Looking for new music? Look no further than your local Queens Library!
Every month, our expert staff will bring you the best of what's new in our physical and digital collections.
Check out our music recommendations for May 2016!
Rachel Platten, Wildfire
Wildfire, Rachel Platten’s major label debut album, reveals that hiding under all that earnest intention is a savvy pop star itching to be heard. Growing up in Boston, Rachel recalls harmonizing with her family to finely crafted pop songs, from Sam Cooke to The Beatles. As a teenager, Rachel gravitated towards hip hop and female singer-songwriters. After finishing college, she immediately set out for New York's Greenwich Village. She struggled to get recognition for a few years, but now, it seems, is her time to shine in the spotlight. You can hear her whole album on Freegal.
Randy Houser, Fired Up
Randy Houser is a singer/songwriter from Mississippi. Like his contemporaries Trace Adkins and Luke Bryan, Randy specializes in what is known as “bro-country." That genre is basically country music influenced by hip hop, hard rock, and electronic music. It won’t play at the Grand Ole Opry, but you’re sure to hear it at NASCAR events. His latest album is Fired Up and you can stream it on Freegal.
2 Chainz, ColleGrove
Tauheed Epps, better known as 2 Chainz, is a rapper from Georgia. He’s been on the scene for almost 20 years, moving from label to label before founding his own, The Real University (T.R.U.). His latest release is actually a duet album with Lil Wayne, but because of ongoing legal issues only 2 Chainz is credited. The two engage in wordplay akin to a heavyweight boxing match, but you can tell that they are having a lot of fun. That is certainly evident on the album track "Bounce." Listen to it here.
Nevermen, Nevermen
The Nevermen are actually three frontmen—Adam Drucker, Mike Patton, and Tunde Adebimpe—who have been collaborating since 2009. It took seven years, but this "leaderless trio" has finally released their self-titled debut, and the result is an indie pop, post-grunge, industrial funk, rock-rap odyssey. It isn’t for everyone, but fans of the singers’ other bands (Faith No More and TV on the Radio) will certainly find a lot to enjoy here. Sound interesting? Listen to the whole album on Freegal.
Anthony Hamilton, What I’m Feelin’
“Have you ever read an R&B obituary where R&B is pronounced dead?” Anthony Hamilton jokingly asks. The answer, according to Vibe magazine, is of course no. The Charlotte, North Carolina native is back with his fifth studio album, What I’m Feelin'. His voice, according to NPR, “is undeniably and unabashedly thick with Southern rasp and charm, passion overflowing every note he sings." The songs remain rooted in the unmistakable influence of the church, but the vibe is pure, alive R&B. You can hear the entire album on Freegal.
Birdy, Beautiful Lies
The daughter of a concert pianist, Birdy learned to play piano at the age of seven. At age 12, she won the Grand Prize in the UK talent contest Open Mic UK against 10,000 other competitors. Her commercial breakthrough came at 14, when she covered Bon Iver's "Skinny Love." Beautiful Lies, her third studio album, is already garnering raves stateside from the likes of Entertainment Weekly, who cite highlights such as "Keeping Your Head Up." Watch that song's video here.
Kendrick Lamar, untitled unmastered.
After winning five Grammy awards at this year’s ceremony, rapper Kendrick Lamar decided to release untitled unmastered., a compilation of demos from his previous album To Pimp a Butterfly, and it perfectly complements the live performance that was a highlight of the Grammys show. Kendrick continues to push boundaries by incorporating styles like free jazz, funk, and avant-garde with his lyrical social commentary. It is obvious that he is an artist at the peak of his creativity when even leftovers sound this good. Listen to “Untitled 1 & 2."
Weezer, Weezer (2016)
Since coming together in Los Angeles in 1992, the members of Weezer have gone from dorky alt-rock heroes to absentee cult figures to arena-filling megastars. Their tenth album is also their fourth self-titled album, and like the others it will be better known by the color of its cover, in this case "The White Album." It's been called an all-out Beach Boys parody, with song titles like “Endless Bummer” and “L.A. Girlz." There are plenty of synth-shimmering guitars, gooey double-tracked vocals, crashing drums, and Rivers Cuomo lyrics about Darwin, Sisyphus, and cumulonimbus clouds. In other words, it is classic Weezer. Listen to the single “King of the World."
