Big Read-A-Thon

Saturday, April 2nd, April 9th, April 16th, & April 23rd (City Hall Plaza)

Join us for a community read of In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.  Community members will read the book out loud from cover to cover at City Hall Plaza during four Saturday Farmer’s Markets.   Interested in being one of the readers?  You can participate by reading a short passage from the book.  Contact Melesha.owen@hayward-ca.gov or call 510-293-5239 for more information or to sign up.

Multigenerational Poetry Slam Workshops

Saturday, March 19th, April 9th & April 16th,  1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. (Main Library)

Get ready for the library’s second annual Multigenerational Poetry Slam.  If you are an experienced slam poet or new to poetry slams, you can get some help generating poems that address the themes in Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies.  Space is limited and registration is required.  Contact Sally.thomas@hayward-ca.gov or call 510-881-7700 to register or for more information.

Brown Bag Lunch Discussion

Wednesday, May 4th, 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. ( Main Library)

Didn’t get a chance to attend one of the other In the Time of the Butterflies book discussions?  It’s not too late.  Join us at the library for one more chance to discuss this fascinating work of  historical fiction. Bring your lunch and enjoy a quick discussion.

Mystery Novels by Women: Bloody Secrets

Tuesday, April 5th, 11:30 a.m. at Le Paradis Bakery (D St. and Mission Blvd.)

Carolina Garcia-Aguilera’s funny sexy Miami PI, Lupe Solano, returns in a sweeping story that takes readers from the last days of Batista’s Havana, to the Guantanamo Bay refugee camp, to Miami’s high society. Lupe tries to help Luis, a recent Cuban refugee, reclaim his heritage from a prominent Cuban family in Miami.  However, the family will stop at nothing to prevent Luis and Lupe from finding the truth.

Mostly Literary Fiction: In the Time of the Butterflies

Monday, April 11th,  12:00 p.m. at Peet’s Coffee ( B St. and Mission Blvd.) & 6:30 p.m. at Main Library

From the author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents comes this tale of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic during the rise of the Trujillo dictatorship. A skillful blend of fact and fiction, In the Time of the Butterflies is inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters who, in 1960, were murdered for their part in an underground plot to overthrow the government. Alvarez breathes life into these historical figures—known  as “las mariposas,” or “the butterflies,” in the underground—as she imagines their teenage years, their gradual involvement with the revolution, and their terror as their opposition to the government is uncovered.

Spanish Book Discussion: En el tiempo de las mariposas

Wednesday, April 20th, 6:30 p.m. (Weekes Branch Library)

Join Hayward City Council member Francisco Zermeño for a Spanish discussion of En el tiempo de las mariposas.  For a copy of the book in Spanish, contact Melesha Owen at 510-293-5239

Miércoles, 20 de abril: Discusión del Libro En el tiempo de las mariposas de Julia Alvarez (1994) – Biblioteca Weekes, 6:30 p.m.

Acompañe al Concejal de Hayward Francisco Zermeño para una discusión en español de En el tiempo de las mariposas, una historia de valor y hermandad en la República Dominicana durante la ascensión de la dictadura de Trujillo. Una mezcla hábil de hechos y ficción, En el tiempo de las mariposas está inspirada por la verdadera historia de las tres hermanas Mirabal, quienes, en 1960, fueron asesinadas por su parte en una conspiración secreta para derrocar el gobierno. Alvarez le da vida a estas figuras históricas – conocidas como ”las mariposas” ocultamente - mientras se imagina sus años adolescentes, su participación gradual en la revolución y su terror cuando se descubre su oposición al gobierno. Para recibir copia del libro en español, póngase en contacto con Melesha Owen al 510.293.5239.

Autobiograhpy Book Group: Something to Declare

Wednesday, April 20th, 6:30 p.m. (Main Library)

Having transformed her tumultuous life story into a body of startlingly lyrical fiction and poetry, including our Big Read selection In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez chronicles her journey in nonfiction form in Something to Declare. The 24 personal essays that make up this book are like snapshots rendered in prose, capturing the life and mind of an artist as she meditates on the dual themes of coming to America and becoming a writer.

Keynote Event! Meet authors Daniel Alarcon & Stephen D. Gutierrez

Saturday, April 23rd, 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. (Main Library)

If you enjoyed reading In the Time of the Butterflies, don’t miss the opportunity to meet two prominent Bay Area-based Latino writers at this special Big Read event. Stephen D. Gutierrez is a professor of creative writing at California State University East Bay. His recent collection of short stories, Live from Fresno y Los, won a 2010 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation.

Daniel Alarcón, a native of Peru who lives in Oakland, is the author of Lost City Radio, the March 2011 selection of the Mostly Literary Fiction Book Group.  The recipient of numerous literary awards for his debut novel and short story collection, War by Candlelight, Alarcón was named by the New Yorker magazine as one of “20 Under 40” writers who will be key to their generation. He is also the editor of the Secret Miracle: The Novelist’s Handbook, which features a wide-ranging, insightful roundtable discussion among some of the world’s best contemporary writers.  Alarcón’s first Spanish graphic novel, Ciudad de payasos, [City of Clowns] produced in collaboration with artist Sheila Alvarado, is now available in the U.S.

Movie Showing

Wednesday, April 13th, 6:00 p.m. (Weekes) & Monday, April 25th, 2:00 p.m. (Main)

You’ve read the book, now join us for a  movie showing.  See the story of the Mirabal sisters on the big screen.

Closing Event: A Conversation with Julia Alvarez

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011, 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (Main Library)

Join us for an Internet-assisted live discussion with the author facilitated by Hayward City Council member Francisco Zermeño. Bring your questions about the Big Read selection and enjoy a unique opportunity to talk with this internationally influential author.