MONDAY, October 1 at 7:00pm: "A Night In The Lonesome October" Part 1

All manner of participants, both human and undead, are gathering from Soho to Whitehall with their ancient tools and their animal familiars, in preparation of the dread night when black magic will summon the Elder Gods back to the world. Some have come to open the gates...and some to close them.

Written in a series of 32 short chapters: one for each day for the foreboding month of October. Boldly original and wildly entertaining, “A Night in the Lonesome October” is a darkly sparkling gem - an amalgam of horror, humor, mystery and fantasy that is exactly what one would expect from the bizarre and brilliant imagination of award-winning author Roger Zelazny.

Explore the many works of author, Roger Zelazy!

Join Shandon Loring, Gyro Muggins, Caledonia Skytower and guests as they begin the journey, live in Voice.  Part 1 of 4.

SUNDAY, September 30th at 2:00pm: TEA TIME at Baker Street!

More adventures with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Master Detective, Sherlock Holmes. THIS WEEK: "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor." Grab a cuppa and a smackerel of something and join Caledonia in the lower level of the library for mystery and intrigue!

The story entails the bride of the fictional Lord Robert St. Simon disappearing on the day of their marriage. She attends (and participates in) the wedding, but disappears from the reception.
The events of the wedding day are most perplexing to Lord Robert as it seemed to him that his bride, Miss Hatty Doran of San Francisco, was full of enthusiasm about their impending marriage. St. Simon tells Holmes that he noticed a change in the young lady's mood just after the wedding ceremony. She was uncharacteristically sharp with him. The only obvious happening at the church where the wedding took place that was out of the ordinary was Hatty's little accident: she dropped her wedding bouquet and a gentleman in the front pew picked it up and handed it back to her.  Is the case as "elementary" as Holmes suggests?
Presented Live in Voice.

SUNDAY 30 Sept at 11:30 a.m.: Tales with the Tinies with Bear and Derry


Join us for tales at the Haunted Library in Raglan Shire.  Bear bring "The Ghost Story" by Mark Twain. Derry offers a story for all the ceiling cats: "The Little White Cat". Then Bear will preview Shocktober month with some more spooky tales!  Biggies and tinies are welcome!   Come wander thru the haunted house...OooOOoOOo!!

This Week at Seanchai Library: Sept. 30 to Oct. 7

WELCOME TO THE SEANCHAI LIBRARY ON IMAGINATION ISLAND!
"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in Second Life."

Events in the Seanchai Library this week - all stories told in open voice, all times SLT:

Sunday, September 30 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time on Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower

Monday, October 1 at 7 p.m. - A Night in the Lonesome October selections with Caledonia, Gyro, Shandon and more

Tuesday, October 2 at 7 p.m. - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with Derry McMahon and Bear Silvershade

Wednesday, October 3 at 7 p.m. - Petty Magic with Caledonia Skytower

Thursday, October 4 at 7 p.m. - Nocturnes from Ireland with Shandon Loring

Sunday, October 7 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time on Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower

And join us for this off-campus event too!

Sunday, September 30 at 6 p.m. – Stories with Bear and Derry with the tinies at Magicland the Haunted Library in Raglan Shire

Sunday, September 30 at 6 p.m. – Ghosthunters & The Incredibly Revolting Ghost at Magicland with Caledonia

Sunday, October 7 at 10 a.m. – The Spectre Bridegroom and more spooky stories with Derry and Bear at Haunted Fruit Islands
All stories in voice and take place at Seanchai Libray on Imagination Island, unless otherwise noted. In July and August we'll be asking for donations toward the real world charity BreastCancer.org Have questions? IM or notecard Derry McMahon, Librarian.

Feel free to join the Seanchai or Stories Unlimited! subscribos. They are located in the library, just run in and touch them; or join our group, the Seanchai Library.

Be sure and check out our Flickr group for great images of past story sessions.

SEANCHAI LIBRARY'S Top 22 "Scary Stuff" Survival Strategies


LOTR makeup room photo of Ian Holm & Scary Bilbo Puppet
We discovered tonight at Shandon's Nocturne session that the "frequent flyers" at the Seanchai Library are not only the highly educated and erudite residents that we knew them already to be, but that they possess some high level survival skills that could come in handly during a spookable emergency situation.  So we thought we'd share their accumulated wisdom with you. (List in no particular order - pulled from the very active local chat from the session)  

 #1 - Stay away from the water

#2 - Stay away from the woods (that includes “beware of the moors...”)

#3 - Never split up

#4 - Remember where we parked

#5 - If the door is stuck, leave it stuck

#6 - When it seems that you've killed the monster, never check to see if it's really dead. It may not be quite dead. It could pull through.

#7 - Do not search the basement, especially when the power has just gone out.

# 8 - If you wake up and hear strange noises downstairs, DO NOT go check to see what it is!

#9 - Take a real weapon into the dark building.

#10 - If your car runs out of gas at night, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help.

#11 - Look for a hotel. There might be a light in the distance

#12 - If you're a male, get out of there as fast as possible! The only one who ever survives is the female.

#13 - If you here banjos ---- MORPH!!!

