THE STORY SPOT

They’ve gone crazy again, those politicians. As if cutting funding to schools isn’t enough, they’re rummaging around in the library budgets to ensure an even more ignorant generation than the last.

Fret not! You can do your part to keep the books on the shelves and not sold off in a fire sale, for goodness sake. Here’s the entire appeal from the Library Foundation of Los Angeles:

A drastic cut in the number of books on the shelves and closing libraries on Sundays will be among the effects of the proposed City budget for the Los Angeles Public Library.

Now is the time to voice your support for this essential educational and cultural resource by asking the Mayor and City Council to reverse these devastating cuts to the Library’s budget.

On May 1, the Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to hold public hearings regarding the proposed 2008-2009 City Budget.

We urge you to make your concern known to the Mayor and members of the City Council, whose contact information may be accessed here.

Here’s what you can do:

· E-mail, fax or telephone the mayor or city officials, using the sample letter we have provided for your reference.

· Share these key message points as well as the sample letter with other friends and colleagues who in turn can serve as advocates.

· You or your friends can appear in person at the May 1 public hearings to show your concern with a sign or a T-shirt that indicates your support for restored city funding of the library. Your presence will certainly make a difference. Be sure to check City Hall schedules to confirm day and time of the proposed budget hearings.

By its charter, the Library Foundation is to raise private funds that supplement but do not supplant the City’s responsibility to fund core services. Specifically, the Library Foundation is to fund enhancement programs for children, teens and adults; the City is to fund books, staff, maintenance, security, and infrastructure. Now our city leaders must do their share and meet their obligation to adequately fund the library.

Thank you for your support of the Los Angeles Public Library!

The Library Foundation of Los Angeles

Library Foundation of Los Angeles
630 West Fifth Street
Los Angeles CA 90071
Phone: 213.228.7500
Fax: 213.228.7509
libfnd@yahoo.com
http://www.libraryfoundationla.org

The ONLY monument to Edith Wharton (Ethan Frome, The Age of Innocence, The House of Mirth) faces destruction. Here’s a campaign where you can pledge your support and, if they don’t meet their mark, your funds will be returned.

Another great way to support writers and literary culture (since our government seems to be looking the other way) for today and the future!

Save The Mount!

Hi all. Just a note to let you know that I’ve been invited to read at the inaugural event for 826LA’s new Echo Park location. It’ll be low-key affair with a few cocktails beforehand. For those of you know aren’t familiar with 826LA, it’s the non-profit group founded by Dave Eggers (of McSweeney’s publishing and “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” fame) that helps kids with their reading and writing skills. More at the link below.

You might call this an invitation but I’m not one to invite my friends to a couple of hours of potentially painful readings so, if you enjoy that sort of thing or if you’re really desperate to hear what I’ve been working on for two years, stop on by. I’ll be reading the opening from The Novel.

Here’s the info:

Thursday, October 4.
Merrymaking at 7:30pm.
Readings at 8:00pm.
826LA East
1714 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
310.305.8418
info@826la.org
www.826la.org

No idea about parking.

Got an hour per week to save this country? Help a kid with their reading and writing skills.

Here’s an appeal from our friends over at 826LA (and soon to be, 826LA East):

Hi there, friend of 826LA!

The fall season is, ahem, falling upon us, and as fall seasons go, this one is bringing in an abundant number of eager young faces to our space in Venice. We have students coming in to drop-in tutoring, students attending exciting new workshops, like Spotlight On FEAR, and If I Were King or Queen, and classes coming in for the ever-heart-pounding Storytelling and Bookmaking field trips, as well as in-school projects.

Old friend or new, we have many many opportunities for volunteers to help us out! We especially need people to come in to tutor at drop-in, Monday through Thursday, 2:30-5:30 pm. We’re extremely flexible: come in any day, any week, for any amount of time. It’s an exciting time for our drop-in program; newly painted walls, a new table, some new chairs, a new calendar for our in-house student writing publications, Dogtown Books, and most of all, plenty of kids–old and new–who could use your help in writing that wild story about rainbows or annoying siblings or monsters. Or ice cream. Or monsters made out of ice cream. You get the idea.

Send us an email at info@826la.com!

Your friend,
826LA

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**About 826LA**

826LA
685 Venice Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90291
310.305.8418
info@826la.org
www.826la.org

826LA is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.