P.O.V.'s Borders focuses on many topical and personal issues that
lend themselves to library events, discussions and displays.
Librarians, let us know how you
are using Borders in your library and whether we can share your experiences
with others librarians.
P.O.V. would like to invite you to partner with us on a new online initiative
called P.O.V.'s Borders. Borders is an experiment in storytelling
on the Web, exploring the concept of 'borders' in everyday life. It's
about migration. It's about life changes. Border crossings. A border can
be a boundary between countries, or a point in your life: leaving home,
growing older, a new job, a new town, or any other moment where you cross
a divide.
The Borders website features a Talk area with a weekly
series of guests — authors, academics, musicians, activists, and
community leaders who will respond to visitors' questions in a moderated
discussion online. What's an important border that you've crossed in your
life? If you could erase any border in your world, what would it be? When
and how are borders useful? Find out how authors like Dagoberto Gilb,
Sherman Alexie, or Rebecca Walker address borders in their own personal
lives and work. And see what books they recommend to expand our own borders.
How can you use Borders in your library?
Here are a few examples of how you can engage your patrons using the Borders website at www.pbs.org/pov/borders.
-
Invite library visitors to use your online resources to engage in dialogue with these authors and each other, using the Talk area of the Borders site at www.pbs.org/pov/pov2002/talk
-
Create a public display using the published works of featured authors and announce this opportunity to "talk" with them. Download our flyer (Adobe Acrobat required).
-
Form reading and discussion groups where participants discuss the books and share their own daily experiences of "border crossings"
Schedule of Current and Future Guests
DAGOBERTO GILB (October 8th - October 29th)
Widely anthologized in publications such as The New Yorker and
Harper's, Dagoberto Gilb is the author of The Magic of Blood
(University of New Mexico Press), which won the 1994 PEN/Hemingway Award
and was a PEN/Faulkner finalist. Recent books include The Last Known
Residence of Mickey Acuña (Grove Press), and Woodcuts of
Women (Grove Press).
ELIJAH WALD (October 22nd - November 5th)
An accomplished musician and veteran world music critic, Elijah Wald is
the author of Narcocorrido, a study of modern Mexican folk-music
and its relationship to the drug trade and contemporary Mexican politics.
Currently he is completing work on a book rethinking the history and mythology
of blues, with a focus on Robert Johnson.
LUIS J. RODRIGUEZ (October 29th - November 12th)
Best known for his international best seller Always Running: La Vida
Loca, Gang Days in L.A., Luis J. Rodriguez has published eight books
in the fields of poetry, children's literature, memoir, fiction, and nonfiction.
Recent books include Hearts and Hands: Creating Community in Violent
Times (Seven Stories Press) and The Republic of East L.A.: Stories
(Rayo/Harper-Collins). Mr. Rodriguez is also founder-editor of Tia Chucha
Press, a poetry press based in Chicago.
CLAIRE FOX (November 5th - November 19th)
Claire Fox is Co-Director of the Latin American Studies Department and
an Associate Professor of English at the University of Iowa. She is also
the author of The Fence and the River — an analysis of how
the continued evolution of the U.S.-Mexico border reflects and refracts
cultural, political and economic trends.
BARBARA EHRENREICH (November 12th - November 26th)
Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting
By in America; Blood Rites; The Worst Years of Our Lives (a New York
Times bestseller); Fear of Falling, which was nominated for a National
Book Critics Circle Award; and eight other books. A contributing writer
for Time Magazine since 1990, her writing has appeared
in numerous national publications, including The New York Times Magazine,
The Washington Post Magazine, Ms., The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, The
Nation, and The New Republic.
REBECCA WALKER (November 19th - December 10th)
Named by Time Magazine as one of the fifty future leaders of America,
Rebecca Walker is a contributing editor at Ms. Magazine whose work
has also appeared in Essence, SPIN, Harper's, and VIBE.
Her first book, Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting
Self (Riverhead Trade Paperbacks) was published in early 2002. Her
writing engages issues related to racial identity, reproductive rights,
and third wave feminism.
SHERMAN ALEXIE (November 19th - December 10th)
Named by the New Yorker as one of twenty top writers for the 21st
century, Sherman Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, has published
numerous books including Reservation Blues, Indian Killer and the
poetry collection The Business of Fancydancing - the basis for
his new film of the same name. His first movie project, Smoke Signals,
won the Audience Award and the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1998 Sundance
Film Festival. Alexie recently completed a collection of short stories,
The Toughest Indian in the World, and released a new poetry collection,
One Stick Song.
Download our flyer to announce
this schedule (Adobe
Acrobat required).
What is P.O.V.?
Now in its 15th season on PBS, P.O.V. is an award-winning multi-media
service organization focused on creating high impact, energetic broadcasts
for the best independent point-of-view documentaries. For more information
about P.O.V. visit our homepage.
How can I become a Borders partner?
If you are interested in becoming a Borders partner, or if you have any
questions, please contact Community Engagement Coordinator Eliza Licht
at elicht@pov.org.
Community Engagement campaigns are designed to build audiences, inspire
civic dialogue and when possible, foster on-going community involvement
around issues raised in select programs. P.O.V. helps to expand the role
and value of independent storytelling in public life through strategic
partnerships with nonprofit organizations and public television stations.
Learn more about the Community
Engagement Department and read about past campaigns.
Because P.O.V.'s Borders is hosted on PBS.org, the most visited .org web
site in the world, this series offers an unprecedented opportunity for
building awareness, stimulating public dialogue and heightening the visibility
of organizations dedicated to finding solutions. Becoming a partner can
provide vital educational opportunities and help forge important connections
between people dealing with these issues.