Dream Theater, The Astonishing
After roughly three decades of redefining the parameters of hard rock and progressive heavy metal, Dream Theater has released their 26th album, The Astonishing. It is a rock opera set in a retro-futurist, post-apocalyptic dystopia ruled by medieval-style feudalism. Like any opera, it has a cast of characters and a fantastical plot. The heavy rock sound is accompanied by lush orchestrations and digital age bleeps, reminiscent of vintage Pink Floyd. They even made a mini-movie that you can watch here.
Anthrax, For All Kings
Nearly as much as Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer, Anthrax were responsible for the emergence of speed and thrash metal. Their 11th album, For All Kings, is sure to please their legions of fans. Lead singer Joey Belladonna's melodic voice has never sounded better, and the guitar attacks are as fast and heavy as ever. There are some songs that would fit on hard rock radio stations, but for the most part it is an album of full-on aggression. Get ready to bang your head when you stream the album from Freegal.
We’re very pleased to welcome Dr. Mikisha Morris to Queens Library as the new Executive Director of the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center. She succeeds Andrew P. Jackson (Sekou Molefi Baako), who will be retiring in July 2016 after more than 35 years of service to the Queens community.
Dr. Morris, who recently earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership, has an extensive nonprofit and public education administration background, having spent the majority of her career serving children and communities in Philadelphia. She brings a strong understanding of and value for culture and cultural arts in the community and in a library setting.
Dr. Morris was gracious enough to speak with us about some of her plans for her new role, her first message for the customers of Langston Hughes, and more.
What role did libraries play in your life growing up?
The library played a very significant role in my life. My parents strongly encouraged reading and writing in our household. So, as a little girl with a big vocabulary and an even bigger imagination, the library was the perfect escape for me. I would lose myself in a stack of books for hours.
Your doctoral study focused on using cultural arts programs to empower urban communities. That sounds like a fascinating topic. Can you tell us more about it?
The focus of my study was a school in South Philadelphia, which over the course of a decade developed a really strong cultural arts program. The program was fully funded by a small group of community members, through fundraising and grantwriting. In this program, students participate in African djembe drumming classes, Ailey-inspired dance, tap dance, strings, Shakespeare/theater workshops, art classes and more. Well, a few years ago this school was slated for closure. While one part of their argument to remain open was the school’s good academic standing, the hidden gem—its cultural arts program—was the centerpiece of the community's fight to save their school.
Having spent an entire school year working with the school’s community, I witnessed firsthand how this program empowered young people by teaching them about themselves, African culture, and African-American history. Students who were once shy or who had acted out tapped into talents and skills that they never knew existed, or that had never been encouraged. Parents and the community showed up in large numbers to support the students and this program. This helped increase parent involvement in both their children’s education and activities in and around the school. Surrounding music and arts institutions also supported the efforts of the school community. Both of these combined to create a unified, grassroots group of individuals who were highly invested in the fight to keep this school open.
When the time came to fight against the school’s imminent closure, the empowered community attended school board meetings and public hearings where the students would sing, rap, recite, and play their arguments to board members to “save their school.” This applied strategy proved to be a creative and successful approach to their fight. I saw the integral role that cultural arts can play in urban communities where so many resources and programs are most frequently cut. The result depresses so many neighborhoods and leads to an overall deterioration of communities. Cultural arts serve as a great unifier. People from every cultural and socio-economic background can harmoniously engage in a music event, a dance workshop, a theater performance, or an art class. It is a means to educate, inspire, and promote a greater tolerance towards people from cultures other than our own, and as my study proved, it can lead towards the empowerment of urban communities.
What attracted you to the Executive Director position at Langston Hughes Community Library?
My background is in public education and nonprofits, specifically program development and operations management in educational environments. The foundation of my previous work was serving students and communities. When I researched Langston Hughes Community Library, I knew that I had found something very special. The ED position at Langston Hughes fulfills everything that I was looking for professionally—the opportunity to serve urban communities; promote education and literacy; provide amazing cultural arts experiences for diverse audiences; encourage the study of Black cultures and heritage; and hopefully inspire children and adults alike to make reading a strong part of their lives.
We know you just arrived, but what are some of your early plans for your new role at Langston Hughes? Are there any programs or events that you’d like to develop?
My early plans are to glean as much knowledge as possible from Director Emeritus Andrew Jackson so that I may continue the great legacy that he has created over the past 35 years. I want to develop resources and programming that will be relevant to a community that was once predominantly Black and is now home to various Hispanic immigrants; but also sustain the original founders’ vision for the institution, which is to provide a means for the community, students, teachers, and scholars throughout the borough to have direct access to and study Black culture. Finally, I would like to extend the reach of Langston Hughes. This is an amazing institution, with a powerful legacy; it offers so much, academically and culturally—and I wish for even more people to walk through the doors and experience it.
