Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians

Richard B. Colón and Quajay Donnell, curators of the Behind the Glass Gallery in The Mercantile-on-Main, visited PCL recently to discuss the art and photography space with Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians! Celebrated street photographers themselves, Richard and Quajay chat with Robyn and Jim about their hopes for the gallery, what guests will find there, and—of course—books that inspire.

Robin L. Flanigan dropped by the Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians’ studio recently to chat with Robyn and Jim about her new book, 100 Things to Do in Rochester Before You Die. They discuss the research and writing process behind the comprehensive guide to Rochester, some of the hidden gems the author discovered around town, and Flanigan’s own reading habits and favorite books.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians return this week with a podcast episode featuring two local book reviewers! Listen as Robyn and Jim interview Pittsford Bookstagrammers Emily Waller and Hannah Ramsey—otherwise known as @emilyisoverbooked and @booksandbitesroc—and get ready to add some titles to your TBR (to be read) list!

Jim, Robyn, and Roberta reunite for another book club episode, this time discussing Susan Orlean's On Animals. They touch on their favorite parts of the book, how Orlean highlighted the relationships that humans have with animals, and how the book reminded them of their own experiences with their beloved critters.

Ravi Mangla, author of The Observant, stopped by PCL recently to chat with Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians about his 2022 novel, his writing style and favorite books, and what the Monroe County Library System has meant to him. The Pittsford native's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Nation, Jacobin, The Kenyon Review, Cincinnati Review, Mid-American Review, Salon, The Paris Review Daily, Quarterly West, American Short Fiction, Tin House Online, and the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Edward Ashton, author of Mickey7 and the soon-to-be-released sequel, Antimatter Blues, stopped by PCL to talk to Jim and Robyn about writing, reading, and having his book made into a movie starring Robert Pattinson and directed by Bong Joon Ho, the director of the Academy Award-winning film Parasite.

Artist and community advocate Taurus Savant dropped by PCL to chat with Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians! Taurus, who will perform at PCL on Feb. 25, talks with Robyn and Jim about his music and its origins, the inspiration for his art, and his favorite books and reading experiences.

This week on Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians, Robyn and Jim welcome Calvin Eaton—the Gluten Free Chef and founder of 540WMain, Inc.—to the podcast! Together, they discuss the beginnings of Calvin's gluten-free journey, his work with the grassroots community space that is 540WMain, and his favorite books and authors!

Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians are back! Robyn and Jim kick off season three by interviewing Francesca Padilla, the ROC-based author of 2022's What's Coming to Me, a much-celebrated debut described as a poignant and thrilling contemporary YA novel about grief, anger, and fighting for what you deserve.

On this episode, Jim and Robyn are joined by Eboni Jones, Curator of Interpretive Resources at the Charlotte Whitney Allen Library at the Memorial Art Gallery. They touch on what the job of a museum librarian is like, what unexpected items are in the library at the MAG, and how to access all of what the MAG has to offer.

On the heels of the Eisner Award nominations, Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians are back to talk all things graphic novels! Jason Poole, outreach coordinator at the Webster Public Library and a past Eisner judge, stops by to share his expertise on the subject with Robyn and Jim.

Rhonda Rossman, Penfield Public Library director (and former director of the Pittsford Community Library!), stops by to chat with Robyn and Jim about summer books, Summer Reading, and what kind of reader she is.

Emily Hessney Lynch, MCLS trustee, writer, and owner of Serve Me the Sky Digital, joins Jim and Robyn to talk social media, what it's like to be a member of the MCLS Board of Trustees, and (of course) books!

George Rollie Adams, author and President & CEO Emeritus of The Strong museum, sat down with Jim and Robyn to discuss his career, what is was like to grow up in the segregated south, and how his childhood and career influenced his writing. Learn more about his books and his remarkable path to becoming a novelist at PCL on Thursday, June 2nd at 7PM.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians are back at the microphone again this week, and to celebrate National Library Week they chat with Patty Uttaro, the Director of the Monroe County Library System and the Rochester Public Library! It's a conversation centered on our local libraries, with a focus on the present and an eye toward the future. Plus they get to talk about what Patty loves to read!

