Join us as Alex shares his culinary passions, how he got to where he's at and what his recent win of the James Beard Award has meant for him, Zingerman's and Ann Arbor. He will also bring tasty samples of food!Zingerman's Roadhouse Chef Alexander Young was born in London. At an early age, his family moved to San Francisco, then, at 17 he moved to New York City. His first cooking job was with a feature film location catering company, catering to such stars at Michael Douglas, Alan Alda, Danny Devito, and Madonna.

Story Collider returns to AADL! Story Collider is an evening of entertaining, personal stories about science. Presenters tell their stories--from the hilarious to the poignant--about how science impacted their lives in a relaxed, fun setting. Find out more at storycollider.org

Learn about the culinary journey of Ann Arbor's own Eve Aronoff: her latest venture, Frita Batidos, her time on "Top Chef", and what's next for her. She'll even bring food to taste!Chef Eve Aronoff was born in New York and raised in East Lansing, Michigan. A graduate of Brandeis University, she attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and graduated with diplomas in French Cuisine and Wine and Spirits in 1999. Eve has worked in the restaurant industry for 20 years- progressing from prep cook to line cook, from sous chef to chef de cuisine and executive chef.

PBS-featured Michigan author Doc Fletcher invites you to enjoy a photographic journey down rivers selected from his 3 books: the 2011 release "Canoeing & Kayaking Wisconsin" and his two Michigan river books. You will take a virtual trip down several rivers & hear what makes each of those rivers uniquely FUN! Histories of towns along the way are shared and tales are told of local, old-time, neighborhood taverns in those towns. At the end of the program there will be a drawing for a free canoe or kayak trip, good for a day trip down one of Michigan's or Wisconsin's rivers.

There are 62 LEGO bricks for every person in the world, and at age 30, Jonathan Bender realized that he didn't have a single one of them. While reconsidering his childhood dream of becoming a master model builder for The LEGO Group, he discovers the men and women who are skewing the averages with collections of hundreds of thousands of LEGO bricks. What is it about the ubiquitous, brightly colored toys that make them so hard for everyone to put down? Join as for a fun filled evening as Jonathan relates the LEGO adventures and discusses his new book "LEGO: A Love Story." The event will include a book signing and books will be on sale.In search of answers and adventure, Jonathan Bender set out to explore the quirky world of adult fans of LEGO (AFOLs) while becoming a builder himself. As he participated in challenges at fan conventions, searched for the largest private collection in the United States, and visited LEGO headquarters (where he was allowed into the top secret set vault), he found his LEGO journey twinned with a second creative endeavor--to have a child. His two worlds intertwined as he awaited the outcome: Will he win a build competition or bring a new fan of LEGO into the world? Like every really good love story, this one has surprises--and a happy ending. Ann Arbor also features prominently in the story, as Ann Arbor's own BRICK BASH was one of the first events Bender attended as he was getting back into LEGO. Bender's back for BRICK BASH 2011, which is Saturday, 3/19 at WCC!Whether you're an avid LEGO freak or a onetime fan who now shares LEGO bricks with your children, this book will appeal to the inner builder in you and reignite a love for all things LEGO.

Story Collider is an evening of entertaining, personal stories about science, from the hilarious to the poignant. Come be a part of the first Story Collider event outside of NYC as particle physicists Brian Wecht and Ben Lillie, with collaborator Carter Edwards, as well as local presenters (including AADL's own Laura Pershin Raynor), tell their stories about how science impacted their lives in a relaxed, fun setting. Find out more at storycollider.org

Roger Chard, a local lawyer and well-known musician, who is also blind, will discuss how SELF-DETERMINATION makes life worth living. Roger's presentation will mix vocation and avocation and demonstrate how he strove for self confidence and esteem, and also strove to become an emissary for tolerance and persistence, aiming for self deportment and worth. This event will also address the impact of changing technology and will draw upon Roger's observations and experiences as a champion high school and college debater, fifty years of being a musician, forty years of practicing law, and twenty years as a down hill skier.

Along with the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, and the New York Dolls, the MC5 are recognized as one of the bands that paved the way for punk rock. While the group did not reach the heights of national celebrity or financial success during their seven years together, their musical legacy has never been more celebrated -- with recently reissued recordings and documentary footage, as well as an unlikely reunion tour. In 'MC5: Sonically Speaking,' Detroit-based author Brett Callwood delves into the MC5's story from the band's beginnings in 1960s Detroit to its 1972 break-up, the post-MC5 fates of its members, and the eventual reunion that cemented its legacy. This event includes a book signing and books will be for sale at the event.

This year's Summer Reading program theme is Make It Happen - encouraging everyone to DIY (Do It Yourself) and celebrate arts, crafts, science projects and the DIY mindset. Makers are people who make things, for fun, for science, or for a living, and Ann Arbor is a great town for makers. Hear several 5-minute talks from local makers about their projects, from the geeky to the freaky, and find out about what cool stuff is being made in the garages, basements, and workshops of our community.

Dr. Henry Pollack will discuss his new book, 'A World Without Ice,' the first book to fully explore the connection between humans and climate change. Much has been written about global warming, but the crucial relationship between what effect people have had on the Earth's ice and its ramifications has received little focus until now. Dr. Pollack has been a professor of geophysics at the University of Michigan for more than forty years, and shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with fellow members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and former vice president Al Gore. The event will include a book signing and books will be on sale.