For immediate release
August 6, 2010
Boyle Heights Book Summit with Councilman José Huizar, The OGs and Libros Schmibros proprietor David Kipen
LINK - http://the-ogs.com/councilman
LOS ANGELES- In this increasingly fractured city, is there one subject that can bring residents of all ages and ethnicities together to pledge their mutual support? Yes!
On Thursday, August 5, a most unusual multi-ethnic and multi-generation group -- Jewish and Mexican-American, aged 41 through 93 -- gathered at the Hollenbeck Palms retirement home in historic Boyle Heights to talk about their common passion for books, well-funded libraries and the vibrant community east of the L.A. River.
Inspired by Councilman José Huizar's lunch visit to her home at Hollenbeck Palms, the oldest retirement home in California and partner in the city's renovations of adjacent Hollenbeck Park, 93-year-old video blogger and SaveLAPL activist Barbara "Cutie" Cooper invited the Councilman to join her for a short discussion on the budget threats facing the Los Angeles Public Library.
The talk was moderated by recent Boyle Heights resident David Kipen, who has followed his run as head of Literature for the NEA by opening Libros Schmibros, a free lending library and bookstore a few blocks from Hollenbeck Park, at First and Cummings. His opening day was July 19, the first Monday when neighboring Benjamin Franklin Library was closed due to budget cuts.
In their seven-minute dialogue, viewable on The OGs popular blog, Barbara, José and David's congenial discussion ranges from the central role libraries played in keeping the Cooper and Huizar families happy, the Councilman's almost lone vote to preserve LAPL funding in the 2010 budget, Cutie's suggestion that children who want a puppy get a library card instead, what citizens can do to help get library funding back, and how independent projects like David Kipen's Libros Schmibros can provide a cultural buffer for communities when their libraries close.
Check out video from Barbara Cooper's Boyle Heights book summit, at
http://the-ogs.com/councilman
Visit Libros Schmibros online at
http://librosschmibros.com/
ABOUT THE OGs: Recently featured in Column One of the Los Angeles Times, on The TODAY Show, NPR's All Things Considered, CNN and Thai and Australian TV, The OGs video blog is a viral sensation with broad appeal. Barbara and Harry Cooper live at Hollenbeck Palms, the oldest retirement home in California, in historic Boyle Heights, just east of the L.A. River. By the time Barbara and Harry married in 1937, the Jewish community was fleeing the old neighborhood for points west, and they never expected to come back. But when their grandchildren were looking for the best place for them to live, nothing could compare to the not-for-profit Hollenbeck. And so these two 90-something west L.A. Jews came back to the old neighborhood—and grandma Barbara started her online career with husband Harry on The OGs blog, and her side career as one of Yelp.com's most popular food bloggers, with three coveted citywide Review of the Day honors.
ABOUT SAVELAPL: Launched in Spring 2008 in response to deep threatened budget cuts and a $1-per-book inter-branch loan fee, in just one month response to Kim Cooper and Richard Schave's SaveLAPL.org website convinced the L.A. City Council's Budget & Finance Committee to leave the Los Angeles Public Library alone. Now, with cuts resulting in Sunday and Monday branch closures and hundreds of firings, SaveLAPL is back online providing a 1-click email solution for sending messages of library support to Mayor Villaraigosa and all members of City Council.
For an unusual story about how books bring together Angelenoes of all ages and ethnicities, check out the Boyle Heights Book Summit video and Barbara and Harry Cooper, the original grandparent bloggers. They care about much more than just libraries, and Grandma Barbara loves to talk about how things would be different if she was in charge. Come visit and see for yourself.
Libros Schmibros founder David Kipen and The OGs, Barbara and Harry Cooper, are available for interviews, and journalists on assignment can get a tour of the OGs' retirement community Hollenbeck Palms. Contact their granddaughter / publicist / SaveLAPL founder Kim at amscrayATgmailDOTcom, 323-223-2767.
