Once again, the Amarillo Public Library has been named to a very select group of libraries.  This time, it’s the Stories of Exile project created by the Yiddish Book Center, and Amarillo Public Library is one of only 30 libraries in the United States that earned the right to participate.  Stories of Exile Reading Groups for Public Libraries encourages teens and adults to think about experiences of displacement, migration, and diaspora.  Using Yiddish literature as a portal, the program features works in translation to explore narratives which grapple with questions of homelands, journeys, identity, and belonging.  Amarillo reading group participants will compare three works written in Yiddish in the early and mid-20th century to stories in English by contemporary writers. 

Amarillo’s book discussion group will be led by Program Specialist Cynthia Hunt, who will also lead a virtual discussion group offering CE credit to Region 16 educators.  Hunt wrote APL’s successful application for Stories of Exile.     Director of Library Services Amanda Barrera calls APL’s selection another example of the library staff’s excellent work and the library’s value to the community.  “Stories of Exile was a highly competitive process, and the Yiddish Book Center considered a lot of factors in choosing libraries to participate.  APL’s selection is a reflection of the great work of all our staff across all five libraries.”

As part of the award, APL received multiple copies of four books to accommodate all members of the book club, as well as access to downloadable discussion guides and programming resources.  All four titles are available for checkout through the Amarillo Public Library.  Stories of Exile will take place from September to December, with the book discussion group meeting on selected Thursdays at the Downtown Library.  Doors will open at 5:30 and discussions will begin at 6 PM of the following titles:

• September 14:  On the Landing by Yenta Mash
  • Translated by Ellen Cassedy
• October 19:  In the Land of the Postscript: The Complete Short Stories Chava Rosenfarb
  • Translated by Goldie Morgentaler
• November 16:  The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives
  • Edited by Viet Thanh Nguyen
• December 5:  The Glatstein Chronicles by Jacob Glatstein
  • Edited by Ruth Wisse, translated by Maier Deshell & Norbert Guterman

APL also received support from the Texas Historical Commission's Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission (THGAAC) for Stories of Exile supporting programs.  These events will also take place this autumn at the Downtown Library with doors opening at 5:15 and programs beginning at 5:45 PM.

• September 21:  The Quiet Menace: Antisemitism and the Cost of Silence,
  • Presented by WTAMU History Instructor Courtney Crowley
• October 17:  Genocide Unmasked: Naming the Crimes, Seeing the Faces
  •  Presented by Dr. J.E. Wolfson, State Coordinator of Education for the THGAAC
• November 9:  The Refugees of Amarillo
  • Presented by Crystal Pennington of The Refugee Language Project
• December:  A Bridge of Books Screening
  • Provided by - and with a virtual field trip to - The Yiddish Book Center

For more information, contact Library Coordinator of PR and Programming Stacy Clopton.