WPBT2 will host two dinners with Jim Lehrer, PBS NewsHour Anchor and also moderator of eleven Presidential Debates, on Wednesday, February 22 at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach and Thursday, February 23 at the Coral Gables Country Club. Ticket information for the dinners is available at wpbt2.org/lehrer.
Jim Lehrercame to PBS in 1972, teaming with Robert MacNeil in 1973 to cover the Senate Watergate hearings. They began in 1975 what became The MacNeil/Lehrer Report, and, in 1983, the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, the first 60-minute evening news program on television. When MacNeil retired in 1995, the program was renamed The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
In the last six presidential elections, Lehrer moderated eleven of the nationally televised candidate debates. His latest book, a non-fiction work about the presidential debates, titled Tension City,was published in September 2011. At the WPBT2 dinners, Lehrer will discuss his latest book and give attendees a ringside seat for some of the epic political battles or our time, shedding light on some of the critical turning points and theoretical faux pas that helped determine the outcome of America's presidential elections. He will provide antedotes from his experiences as "the man in the middle seat."
During the Evenings with Jim Lehrer, WPBT2 will also present Lifetime Service Awards to William F. Koch, Jr. and Herbert A. Tobin for their commitment to public television WPBT2.
You're invited to a preview of this year's Miami Book Fair International on Tuesday, November 1 at 8:00pm at Books & Books in Coral Gables.
Mitchell Kaplan, co-founder and chairman of Miami Book Fair International and Alina Interian, executive director of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College, will discuss strategies for navigating the fair’s offerings and comment on the highlights of this year’s event.
Since its founding in 1984 by Mitchell Kaplan and others, Miami Book Fair International has become one of the cultural and social highlights of fall in Miami. This year’s fair will take place Nov. 13-20. More than 250 publishers and booksellers will exhibit and sell books. Authors from across the country and throughout the world will give readings and answer questions on their works and the process of writing. The size and scope of the fair make taking it in a challenging process.
LitLive! is an annual event of the Broward Public Library Foundation. The event provides the community with an opportunity to meet 21 outstanding authors and ask questions about their books. The day includes panel discussions, book signings and lectures.
The event is from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center on the Davie campus of Nova Southeastern University. Tom Hudson’s panel discussion on the topic Hanging Tough will begin at 2:15 pm. Hudson’s panel will include authors Lee Kravitz, Rob Sheffield and Caitlin Shetterly.
The Miami-Dade Public Library System is celebrating its 40th Anniversary and Black History Month with a lineup of special programs throughout February. The community is invited to journey back to the ‘70s, when the library system was formed, through music, movies, dance and art.
Wear your favorite costume for a “Soul Train” flashback with the Iron Barr Dance Group; explore the roots of jazz with Nicole Yarling, and learn about the library and Miami’s history from the ‘70s and ‘80s with Assembling an Era - an exhibition that brings together materials from the library’s special and reference collections; works on paper by Miami artist Purvis Young, a slide installation by artist Kevin Arrow, a sound station, and more.
All events are free. For complete details visit www.mdpls.org. or call 305-375-2665.
February Program Highlights:
February 16, 7 pm - South Miami Branch-6000 Sunset Drive, Miami, February 17, 7 pm- South Dade Regional- 10750 SW 211 St., Miami, February 19, 3 pm- Coral Reef Branch- 9211 Coral Reef Dr., Miami
• Native Miami author Mamie Pinder will discuss her work “Let My American Soul Speak”, a collection of love and historical poems written over the course of forty years.
• Celebrating 40 Years of Library Excellence: ‘70s Movie Trivia -Celebrate the library's birthday with a cinematic salute to the ‘70's. Join us and see how much you remember.
• Take a rhythmic journey through ‘70’s Jazz, with Nicole Yarling. Enjoy smooth sounds and a history lesson on the music of this decade.
February 24, 3:30 pm -Lemon City Branch -430 NE 61st St., Miami
• Miami Murals with Serge Toussaint and Rachel Darah -Rachel Darah, author of the book “Miami Muralist Serge Toussaint, Neighborhood Paintings by a Haitian Artist” and artist Serge Toussaint have joined forces to inspire the next generation of artists in Miami. Come see Serge in action and learn to create your own mural.
