See the premiere of Ann Arbor Cooks, the new online database of local historical cookbooks and heirloom recipes available at aadl.org. Who better to introduce this terrific new service than the nationally-known (and always enjoyable!) heirloom cooking experts from New England, Marilynn and Sheila Brass, authors of "Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters." This delightful evening includes a demonstration of Ann Arbor Cooks, a discussion of heirloom baking by the Brass sisters, and refreshments made by the Washtenaw County Historical Society from heirloom recipes. The Brass sisters will also sign their book, for sale at the event courtesy of Nicola's Books. ANN ARBOR COOKS: This new project by AADL, in cooperation with the Washtenaw County Historical Society and Hadassah, digitizes cookbooks published by Ann Arbor churches and organizations, making them available through aadl.org. The Library has reached back in time to gather cookbooks from the late 19th and 20th centuries that capture the tastes and tempo of Ann Arbor throughout its history. Many of these books were provided for this project by the Washtenaw County Historical Society. The online exhibit also contains two illustrated cookbooks from Hadassah, "Like Mama Used to Make" and "Like Mama Used to Make ... And More." Ann Arbor Cooks will also highlight local growers, local food clubs, classes and many special events for everyday cooks, aspiring chefs and food lovers. "Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters" was recently nominated for a 2007 James Beard Foundation Book Award.

If you're a knitter, then you know the Yarn Harlot (http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/), whose blogs about knitting, yarns, babies and all (interesting) matters under the sun for some of the most interesting knitting material in cyberspace. In this special event, cosponsored by the Ann Arbor Book Festival, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee comes to the Library to dish and bitch about the joys and perils of playing with sticks and strings. She will also talk about her latest book, 'Knitting Rules!' The event includes a booksigning, with books for sale courtesy of Nicola's Books.In real life, she is Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the author of 'The Secret Life of a Knitter' and 'At Knit's End: Meditations For Women Who Knit Too Much.' Her tongue-in-cheek meditations on a personal obsession fraught with guilt, frustration, over-optimism, sly deception, and compulsion, along with passionate moments of creative enlightenment, are truly down-to-earth witticisms--and not just for women who knit too much. Pearl-McPhee, who lives in Toronto, has also contributed articles and patterns to knitting magazines such as Cast On, Interweave Knits, Knitty, Stranded, and Spin Off. Her writing and work is best known through her blog. In 2004, she founded Tricoteuses sans Frontieres (Knitters without Borders), a group dedicated to raising money for the non-profit Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders). As of 2006, they have raised over $100,000. In 2006 she started the Knitting Olympics, a competition for knitters to start and finish one project during the timeframe of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Over 4,000 knitters worldwide participated.

The Yarn Harlot makes a return visit to AADL to talk (about everything), knit, and answer your questions! Stephanie's newest book is "Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off: The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting." The event includes a book signing, with books for sale courtesy of Borders Books and Music.Stephanie invites knitters of all ages, levels, and persuasions to embark with her on a journey deep into the land populated by those who are obsessed with yarn, needles, and what's on their needles now.Note: Due to a travel nightmare (which she details in the video), Stephanie was 4 hours late for this event, with the both the multipurpose room and the 4th floor overflow room filled to capacity with knitters and knitbloggers from all over the great lakes! Fortunately, the audience was well-equipped to kill time, and were treated to a few parades from a Festifools-inspired kid's craft program going on upstairs.

Legendary producer Chuck Barris virtually invented reality TV with such era-defining shows as The Newlywed Game, The Dating Game, and The Gong Show, and later stunned the world with the outrageous revelations in his memoir, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (which became a George Clooney/Drew Barrymore/Julia Roberts film). His new book, The Big Question: A Novel of Reality Television, is a satire of a futuristic game show. Enjoy an evening with the creator of some of the most innovative and groundbreaking television of our time, as Barris shares anecdotes of his famed career and discusses his book. A book signing will follow, with books for sale, courtesy of Nicola's Books. This event is scheduled to be broadcast live on Community Television Network, channel 18.What Chuck Barris brought to television was spontaneity using ordinary people, and the country tuned in to watch. Barris's use of spontaneity - no right or wrong answers - is generally accepted as the beginning of TV's "reality programming" as we know it today. He also changed the television industry behind the scenes. When the network dropped one of his shows before it ever aired, Barris bought back the pilot and sold the show to local stations one at a time - and first-run syndication, now a multi-billion dollar industry, was born. Beneath the veneer of social satire, Barris' new novel raises some pertinent questions of its own - not only about the state of television, but about the contemporary culture that spawns it.