Santa Monica Public Library To Present “California Stories”

   During October, as part of a California Council of the Arts project, many California residents will read John Steinbeck’s classic novel, “The Grapes of Wrath.”
   In conjunction with the project, the Santa Monica Public Library, the California Center for the Book, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Council of the Arts are co-sponsoring the “California Stories” series, with an eye to strengthening and connecting communities in California through the telling of different stories.
   The series will begin with Eric Vollmer’s Voice in the Well Ensemble performing “Keeping California’s Promise : the Legacy of John Steinbeck” on October 5, at 2 p.m, during which actors and spoken word performers, and stand-up comics will read from Steinbeck’s works.
   The series will continue with free film screenings, and book and film discussions by local scholars. On Wednesday, On Wednesday, October 9, at 6 p.m., the library will show John Ford’s 1939 movie of “The Grapes of Wrath,” starring Henry Fonda, John Carradine and Jane Darwell.
   A discussion of the film will follow at 8:15 pm.
On Wednesday, October 16, the library will host a discussion of the novel, which chronicles the Joad family’s odyssey. After the local bank forcloses on their farm, the Joads load themselves and their few belongings onto a rickety truck and head for California. Once here, they are roughed up by lawmen and abused and exploited by the big growers. The book is among the most influential American novels.
   On Wednesday, October 23, at 6 p.m, the library will show the film “A.K.A. Don Bonus: A Video Diary by Sokly ‘Don Bonus’ Ny,” which documents a year in the life of a young man and his family in San Francisco after they flee Cambodia. Following the film, a group of Cambodian-Americans will take part in a panel discussion.
   On Wednesday, October 30, the library will show the film; “El Norte,” which follows the flight of two Guatemalan teenagers seeking refuge in America. After which, a discussion of the film and the entire “California Stories” series has been scheduled.
   For more information about these programs, call the Library at (310) 458-8600.