Calendar

Aug
14
Tue
Anthony Debenedet: Playful Intelligence @ Literati
Aug 14 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Literati is excited to welcome Anthony Debenedet who will be sharing his new book Playful Intelligence: The Power of Living Lightly in a Serious World.

About Playful Intelligence:
As adults, we have more responsibilities than we could have ever imagined growing up. Learning the work of marriage. Navigating the bumpy terrain of parenting. Maintaining social relationships. Facing grave hardship. Finding contentment in our career. As the years pass by, we sense how the good things in life are so often eclipsed by stress. We find ourselves doing everything we can just to endure adulthood, all the while wondering whether we are actually enjoying it. This is exactly why Dr. Anthony T. DeBenedet decided to write Playful Intelligence: The Power of Living Lightly in a Serious World, to show readers how playfulness helps us counterbalance the seriousness of adulthood

“Five years ago, my life was becoming more intense and stressful,” DeBenedet says. “My relationships, clinical work as a physician, and basic interactions with the world were blurring into a frazzled mosaic. Going through the motions became my norm, and every day brought busyness and exhaustion. I thought about whether I was depressed. I didn’t think I was. Anxious? Sure, but aren’t we all anxious on some level? I also thought about the lifestyle factors that could be making me feel this way. Was I getting enough sleep? Was I exercising regularly? Was I eating healthy? Was I playing and remembering to be playful?”

Today, we live in a taxing world. The endless pressure to keep up with our responsibilities and the daily headlines swarming around us can be overwhelming. DeBenedet’s work comes at a time when stress, uncertainty, and intensity levels are high. Playful Intelligence shows adults that there is a way to live lighter–and smarter–as we navigate the seriousness of adulthood. It’s not about taking life less seriously; it’s about taking ourselves less seriously.

The book’s core chapters are devoted to exploring the effects and benefits of five playful qualities: imagination, sociability, humor, spontaneity, and wonder. By examining playfulness as a sum of its parts, readers will gain a working awareness of its power and be able to apply playful principles to their own lives, bringing the magic of childhood back into their day-to-day existence. The book also offers practical suggestions on how to make life more playful in nature.

Anthony T. DeBenedet, M.D. is a practicing physician and behavioral-science enthusiast. His interviews and writings have run in various media outlets, including the New York Times, the Today show, the Washington Post, and TIME Ideas. He also co-authored The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It (Quirk Books, 2011), a parenting book about the importance of parent-child physical play. DeBenedet has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Duke University Pratt School of Engineering, a Master of Science Degree in Health and Healthcare Research from the University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School, and a Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Michigan Health System. DeBenedet lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he enjoys spending time with his family, connecting with friends, and playing a little basketball.

Aug
16
Thu
WordFest 3: Lyn Davidge, Beverly Black, Rebecca Biber, Steve Wilson @ Bookbound
Aug 16 @ 12:20 pm – 1:20 pm

Ann Arbor Storytellers Guild member Lyn Davidge hosts a variety show with several local performers, including storyteller Beverly Black, poet Rebecca Biber, comic Steve Wilson, and others.
6:45 p.m., Bookbound, 1729 Plymouth. Free. 369-4345.

Michigan Mystery Author Trio: Pamela Gossiaux, Darci Hannah, Greg Jolly @ Nicola's Books
Aug 16 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Three writers discuss their new books. Pamela Gossiaux‘s Trusting the Cat Burglar is about a newlywed who discovers a dark secret about her husband’s past while curating an exhibit of rare maps. Darci Hannah‘s Cherry Pies & Deadly Lies is about a baker who turns sleuth when the manager of her family’s orchard is found dead, with all evidence pointing to the baker’s father as the killer. Greg Jolly‘s Malice in a Very Small Town is about a woman bent on protecting her child when kids start disappearing in her neighborhood.
7 p.m., Nicola’s, Westgate shopping center. Free

Aug
17
Fri
Larry D. Sweazy: See Also Proof @ Aunt Agatha's
Aug 17 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Larry D. Sweazy joins our August book club on Friday, August 17 at 7, to talk about his latest Marjorie Trumaine novel, See Also Proof. All are welcome.

