Here is information about Mr. B's public appearnce on Tuesday the 2nd. I called the library and was told the 750 seat auditorium has been filled and there are 200 plus people on the stand-by list.

http://www.sbpl.org/libnews.html

Ray Bradbury at Sturges Center for Fine Arts Sponsored by San Bernardino Public Library
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." Ray Bradbury
In celebration of our freedom to read during Banned Books Week world-renowned author Ray Bradbury will be the guest of the San Bernardino Public Library, Tuesday, October 2, at 7:00 p.m. at the Sturges Center for Fine Arts, 780 North E, San Bernardino. He will discuss Fahrenheit 451. Seating is limited. For more information, please call 909.381.8236 or 909.381.8215. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the presentation. Due to his age and health, Bradbury will sign one book per person.

As an author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, lecturer, poet and visionary, Ray Bradbury is known as one of America's greatest creative geniuses. Fahrenheit 451, one of Bradbury’s best-known works, was released in 1953. It is set in a future in which a totalitarian government has banned the written word. In all, Bradbury has published more than thirty books, close to 600 short stories, and numerous poems, essays, and plays. Ray Bradbury's work has been included in four Best American Short Story collections. He has been awarded the O. Henry Memorial Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America, the PEN Center USA West Lifetime Achievement Award, among others. In November 2000, the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters was conferred upon Mr. Bradbury at the 2000 National Book Awards Ceremony in New York City.

Fahrenheit 451 is the 2nd annual selection for the library’s One Book, One City program.

There will also be a post Bradbury event for participants to express their opinions on the ideas and concepts of Bradbury’s lecture, Wednesday, October 3, at 6:00 p.m. in the Mary Belle Kellogg Room, Norman F. Feldheym Central Library, 555 W. 6th St, San Bernardino. Bradbury will not attend that discussion group. Refreshments will be served. To register, please call 909.381.8236.

It should not come as a surprise that Mr. B filled a 750 seat theatre with the overflow sitting on the grass to watch and listen on an outdoor video screen. The city's head librarian opened the event, followed by the mayor. The mayor talked on how he attended lectures at Redding College given by Ray...in 1955. Mr. B talked for just short of an hour.

After a brief intermission while the stage crew packed up the video screen Ray signed every single book brought to the stage, over two hours worth of signing. I'm guessing but I'd say something short of 600 books passed underneath his Sharpie. A few people just asked him to sign their flyer for the event. I'd say that half the audience were age 5-17, including little kids clutching their copy of The Halloween Tree or the Homecoming. There were the parents who brought their yellowed-dog eared-well read copies from when they were kids.

More than a few teachers gave Ray credit for pointing them in the direction of becoming English teachers. One may became an Engineer because of reading Mr. B's books as a child.

A wonderful evening

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jkt,

Get your free banned books while they last! http://www.guardian.co.uk/book...gut-banned-book-free

Reminder: As Mr. Bradbury often says, there are many ways to ban books/ideas.

Uh, yeah...the sad thing would be if the 150 copies just sat there because no one asked for one.

Banning a Book Makes About as Much Sense as Trying To Re-Write History / Change It.
Serves NO purpose and Accomplishes Nothing.
NJ is still battling the Tom Sawyer / Huck Finn
Book Baning controversy....and thankfully it's going nowhere!!

Regards,

Dave S.

Spotted this recent article at atyourlibrary.org, about Banned Books Week, Ray Bradbury, and the film FAHRENHEIT 451. Recent books by Sam Weller and Jonathan R. Eller are cited.
http://atyourlibrary.org/cultu...sic-film-movie-night

Just may have to purchase one of those Ray Bradbury library posters.

quote:

Originally posted by dandelion:
Uh, yeah...the sad thing would be if the 150 copies just sat there because no one asked for one.

Some time ago,I was talking with someone in his 30's who had never heard of Mark Twain.

This belongs here.

This from the "Bradbury Moments" link goes "write in" with the Banned Books image by Dandy. The two typed summaries are especially ironic! http://www.openculture.com/201...-turns-out-1959.html

~ If there had been no RB to teach . . . I can not even imagine what my career in education would have been like?! ("There Will Come Soft Rains" - jumps to mind!)