#14 - ABSOLUTELY NO sex breaks while being chased by the monster.

#15 - On no account do ANYTHING because someone dares you to.

#16 - Don't forget your flashlight.

#17 - You don't need to out run the monster, you only need to out run you friends.

#17.5 - Someone always trips when a group runs from a monster. Don't let it be You.

#17.75 - Be the tripper, not the tripped.

#18 - Don't look in magic mirrors, you fool!

#19 - Never trust anything in a web, no matter what "it" says or who sent you.  In fact, if it SAYS anything, trust it even less!

#20 - Don't be the trampy girl. She always gets it first

#21 - Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (God help you if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine or Massachusetts.

#22 - Puppets! Puppets! NO PUPPETS! ... Noooooooooooooo! THEY ARE WORSE THAN CLOWNS!!!!

Mille Gracie to Tabitha, Herndon, Dagmar, Blythe, kram, Rick, Stranger, Blythe, Gyro and everyone else for this mass of IMPORTANT SAFETY TIPS!   ... Did everyone remember to lock all the doors and windows last night?

THURSDAY, September 27th at 7pm: "NOCTURNES"

NOCTURNES
Dark, daring, utterly haunting tales of lost lovers, predatory demons, and vengeful ghosts.

from author John Connolly of Dublin, Ireland.
ISBN: 978-1416534600


Tonight:
Deep, Dark Green
Nocturne
The Erlking


WEDNESDAY, September 26th at 7:00PM: Selections from GHOSTS ON A BUMBOAT

Caledonia welcomes a special guest to the library, Singh Albatros - poet, musician, and author. Singh presents a reading from his Singapore novel "Ghosts On A Bumboat"


When Ralph Drummond steps on a curbside Hungry Ghost Month offering he collapses into a coma. Will he survive the psychic battle when the Gates of Hell open? Can his wife Winnie and their new Singapore friends Alvin and Fay save him? What is the Water Clan and who is the Geomancer?
Narrated by a golden carp, this magic realist novel draws on Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions in the South-East Asian megalopolis where ghost tales are still the powerful underbelly of the popular imagination. Presented in live voice.

SINGH ALBATROS (Is the Co-Founder of the CREATIVE ARTS VIRTUAL ACADEMY AND WORLD MUSIC TEMPLE in SL)

TUESDAY 25 Sept at 7pm: Scary Ghosty Dolly Stories


What do you do when the dolls are more scary than the people? Join Derry McMahon for "The Doll's Ghost" and "The Haunted Doll's House". Time to get your spooky on for October!  Stories in live voice at Seanchai Library.

MONDAY, September 24th at 7:00pm: A TALE OF THREE WISHES and more by Isaac Bashevis Singer

Caledonia presents A TALE OF THREE WISHES and more short stories by beloved author Isaac Bashevis Singer, for the Jewish High Holy Days: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukot.
In the title story, when their wishes fail, three children learn that they must deserve by effort what they had wanted to get too easily.
Learn more about Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer
... and also at the Jewish Virtual Library.
Presented Live in voice.

SUNDAY, September 23rd at 2:00pm: TEA TIME at Baker Street!

More adventures with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Master Detective, Sherlock Holmes.  THIS WEEK: "The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb." Grab a cuppa and a smackerel of something and join Caledonia in the lower level of the library for mystery and intrigue! 

In his narration, Dr. Watson notes that this is one of only two cases which he personally brought to the attention of Sherlock Holmes. The story, set in 1889, mainly consists of a young London consultant hydraulic engineer, Mr. Victor Hatherley, recounting strange happenings of the night before, first to Dr. Watson, who dresses the stump where Mr. Hatherley's thumb has been cut off, and then to Sherlock Holmes himself.

This case is one of the few where Holmes fails to bring the villains to justice. (Others are "The Five Orange Pips" and "The Hound of the Baskervilles", though in both those cases Providence exacts vengeance on the villains.)

Presented Live in Voice.






This week at Seanchai Library: Sept. 23 to 30

WELCOME TO THE SEANCHAI LIBRARY ON IMAGINATION ISLAND!
"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in Second Life."


Events in the Seanchai Library this week - all stories told in open voice, all times SLT:

Sunday, September 23 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time on Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower

Monday, September 24 at 7 p.m. - A Tale of Three Wishes and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer with Caledonia Skytower

Tuesday, September 25 at 7 p.m. - Scary, Spooky Dolls with Derry McMahon

Wednesday, September 26 at 7 p.m. - Selections from Ghosts on a Bumboat with Singh Albatros at Seanchai Library

Thursday, September 27 at 7 p.m. - Nocturnes from Ireland with Shandon Loring

Sunday, September 30 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time on Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower


And join us for this off-campus event too!

Sunday, September 23 at 6 p.m. – The Littles and the Lost Children at Magicland with Caledonia

Sunday, September 30 at 6 p.m. – Ghosthunters & The Incredibly Revolting Ghost at Magicland with Caledonia


All stories in voice and take place at Seanchai Libray on Imagination Island, unless otherwise noted. In July and August we'll be asking for donations toward the real world charity BreastCancer.org Have questions? IM or notecard Derry McMahon, Librarian.