It's officially Oscars Season, which means your friendly neighborhood librarians Robyn and Jim are talkin' movies! They sat down with The Little Theatre's Scott Pukos, host of the Movies and a Microphone podcast, about all the nominated movies they liked, loved, and hated.

This episode, Jim and Robyn are joined by their favorite book club buddy, Roberta the page, as well as first-time guest Laura, PCL's teen and tech librarian! They have a conversation on book banning, the book Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, and the importance of being able to access information.

Hang around until the end of the episode to hear a recommendation from Adrian, PCL's children's room clerk, and to find out what we'll be talking about next time.

In this episode of Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians, Jim and Robyn talk to Democrat and Chronicle reporter Gary Craig about The Prison Guard's Daughter: My Journey Through the Ashes of Attica, which he recently co-authored with Deanne Quinn Miller. They discuss the 1971 riot at Attica Prison, Deanne's experience being the daughter of one of the guards who was murdered, and her persistence in fighting for justice and closure for those most deeply affected.

Stick around to the end of the episode for a recommendation from one of our new staff members and to hear about who we're talking to next time.

In this episode of Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians, Jim and Robyn talk to Pittsford's own Kevin Beckford. They discuss the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., how Beckford hopes Dr. King's dream will continue to manifest throughout future generations, and why he created and continues to champion the Town of Pittsford's MLK Living the Dream series.

Stick around to the end of this episode for a recommendation from one of our newest staff members and to get a peek at what's coming up in our next episode.

Jim and Robyn are back for season two of Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians! The first episode of the season features a discussion about the best books of 2021 with Adrienne Pettinelli, director of the Henrietta Public Library, and a conversation with PCL page Roberta about what we think is the biggest book of the year. Stick around to the end for a recommendation from one of our new staff members and a peek at what we have coming up in the next episode.

*Notable Mentions*

Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

Migrations - Charlotte McConaghy

Yearbook - Seth Rogen

Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur - Sheldon Pearce

The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage - Drew Magary

Three Girls from Bronzeville: A Uniquely American Memoir of Race, Fate, and Sisterhood - Dawn Turner

How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America - Clint Smith

Empire of Pain - Patrick Radden Keefe

These Precious Days - Ann Patchett

The Sentence - Louise Elfrich

No One is Talking About This - Patricia Lockwood

Matrix - Lauren Groff

Cloud Cuckoo Land - Anthony Doerr

Under the Whispering Door - TJ Klune

What Strange Paradise - Omar El Akkad

The Four Winds - Kristin Hannah

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted - Suleika Jaouad

This month, Jim and Robyn talk all things reading during the summer: the best books to take on vacation, what a beach read truly is, and, of course, summer reading at PCL. Join them for conversations with Rachel Pazda, circulation supervisor at PCL, and Liz Bauld, The Storybook Cook. Stick around for their favorite summer reads and to hear about everything that's coming up at PCL.

Recommended this month...

- S*** Actually by Lindy West

- Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

- Sincerely, Your Autistic Child: What People on the Autism Spectrum Wish Their Parents Knew About Growing Up, Acceptance, and Identity *multiple authors*

This month Jim and Robyn talk with library page Roberta about their experience reading James Patterson for the first time, chat with Assistant Director Kate Procious about true crime, discuss digital newspapers with Library Director Amanda Madigan, and hear all about the events that are coming up in June.

Recommendations this month...

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians are back this month with a discussion perfectly timed for Oscar season: book-to-movie adaptations! Hear an interview with Vinise Bobrov, children's librarian at PCL, and tune in for recommendations, information about upcoming events, and a hint at next month's episode. 

Recommended this month...

Drawn Together by Mihn Le

Dragon Pearl (Rick Riordan Presents) by Yoon Ha Lee 

Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino

When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen

Interior Chinatown by Charles Wu

The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen

The first full episode of Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians, PCL's podcast, is now available! Tune in for a discussion of reading during the pandemic, an interview with PCL's director Amanda Madigan, book recommendations, and information about all of our upcoming events.

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Need more bookish banter in your life? Then tune in to Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians, the monthly podcast from the Pittsford Community Library. Each episode features an assortment of fun segments hosted by PCL librarians Robyn and Jim, from book discussions and recommendations to interviews with special guests and programming updates.