Aug
18
Sat
Novel Relationships: Beverly Jenkins, Sylvia Hubbard, and Sarah Zettel @ Ypsilanti Public Library - Whittaker
Aug 18 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Three bestselling authors talk about the most gripping aspect of storytelling: the deep dive into all facets of human relationships. Whether it’s bringing characters together in a forever love or exploring the depths of a broken family, Beverly Jenkins, Sylvia Hubbard and Sarah Zettel talk about the art of exploring the shifting, fascinating and sometimes perilous spaces between people. Authors will also discuss some of the romantic titles included in PBS’ The Great American Read, in partnership with Detroit Public Television and the American Library Association.
YDL-Whittaker, 5577 Whittaker Road, Ypsilanti. Free. 734-482-4110.info@ypsilibrary.org www.ypsilibrary.org 

Aug
20
Mon
Emerging Writers: Open House @ AADL Westgate
Aug 20 @ 7:00 pm – 8:45 pm

Local short story writer Alex Kourvo and young adult novelist Bethany Neal host an open house for writers to connect with one another and/or work on their projects.

 

Aug
21
Tue
The Moth Storyslam: Destiny @ Greyline
Aug 21 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Aug. 7 & 21. Open mike storytelling competition sponsored by The Moth, the NYC-based nonprofit storytelling organization that also produces a weekly public radio show. Each month 10 storytellers are selected at random from among those who sign up to tell a 3-5 minute story on a biweekly theme. August themes: “Business” (Aug. 7) & “Destiny” (Aug. 21). The 3-person judging teams are recruited from the audience. Monthly winners compete in a semiannual Grand Slam. Space limited, so it’s smart to arrive early.
7:30-9 p.m. (doors open and sign-up begins at 6 p.m.), Greyline, 100 N. Ashley. $8. 764-5118.

 

Aug
22
Wed
Toastmasters Meeting @ Sweetwaters
Aug 22 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Toastmasters is an international group devoted to helping each other grow in our abilities to give speeches. The Sweetwaters Toastmasters Club meets twice monthly. We are a fun and friendly group! Toastmasters also helps you develop leadership skills if you wish to do that. Come as many times as you want for free, and decide later if you want to join. In the meantime, come make new friends and have fun!
Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea on Washington Street, 123 West Washington Street. Free. 323-286-3999. https://www.facebook.com/groups/TMSweet/

 

 

 

Aug
26
Sun
Farewell to Aunt Agatha’s: William Kent Krueger: Desolution Mountain, Lori Rader-Day: Under a Dark Sky, Sarah Zettel: The Other Daughter @ AADL
Aug 26 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Join us for a farewell to Aunt Agatha’s afternoon with William Kent KruegerLori Rader-Day & Sarah Zettel on Sunday, August 26 at 2 PM. Kent will be talking about his new Cork O’Connor book, Desolation Mountain, and Lori will be discussing her new book set in Michigan, Under a Dark Sky. Sarah will be launching her new thriller The Other Daughter. This event will take place at the downtown library.

Special Story Time: Meg Gower: Michigan Moon @ Nicola's Books
Aug 26 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Join us for a story time with Meg Gower, as she reads her book Michigan Moon, published by the Ann Arbor District Library’s imprint, Fifth Avenue Press! Though now retired, Gower used to be a naturalist at Waterloo Recreation Area, so the book that evolved into Michigan Moon features nature photography illustrations paired with lyrical verse.

A landscape architect by training, Meg Gower has worked with the Michigan State Parks as naturalist and informal educator since 2006. She enjoys leading hikes in the woods and hosting star parties. She lives with her husband and daughter at the edge of the largest state park in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

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