Feel free to join the Seanchai or Stories Unlimited! subscribos. They are located in the library, just run in and touch them; or join our group, the Seanchai Library.

Be sure and check out our Flickr group for great images of past story sessions.

THURSDAY, September 20th at 7pm: "Miner's Tales of the Old West"

The discovery of gold in California launched the nations first goldrush. "A glimmer in the clearwater caught his eye and he picked up a yellow rock about the size of a dime and weighing half an ounce. He saw more and picked those up too."


Real stories from journals, diaries, logs, interviews, letters, newspapers, and books.   Shandon Loring, a little dusty from the road, but still in voice and as live as ever!

WEDNESDAY, September 19th @ 7pm: AVAST! TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!

Talk About PHENOMENAL: 2012 marks the 10th anniversary of the worldwide celebration of International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Ever since Dave Barry mentioned it in his nationally syndicated newspaper column in 2002, what once was a goofy idea celebrated by a handful of friends has turned into an international phenomenon that shows no sign of letting up. Perhaps you're one of the millions of people from South Africa to the South Pole, from New York to the Pacific Northwest, who've made it your own personal excuse to party like pirates every September 19th (and sometimes for days before and after)!

Join Caledonia Skytower and Crap Mariner (and any other Scurvy Dogs that show up) at the Seanchai Library for stories in celebration of this hallowed (hello?!) day! 

Check out the fun and games (yeeeesss, games!) at the one and only, official, accept-no-substitutes Talk Like A Pirate Day Website.

TUESDAY Sept 18 at 7pm: Derry McMahon and Chick Lit

Time for another dose of chick lit.  Stories of food, wine, travel, shoes, shopping and other things that bring a smile to a girl's face.   Maybe even a touch of '50 shades...'  Enjoyable for women and for men who want to understand women.  Stories in voice.

MONDAY, September 17th at 7:00pm: More FANTASTIC ALICE!


Photo by Crap Mariner

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
He chortled in his joy.
More "trippy" delights from contemporary masters of modern fantasy paying tribute to Alice in Wonderland and its inspired creator, Lewis Carroll, in this short story anthology celebration. Selections presented by Shandon Loring and Caledonia Skytower. Live in Voice.

(Poem excerpt by Lewis Carroll – Jabberwocky from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

This week at Seanchai Library (Sept. 16-23)

WELCOME TO THE SEANCHAI LIBRARY ON IMAGINATION ISLAND!
"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in Second Life."


Events in the Seanchai Library this week - all stories told in open voice, all times SLT:

Sunday, September 16 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time on Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower

Monday, September 17 at 7 p.m. - Fantastic Alice: new stories from Wonderland with Shandon and Caledonia

Tuesday, September 18 at 7 p.m. - Chick Lit with Derry McMahon

Wednesday, September 19 at 7 p.m. - Talk Like A Pirate Day! (and stories) at Seanchai Library

Thursday, September 20 at 7 p.m. - Miner's Tales with Shandon Loring

Sunday, September 23 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time on Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower


And join us for these off-campus event too!

Sunday, September 16 at 10 a.m. - Tales of the Emerald Isle at Fruit Islands

Sunday, September 16 at 1 p.m. – Medieval Tales with the tinies at Raglan Shire. (Biggies welcome too!)

Sunday, September 23 at 6 p.m. – The Littles and the Lost Children at Magicland with Caledonia


All stories in voice and take place at Seanchai Libray on Imagination Island, unless otherwise noted. In September and October we'll be asking for donations toward the real world charity BreastCancer.org Have questions? IM or notecard Derry McMahon, Librarian.

Feel free to join the Seanchai or Stories Unlimited! subscribos. They are located in the library, just run in and touch them; or join our group, the Seanchai Library.

Be sure and check out our Flickr group for great images of past story sessions.

SUNDAY, September 16th at 2:00pm: TEA TIME at Baker Street!

More adventures with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Master Detective, Sherlock Holmes. Grab a cuppa and a smackerel of something and join Caledonia in the lower level of the library for mystery and intrigue!
TODAY: "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." One of the more popular Holmsian Adventures:  A young woman named Helen Stoner consults the detective Sherlock Holmes about the suspicious death of her sister, Julia. One night, after conversing with her twin sister about her upcoming wedding day, Julia screamed and came to the hallway where Helen came out to see her, in Julia's dying words she said "it was the band, the speckled band!"

Presented live in Voice, by Caledonia Skytower

SUNDAY Sept 16 at 10am and 1pm - Stories with Bear and Derry

Bear and Derry go off campus today for two sets of stories:

10am - Tales of the Emerald Isle!  Join us at Fruit Islands Sculpture Garden for fine Irish tales to celebrate "Half-way to St. Patrick's Day".

1pm - We'll join in the Medieval fest at Raglan Shire with heroic tales of knights and damsels and dragons with the Tinies.  (Biggies also welcome).

All stories in voice, landmarks to be sent with notices.

Thursday September 13th at 7pm: SEAFARING LORE & LEGEND with Shandon Loring



SEAFARING LORE & LEGEND


Scouring the ages and seven seas for fanciful, inspiring,, and bizarre tales of sea monsters, ghost ships, lost continents, castaways, pirates, explorers, and superstitions.

