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by CARINA GONZALEZ (RL) CARINA GONZALES (SL)
 The Sci-fi & Fantasy Portal, part of Info Island, will be presenting Sky Stories once a month. The project, run by Franja Russell (SL), showcases stories about constellations in a planetarium-like setting. The stories are available anytime. Come in, sit, and hear a story about a constellation.
The inaugural Sky Story was about the Big Dipper and features the word “yo-ho”. Quite appropriate for the same month that hosted International Talk Like a Pirate Day. The story comes from the Snohomish Tribe of Washington State’s Puget Sound. Accompanied by the sound of tribal drums, the story is captivating while still being educational.
The idea for Sky Stories came from another section of the Sci-fi & Fantasy Portal – a diorama that sits just inside its entry. The diorama was changed seasonally and provided a space for visitors to take snapshots of themselves or with friends. The diorama was created by Russell “after visiting the planetarium in the new California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. [She] remembered seeing Stonehenge in England and various megalithic structures in Scotland and Ireland [and] made the diorama evoking those places.” Russell thought, “wouldn’t it be neat to go back in time and hear some of the ancient stories about constellations?”
 A year passed with the idea in the back of Russell’s mind until she approached Lorin Tone (SL) of Lorin’s Sound Shack. Tone assured Russell that the sound could be contained within the exhibit and would not interfere with the conversations and meetings of the sim’s neighbors: Mystery Manor and the Science Center. Russell agreed to build the exhibit and Tone agreed to provide the sound.
Russell created the outside of the exhibit “phantom” so people can enter or exit from any side. The outside is partly transparent so people can choose where to walk in without bumping into anything or anyone. However, the inside wall and dome are textured to look like the night sky. The sky texture was created by Rosmairta Killara (SL) whose textures were featured at an exhibit hosted by the Sci-fi & Fantasy Portal two years ago.
The operation of the Sky Stories exhibit is simple. Access is available 24/7. People come in, sit on a comfortable cushion, and click on numbered prims to hear the story. Prim [1] will always have an introduction and the beginning of the story. When the story ceases, click on [2], [3], etc., in order to hear the rest of the story.
At present, the stories are being chosen by Russell. However, she welcomes recommendations and submissions. Russell is currently compiling information for ten constellation stories and two information tracks within the next twelve months. She is not looking for newly written, author-inspired stories, but rather authentic, ethnic stories from the human past. Once that is set, the project is slated to present two to four additional pieces each year, for several years. The Sky’s the limit.
 Sky Stories
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Last Updated on Sunday, 04 October 2009 14:07 |
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By LEEORIE ALTER
Photo by VERDE OTAARED
They say you sometimes have to put your money where your mouth is. Or your time.
MusMuris Messmer has decided to do just that with BookFix, a new book discussion series at the Reader's Garden on Cybrary City I.
Messmer, a librarian for the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library in the U.S., was initially a bit of a nay-sayer about Second Life, in part because he couldn't find a book discussion group that fit his needs."I took a class on virtual librarianship in Second Life a couple of years ago, and my first thought was that SL would be great for book clubs. I looked around and found lots of activity, but the focus - science fiction, books published on the Internet, nonfiction books about Web technology - wasn’t what I wanted." Messmer says he responded the way most people do."I dropped out of SL for a while to complain about its shortcomings while constantly defending it against SL skeptics. One of my arguments was that, since SL is a world created by its users, the skeptics are shaping it toward what they already believe it to be - a shopping channel video game - by their nonparticipation. Eventually, it penetrated poor MusMuris's thick skull that I was doing the same thing by complaining about the book club I couldn't find instead of just starting it."
 Messmer already had a head start, as well as book group experience, with BookFix, the discussion he runs for his real life library. By using the same books for the book discussions in both real life and Second Life, he wouldn't have to put in a lot of extra time prepping for the meetings. And the lineup of books was already established.
