It’s a storytime…it’s a play…it’s ImaginOn! These days, you might just stumble upon a giant, a beast, elves, or Thumbelina when you come to an ImaginOn program. We’ve been experimenting with storydramas – tales that groups can act out, with simple props and a whole lot of imagination. Next time you’re at ImaginOn, if you see a group gathered around a bag of beans…come join us!

And don’t forget, Once Upon a Time: Exploring the Land of Fairy Tales will be at ImaginOn until May 20! We have a complete description of this exhibition, a program guide, information about bringing a group, and resources about fairy tales for parents and teachers. Get more information

The Library’s Teen Loft and Children’s Theatre of Charlotte will examine the inner lives of teenagers as we explore The Realm of Possibility together for ten days in April. Inspired by award-winning, young adult novelist David Levithan’s book by the same name, this series of events – including a powerful PG-13 play, “The Wrestling Season,” a visit from David Levithan, a teen art exhibit and community resource fair, will stimulate countywide conversations about self-awareness, coming of age, identity and self-expression from a teenage perspective. Experts will lead talkbacks on different topics explored in the play following each show:

• April 20 – The Hidden Dangers of Stereotyping
• April 21 – Relationship Violence
• April 22 – How the Media Portray Teens
• April 26 – Self Esteem
• April 27 – Social Pressures, Self Identity and GLBTQ teens
• April 28 – Body Image

We recommend that participants see the performance before each talkback session, but teens who haven’t seen the play will be admitted to the talkback, based on space availability. For tickets to “The Wrestling Season,” please call the Children’s Theatre box office at (704) 973-2828.

Cleaning out your closets for spring? Do you have a formal dress you don’t need? We need it! The 5th annual Prom Project for teens – a day of fun, fashion, and free prom gowns! - will take place at ImaginOn on April 21, 10am – 1pm, and we need your gently used bridesmaids gowns, prom dresses, and other formal wear and accessories for young ladies. Please drop off clean gowns at any of the following library locations between April 2 and April 18, 2007: ImaginOn, Morrison Regional Library, South County Regional Library, and North County Regional Library. If you have any questions about the Prom Project, please call (704) 973-2728. To register to attend on April 21, please email
info "at" girltalkfoundation "dot" org, and leave your name, address, email and phone number.

A new book debuted at ImaginOn on February 18. Novello Festival Press, the publishing arm of the Library, produced Thriving in the Shadows: The Black Experience in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, which documents this region’s African American history. The book is an expanded edition of An African American Album, which Novello produced in 1992. The new edition contains photographs and interviews contributed by members of the Charlotte community, and essays by Fannie Flono, Associate Editor of The Charlotte Observer. The narratives provide insight into how Charlotte’s black community survived and thrived in the shadows of racism, segregation and Jim Crow, and illuminate present-day issues of race, class and politics. The celebration at ImaginOn included a panel discussion moderated by Fannie Flono, featuring three of the community’s most articulate pioneers - Vermelle Diamond Ely, executive director of the Second Ward Alumni House Museum; Price Davis, a 1939 graduate of Second Ward High School; and Daisy Spears Stroud, another Second Ward alumna and president of the Stroud Foundation.

Thriving in the Shadows is an expanded edition of a book produced by PLCMC in 1992. Originally titled An African American Album, a CD-ROM version followed in 1998. Interest in the book remained so strong that this new edition has been produced.

There’s something for everyone coming up this season, and productions are selling quickly! Purchase tickets online or by calling the Box Office at (704) 973-2828, or by visiting us at ImaginOn (M-F, 10-5).

Go, Dog. Go! (April 13-29)
Adapted by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz from the book by P.D. Eastman. Music Composed by Michael Koerner. Don’t miss the biggest production in CTC history for ages 3 and up! Audiences of all ages are in for a treat with this crazy, colorful canine extravaganza based on the beloved “I Can Read” book by P.D. Eastman.

The Wrestling Season (April 19-29)
By Laurie Brooks. Intended for mature audiences of 13 and up, this honest and sensitive portrayal of the world of teens explores important questions about stereotypes, identity, and relationships. The unique production is staged like a wrestling match, with a referee making calls on the characters’ actions. For ages 13 and up.

Registration for Children’s Theatre’s popular week-long summer camp programs opened on February 12, and camps are filling fast! Don’t miss out on the fun going on in classroom spaces at ImaginOn and convenient satellite locations in Ballantyne, South Charlotte, University, Davidson, and Pineville.

Get more information or register online..

Teen Tech Week was celebrated throughout PLCMC March 3-10. A kickoff event for teens was held in the Wachovia Playhouse at ImaginOn at the beginning of the week, with over fifty attending. Video games including Madden 2007, Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), and Soul Calibur 2 were played. Video games help build community and even provide exercise with DDR. Other programs throughout the week at ImaginOn included learning how to be a VJ/DJ for a Day, exploring the virtual world of Second Life, and taking photos with a digital camera.

Celebrating this week at the library acknowledges that technology is important to teens and the library is a safe place to learn a lot of new skills for free. To view pictures from the event check out our Flickr site. For more information on technology programs year round, contact Tech Central at (704) 973-2727.

Spangler Library offered a writer’s workshop series for a national writing contest that was sponsored by the publisher of the popular Sisters Grimm chapter book series. One of our participants, Genna Holtz, won first place, even though the contest was for kids up to age 14 and she was only 8 ½! Michael Buckley, author of the Sisters Grimm series, came to ImaginOn for one event for the public and two events with school groups. He and Spangler Library staffer Teresa Cain presented Genna with a writer’s notebook in addition to other prizes she received from the contest.

When Gideon Whaley competes in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC in May, everyone at ImaginOn will be rooting for him! Gideon won The Charlotte Observer Regional Spelling Bee, held at ImaginOn, on February 14 – earning a chance at a national title. Gideon, a 13-year-old student at CC Griffin Middle School in Cabarrus County, practiced spelling for 30 minutes a day leading up to the Bee. His winning words were “hibiscus” and “contrapuntal” in the 12th round. “All my life,” Gideon said, “I’ve read a lot and competed in spelling bees.” His favorite books include Lord of the Rings and Clive Cussler mysteries. The bee featured 27 super-spellers, each of whom won school system bees in 13 counties. Runners-up were Molly Crawford of CMS, and Matt Jordon of Union County.

Fifty years ago, Dr. Seuss (his real name is Theodor Geisel) used 236 very simple words to write a very funny book – The Cat in the Hat! Dr. Seuss knew that if books were funny, kids would want to read – and he was right! Friday, March 2 was The Cat in the Hat’s birthday, and ImaginOn celebrated those 236 little words with schools and libraries across the country – cool cats enjoyed dramatic readings, face painting, hat making, word games, songs and more!