Tonight:
Sea Fancies, Myths, and Mysteries.

from:
Seafaring Lore & Legend by Peter D. Jeans
ISBN# 978-0-07-148656-9

WEDNESDAY, September 12th @ 7:00pm: "TO ANYWHERE THAT'S WILD!" John Muir & Yosemite


An 1872 Protrait of Muir at Age 30

John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas.

In a life filled with many amazing accomplishments, Muir published six volumes of writings, all describing explorations of natural settings. Four additional books were published posthumously.  Caledonia reads selections tonight from his 1912 “The Yosemite.”  Presented live in Voice.

You can learn more about Muir, his life, work, and writings through the website of the organization he founded: The Sierra Club

MONDAY, September 10th at 7pm: FROST AND FIRE Concludes

Gyro Muggins concludes this classic Bradbury short story in Voice: “Frost and Fire.” 
 

“Something is wrong with the world you've been born into. One hour old yet somehow you know your world bakes and freezes every day with only an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset to forage outside. You have an entire lifetime ahead of you to find the answer. You have seven days.”

Learn more about the amazing literary legacy of Ray Bradbury!

SUNDAY, September 9th at 2:00pm: TEA TIME at Baker Street!

More adventures with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Master Detective, Sherlock Holmes. Grab a cuppa and a smackerel of something and join Caledonia in the lower level of the library for mystery and intrigue!
TODAY: "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle." Watson visits his friend Holmes at Christmas time and finds him contemplating a battered old hat, brought to him by the commissionaire Peterson after it and a Christmas goose had been dropped by a man in a scuffle with some street ruffians. Peterson takes the goose home to eat it, but comes back later with a glittering carbuncle. His wife has found it in the bird's crop (throat).  Holmes cannot resist such an intriguing mystery, and he and Watson set out across the city to determine exactly how the jewel, stolen from the Countess of Morcar during her stay at a hotel, wound up in a goose.

Presented live in Voice, by Caledonia Skytower.

For more delights on the Great Master Detective, visit SherlockHolmes.com


This week at Seanchai Library, Sept. 9-16

WELCOME TO THE SEANCHAI LIBRARY ON IMAGINATION ISLAND!
"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in Second Life."


Events in the Seanchai Library this week - all stories told in open voice, all times SLT:

Sunday, September 9 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time on Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower

Monday, September 10 at 7 p.m. - Ray Bradbury's Frost and Fire (part 2)with Gyro Muggins

Tuesday, September 11 at 7 p.m. - Isaac Asimov's Evidence (from I, Robot) with Bear Silvershade

Wednesday, September 12 at 7 p.m. - To Anywhere That's Wild!: John Muir & Yosemite with Caledonia Skytower

Thursday, September 13 at 7 p.m. - Seafaring Lore and Legends with Shandon Loring

Sunday, September 16 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time on Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower


And join us for this off-campus event too!

Sunday, September 9 at 10 a.m. - Story session at Fruit Islands canceled

Sunday, September 16 at 10 a.m. - Tales of the Emerald Isle at Fruit Islands


All stories in voice and take place at Seanchai Libray on Imagination Island, unless otherwise noted. In July and August we'll be asking for donations toward the real world charity BreastCancer.org Have questions? IM or notecard Derry McMahon, Librarian.

Feel free to join the Seanchai or Stories Unlimited! subscribos. They are located in the library, just run in and touch them; or join our group, the Seanchai Library.

Be sure and check out our Flickr group for great images of past story sessions.

Thursday September 6th at 7pm: SECRET OF ROAN INISH conclusion

THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH
conclusion

"It all started long ago when the cottages on Ron Mor were newly built, five or six there must have been then, right down on the shore of the only bay on the island, and a family living in each. They were fisherfolk for the most part, living on what they could get from the sea and the scanty crops they managed to raise on the thin soil of the island. Their life was hard, but not too hard for them to take an interest in one another's affairs. So it was odd that nobody ever discovered for certain where young Ian McConville really found his wife.”

Fiona who learns of the selkie tales from her grandfather - and of her own bloodline - goes in search of her lost little brother.

Wednesday September 5th at 7pm: SECRET OF ROAN INISH pt.1 with Shandon Loring


THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH
Part One

"It all started long ago when the cottages on Ron Mor were newly built, five or six there must have been then, right down on the shore of the only bay on the island, and a family living in each. They were fisherfolk for the most part, living on what they could get from the sea and the scanty crops they managed to raise on the thin soil of the island. Their life was hard, but not too hard for them to take an interest in one another's affairs. So it was odd that nobody ever discovered for certain where young Ian McConville really found his wife.”

TUESDAY 4 September at 7pm: More from "Blackbird House"



More from Alice Hoffman's chronicle of the occupants of a certain farmhouse, out in the wilds of Cape Cod, over the course of 200 years. Hoffman is also known for such works as "Practical Magic", "The Red Garden", "Local Gifts" and recently "The Dovekeepers" plus more than two dozen others.   

