Seanchai Library Opens "Crazy Eights" Celebration on LEA 9 January 31st at 1:30pm SLT

LEA 9, Second Life – Seanchai Library is kicking off its 2016 celebration of stories and spoken word on Linden Endowment for the Arts region 9, which has been granted to the Library for the winter and spring months.  The grand opening of "Crazy Eights" on LEA 9 has been announced for Sunday, January 31st at 1:30pm featuring Miguel de Cervantes "Don Quixote" and the work of Seanchai founder Derry McMahon: Don Quixote in Words and Images.

The event is open to the public and will include English-translation selections from the classic story presented by Ms. McMahon and Bear Silvershade in the Crazy Eights Eastern Meadow.  Guests will be free to sit near a tempting windmill, or wander among McMahon's photo series inspired by the great quest of Cervantes' hero.  The collection of Second Life photography was first seen as part of the Fine Arts Tour (FIAT) in 2014.  The Crazy Eights installation includes some of the original show, and additional images which were not part of the FIAT exhibition.

"Living at the intersection of reality and illusion, Don Quixote is one of the most beloved literary characters. On his eternal quest to make the world a better place, he sees the world as it should be: peasants become gentlefolk, windmills transform into evil giants and in a barmaid he sees the soul of the lady of his dream.

"Where we see darkness and despair, he sees light, hope, and always, adventure. What better character to explore Second Life, probing a world created entirely from the stuff of our imagination? Truly a stranger in a strange land, these images take Quixote on a journey from the comical through the heartrending.  Travel alongside the Don as he tangles with The Great Enchanter (windmills), and discovers SL sights that are familiar, and yet...not.”  

February will commence weekly live programming by Seanchai Library at Crazy Eights, while continuing programming at their home parcel on the Bradley University region.  All times SLT and all events in voice.  Events include: 

• The Featured Book Area will begin its first book series at 7pm on Thursday, February 4th with Chief Storyteller Shandon Loring and Tracey Garvis Graves' NYT Best-Selling "On The Island." Loring has created a 360 degree environment inspired by Graves' work, filled with links and scripted surprises.
• The popular "Tea Time at Baker Street" Sunday series will begin "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" with it's first adventure "The Empty House" on February 7th at 1:30pm. The Baker Street area of Crazy Eights will include the "Holmes & Watson Gallery", a book shop with links to Conan Doyle's canon, and references to other Holmesian locations around the grid.

Connecting the six different venue areas on Crazy Eights is the Story Forest. "It is the connective tissue that brings all of this together," said lead Seanchai staffer Caledonia Skytower." We were looking for a means to draw all the different story venues together with a visual reflection of our journey of the last eight years."  The staff created that environmental representation inspired by artworks created for books, especially the chromatic richness of N.C. Wyeth's illustrations.

A winding path of books leads explorers through a wood and meadow populated with "Story Stations." At each station are visual story elements and a link post. By clicking on the image at the top of the post, guests can be connected with either the text of the story, or information about the story online.  Skytower relates, " Some of the stories may be familiar, some may not, and some may be stories that people have forgotten that they knew. Some are folktales, and some are beloved works of literature. Its a mix of tales from around the world, and we will trade different stations in and out even after opening. So the journey will always be a little different."

Information on Seanchai Library schedules and programs, as well as links to Seanchai's social media presence can be found online at http://irelandslstory.blogspot.com/

Seanchai Library (Shanna-key, which means "Storyteller" in Irish.) was founded in March of 2008 in Second Life. Thousands of stories, and hundreds of authors later, the program remains dedicated to promoting the power of stories to transform and inspire through live voice presentations: "We bring stories of all kinds to life, in Second Life." "Crazy Eights" refers to the Library celebrating its eighth anniversary this year.

Location:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA9/129/94/31