We’ll celebrate all things Trek with crafts, trivia, spoofs, the 2009 movie Star Trek and other activities:

• Vote for your favorite captain
• Test your knowledge of Star Trek quotes,
• Compose and read original Star Trek Haiku.

The interstellar fun starts at 10:00 am.

Star Trek: Geeky Fun [all ages welcome]
Get your geek on and celebrate the Star Trek universe! Browse through memorabilia displays, vote for your favorite captain, and make your own USS Enterprise, communicator badge or one of several other creative options to help you live long and prosper. Costumes welcome!
10:00 am-4:00 pm | Marvin Auditorium 101AB

Star Trek: Trivia
Libraries: The Final Frontier. Maybe not. But if you think you know all about Starfleet from Shatner to Pine then join us for Star Trek trivia! Space is limited to eight teams of up to eight individuals; play will consist of five rounds of five questions each. To register call 580-4555.
11:00 am-12:00 pm | Marvin Auditorium 101C

Star Trek: Geek Theater [all ages welcome]
One of the hallmarks of Star Trek fandom is being able to poke a little fun at the franchise. Join us as we perform a sampling of Shakespeare (Klingon style) and spoof one of the most famous (and infamous) episodes from the original series: Spock’s Brain (season 3, episode 1).
1:15-2:30 pm | Marvin Auditorium 101C

Star Trek: The 2009 Movie
Explore strange new worlds with a viewing of the 2009 movie Star Trek. Meet Kirk, Spock and rest of the crew…again…in an action-packed movie that successfully rebooted this beloved franchise into a new dimension of adventure. 2009. Rated PG-13. 127 minutes.
3:00-5:15 pm | Marvin Auditorium 101C

See you there!

Curate This! 2013

What Does a Curate This! Teen Curator Do?

To begin, the participants decide on a theme or main idea.  By looking through the artworks in the Sabatini Gallery permanent collection (things we own), they select pieces which best fit their theme and help tell their story.

The guest curators research our records and use the library resources to create text for the exhibit.  This includes information for the artwork labels – the artist’s name and the title of the piece, for example.  They also write a curatorial statement.  This statement relates the story or idea around which the exhibit is organized.

Teen Curators learn to mat and frame artworks as needed.  Deciding where each of the pieces and text will be placed is an important part of the lay out process.  Finally, the artworks are hung with careful measuring and leveling and the cases are arranged.

Voila!  It is a finished exhibit.  Join us next year!

For more information:   http://tscpl.org/gallery/exhibitions/curate-this-the-genius-of-our-age/

Free Comic Book Giveaway Day [all ages]
Are you DC, Marvel or neither? It won’t matter on Free Comic Book Day because we’ll have a large selection of free titles for all ages, tastes and genders. Continue the fun with comic book-related crafts and activities. Cosponsor: Gatekeeper Hobbies.
■ David J’s Place
Sat          May 4    2:00–4:00 pm

Double Dueling: Yugioh [11–18 years] & Magic the Gathering [14+ years]
Bring your cards and pit your wits against other Yugioh and Magic players as we host tournaments for both games.
■ The Edge
Mon     May 6, 20      4:00–6:00 pm

Supper Surprise [11–18 years]
Quick and easy soups made from basic ingredients. Potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and bacon bits are a few items that can be turned into a delicious but hearty soup. All ingredients are provided.
■ Lingo Story Room
Wed    May 8    3:30–5:00 pm

Fun After School  [12–18 years]
Enjoy cool activities like black-out poetry, unusual board games, intricate coloring pages and crafts. Come see what’s up after school.
■ The Edge
Thu    May 9    3:30–4:30 pm

Life 101: Stay Safe [12–18 years]
It can be a scary world out there, so learn to keep yourself and your belongings safe. Knowing a few basic self-defense moves and other smart tips could save your life.
■ The Edge
Mon      May 13     3:30–4:30 pm

Teen Writing Group  [12–18 years]
Find inspiration to create. Join others who share your passion as we explore poetry and prose as a way to express ourselves and explore our world.
■ The Edge
Mon       May 13        7:00–8:00 pm

Star Trek Geek Theater [all ages]
One of the hallmarks of Star Trek fandom is being able to poke a little fun at the franchise. Join us as we perform a sampling of Shakespeare Klingon-style and spoof one of the most famous and infamous episodes from the original series: Spock’s Brain (season 3, episode 1).
■ Marvin Auditorium 101C
Sat    May 18        1:15–2:30 pm