What are some of your favorite books and authors? And what are you reading at the moment?
I am someone who greatly appreciates a “good read.” But for the past 7 years, while earning my master’s and my doctorate, my reading has strictly been academic books for a class or to write a paper. Some of my favorite authors are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Paulo Coelho, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and James Patterson. At the moment, I am re-reading a book that I received as a gift from a great friend over a year ago—The Woman Code by Sophia A. Nelson. Oh, and I just have to add that my childhood favorite was Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema. I still pick up that book and read it from time to time.
Do you have a message for the customers of Langston Hughes and the communities of Corona and East Elmhurst?
This is the Langston Hughes COMMUNITY Library and Cultural Center, meaning: it belongs to you. I invite you to come in and explore all that we have to offer. We welcome you, we appreciate you, and we are here to serve.
Perhaps the most important question: even though you’ve come to us from Philadelphia, are you ready to start rooting for the Mets?
Every time the Phillies have a bad season, I swear out of frustration to “cheer for a new team next year.” Philly has my heart; so I have to root for my home team. BUT, if I continue to have my heart broken every season…I may have to reconsider. And I do have a few friends and family members who are Mets fans, so they would be more than willing to help me with the transition!
Thank you to our patrons for sending us their poems in honor of National Poetry Month—and now it’s our pleasure to share them with you!
And be sure to join us at the Library for our poetry-related events for the rest of April and beyond!
One Year Ago
by Agnes Wong
I see the melancholy in my mirror as I rise and remember
One year ago I lost my father the 31st of December
I hear a silence that replays its own piercing echo
One year ago an audience sat in mourning row after row
I smell the fragrant flowers many offered in kind gesture
One year ago I laid some gently about his peaceful posture
I touch a replica of his portrait that perched tall on a stand
One year ago his smile reached out that day to hold my hand
I taste the bitterness of my swallow near my part in the ceremony
One year ago I read a letter saluting dear father's memory
Today I need to weep and face my grief in the senses I expressed
Tomorrow I'll find strength to bid him Happy New Year where he rests
***
The Way Fish Move
by Shoshana Goldman
Silver darts swerving madly.
Hues of rainbows floating angelically.
Half cats gliding along the pebbled water roads.
Little pink crabs scuttling along the sandy shore.
Rows of spears along a sleek menacing predator
looking for prey.
A mysterious giant (bubblegum) squid waiting
in the deep dark shadows of the most perilous waters.
Swerving, floating, gliding, scuttling, looking,
waiting fish of the 7 oceans.
***
Queens
by Michael P. Kusen
Queens is a patchwork quilt of more than ninety neighborhoods,
From Astoria to Jamaica, from Glen Oaks to Briarwood.
And almost half of all the people who now reside in Queens
Came here from other countries, following their dreams.
A salad bowl or melting pot, take your choice of metaphor—
That’s what Queens now represents, “America’s open door.”
There is no place on the earth of such diversity,
Mixing languages and cultures in a free democracy.
We reflect the people of the world in all our different ways.
And we strive to get along and sing each other’s praise.
We are a living symbol of cooperation—
Queens, all by itself, is like a mini-nation.
We live proudly in this borough of the City of New York
With all our mix of cultures and accents when we talk.
So be proud, my fellow residents, knowing what it means
To be all stitched together in the patchwork quilt of Queens!
***
Teeth Falling Out
by Qi-Hong Zheng
We both dreamt that all our teeth fell out that one night.
According to Freud,
We both wish to be nurtured by each other’s presence
Day and night.
Like Drake said, you’re just negative energy to feed off of.
Mama, aren’t you tired of putting me down?
Why do you let my tears drown you in your insecurities and self-image?
Let my smile and laughter bring your life to a balance.
Mama, I’m begging you.
How are we so in sync in our dreams
Yet so out of touch in reality?
You were born on 0218,
I’m born on 0812.
My only wish this birthday is to make things less complicated
between me and you.
Perhaps this dream can be interpreted by Carl Jung,
and let this be a rebirth of what is already said and done.
***
All poems copyright 2016 Queens Library and the individual authors.
In my first weeks as the newly-appointed President and CEO, I visited every community library to meet the staff and gain an overview of what each library adds to the community. Among the most impactful programs are the Job and Business Academy’s job skills training workshops.
Library users attend free classes at the library that would cost several hundred dollars from other educators. The students who complete the course have successfully gained skills and certification to become better employed, and the overwhelming majority do. Just last week, a class of new home health aides received their certifications at Queens Library at Arverne. On average, there is an 85% success rate for employment for graduates.
Queens Library also offers workshops for basic and advanced computer skills, certification workshops for security guards and construction safety, and classes on computer coding and creating websites. These workshops are more than interesting and informative. They put real paychecks into the hands of real people. That makes me proud of Queens Library’s staff and our mission.
I look forward to working with our staff, the Board of Trustees, and other community stakeholders to create partnerships that bring more future-positive programs to Queens Library customers. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Bank of America for underwriting workforce development programs for Queens Library's customers.
Dennis M. Walcott
In honor of Jane Jacobs’ 100th birthday, Queens Library presents Jane Jacobs @ 100: A View of Western Queens. This event includes a live interview with Gianna Cerbone, owner and chef of Manducatis Rustica and long-time Long Island City resident. The interview will be followed by a panel discussion on Jacobs’ enduring impact on Queens, and what she would think about the extensive development and changes in the Western Queens area. Arrive before the program begins to get your photos of Western Queens digitized for free by the Queens Library Memory team.
A Pennsylvania-born urban planning writer and activist who made New York her stomping ground, Jane Jacobs championed a community-oriented focus in city planning. Despite no formal education in this area, she left behind a legacy of inclusion, diversity, and accessibility
Jacobs’ most influential work is likely her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities*, published in 1961. Cultivating the vibrancy of a city, she argued, came down to understanding the role of each element, including sidewalks, mixed-use buildings and parks, and how they worked together. She also promoted the idea that residents were just as qualified to speak out on their changing spaces as elected officials and certified planners. This didn’t always make her popular. "What a dear, sweet character she isn't," noted Roger Starr, then a New York City housing administrator and one of Jacobs’ regular sparring partners.
She had her own sounding board, too: Thomas Jefferson. Though the Founding Father had long been dead, Jacobs revealed to Azure magazine in 1997 that she made a habit of conversing with him in her head. When these exchanges started to run dry, she began speaking to Benjamin Franklin. Both men were inquisitive and interested in the “nitty-gritty,” making them ideal companions with whom she could discuss her passions.
While Jacobs’ works proved controversial at the time of publishing, she’s now seen as an “apostle of livable cities.” To learn more about Jane Jacobs, you can borrow a range of books from Queens Library, or join us to celebrate her 100th birthday at Manducatis Rustica on Wednesday, May 4 at 6pm. Get $5 off tickets here.
*Available at Queens Library
Queens Central Library celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 20, and we're capping off a wonderful day of festivities with an amazing concert with R&B artist Alexis Hightower.
Described by critics as “mesmerizing," Alexis’s chic sound is a sophisticated mix of classic jazz touched with the hip hop and classic soul she grew up on.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Alexis grew up in California and made the move to New York City during the heyday of hip hop, spoken word, and neo-soul in the 1990s. A piano player and singer from a young age, Alexis’s search for her sound led to collaborations with emerging talents like Roy Hargrove, Kareem Riggins, and Saul Williams. She has headlined at venerated NYC venues including The Blue Note, The Bitter End, and BAMcafé Live; made her European festival debut in Spain in 2001 at the San Sebastian Music Festival; and later toured throughout Spain, Austria, and Japan. Her first full-length album, Girl Next Door, is out now.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us before your concert, Alexis! What led you to New York City for your musical career?
I first visited New York when I was about nine years old. I think I knew then that I was going to end up here, so to speak. I was so drawn to the energy and all the possibility that New York had. And, of course, world-class music and culture is in the DNA of the city, which immediately made an impression on me. Later on, it was kind of a push-and-pull. I think that living in New York is still a rite of passage for many creative types, and also business types if you think about it. At the same time, I also wanted to get away from home. Independence and culture mixed with limitless possibility, that’s what brought me here.
You got your start in the late ‘90s NYC café-poetry scene, working with spoken-word performers like Saul Williams. When you’re writing your songs, do you find yourself developing your lyrics first?
Actually, for me the lyrics are usually the last piece of the song to emerge and get fine-tuned. I tend to start with a groove in my head that I build out in the sequencer, or the song will start at the piano in both hands with a kind-of vague melody and maybe a word or two. Lyrics take a lot of time to craft. Those poets and performers instilled in me a great love for crafted, signature lyricism and showed how there should never be any wasted words. Or throwaway words, for that matter. For me, it takes time to develop them and I need to know exactly what I want to say. So…lyrics take time.
