hardboiled detective novels, and his latest John Ashbery-approved poetry collection.

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An Interview with Nina Sankovitch

July 12, 2014

For Nina Sankovitch e-mail, Facebook, texting, and Twitter all have their place, but none can compare to a good, old-fashioned letter. In her follow-up to 2011’s acclaimed Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, the former Evanstonian pays homage to the vanishing art of letter writing with a fascinating journey through the long history of the letter. Praised by 60 Minutes reporter Lesley Stahl as “a joy to read, savor, and remember,” Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Celebrating the Joys of Letter Writing shares the unforgettable letters of mothers, slaves, aristocrats, famous artists, and even Sankovitch’s husband in making a powerful case for the continued importance of letters. On Tuesday, July 15th, you can hear Ms. Sankovitch read from Signed, Sealed, Delivered when she visits EPL’s 1st Floor Community Meeting Room at 7 p.m. In anticipation of her visit, we recently spoke with her via email about preserving the history of everyday people, the trappings of instant response, handwriting, letters from her son, and her next book.

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Poetry 365

June 26, 2014

This month for Poetry 365 we’re featuring Vijay Seshadri’s remarkable new book 3 Sections. Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, this third collection from the regular New Yorker essayist and book critic employs a wide array of poetic forms to examine modern consumer culture, age-old angst, and Seshardri’s South Asian Heritage. Favorably compared to the work of Robert Frost by way of John Ashbery, these expertly-crafted poems show why Time Out New York named Seshadri “one of the most respected poets working in America today.” So don’t miss this terrific new book, sample a poem below, and make sure to stop back next month for Poetry 365.

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An Interview with the E/ artgroup

June 6, 2014

The E/ artgroup is an eclectic collection of Chicagoland artists whose work is currently on display as part of our popular exhibition series Local Art @ EPL. Comprised of artists Mary Beth Bellon, Susanne Clark, Sarah Hahne, Mary Hilger, bert leveille, Nan Seidler, and Victoria Senn, the group began exhibiting together 7 years ago and is dedicated to “growing artistically” while exploring “their own unique and individual styles creating collages, watercolors, oils, mixed media, fabric constructions, and digital media.” You can catch their show through June 7th on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library, and you can also learn more about the group by visiting their website. Recently, we spoke with Mary Beth Bellon, Sarah Hahne, bert leveille, and Victoria Senn via email about their artistic backgrounds, experiences in the E/ artgroup, and impressions of the Chicagoland art scene.

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Poetry 365

March 29, 2014

This month for Poetry 365 we’re highlighting the impressive eleventh book from innovative poet August Kleinzahler. In The Hotel Oneira, the National Book Critics Circle Award winner adopts a mysterious Rod Serling-like persona as he visits his native North Jersey, the snowy battlefields of 19th-century Russia, an American ghost town, and a foggy San Francisco. Amusing and challenging, the dark lyrics and mini-narratives in this 27 poem collection “open doors to surreal, vividly rendered destinations that seem as real as any found in a travel agent’s brochure.” So check out this bold new volume, sample a poem below, and clear your calendar… our National Poetry Month celebration is about to begin.

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An Interview with Shalisha Erenberg

March 14, 2014

Shalisha Erenberg is a Chicagoland painter and the latest artist to be featured in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL. Her show – titled Articulated Impressions – is currently on display on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main library where you can catch it through March 31st. Influenced by her studies with figurative abstractionist Vera Klement, her bold, textured paintings strive to “evoke strong emotions and feelings” in those who view them. You can learn more about Ms. Erenberg’s work by visiting her website, and you can meet her at a reception on Thursday, March 20th at 7 pm. We recently spoke with Ms. Erenberg via email about her artistic origins, creative process, and future plans.

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