February 26, 11 am -Lemon City Branch- 430 NE 61st St., Miami
• Celebrating 40 Years of Library Excellence: Storyteller Baba Lyons will share tales about Lemon City, the library system’s oldest branch.
Art Exhibitions: January 20 - March 27, Main Library, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami
Assembling an Era - The Miami-Dade Public Library System, 1971-1989 The ‘70s and ‘80s represented a period of great progress, upheaval, and change in Miami-Dade County. Miami hosted both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The Mariel Boatlift and McDuffie Riots happened simultaneously. 1983 saw both Surrounded Islands and Scarface. In 1971, at the very beginning of this important and volatile period, city and county libraries joined forces and formed the Miami-Dade Public Library System. Assembling an Era celebrates the library’s 40th anniversary, bringing together materials from the library’s special and reference collections to document this fascinating time and build associations between popular culture, Miami history and library stories. The show tells these stories through works on paper by Miami artist Purvis Young, canvas banner pieces; books, newspaper articles, a snapshot timeline, a special installation of every 1971 reference volume in the library’s collection; a slide installation by Kevin Arrow, a sound station, and more.
January 20 - March 9, Main Library, Auditorium, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami
Pedestrians: Downtown Flagler Street by David Spitzer The photographs in Pedestrians were taken during the last half of 1984 and well into 1985, the year when the Main Library and Cultural Plaza opened to the public. The project focuses narrowly on downtown Flagler Street from Biscayne Boulevard west to the old Dade County Courthouse - the historic center of downtown Miami. The photographs capture the ordinary and diverse cross-section of individuals who populated this street going about their daily lives.
February 2 - March 15, North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183 St., Miami
The Bloom: Bloom Where You are Planted by Shernett Muhammad Bloom Where You are Planted is the theme of a series of large-scale paintings by Jamaican-born, South- Florida-based artist Shernett Muhammad. Muhammad finds inspiration in “humanity and nature” and her work bears personal and spiritual observations of hope and beauty. Her acrylic paintings lavish attention on patterns and figures from everyday life. A pair of Black Muslim women studying in a coffee shop, a street artist painting on an inner city road, the artist’s father before his tropical garden, a young protagonist of the global hip-hop movement are rendered in dazzling color and fine detail.
Join the Miami Dade Public Library System as they celebrate their 40 year anniversary on Thursday, January 20 at the Main Library on 101 West Flagler Street. The celebration will kick off with the “Dancing through the Ages” dance party at 12:00 p.m. Wear your favorite outfit from the past four decades and boogie down at the dance contest. Enjoy music, giveaways, prizes and a performance by the Super Soul Steppers.
The celebration continues that evening at 6:30 p.m. with a reception and art exhibit featuring music from the Greater Miami Youth Symphony and a talk with Miami historian, Dr. Paul George. Assembling an Era, an art exhibit that commemorates the library’s history in the community, will open that night.
WPBT2’s KidVision has a special for children of all ages; Mr. Steve will be in town, Sunday, November 21 and performing at the Book Fair.
Bring your family to a festival full of knowledge, fun, song and dance! The Miami Book Fair International is back in town from Sunday, November 14 through Sunday, November 21 at the Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami.
The popular street fair event will take place from Friday, November 19 through Sunday, November 21. Attendees will be able to browse literature from over 350 authors, meet these authors and purchase books from the over 200 publishing companies participating in the event.
Kids can have tons of fun at the Children’s Alley, where they will sing, dance, read and create during a weekend that will highlight children’s books and the importance of reading on seven themed stages.
PBS Kids host, Mr. Steve, will make three appearances on Sunday, November 21 at the Once Upon a Time Stage. Audience members will be able to meet, take pictures and receive autographs from Mr. Steve after his performances courtesy of WPBT2 and KidVision.
For information on times, locations and the many activities occurring at the book fair, simply visit miamibookfair.com.
