Jessica @ Issaquah Archive.

Maybe you've just attended a Making the Game! workshop at a King County library (or are getting ready for an upcoming workshop), and you can't wait to get more game-making experience. Or maybe you're just thinking about trying your hand at computer programming. You don't have to wait for a class and you don't need any experience to start making games: teach yourself for free online.

Changeling.

"A child believed to have been secretly substituted by fairies for the parents' real child in infancy" ("Changeling." A Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Edited by Elizabeth Knowles. Oxford University Press, 2006. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. King County Library System. 25 July 2009.).

"The apparent changeling could also be a stock, an enchanted piece of wood that would soon appear to grow sick and die" ("Changeling." Wikipedia. 2009. Web.25 Jul 2009.).

"A person or thing (surreptitiously) put in exchange for another; A child secretly substituted for another in infancy; esp. a child (usually stupid or ugly) supposed to have been left by fairies in exchange for one stolen" (Defs. 2, 3. The Oxford English Dictionary. "Changeling." Defs. 2, 3. The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed.1991. Print.).

She comes to you, and she's bitter when she comes but she's not real. "You are me," she says, then disappears.

Bee remembers never quite fitting in. Not even Occupational Therapy could teach her how to understand facial expressions. She was the kid who fantasized about eating dirt and lived in the garden. The girl is right; Bee definitely doesn't belong but a changeling? Who's going to believe that? No one. Or at least no one except maybe that weird guy who sits alone at lunch reading books; Haze. And let's face it, he thinks he's an alien so really, how much can he be trusted? Whether Bee likes it or not, something is about to change because this girl, this girl who is Bee, she wants her life back.

The Waters & the Wild by Francesca Lia Block.

Francesca Lia Block fans: place your holds on Pretty Dead, out this October and on order at the King County Library System.

Celebrate the release of Twilight, the movie, with trivia, music from the soundtrack, a photo opportunity, costume contest and prizes.

Space is limited so arrive on time!

Open to teens in middle, junior and high school.

Tired of the glossy teen magazines focusing on fashion, beauty and boys? Interested in music, feminism, news, politics, activism and culture? Shameless might be for you.

Shameless is a progressive magazine for girls from Canada (yes, Canada. But don't worry; it's full of news and issues relevant to stateside girls as well). The Summer/Fall 2008 issue features topics including women in the skilled trades (i.e. carpenters, mechanics), radical street writers, the politics of fashion, defining gender, diversity in Hollywood and naturopathy. Not to mention loads of book, film, blog and music reviews as well as a special d.i.y. (do it yourself), feature. This month you'll find a review of the new LAL album and learn how to build a campfire. 

The writing is smart, sometimes snarky, and the articles are provocative, researched and reflective of a broader diversity than mainstream magazines for teen girls. Shameless is LGBTQS (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer, Straight), friendly and um, shamelessly publishes (come on, I couldn't resist), controversial and edgy opinions and perspectives liable to spark a good discussion amongst readers.

Find a sample of Shameless writing at its blog, named Best Canadian Feminist Blog at the Canadian F-Word Blog Awards. If you like it read the current issue cover to cover at the library for free.

Like Deathnote, Naruto and Bleach? Watch full episodes online for free on Hulu! It's legal, sharable and unlimited. Need I say more?

Well, I will anyways because it does sound too good to be true.

Hulu is easy.

You don't need to download any software (you only need Flash 9.0 and an internet connection), and you can share whole full videos or just the clips you want via email. You can also embed videos on your blog or MySpace or Facebook profile. Plus, you can watch and rewatch videos as many times as you want.

Hulu is free and legal.
You'll still have to watch commercials on Hulu videos but much less than what's on TV. Hulu acquires the rights to distribute its videos so you're not breaking any laws by watching them.

As with any website, visit Hulu at your own risk and don't give out any personal information without evaluating a website's authority, terms of use and privacy policy for yourself. If you aren't sure how to do this, ask a librarian for help.

 

 

Maybe you've already read Phaidon's super-popular Japanese street fashion books (Fruits, Fresh Fruits, Gothic & Lolita), and so on. Maybe you simply flip through the glossy photo-candy pages for fun or maybe you're looking for inspiration for your own style. Want more? Inside scene information, interviews with Lolita-fashion-inspired artists and musicians, instructions for making your own clothing? Look no further than The Gothic & Lolita Bible Vol. 1, a full-color glossy photo-filled magazine-book. Yes, a magazine-book, otherwise known as a mook (I'm not making this up. See the Letter from the editor when you check this book out). 

Inside you will find: interviews with the artists of Vampire Kisses, Gothic Sports and The Dreaming, a Gothic and Lolita manga reading list, an interview with singer Nana Kitade, a full coverage report from a Baby, the Stars Shine Bright event, sewing patterns and tons and tons of photos of clothes. Take a quiz to figure out your Loli style and learn what, according to ketsu-eki-gata (psychologist Furukawa Takeji's theory of the relationship between blood type and personality), your blood type might say about you.

Fun, pretty, frilly, sweet, doll-like, imaginative, expressive, artistic, fashionable, modest, lovely, decadent, independent, ladylike, unique, nostalgic, unparalleled; though they are two separate styles, any and all of these words may be used to describe Gothic and Lolita. What they have in common is that they can be both a style and a lifestyle and The Gothic & Lolita Bible Vol. 1  is the ultimate guide to both.