Derry McMahon presents in Voice.

CLICK HERE for more on Alice Hoffman and her work.

MONDAY, September 3rd at 7:00pm: FROST AND FIRE ~ Part 1

The late Ray Bradbury was a legendary sci-fi writer whose works were translated in more than 40 languages and sold tens of millions of copies around the world. Although his imagination created a world of new technical and intellectual ideas, he had never driven a car and did not have one. Gyro Muggins presents this classic Bradbury short story in Voice, “Frost and Fire.”
“Something is wrong with the world you've been born into. One hour old yet somehow you know your world bakes and freezes every day with only an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset to forage outside. You have an entire lifetime ahead of you to find the answer. You have seven days.” Presented in two Parts.
Learn more about the amazing literary legacy of Ray Bradbury!

September 3 to 9 at Seanchai Library

WELCOME TO THE SEANCHAI LIBRARY ON IMAGINATION ISLAND!
"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in Second Life."


Events in the Seanchai Library this week - all stories told in open voice, all times SLT:

Monday, September 3 at 7 p.m. - Ray Bradbury's Frost and Fire with Gyro Muggins

Tuesday, September 4 at 7 p.m. - Selections from Blackbird House with Derry McMahon

Wednesday, September 5 at 7 p.m. - The Secret of Rowan Inish (Part 1) with Shandon Loring

Thursday, September 6 at 7 p.m. - The Secret of Rowan Inish (Part 2) with Shandon Loring


And join us for this off-campus event too!

Sunday, September 9 at 10 a.m. - Stories at Fruit Islands with Shandon Loring


All stories in voice and take place at Seanchai Libray on Imagination Island, unless otherwise noted. In July and August we'll be asking for donations toward the real world charity BreastCancer.org Have questions? IM or notecard Derry McMahon, Librarian.

Feel free to join the Seanchai or Stories Unlimited! subscribos. They are located in the library, just run in and touch them; or join our group, the Seanchai Library.

Be sure and check out our Flickr group for great images of past story sessions.

Thursday August 30th at 7pm:Cryptofiction from William Hope Hodgson with Shandon Loring

CRYPTOFICTION
from William Hope Hodgson
1877 - 1918

Cryptofiction from an early master of the 19th century. Sea monsters, ghost ships, and things that go bump.

Tonight:
Demons of the Sea
The Thing in the Weeds


stories from
"The Collected Works of William Hope Hodgson"

ASIN#: B003B657CG

WEDNESDAY, August 29th at 7:00PM: The Conclusion ~ ZORA AND ME

Zora has a theory that the legendary Gator King is stalking Eatonville, bringing death and distruction. In their search for truth, Zora and her friends Carrie and Teddy stumble unwittingly into an ugly web of envy, lies, deceit and betrayal. Just as unexpectedly, the three friends are the key that unlocks the mystery and the unlikely saviors of Eatonville itself. Written by authors Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon, this is a fictionalization of the early years of a literary giant. This astonishing novel is the first project ever to be endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust that was not authored by Hurston herself.
Visit the Zora and Me Website!

Presented live in Voice.

TUESDAY 28 August at 7pm: Crap Mariner with a tribute to David Rakoff


According to WikiPedia, David Rakoff described himself as a "New York writer" who also happened to be a "Canadian writer", a "mega Jewish writer", a "gay writer" and an "East Asian Studies major who has forgotten most of his Japanese" writer

Sadly, this talented and twisted contributor to shows like This American Life has recently become a "Dead writer", succumbing to the cancer that he wrote quite a bit about in his recent book, 
Half Empty.

Crap Mariner will be reading selections of David Rakoff's work Tuesday August 28th at 7PM at the Seanchai Library in voice.

MONDAY, AUGUST 27th at 7:00PM: FANTASTIC ALICE !

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'

He chortled in his joy.

Today's masters of modern fantasy pay tribute to Alice in Wonderland and its inspired creator, Lewis Carroll, in this short story anthology celebration. Edited, with an introduction by Margaret Weiss. Selections presented by Shandon Loring and Caledonia Skytower. Live in Voice.

Visit The Lewis Carroll Society of North America Website!
Or The Lewis Carroll Society in the UK   

  (Poem excerpt by Lewis Carroll – Jabberwocky from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

SUNDAY, August 26th at 2:00PM: TEA TIME on Baker Street

Summer is the time for adventure, and we spice up our tea Time for Summer with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Master Detective, Sherlock Holmes. Grab a cuppa and a smackerel of something and join Caledonia in the lower level of the library for mystery and intrigue!


TODAY: "The Man With the Twisted Lip." Dr. Watson is called upon late at night by a female friend of his wife. Her husband has been absent for several days and, as he is an opium addict, she is sure he has been indulging in a lengthy drug binge in a dangerous East End opium den. Frantic with worry, she seeks Dr. Watson's help in fetching him home. Watson does this, but he also finds his friend Sherlock Holmes in the den, disguised as an old man, trying to extract information about a new case from the addicts in the den.

Visit 221b Baker Street yourself, on the web at the Sherlock Holmes Museum site!  
Presented Live in Voice.

