Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Chapter Two in an emerging tradition...

Fry up your stubble-goose and bake up some bannockbread: it's Michaelmas! Term starts at Oxbridge and the Inns of Court, accounts are settled, reeves are elected for the shire, and (just like last year) the Library Society announces it's big Christmas season event! If you were at last year's Cocktail Party with Pat Conroy, you know what a wonderful night we had. So for chapter two, we announce,

A Special Evening with Bernard Cornwell, OBE.

Bernard's now a part-time Charleston resident; you might have had the privilege of hearing him at this year's Annual Meeting of the Library Society. If you did, then I'm sure you're skipping this part to get straight to the date/time/ticket info. If you missed him, then you missed a lecture at once erudite and compelling, but also witty and lively and just exceptionally, utterly enjoyable. And he's got a new book out, too, just his second on the American Revolution. Bernard+lecture+cocktails+Library Society at Christmas... It's going to be a great evening.

The Details: It's going to be 7PM on December 9th. Tickets will go on sale in late October. Prices and exact date of sale TBA. Look for it here first.




GIS for "Michaelmas". Seriously, England? Snape Kills Dumbledore,
Harry marries the hot chick, Universal builds a theme park... it's over.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

And think of how cool trance music would sound with mandolins!

As the ever-brilliant webcomic xkcd recently pointed out, "there's no reason to think that people throughout history didn't have just as many inside jokes and catchphrases as any modern group of high-schoolers."  Tonight at the Library Society, we'll see another riff on the same theme.  Dr. Nic Butler will present "Concert Night in Colonial Charleston; Or, How to Snare a Mate With Music".  Nic wrote the excellent Votaries of Apollo: The St. Cecilia Society and the Patronage of Concert Music in Charleston, South Carolina, 1766-1822 (USC Press, 2007), and probably knows more about Charleston nightlife circa 1770 than anyone else around.

So if you're ready to find out about the colonial equivalent to our modern club scene, you need to get down here.  Personally, I'm enjoying the mental image of a illuminated underfloor dancing surface, a la Club Light over on East Bay Street, existing in the 1700's.  Fire, metal grating, etc.... it might actually be an improvement over the real Club Light.

7PM tonight, in the Main Reading Room.  Free.  There will be audio and visuals accompanying the talk, which Nic promises "will be light, fun, and just a little scandalous."

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

As an added bonus, we won't yell at you like those guys at Moe's Southwest Grill. So there.

Wide Angle Lunches.  Starting a week from today (September 21st), the Library Society will host the first of its new lunchtime lecture series.  Targeted at young professionals looking to get out of the office and kick their brain into a different gear during their midday break, this fall's Wide Angle Lunches will feature six great speakers on six diverse topics - Nigel Redden talking about Spoleto, a Brit MEP discussing Turkey and the EU, the president of the SCHS on Reconstruction in Charleston... all sorts of interesting people taking on any topic.

It's fresh, it's challenging, it's engaging, and it comes with a sandwich and a soda.

It all starts Thursday September 21st.  All lunches run from 12:30 to 1:30, and are $10 for members, $14 for non-members.  Drop ins are okay, but please try to let us know in advance if you're coming... we want enough lunches to go around!  843.723.9912 or rsvp@charlestonlibrarysociety.org to reserve a seat, or for more information.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Unedited (and very brief).

If you missed it, you messed up.  Last night's concert, Unedited: Favorite Arias and Duets was by far the best fifty minutes of your loyal blogger's week (and it's been a pretty good week).  If you missed Thursday, then we expect to see you for Unedited:Beatles Bach and Beer.  It's October 2nd.  Tickets are already available at the Library, and will be available online by the start of next week.

Okay, I'm off to set up those ticket sales.  And get ready for the next big event announcement... look for it next week.