Who are your top five creative influences?
That’s actually a tough question to answer, because I’m always finding new sources of inspiration. That’s one of the great upsides of the creative life—you always get to find influences everywhere and in everything. Right now, I’m listening to a lot of King, Kendrick Lamar, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, and A Tribe Called Quest.
What books are you currently reading?
I just started a book called Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor. I actually got it at the library! A friend of mine, Olaronke, started a pop-up library called the Free Black Woman’s Library and you have to bring a book to take one with you; you can’t buy anything. Right now, I’m finding out about all these amazing female authors of color from around the globe. I didn’t even know about a lot of them. So, libraries and books are really important to me and always have been. I’m also reading a book called The Attention Revolution, which is about mindful meditation.
What can our patrons expect to hear at your concert on April 20?
I’m excited to play some songs from my first EP, Lucy’s Blues, and from my album, Girl Next Door. I also have some new material that I think is a nice evolution of those projects, so I think that any fans of that material will like the new stuff, too. Also, there are so many great artists who either came from or lived in Queens. I mean, everyone from Cyndi Lauper to LL Cool J, Burt Bacharach, Louis Armstrong, the list is pretty amazing. So, I’ve got to do some of that material, right?
Do you have any advice for aspiring singers and musicians?
I would say…be very free creatively, but take your work very seriously, if that makes sense. I think there’s a constant balancing act between expressing your creative voice and handling your business. You really have to manage both. And who you surround yourself with is important. Try to be around people who take their work as seriously as you take yours, because that’s something you can build on.
National Volunteer Week 2016 was technically last week, but you loved our Volunteer Spotlight profiles so much, we wanted to share a bonus one with you!
Besides, we love celebrating the important role of volunteers at Queens Library whenever we can!
Thank you again to every Queens Library volunteer for their service!
Patricia Fitzgerald first began her volunteer work as an Adult Basic Education (ABE) tutor at the Peninsula Adult Learning Center (Peninsula ALC) in 2000. She had to stop volunteering for some time due to personal reasons, but was so determined to help her students that she returned to Peninsula ALC in October 2015.
“Patricia is one of our most dedicated tutors; she is very committed to her ABE students,” says Ebru Mestizo Yenal, Assistant Manager of Peninsula ALC. “Pat, as she is fondly called at the center, has come to view the students, and indeed the ALC, as an extended family of sorts. She often works hours earlier than her agreed-upon schedule, because there are students who she thinks need additional attention. When Pat realizes that those students still require more time, she will add another day to her schedule in an effort to assist them better. She buys teaching materials like flash cards and workbooks for all of her students according to their needs. She also makes it a point to talk to every one of her students to find any possible obstacles to their learning, and she will go out of her way to resolve them!”
Pat currently has seven students who are from different cultures and range from beginning to advanced level speakers of English. Her students have many different goals: to get their High School Equivalency diploma, to become a citizen, to get a job. Pat’s main objective is to ensure that all her students achieve those goals.
“In a very short time, all her students’ literacy proficiency levels have improved tremendously,” says Ebru Yenal. “When you consider how challenging it is to move the proficiency levels of basic literacy students, all of Pat’s hard work has paid off.”
“This is more fun than I’ve had in 20 years,” says Pat about teaching her students. “In life, you rarely come across the level of courage that these students demonstrate when they walk through the door and say ‘I can’t read.’ It’s an honor to be with them and it adds value to my life every day!”
Our thanks to Pat for her determination and persistence in helping her students!
It’s National Volunteer Week 2016, and we want to celebrate the important role of volunteers at Queens Library!
All this week, we will share stories of our volunteers on our blog. Thank you to them, and to every Queens Library volunteer, for their service!
Liad Mizarhi and Kiane Joseph are typical high school seniors counting the days to summer. Over the past few months, their lives have been consumed with applications, college visits, exams, and acceptance letters. Looking ahead, they are preparing for spring break, prom, graduation, and possible summer jobs before going off to college.
With such busy schedules, each girl was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were nominated for a Volunteer Spotlight in recognition of their service work at Forest Hills Community Library.
“They are dependable, efficient, and punctual. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award,” says Forest Hills Senior Librarian Kerline Piedra (pictured with Liad [left] and Kiane [right]).
