What’s New at PPLD!

Have you always wanted to write the next great American novel? How about just any novel? Participate in National Novel Writing Month, sponsored by NaNoWriMo!

From their website:

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.

Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

If you finish your novel and you want to enter it into competitions, check out our Writing Competition Web Picks!

Do you have an old cell phone you no longer need? You can donate it and brighten a soldier’s holiday season. Just bring your unused cell phones to the Briargate Branch (9475 Briar Village Point) in November or December. Each donation provides one hour of talk time for a soldier through Cell Phones for Soldiers.

The average cell phone user gets a new one every 18 months and some estimate there are 150 million unused cell phones in the United States. A majority of those end up in landfills. Those donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers are recycled with the proceeds used to purchase calling cards. Since being founded in 2004 by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist in Norwell, Mass., the organization has sent more than 500,000 calling cards to troops serving overseas.

Briargate Branch staff and spouses modified a bookcart for the 2008 Unshelved.com Pimp My Bookcart contest. In honor of the All Pikes Peak Reads 2008 selections The Grapes of Wrath and The Worst Hard Time, they chose to recreate the Joads’ jalopy.

The cart is on display at the Briargate Branch (9475 Briar Village Pt.). Please stop by and take a look.

You can see all the 2008 entries at www.unshelved.com/PimpMyBookcart.

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for that music-lover in your life? The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR) has released the CD Sounds of the Pikes Peak Region, a collection of 13 songs by local artists. The album contains many genres of music, including blues, folk, jazz, bluegrass, rock, and rap from such local luminaries as John-Alex Mason, Poésis, and Mango fan Django.

The CDs cost $12 each (or $10 if purchased in bulk). Proceeds help COPPeR provide its services to the community. Call 634-2204 or click here to order online and read bios of featured musicians.

The Gazette-El Pomar Foundation Empty Stocking Fund kicks off its 25th annual campaign on Thanksgiving Day, November 27. As a true community collaboration, the fund’s success is due, in part, to partnerships formed between Gazette Charities, El Pomar Foundation, and the Bruni Foundation. Thanks to matching donations from these organizations, each gift grows up to 63 percent. Every dollar donated goes directly to 14 local nonprofit health and human service agencies on the front lines of helping people in crisis and assisting others in attaining self-sufficiency.

Look for the Empty Stocking Fund commercial on the Library Channel (Comcast Channel 17) in late November and make a secure donation online at www.FillAnEmptyStocking.org.

Come to If Your Walls Could Talk, a Special Collections presentation by PPLD staff member Jody Jones. Discover the history of your house or place of business with the help of Special Collections staff and resources.

Did you know a murder confession was found in the walls of one El Paso County house? Did you know the street names changed 3 times in Old Colorado City? Did you know what one street name changed in Colorado Springs to conform to the street name in Colorado City when the annexation was finalized in 1917?

Don’t miss this interesting and informative event. Please register by clicking here or by calling the Old Colorado City Branch at 634-1619.

• When: Friday, November 14, 10:30 a.m.
• Where: Old Colorado City Branch, 2418 W. Pikes Peak Ave.

Prolific American author Michael Crichton passed away on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 following a battle against cancer.

Mr. Crichton was famous for his thrilling works of fiction including, The Andromeda Strain, Prey, Timeline, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and many others. He was also the creator of the television series, ER.

Click here for a list of titles by Michael Crichton at PPLD.

Veterans Day is on November 11, and the Pikes Peak Library District would like to extend a sincere thank you to our military community for the sacrifices you make to keep our country safe. You are our heroes.

We’d also like to highlight some resources we have at PPLD for Veterans and members of the Armed Forces:

• Local Agencies for Veterans
• Local Agencies for the Military
• Recommended Websites for the Military
• Employment Opportunites for Veterans and the Military

Thank you again for all you do!

Although All Pikes Peak Reads 2008 is over, that doesn’t mean lessons learned from the Dust Bowl should not be implemented in today’s world. The Colorado Conservation District’s annual conference will shed light on efforts to maintain sustainable ranching and farming. These challenges are now more daunting under the strain of climate change and water availability. The conference will feature a presentation by the National Drought Mitigation Center. For more information about the conference, including the cost of registration, visit www.cacd.us.

• When: November 17 - 20, 2008
• Where: Rocky Mountain Conference Center in Estes Park

Come to the Tri-Lakes Friends of the Library reception to thank patrons, library staff, and volunteers for their role in the Monument Branch Library’s selection as the Colorado Association of Library’s 2008 Colorado Library of the Year. The event is open to the public. Call 488-2370 for more information.

• When: Monday, November 10 from 4 - 6 p.m.
• Where: Monument Branch, 1706 Lake Woodmoor Dr.