LLA Shutter Restoration

Recently the LLA contracted with Rock Bartley to restore the ash shutters in the building. PaulaJamison and I paid a visit to Rock’s workshop to see the progress on the project. During therestoration process Rock discovered that at some time during their 144-year history in thebuilding, the shutters were painted white on both sides, and … Read more

Once Upon a River

October 2, 2020 — That’s the date to join our virtual screening party for the new feature film made from Kalamazoo author Bonnie Jo Cambells celebrated 2011 novel, Once Upon a River.

Tickets are $12. The Ladies’ Library Association is hosting this virtual event and will receive a portion of ticket sales!

One of TIME’s most anticipated film releases of 2020, Once Upon a River is the story of Native American teenager Margo Crane in 1970s rural Michigan. After enduring a series of traumas and tragedies, Margo sets out on an odyssey on the Stark River in search of her estranged mother. On the water, Margo encounters friends, foes, wonders, and dangers; navigating life on her own, she comes to understand her potential, all while healing the wounds of her past.

Written and directed by Haroula Rose, this midwestern gothic Americana story is, in the words of Jane Smiley for The New York Times, “an excellent American parable about the consequences of our favorite ideal, freedom.” Read Smiley’s review of the novel, Once Upon a River.

Facebook Live Q & A

The Ladies’ Library Association will host Bonnie Jo Campbell at the LLA for a question and answer session on October 1, at 1:00 pm. This is a chance for LLA members to submit questions to Bonnie Jo about the film adaption of her novel, the differences between the novel and the film, and the process of making a movie. If you aren’t familar with Facebook, you email questions for Bonnie Jo to LLA member Audrey Seilheimer, vintagemitten@gmail.com.

Bonnie Jo (right) on the set

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Honoring Women’s Suffrage

The Ladies’ Library Association is pleased to announce a commemorative addition to our historic building! In honor of women’s suffrage, a new stained-glass window was installed Friday, May 30, 2020, facing east on the second floor of the LLA building’s 2013 addition.