As high school students, Liad and Kiane are part of a group of more than five hundred teens that volunteer with Queens Library each year. Collectively, these civic-minded young people are challenging the misperception that teens aren't reliable or don’t think about the future.
A student at Forest Hills High School, Kiane will be attending Savannah College of Art and Design. "I'm going to major in game design," she says. "It's what I've been preparing for in high school."
Liad, a student at the Summit School, is staying closer to home for college. “I’m going to Baruch College and I’m thinking about psychology. There’s a concentration called commercial psychology that I want to learn more about.”
Both girls have been volunteering since the fall and have been taking full advantage of the experience. Along with their primary duties helping to shelve books and materials, Liad and Kiane have been assisting with sorting through the numerous donations of books, games, music, and magazines collected by the library.
The girls have also taken some time to discover a few new authors. “I’ve been able to find books on the shelves that interest me, and when I done working, I’ll take them out,” commented Kiane, who picked up a copy of Tupac Shakur's The Rose That Grew from Concrete. Liad has also come across a new find; she's been reading Deborah Feldman’s Exodus: A Memoir.
Regardless of the path each girl travels, both agree that volunteering at the library has been a positive part of their senior year. “You gain a lot of experience that will stay with you throughout your life and your career,” says Liad.
Our thanks and congratulations to Liad and Kiane! Good luck!
It’s National Volunteer Week 2016, and we want to celebrate the important role of volunteers at Queens Library!
All this week, we will share stories of our volunteers on our blog. Thank you to them, and to every Queens Library volunteer, for their service!
Mark Mehler was a journalist for 31 years, but after 9/11, he decided to take a different path in life. In May 2011, Mark signed up with ReServe, an nonprofit that matches senior professionals with organizations that need their expertise. Through ReServe, Mark was hired as a part-time student counselor and literacy tutor at the Central Library Adult Learning Center (Central ALC).
From 2011 to 2013, Mark taught a writing group at Central ALC that produced student authors who were featured in New York University’s Literacy Review, an annual journal of writing from adult literacy programs throughout New York City. In August 2013, Mark returned to full-time work, but came back to Central ALC two years later as a volunteer. Now, he tutors an Intermediate ESOL writing group in his spare time.
“Mark has been one of our hardest-working tutors,” says Arshia Hossain, Literacy Specialist at Central ALC. “His classes focus on helping students tell their personal stories. Two of his students were selected for inclusion in NYU’s Literacy Review this year; this is the third time that students taught by Mark have received this honor. Mark is very dedicated and involved, and keeps our staff informed about his group on a regular basis.”
Mark loves working with his students. He has them write every week, whether it’s an essay or a letter, and when his group meets again they critique their writing together. Mark wants to develop his students’ writing skills using their imagination, creativity, and analytical skills, and encourages them to submit their writing to literary competitions at NYU. A journalist at heart, Mark is currently working on a nonfiction book, but nothing gives him more joy than when one of his students wins accolades for their writing.
Our thanks to Mark for expanding the creative world of his students!
It’s National Volunteer Week 2016, and we want to celebrate the important role of volunteers at Queens Library!
All this week, we will share stories of our volunteers on our blog. Thank you to them, and to every Queens Library volunteer, for their service!
Mary Ann Grassl serves as an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Tutor at the Central Library Adult Learning Center (Central ALC), where she conducts an English Conversation Group with Intermediate-level students every week.
Born in Manhattan, Mary Ann moved to Queens in her 20s, and has been retired from her career as a social worker since 1999. Her volunteer career began at the Queensboro Council of Social Welfare, where she served in hospitals and clinics. Mary Ann enjoyed English as a subject in college (it was her secondary major), and she began volunteering with the Central Library Adult Learning Program over 10 years ago.
“Ms. Grassl is a dedicated person who is also committed to helping her students improve their spoken English and have their voices be heard,” says Kenneth M. Tabano, Manager of Central ALC. “Her group discusses relevant topics that everyone can take part in, and every student leaves each session having learned from each other. Rain or shine, she is there for her students.”
Mary Ann says that she loves volunteering with us, and feels that her adult students are so willing and eager to learn. Even when they aren’t initially receptive, she is always determined to help them find a way. Either way, her students are really delightful!
“She has bonded well with her many students over the years, as well as the staff here at Central ALC,” says Tabano. “We look forward to having Mary Ann as part of our team for as long as she is willing to be here.”
Our thanks to Mary Ann for teaching and encouraging others!