The first part of this episode is an interview with Dr. Wayne Schlingman and Dr. Stephan Frank from the OSU Astronomy Department to talk about the eclipse: the science, the history, and general coolness of having a eclipse past through our backyard!  The second part is a discussion between BPL Director Ben Heckman and the first American woman to conduct a spacewalk, Astronaut Kathy Sullivan. She discusses her new children's book, How to Spacewalk: Step-by-Step with Shuttle Astronauts and being the "the world's most vertical woman!" Special thanks to fo/mo/deep for lending us their song ..read more

Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of the freedom to read. The theme for Banned Books Week 2023 is “Let Freedom Read” and it’s being celebrated from October 1-7. A PEN America report for the first half of the 2022-2023 school year tracked 1,477 instances of individual book bans that have affected 874 unique titles. Book bans disproportionately target authors of color, LGBTQ+ authors, and other marginalized groups. Books about racism, sexuality, gender, and history have been removed from library shelves across America. In today’s episode, we talk to Sabrina Baêta from PEN America and au ..read more

Ohio State Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor, Ness B. Shroff, and BPL Technology Librarian, Josh Bryant, discuss the fascinating world of artificial intelligence (AI), including its history, applications, ethics, and future implications. Whether you are a complete newcomer to the world of AI or a seasoned expert, there will be something for everyone in this enlightening and informative discussion. Watch Dr. Shroff take the AI quiz here! Special thanks to fo/mo/deep for lending us their song, "Bourbon Neat" for the podcast! Find out about upcoming Bexley Public Library events at Bex ..read more

For Holocaust Remembrance Day we pulled an episode from one of our most recent author events with Elizabeth Petuchowski. Elizabeth Petuchowski shares her life story growing up as a young Jewish girl in Germany amidst the rise of Nazism and mandatory antisemitism. She reflects on the effects these universally known events had on her life and read from her memoir, Where From and Where To: One of the Last Self-Told German Jewish Life Stories.    She is joined by Robin Judd, Associate Professor in The OSU Department of History with expertise in Jewish History and Immigration History, wh ..read more

The best of 2022!  Special thanks to fo/mo/deep for lending us their song, "Bourbon Neat" for the podcast! Find out about upcoming Bexley Public Library events at https://www.bexleylibrary.org Follow Bexley Public Library across platforms @bexleylibrary   Here is the list of highlighted items from the BPL staff: Fiction Books Olga Dies Dreaming - Xochitl Gonzalez Flung Out of Space - Grace Ellis The Fervor - Alma Katsu You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty - Akwaeke Emezi This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub Non-Fiction Books I’m Glad My Mom Died - Jeanette McCurdy Wastelands: The ..read more

Vampire Week is here! Plucked from our blog, Julianna tells us about her favorite vampire movies and everything the library has to offer this week. Julianna mentions some of her favorite vampire movies. Here’s a list of them:  Interview with the Vampire Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust The Lost Boys A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Nosferatu Only Lovers Left Alive Let the Right One In Hotel Transylvania Bram Stoker’s Dracula Let the Right One In Special thanks to fo/mo/deep for lending us their song, "Bourbon Neat" for the podcast! Find out about upcoming Bexley Public Library events at Bexl ..read more

Owen dives into the history of banning books, reasons books are challenged, and he even recommends his favorite challenged title. Here is a list of all the books Owen mentions: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Looking for Alaska by John Green Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Special thanks to fo/mo/deep for lending us their song, "Bourbon Neat" for the p ..read more

Pamela Espinosa de los Monteros, Assistant Professor and the Latin American, Iberian, and Latino/a Studies Librarian at The OSU University Libraries, and Patti Vocal, The OSU Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) Outreach Coordinator, discuss the importance of bringing authentic Latinx and Latin American stories into K-12 classrooms through children's literature. Pamela and Patti talk to us about the CLAS BookBox project and share tips on how we can all celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month which is celebrated annually from September 15 - October 15. Special thanks to fo/mo/deep for lending us ..read more

Jack Marchbanks sits down with Dionne Custer Edwards, Scott Woods, and Is Said for a discussion about Black poetry using James Weldon Johnson's groundbreaking anthology The Book of American Negro Poetry as a springboard. Dionne Custer Edwards is a writer, educator, and the Director of Learning & Public Practice at the Wexner Center for the Arts, Scott Woods is a poet, writer, and the founder and director of the performing arts organization Streetlight Guild, and Columbus poetry legend Is Said, has received the King Arts Complex Legends & Legacies Award and was inducted into the Lincoln ..read more

Ohio State University Eastern European experts, Theodora Dragostinova, Marianna Klochko, and Mykyta Tyshchenko, to try and make sense of the evolving crisis in Ukraine following the Russian invasion. The panel discussed the history and progression of the conflict, the ensuing humanitarian crisis, and the international repercussions of the events. Find out about upcoming Bexley Public Library events at https://www.bexleylibrary.org Follow Bexley Public Library across platforms @bexleylibrary ..read more