Day: March 26, 2017

Seanchai Library Reaches 9 in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Recalling Seanchai Library’s Big Read of Alice in Wonderland, from May 2016

It’s time to kick-off another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s Second Life home at Bradley University, unless otherwise indicated.

This week starts with a very spacial celebration – the Library’s ninth anniversary!

Sunday, March 26th Volume IX: Seanchai Library Anniversary

From the Seanchai Library website:

Nine years ago someone had an idea.  That someone was Derry McMahon, founder of Seanchai Library, which began its life at the West of Ireland Library and Cultural Centre in March 2008.

Nine years ~ 108 months ~ 3,287-ish days ~ Thousands of hours of stories ~ Hundreds of Authors ~ Dozens of Genres, and over $4000 in small cash donations to non-profits doing good works all around the world.

Seanchai Library have brought – and continue to bring – stories from all genres to life as part of the weekly readings at their centres in Second Life, Kitely and Inworldz, through to special events – such as this 2011 re-creation of the Orson Welles 1938 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds – to entire immersive experiences such as The Dickens Project and their Explore the Arts series on Kitely.

“We are not large-scale philanthropy, ” Library lead Caledonia Skytower discloses, “Giving back to the world community through small charitable gifts is just one aspect of what we do. Job #1 here is to inspire people with stories and literature, to enable or encourage them to read and to share the stories they love with others.  Stories are an intrinsic part of the human experience.”

It’s a little hard to conceive how to acknowledge such an achievement. The Library looked to polite society to see if there was a guide as to how to celebrate a ninth anniversary: willow and pottery in traditional observance, and leather in the modern.  “That’s it!” they cried, “It’s obvious! A virtual Chili Cook Off!” . . . and that, friends, is what they will present today in both Kitely and in Second Life.

The party marquee and video links connecting Seanchai in Second Life with Seanchai in Kitely

Dual Video feeds and Local Chat “Simlinks” will connect the two parties, enabling celebrants in both grids to see the other party, and to communicate in local text chat.

Schedule

  • 13:00 – Chili Cook Off: Stories and Recipe Exchange: drop a note card with your favourite chili recipe ahead of the event, or bring it with you and hand it to Caledonia
  • 14:00 – Dancing under the Cook-Off Marquee: two hours of partying to the music of DJ Dano Bookmite.

SLurl and Grid Details

Jay Gatsby’s mansion, as produced by Seanchai Library for the 2015 Explore the Great Gatsby season, held in Kitely in conjunction with Tacoma Little Theatre’s real-world production for the stage adaptation of the novel

Monday, March 27th 19:00: Enemy Mine

Gyro Muggins continues reading Barry B. Longyear’s novella which first appeared in a 1979 issue of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, before becoming the basis of the of the 20th Century Fox film of the same name, starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr. This led to Longyear producing an expanded version of the story, written with David Gerrold.

In the midst of an interstellar war between humans and Dracs (a race of humanoid reptilians), Willis Davidge, a human fighter pilot, crashes on a hostile planet after a dogfight with a Drac – who is also forced down on the same planet.

The two initially continue their hostilities towards one another. But the planet proves so hostile that Davidge and the Drac, Jeriba Shigan (whom Davidge nicknames “Jerry”), are forced to join forces in order to ensure their survival. Then Davidge learns Jeriba is pregnant – Drac being entirely asexual …

Tuesday, March 28th 19:00: Of Mice and Magic

Faerie Maven-Pralou reads the forst in the Ravenspell series by David Farland

More than anything, Benjamin Ravenspell wants a pet. But when he buys a mouse named Amber, he gets more than he bargained for. No sooner does Ben take her home, than Amber turns him into a mouse too.

You see, Amber has magical abilities, and it so happens that Ben is a familiar, a creature that stores magical energy. Together they each form half of a powerful wizard. Alone, they’re just vermin.

Soon Ben and Amber find themselves pitted in an epic battle against a magical enemy who is as crazed as he is evil, and the fate of the world will rest on them learning to work together.

Wednesday, March 29th 19:00: Wild at Heart (Explorer’s Club Romance #1)

Aoife Lorenfield reads selections from Clare Alexander’s2017 novel.

At 26 and unmarried, Nora Nicholson believes she has little choice but to follow her brother Edward away from England to West Africa. So it was that, having never set foot outside of the village where she had been born, she found herself boarding a Royal Navy frigate about to set sail for those exotic, distant lands.

Little did she know that she would find work illustrating birds for the naturalist and ship’s surgeon, John Sharples, or form the unlikeliest of friendships with Senhora Morena – or that she would meet Hugh Beaumont, naturalist and explorer, late of the 95th Rifles.

Once he led men in war, many of whom died in the field of battle. Now he desires to explore the rivers and forest of West Africa. But for Hugh Beaumont, leaving duty behind does not come easy. So it is he finds himself bringing criminals to justice and protecting Miss Nicholson, who is sorely in need of help. Then love enters the picture.

Thursday, March 30th 19:00: Scary Stories for Sleepovers

With Shandon Loring – sleeping bags provided! Also presented in Kitely.

Please check with the Seanchai Library’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule.

The featured charity for March April is Project Children, building peace in Ireland one child at a time.