Aug. 26 - Sept. 2 at Seanchai Library

WELCOME TO THE SEANCHAI LIBRARY ON IMAGINATION ISLAND!
"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in Second Life."


Events in the Seanchai Library this week - all stories told in open voice, all times SLT:

Sunday, August 26 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time at Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower

Monday, August 27 at 7 p.m. - Fantastic Alice: New Stories from Wonderland with Caledonia and Shandon

Tuesday, August 28 at 7 p.m. - Crap Mariner salutes David Rakoff

Wednesday, August 29 at 7 p.m. - Zora and Me (Part 4) with Caledonia Skytower

Thursday, August 30 at 7 p.m. - Stories from William Hope Hodgson with Shandon Loring


All stories in voice and take place at Seanchai Libray on Imagination Island, unless otherwise noted. In July and August we'll be asking for donations toward the real world charity Little Kids Rock! Have questions? IM or notecard Derry McMahon, Librarian.

Feel free to join the Seanchai or Stories Unlimited! subscribos. They are located in the library, just run in and touch them; or join our group, the Seanchai Library.

Be sure and check out our Flickr group for great images of past story sessions.

THURSDAY, August 23rd at 7:00pm: Selections from BLACKBIRD HOUSE

"Blackbird House" is  a collection of short stories by contemporary author Alice Hoffman.  The stories chronicle the occupants of a certain farmhouse, out in the wilds of Cape Cod, over the course of 200 years.  Hoffman is also known for such works as "Practical Magic", "The Red Garden", "Local Gifts" and recently "The Dovekeepers" plus more than two dozen others.   

Derry McMahon presents in Voice.

CLICK HERE for more on Alice Hoffman and her work.

WEDNESDAY, August 22nd at 7PM: ZORA AND ME ~ Part 3

Whether she’s telling the truth or stretching it, Zora Neale Hurston is a riveting storyteller. By turns tender, intimate, then brutal, this child’s eye view of race in the South, and the mysteries behind home, and the ones you love is compelling. Written by authors Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon, this is a fictionalization of the early years of a literary giant. This astonishing novel is the first project ever to be endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust that was not authored by Hurston herself.
Visit the Zora and Me Website!

Presented live in Voice.

TUESDAY 21 August at 7pm: Arthur and the Sword!

"Who so Pulleth Out This Sword of this Stone and Anvil, is Rightwise King Born of all England."

Young Emrys - now known as Arthur - comes into his own.  He is acknowledged by his father, King Uther Pendragon, but he still has to prove himself in order to be accepted as King.  It is time for him to take up Macsen's Sword and attain the throne.  Join Derry McMahon for the thrilling conclusion to Mary Stewart's "The Hollow Hills".  Story in voice.

MONDAY, August 20th at 7PM: BEAUTIFUL POETRY with Aoife Lorefield

There's just no doubt that Aoife Lorefield has fantastic taste in poetry. Whether it is W.B. Yeats, Billy Collins, or Mary Oliver she has an infallible instinct for meaningful, expressive, thought-provoking compositions that inspire, and enliven. Come see what Aoife has to share tonight!



Presented live in Voice.

August 19 to 26 at Seanchai Library

WELCOME TO THE SEANCHAI LIBRARY ON IMAGINATION ISLAND!
"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in Second Life."


Events in the Seanchai Library this week - all stories told in open voice, all times SLT:

Monday, August 20 at 7 p.m. - Beautiful Poetry with Aoife Lorefield

Tuesday, August 21 at 7 p.m. - Arthur! Rightwise King of All Britain! (part 3) with Derry McMahon

Wednesday, August 22 at 7 p.m. - Zora and Me (Part 3) with Caledonia Skytower

Thursday, August 23 at 7 p.m. - Stories from William Hope Hodgson with Shandon Loring

Sunday, August 26 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time at Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower


Join us at these off-campus events too!

Sunday, August 19 at noon to 1:30 p.m. - Bard on the Beach at Mango in Fruit Islands

Sunday, August 19 at 6 p.m. - MagicLand Storytime with Caledonia Skytower


All stories in voice and take place at Seanchai Libray on Imagination Island, unless otherwise noted. In July and August we'll be asking for donations toward the real world charity Little Kids Rock! Have questions? IM or notecard Derry McMahon, Librarian.

Feel free to join the Seanchai or Stories Unlimited! subscribos. They are located in the library, just run in and touch them; or join our group, the Seanchai Library.

Be sure and check out our Flickr group for great images of past story sessions.

BARD ON THE VIRTUAL BEACH 2012!

A weekend festival celebrating the Bard of Avon: Shakespeare and Shakespeare- inspired presentations on the Beach at Mango, in the Fruit Islands - Presented live in Voice.  You'll find some of your Seanchai Friends there as well as actors, storytellers, and other performers from around the grid.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mango/87/136/23





Saturday and Sunday feature different performance line-ups.
Check StoryFest Events Blog for Schedule and Updates:  http://storyfestsl2011.blogspot.com/

Thursday August 16th at 7pm: LEGENDS OF THE CELTS with Shandon Loring


LEGENDS OF THE CELTS
The enthralling mything legacy of the Celts - embracing goodness and courage, revenge, violence and fatal destiny - is vividly retold, capturing their ancient world and heroic ideals. From the great cauldron of human experience and need, these tales from the historic oral tradition and rare ancient manuscripts of the Celts will enchant and inspire.



