What’s new at Jacksonville Public Library:
“Motor City Love Song” by Lisa Peers: Detroit, 1997. Paloma is chasing rock-and-roll stardom at the Artemis Club, with her girlfriend and manager, Jace, committed to making her a worldwide indie sensation. But when Paloma suddenly disappears from the public eye in 2001, Jace is left to pick up the pieces. Two decades later, Jace learns the Artemis Club is in trouble. Saving it will mean tracking down Paloma, whose early-career hit just went viral. Paloma has her reasons for not wanting to be found, and Jace isn’t eager to reopen old wounds. Still, each keeps measuring her life against the love she lost. With the Artemis Club’s fate at stake, Jace and Paloma are pulled back into the scene they once ruled … and back toward each other. Told in two voices, this sapphic salute to Detroit’s garage-band era shows that, sometimes, the truth is the most powerful love song of all.
“We the Women: The Hidden Heroes who Shaped America” by Norah O’Donnell: Over a distinguished, decades-long career, journalist Norah O’Donnell has made it her mission to shed light on untold women’s stories. Now, in honor of America’s 250th birthday, O’Donnell focuses that passion on the American heroines who helped change the course of history. Through extensive research and interviews, as well as historical documents and old photos, O’Donnell curates a portrait of these fierce fighters for freedom. From Mary Katherine Goddard, who printed the first signed Declaration of Independence, to the Forten family women, who were active in the abolition and suffrage movements and were considered the “Black Founders” of Philadelphia, to the first women who served in the armed forces even before they had the right to vote, O’Donnell brings these extraordinary women together and, in doing so, writes the American story anew.
“The Mountain” by Gorillaz: On the release of Gorillaz’s ninth studio album, “The Mountain,” a quarter-century had passed since the world was introduced to the then-novel idea of a cartoon “virtual” band. Through the years, the unpredictable journey of 2D, Murdoc, Russel and Noodle yielded a number of cultural touchstones and enduring classics. While their 2010s output veered more toward playlist territory than a start-to-finish concept, 2023’s “Cracker Island” began a course correction that’s been fully achieved on “The Mountain.” Their most cohesive effort since “Plastic Beach,” this vision places focus on mortality and life cycles, hitting the emotional core in a way Gorillaz has never done before. Yet it’s the sublime sonics that really bind “The Mountain” together. With the cartoon quartet decamped to India, it’s only natural that the music follows suit with an inspired cast of Indian artists that nails the depth, multicultural scope and emotional aesthetic that Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett were going for.
“The Café at the Edge of the Woods” by Mikey Please: Rene and Glumfoot are ready to serve very fine cuisine at the café at the edge of the woods. But when their first customer, an ogre, demands pickled bats and battered mice, Rene is ready to give up! She can’t possibly serve such rubbish. Or can she? With a little bit of compromise, perhaps she can satisfy her customer and still serve the most delicious grub.
Illinois College Percussion Ensemble will perform at 4 p.m. April 12 at the library as part of the library’s Music Under the Dome series. The ensemble will perform percussion arrangements of popular songs by musical artists including Coldplay, John Lennon and Alanis Morissette. Admission is free.
Feeling disconnected from life? Having trouble feeling present in the moment? We all lead such busy lives that our mental, emotional and physical health suffers from the disconnect. Mindfulness is the act of paying purposeful attention to the present moment. It offers us a way to enjoy our lives more and reduce stress through a few simple practices. University of Illinois Extension educator Karina Moore will present a program on “Being Mindful in a Busy World” from 2 to 3:30 p.m. April 14 at the library. This program geared toward adults ages 50 or older will help participants explore benefits of mindfulness meditation and teach them techniques to reduce stress and increase life satisfaction. The program also will include fun brain games. Admission is free.
Laura Keyes will portray the title character in the program “Elizabeth Packard: The Woman Who Would Not Be Silenced” at 6 p.m. April 15 at the library. Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard was committed in 1860 to the Illinois State Hospital mental asylum in Jacksonville and kept under lock and key for three years, all the while protesting her sanity. Packard eventually obtained her own release and continued fighting to give all women more rights and strike down a law that allowed married women to be placed in asylums by their husbands without the benefit of a formal trial or medical examination. Keyes is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a master’s degree in library studies and a lifetime member of the Association of Lincoln Presenters. She recently won the association’s Excellence in Performing Award. Admission is free.
John Lynn will present “Lewis & Clark: The Return to St. Louis (1806)” at 6 p.m. April 29 at the library. Lynn’s program, which is based on his own modern-day paddle down the Missouri River, explores the return journey of the Lewis and Clark expedition via the river, with particular emphasis on the 2,300-miles from Montana to St. Louis. Admission is free.