Messmer contacted Sonja Morgwain, who is in charge of the programs for the Reader's Garden. A monthly book discussion group run by an experienced librarian was a perfect fit for the Garden, and Messmer is hoping the participants will make the group not only what he is hoping for, but what they want it to be as well. "I hope the participants will give it its shape. I plan to use chat instead of voice, unless others object. I've been attending the Whitman discussions in Caledon and hope I've learned something from an excellent facilitator there. The Second Life discussion will follow the real life discussion, which always generates a lot of questions, so we shouldn't lack for things to talk about. I do intend to stick with the selections from the real life book club, because I don't really have time for two book clubs a month. The real life group seems to have fallen into a loose rotation of contemporary fiction, classics, nonfiction - usually biographies - and young adult."
The new Reader's Garden series launches at 6 p.m. SLT July 15 with "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne.
For more information on the Reader's Garden visit the Garden blog at http://readersgardensl.blogspot.com/ and for info about the real life BookFix, with upcoming titles, is on the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library web site at http://www.kckpl.lib.ks.us/westpage/bookfix.htm
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SLurl for the Reader's Garden: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cybrary%20City/122/159/24/
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By DULCIE MILLS
[Book reading session transcript]
Hi, Everyone,
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Dulcie Mills (Debbie De Louise in real life), and it is my pleasure to be speaking with you today at Sonja's wonderful Readers Garden. I will be talking about my recently published novel, "Cloudy Rainbow," which I consider a paranormal romance or, if you'd like, a virtual romance, as it features a virtual world that is similar but somewhat different from Second Life.
I will talk a little bit about myself, how I came to publish the book which is my first novel, and then I will discuss some of the themes in the book, read a few excerpts from "Cloudy Rainbow," and finally address some questions from the audience that can be given in voice or text chat.
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With recent reorganizations across the information grid, the Reader’s Garden has been re-located to the main square in Cybrary City. To inaugurate their new location, just in front of our RezLibris office, Sonja Morgwain invited Corona Anatine to speak about her research of the origins of Egyptian culture. Corona’s real life background includes archeology and the study of indigenous languages, particularly in the areas surrounding Egypt. Her degrees include archaeological sciences and a masters in biomedical forensic egyptology. In SL, Corona is also the creator of the Library Temple of Seshat (Goddess of Librarians) on the Tourmaline Island sim. This first talk at the Reader’s Garden’s new location included an exploration of how ancient cultures pass down information about themselves over the centuries. One obvious way, noted Corona, is the written record. As explained, the Egyptians were well known for their written records, but importance must also be given to the un-written record that continues to be passed down in the form of “myths and legends”. Within these myths and legends resided a connection to the pronunciation of the hieroglyphic language also known as the language of the K’em. Corona explained that the K’em was the term used by ancient Egyptians to refer to themselves as a people. She also noted that the known K’em texts are not relegated to the existence of discovered stone texts, but also include papyrus scrolls with subject matter including scientific and mathematical knowledge.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 07 December 2008 15:04 |
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Those of Irish descent have always been known for their gift of “blarney.” It is, therefore, no coincidence that one of the best and most consistent places to find great storytelling happens to be the West of Ireland Library and Cultural Center on the West of Ireland sim.
Created in February of 2007 by Dharma Austin, the West of Ireland (WOI) sim is dedicated to music, literature, surfing and above all, Project Children. This real life charity was created in 1975 by Denis Mulcahy, a New York City Policeman, who created the program to bring children from conflicting Irish groups to the United States for a vacation and relationship building opportunity. All of the events presented on the WOI sim are free of charge in the hopes of gaining donations to the Project Children program. The popularity of events and generosity of WOI attendees has meant an average of $800-$1200 real life dollars contributed to the charity each month.
The WOI Library and Cultural Center, located next the beautiful sculpture of playing children overlooking the ocean, is one of the most popular places on the WOI sim as it plays host to exhibits, group readings, storytelling, genealogy discussions and other culturally significant events. The storytelling schedule for WOI Library is jam packed with a session almost every day or evening of the week. Some of the storytelling consists of original work by various artists, but many of the selections are voice readings of traditional classic literary works.
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