Tonight: 
The Beginning of Celtic Legend
DEIRDRE & THE SONS OF USNA
THE TALE OF CULHWCH AND OLWEN

Stories from "Legends of the Celts" by Frank Delaney
ISBN#0-8069-8351-5

WEDNESDAY, August 15th at 7pm: Part 2 ~ ZORA AND ME

Whether she’s telling the truth or stretching it, Zora Neale Hurston is a riveting storyteller. Her latest creation is a shape-shifting gator man who lurks in the marshes, waiting to steal human souls. But when boastful Sonny Wrapped loses a wrestling match with an elusive alligator named Ghost — and a man is found murdered by the railroad tracks soon after — young Zora’s tales of a mythical evil creature take on an ominous and far more complicated complexion, jeopardizing the peace and security of an entire town and forcing three children to come to terms with the dual-edged power of pretending.

Zora’s best friend, Carrie, narrates this coming-of-age story set in the Eden-like town of Eatonville, Florida, where justice isn’t merely an exercise in retribution, but a testimony to the power of community, love, and pride. A fictionalization of the early years of a literary giant, this astonishing novel is the first project ever to be endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust that was not authored by Hurston herself.

Presented Live in Voice.

Find out more about this work and its authors Online: CLICK HERE

TUESDAY 14 August at 7pm: Merlin and Arthur Tales with Derry


Tonight, in excerpts from Mary Stewart's "The Hollow Hills" we learn how a young lad named Emrys grew up in the house of Sir Ector, under the tutelage of the holy man who tended the shrine.  The holy man was Merlin, the lad was Arthur, and plans were being made for their futures that would surprise the lad, and even surprise the holy man.  Join Derry for these stories in voice.

MONDAY, August 13th at 7pm: ALL THE TRAPS OF EARTH Concludes

"He was no longer Richard Daniel, runaway from Earth. He'd dodged all the traps of Man, he'd covered all his tracks, and he was on his way."  Will Richard make it to his goal and attain the freedom he desires?


From author Clifford D. Simak's award-winning novella: a classic piece of Science Fiction - Fantasy literature! Tonight: The Conclusion

Presented by Gyro Muggins, Live in voice.

SUNDAY, August 12th at 2pm: TEA TIME at Baker Street

More Spicy Tea for Summer with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Master Detective, Sherlock Holmes. Grab a cuppa and a smackerel of something and join Caledonia in the lower level of the library for mytsery and intrigue!
THIS WEEK: The Five Orange Pips! A young Sussex gentleman named John Openshaw has a strange story: in 1869 his uncle Elias Openshaw had suddenly come back to England to settle on an estate at Horsham, West Sussex after living for years in the United States as a planter in Florida and serving as a Colonel in the Confederate Army.

Not being married, Elias had allowed his nephew to stay at his estate. Strange incidents have occurred; one is that although John could go anywhere in the house he could never enter a locked room containing his uncle's trunks. Another peculiarity was that in March 1883 a letter postmarked from Pondicherry, India arrived for the Colonel inscribed only "K.K.K." with five orange pips enclosed.
Presented Live in Voice.

August 12 to 19 at Seanchai Library

WELCOME TO THE SEANCHAI LIBRARY ON IMAGINATION ISLAND!
"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in Second Life."


Events in the Seanchai Library this week - all stories told in open voice, all times SLT:

Sunday, August 12 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time at Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower

Monday, August 13 at 7 p.m. - All the Traps of Earth (part 2) with Gyro Muggins

Tuesday, August 14 at 7 p.m. - Merlin and Arthur (part 2) with Derry McMahon

Wednesday, August 15 at 7 p.m. - Zora and Me (Part 2) with Caledonia Skytower

Thursday, August 16 at 7 p.m. - Legends of the Celts with Shandon Loring

Sunday, August 19 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time at Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower


Join us at these off-campus events too!

Sunday, August 12 at 10 a.m. - International Tales at Mango in Fruit Islands with Derry and Bear

Sunday, August 12 at 1 p.m. - Pirate Tales with Bear, Derry and the Tinies at Raglan Shire (Biggies welcome too).

Saturday, August 18 at 3 to 4:30 p.m. - Bard on the Beach at Mango in Fruit Islands

Sunday, August 19 at noon to 1:30 p.m. - Bard on the Beach II at Mango in Fruit Islands

Sunday, August 22 at 6 p.m. - MagicLand Storytime with Caledonia Skytower


All stories in voice and take place at Seanchai Libray on Imagination Island, unless otherwise noted. In July and August we'll be asking for donations toward the real world charity Little Kids Rock! Have questions? IM or notecard Derry McMahon, Librarian.

Feel free to join the Seanchai or Stories Unlimited! subscribos. They are located in the library, just run in and touch them; or join our group, the Seanchai Library.

Be sure and check out our Flickr group for great images of past story sessions.

