FEBRUARY BOOK EVENTS AT ICNY 

          On Wednesday, February 3, the International Center will welcome back author Gabriel Thompson for a reading and discussion of his new book Working in the Shadows: A Year of Doing the Jobs Most Americans Won’t Do. The book chronicles Thompson’s year-long experiment working undercover  alongside Latino immigrants. He stooped over lettuce fields in Arizona and worked the graveyard shift at a chicken slaughterhouse in rural Alabama. He dodged taxis as a bicycle delivery “boy” for an upscale Manhattan restaurant, and was fired from a city flower shop.

            The book is part personal narrative and part investigative report. It tells the stories of workers, undocumented immigrants and desperate US citizens alike, who are forced to live with chronic pain in pursuit of $8 an hour.  Through these stories, Thompson shines a bright light on the underside of the American economy, exposing harsh working conditions and lax government enforcement.    

            On Wednesday, February 24, author and ICNY volunteer Mark Stuart Ellison will  read from his award-winning novel Dear Mom, Dad & Ethel: World War II through the Eyes of a Radio Man. This book is a unique blend of wartime letters, a love story, and history. It is based on the real-life experiences of Ellison's late father and co-author, Eli Ellison, who served as a radio technician in Western Europe from 1943 to 1945.

            Ellison will also lead a special workshop prior to the reading and will share excerpts and photos from his book with Center members. Come practice your English while learning about a chapter from American history told through personal letters, stories, and photographs. Watch the bulletin boards and ICNY website for more details.

WINTER ART SHOWS 

            The Center lounge and conversation room are now featuring works by 32 artists from  Korean American Contemporary Arts, Ltd. (KACAL). The show, entitled Now and…, will be on display through February 25.  An opening reception is on Thursday, February 4, from 7 to 9 PM in the lounge.

            From February 26 through March 11, the Center will host a visiting art show from Japan entitled Harmony 2. Seven participating artists render their perception of peaceful moments, exploring the harmony of nature, life, and time. The show will feature textiles, paintings, watercolors, printmaking, mixed-media pieces, and computer graphics. The opening reception will be held on Friday, February 26, at 6 PM in the lounge.

            This show was made possible by ICNY volunteer and computer instructor Kazuko Uchida.  

SPECIAL FILM SCREENINGS

I Am Not Giordano Bruno

A film about the life of the Soviet political cartoonist  and propaganda artist Boris Yefimov.

Tuesday, February 9, at 6:30 PM in Room 3
Director Semyon Pinkhasov will be on-hand to talk about the film and answer questions.

Maybe I Was Lucky

A film about the children of the Kindertransport who escaped to England in 1938 and 1939, and the young people who flee to Austria from around the world today.

Thursday, February 25, at 6 PM in Room 3
ICNY Volunteer Lucie Benedikt, who is featured in the film, will be on-hand to talk about her experiences as a Kindertransport child and to answer questions.