Every couple of weeks a small room in the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library at 52nd and Sansom is converted into a shrine to the Japanese comic art genre of manga. Teens and ‘tweens (10-12 year-olds) stop by to talk manga, draw manga, read manga and even listen to music about manga.
Manga, which in Japan is read by all segments of society, has swept through this generation of American kids in Harry Potter-like fashion.
“It appeals to a wide range of what you’re looking for,” said Shaunda, a Philadelphia High School for Girls student. “If you’re looking for fantasy, they have fantasy. They’re got action and lots of romance.”
Librarians have welcomed the interest in manga and have dedicated more money to bolster library collections.
“Some of the stories are kind of fantastic,” said Blackwell librarian Jeanne Hamann.
She added that kids who grew up with Pokemon were sort of “primed” for manga.
Hamann also said interest in manga has opened a window into Japanese culture for many.
That was certainly evident at this week’s Manga Cafe. As fans sat at table drawing, reading and talking manga, Japanese music played in the background. Kids leafed through Japanese magazines and Japanese food was served.
See the slideshow below for a better look at the Manga Cafe.
Here’s a piece from the CBS Evening News last night on brothers Kareem and Daymar Rosser and their friend Brandon Reese from the Cowtown/Work to Ride polo team, which won the 42nd annual USPA National Interscholastic Championship tournament last month.
The three young men, all West Philly natives, were the first African American team ever to win the title.
The Curio Theatre Company is gearing up for another performance. This time West Philly’s own theater will tackle Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, an absurd, tragicomedic twist on Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
We see Hamlet’s story unfold through the eyes of the courtiers and spies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters from the original work. But in this story Rosencrantz invents the hamburger and discovers gravity.
Liz Carlson directs the play, which features Eric Scotolati, CJ Keller and Brian McCann.
A recent post on the Curio Theatre blog describes the preparations for the run, which begins this week with a series of previews:
“It’s been an absolute inspiration to see Eric Scotolati, CJ Keller and Brian McCann work tirelessly to achieve the seeming effortlessness of Tom Stoppard’s rapier sharp wit; they’re at work when the rest of the cast comes in at the assigned time, and they remain at work when the rest of the cast leaves at the end of the night, perfecting every nuance and giving each movement the specificity it needs.”
Previews will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week. Performances begin at 8 p.m. each night.
There aren’t too many chances these days to have a say in where you buy your food in West Philly. Actually, there may be only one chance. Mariposa Food Co-op launched a new membership campaign today that will provide that chance.
Mariposa will move to a new building next fall that increases its size five-fold, making it the only community-owned grocery store in West Philly. We’re talking fresh produce, fresh fruit and staples we all need – all on Baltimore Avenue near 49th Street. West Philly needs to step up ownership – that means becoming a member. Just to be clear, folks who aren’t members can shop at the new store too. But membership, as they say, has its priveleges. Here they are:
• Members get a discount and members who chip in to help run the store get an even bigger discount.
• As a member you get a voice in how things are run.
• Finally, and maybe most importantly, becoming a member means that you are helping to create a business that we all have a stake in.
Peter Collopy, a Mariposa member explains: “Membership in Mariposa is about more than getting a discount,” said Collopy. “It’s an opportunity to share ownership of an important resource for our community.”
A mural designed by Jeremiah Johnson that will be installed at Lea next week.
Organizers of the Henry C. Lea Elementary School mural arts program are looking for volunteers to help with the installation of murals in the school from April 18-22, the week of spring break for the school district.
A planning meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the school (47th and Locust), where volunteers and community members can learn more about the project. A wide range of talents are needed to prepare the areas in the school for the murals.
The program recruited artist Jeremiah Johnson last month to design the murals that will be installed next week.
Interested volunteers should contact Yvette Almaguer at yarecess – at – gmail.com.
Every couple of weeks a small room in the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library at 52nd and Sansom is converted into a shrine to the Japanese comic art genre of manga. Teens and ‘tweens (10-12 year-olds) stop by to talk manga, draw manga, read manga and even listen to music about manga.
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