SUNDAY 12 August at 10 & 1: Traveler's Tales & Tiny Pirates

Derry and Bear will be out and about on Sunday!  

At 10am, in a final salute the Olympic spirit, they will offer tales from around the world.  Today's locales include hiking in Italy, aphrodisiacs in Mexico, shopping in Kuwait, running in France, adventures in Thailand and more.  Stories at the gallery in Mango on Fruit Islands.

At 1pm they will be in Raglan Shire for Pirate Stories!  Biggies and Tinys are both welcome to this friendly place.  Time to get your ARRRRRR on!!   Notices will be sent with LMs for both events!  All stories in voice!

THURSDAY, August 9th at 7 p.m.: The Hardwood Pile, by L. Sprague de Camp


Never pick a fight with a dryad!

Long ago, someone imported a Norway Maple sapling to New England, where it thrived and grew into a tree. But the sapling was aslo home to Aceria, a maple spite, who came along for the ride. She didn't mind being transplanted; she was happy anywhere, just so long as her tree was safe.
   "Sprague possesses a sharp wit and a fine sense of humor."
-- Issac Asimov
First published in the September 1940 issue of "Astounding," The Hardwood Pile is a classic example of L. Sprague de Camp at his finest.

De Camp was widely regarded as one of the most imaginative and innovative writers from the late 1930's through the late 1940's, the heyday of science fiction.

In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote science fiction, fantasy and heroic fantasy along with notable works of non-fiction, including the definitive biography of H.P. Lovecraft.
Presented live in voice by Bear Silvershade

WEDNESDAY, August 8th at 7pm: Part 1 ~ ZORA AND ME

Winner of the 2011 John Steptoe New Talent (Author) Award!
Racial duplicity threatens an idyllic African American community in the turn-of-the-century South in a dazzling debut inspired by the early life of Zora Neale Hurston.  A fictionalization of the early years of a literary giant, this astonishing novel is the first project ever to be endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust that was not authored by Hurston herself.  Created by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon.

"Whether she’s telling the truth or stretching it, Zora Neale Hurston is a riveting storyteller. Her latest creation is a shape-shifting gator man who lurks in the marshes, waiting to steal human souls..."

Visit the Zora and Me online!

Presented in Voice.



TUESDAY 7 Aug at 7pm: "The Sword in the Stone" with Derry


Join Derry as she begins a 3 part series of excerpts from Mary Stewart's "The Hollow Hills".  Tonight Merlin hunts down Macsen's sword and readies it for Arthur.  Arthur comes riding through the forest and meets Merlin, having no idea who he is nor the pedigree they share.  Stories in voice.

MONDAY, August 6th at 7PM: ALL THE TRAPS OF EARTH

Among the personal possessions of the deceased Barrington line is "One domestic robot, Richard Daniel, antiquated but in good repair."  Facing a legally required memory wipe, he goes on the lam, trying to evade "All the Traps of Earth." 

From author Clifford D. Simak's award-winning novella: a classic piece of Science Fiction - Fantasy literature! 

Presented in two parts ... Tonight:  Part One! Gyro Muggins, Live in voice.

SUNDAY, August 5th at 2PM: TEA TIME at Baker Street

Summer is the time for adventure, and we spice up our tea Time for Summer with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Master Detective, Sherlock Holmes.  Grab a cuppa and a smackerel of something and join Caledonia in the lower level of the library for mytsery and intrigue! 

THIS WEEK:  The Boscombe Vally Mystery!  Lestrade summons Holmes to a community in Herefordshire, where a local land owner has been murdered outdoors. The deceased's estranged son is strongly implicated. Holmes quickly determines that a mysterious third man may be responsible for the crime, unraveling a thread involving a secret criminal past, thwarted love, and blackmail.

Presented Live in Voice.

August 5 to 12 in Seanchai Library

WELCOME TO THE SEANCHAI LIBRARY ON IMAGINATION ISLAND!
"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in Second Life."


Events in the Seanchai Library this week - all stories told in open voice, all times SLT:

Sunday, August 5 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time at Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower

Monday, August 6 at 7 p.m. - All the Traps of Earth with Gyro Muggins

Tuesday, August 7 at 7 p.m. - The Sword in the Stone with Derry McMahon

Wednesday, August 8 at 7 p.m. - Zora and Me with Caledonia Skytower

Thursday, August 9 at 7 p.m. - L. Sprague de Camp's The Hardwood Pile with Bear Silvershade

Sunday, August 12 at 2 p.m. - Tea Time at Baker Street with Caledonia Skytower


Join us at these off-campus events too!

Sunday, August 5 at 6 p.m. - Alice Hoffman’s Aquamarine at MagicLand Storytime with Caledonia Skytower



All stories in voice and take place at Seanchai Libray on Imagination Island, unless otherwise noted. In May and June we'll be asking for donations towards our home organization: Community Virtual Library!. Have questions? IM or notecard Derry McMahon, Librarian.

Feel free to join the Seanchai or Stories Unlimited! subscribos. They are located in the library, just run in and touch them; or join our group, the Seanchai Library.

Be sure and check out our Flickr group for great images of past story sessions.