Adrian Grenier, Meg Cabot, Sasha Cohen, Lauren Conrad, Romeo, Tom Anderson, Chris DeWolfe, Maya Angelou and more share their thoughts on why they vote, why you should vote and why voting matters in Declare Yourself, one of the most entertaining and inspiring books on the personal side of politics I've read.

In his "Essay titled ' A Couple of Ridiculous and Not-So-Ridiculous Paragraphs on Voting Designed to Make You Vote," Adrian Grenier states that "voting is the simplest form of rebellion against tyranny" and gives the following reasons for voting: "...so that you don't have to march in the streets in protest," "...because they're telling you what to do and you should be telling them," "...because the powers that be don't want you to," "they think you're young and dumb." The list goes on.

Tyra Banks recalls having political candidates as guests on The Tyra Show; she was so nervous she was shaking when she interviewed Senator Barack Obama.

Meg Cabot confesses that she wears one of those pink Girls Rule t-shirts but argues that, politically, girls really don't rule (even though they could).

Lauren Conrad first voted because, when she was 18, it was one of the only adult things she could do and it allowed her to make a choice that counted as much as anybody else's. She votes because it's a choice everyone makes for themselves, even if their friends try to influence their decision.

America Ferrera urges young people to use the information to their advantage. The wired generation has YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, etc.-  more ways of finding and sharing information than ever before- and should use this information to be heard and counted.

Alice Walker doesn't remember the first time she voted but she does remember the first time her dad did; in 1932, twelve years before she was born.

Sara Varon and Sheila O'Donnell made an election day minicomic illustrating how their votes are part of something bigger.

Besides the personal opinions of lots of famous people, Declare Yourself has a start-up guide for activists to speak, connect, act and vote. It also has a glossary of election-related terms (ever wondered what an incumbent is? How about a superdelegate?), and a super-helpful chart of the United States Government that shows who's in charge of what.

Declare Yourself. It's your right to have an opinion. It's your right to be informed.

For up to date information about the upcoming election visit info vote 2008 on the King County Library System's website.

 

 

 

 

 

So you're in a band. You have instruments and band members (or maybe it's just you), and at least one song ready to be recorded. You want people to hear your music (preferably people outside of your immediate family) and maybe even buy your record (once you put it out). Need help figuring out what to do next?

Check out The Indie Band Survival Guide: the complete manual for the do-it-yourself musician, by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan. Why might you listen to their advice? As the lead members of Beatnik Turtle, they've played live, produced eighteen albums, written music for television, films and comedy shows and licensed music to ABC Family, all 100% indie (without a label). 

In the introduction, Chertkow and Feehan promise a "practical how-to manual to get your music heard, distributed, sold, booked, promoted and seen," all without being backed by a major record label. Among other things, the straightforward guide thoroughly covers everything you need to know about: establishing and maintaining a network, building a brand, claiming a presence on the web (on MySpace and beyond!), recording and mastering your albums and protecting your creative rights. You'll learn how to choose the color scheme of your website and what type of license you need to protect your content in specifc situations (i.e. whether you need either a Synchronization License or a Videogram License).

If you happen to be a teenager, you can practice the skills you've learned from The Indie Band Survival Guide locally. Record and master tracks then book shows at the Redmond Old Fire House. Promote your band and play a show in Seattle @ The Vera Project .

Don't forget about the library once you're famous.

Have you ever read manga and wondered what exactly the characters were eating? Sausages shaped like octopi. Rice shaped into hamburgers. Apples shaped like rabbits. Lunchboxes arranged like flower gardens.

The Manga Cookbook will teach you step by step in manga-style (complete with super-cute mascots!!!), how to prepare your own mitateru snacks (food that's been arranged to look like something else), how to build a bento box and how to make Japanese staples like California Rolls, Oshinko (pickled vegetables), Teriyaki sauce and Nama udon.

Try a few recipes then show off your knowledge at a King County Library System Manga Club meeting near you.

Don't just read manga; eat manga-style!

Need a place to run your Dungeons & Dragons game and meet other gamers? Want free photocopies, lamination, snacks and use of D&D books? We thought you might so we decided to make it happen at the library. Bring your dice, drawing supplies and imagination to the Issaquah Library for Teen D&D Gaming Group meetings; we'll provide the rest.

Teen D&D Gaming Group is open to teens in middle and high school only. All levels are welcome, from beginners to experienced DMs.

Upcoming meetings:

• Friday, October 10 @ 2:20 pm (first meeting, dungeon masters to be determined)
• Friday, October 24 @ 2:30 pm
• Friday, November 14 @ 3:00 pm

The Issaquah Library is located at 10 West Sunset Way. Need directions?

Whether or not you make it to the gaming group, the King County Library System has Dungeons & Dragons books for you (yes, you!) to borrow anytime. Support your gaming habit without going broke! Search the catalog for keywords "Dungeons and Dragons" to find a complete list of books. Find general guides such as Dungeons & dragons player's handbook, Monster manual, or more specialized campaign items like An adventurer's guide to Eberron. 

Happy gaming...