Star Trek  
Boldly go where no one has gone before with Kirk, Spock and rest of the crew. See this action-packed movie that successfully rebooted this beloved franchise into a new dimension of adventure.
2009 | Rated PG-13 | 127 minutes
■ Marvin Auditorium 101C
Sat    May 18    3:00–5:15 pm

Open Mic Night [12–18 years]
You are natural performer, and we want you to show off. Take the stage and strut your stuff! You can sing, dance, read poetry or tell jokes. Grab some fame at our monthly talent show.
■ The Edge
Wed    May 29    4:00–5:30 pm

Homework Center [5–18 years]
Homework coaches help children with questions and assignments.
■ Homework Center
Mon-Thu     4:00–8:00 pm
Sun                                             2:00–6:00 pm

Join us for all the fun and action on:

Saturday, May 4^th

2:00 to 4:00 pm

David J’s Place

At the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

See you there!

Keeping the Castle

This modern literary fairy tale has a beautiful young girl, a crumbling castle by the sea, several potential heroes, a little brother who must be protected, a widowed mother who needs help running her household, wicked stepsisters, and a fancy ball at the neighboring estate. With all of those great fairy tale conventions, it still delivers a great story!

Althea is trying to keep her family together and to marry herself off to the highest bidder. She’s not had the luxury of believing in true love matches. For most of her life, she has known that she’ll need to marry someone wealthy. Her goal is to save the family castle, which is currently owned by her little brother and managed mainly by Althea herself. She has almost no resources to support her family; her great grandfather foolishly sold the family lands to build the rambling castle along the coast of the cold North Sea, and anything that could be sold to raise funds is already gone.

When a fancy neighboring estate is inherited by a handsome young man, Althea and her stepsisters hope to draw the young man’s attentions and affections and make an advantageous match. Althea is distracted from her goal by the young man’s awkward friend from the city, Mr. Fredericks, who always seems to be causing trouble and starting arguments with her. She sets her sights on a financially sound marriage prospect, while mending tapestries, altering old clothing and helping in the kitchens so that her family can keep up appearances.

If you’ve ever read a Jane Austen novel or seen an Austen-themed movie, most of the plot lines in this adorable story will be predictable for you, but no less enjoyable. This light read is entertaining and satisfying – save it for a rainy day and then escape along with Althea and Keeping the Castle.

When: Monday, April 22

Time: 3:30-4:30 pm

Where: The Edge

Who: 11-18 years

The Teen Advisory Board is looking for teen volunteers to serve as advisers and assistants on library initiatives and events. Meeting attendance is required; meetings are held from 4–5:30pm at the library on the first and third Wednesdays of the month.

TAB is open to residents of Shawnee County and adjacent counties between the ages of 14 and 19. We prefer TAB members be able to serve one year on the board. Interested teens should email Lena at lvogt@tscpl.org. By being a part of TAB, you’ll meet some new friends and you may be first to know about cool new books, movies, games and events that you and your friends will enjoy. Learn more about TAB members’ roles and responsibilities here.

Teen volunteers are also needed to help at library event and to give out prizes to winners in our SummerFest reading challenge. Schedules can be fairly flexible. Teens who possess lightening-quick computer skillz are encouraged to apply. Call Kari at 580-4490 or email kzimmerman@tscpl.org for an application and information on summer opportunities. Volunteers must be at least 14 years old.

Summer months – fueled by the absence of classes – provide excellent opportunities for teens to get involved with their communities. So, what are you waiting for!

The idea is to give you an extra, fun activity to do while you’re hanging out in The Edge.

Here are a few of the fun things we’ll do, one each month during the school year.

Artistic coloring pages: Challenge yourself to complete intricate works of art.

Two-Minute Mysteries: Test your deductive skills with these brief mind benders.

Black-out Poetry: Take a black Sharpie to newspaper and magazine pages to create original poems or song lyrics.

Two of these programs are scheduled so far. If successful, they will continue next September.

Thu   Apr   11  3:30-4:30 PM

Thu   May  9    3:30-4:30 PM

THE EDGE

See you there!

The way that the words are arranged on the page can also make them more powerful. Look at this exerpt from Impulse by popular verse author Ellen Hopkins.

The way that she separated certain words gives them more impact and creates a flow that makes you want to read the lines out loud. All the extra white space on the pages means that you can read verse novels more quickly than normal novels, but you will probably appreciate the book more if you slow down and savor the poetry.

Check out these novel in verse from the library: