Library to celebrate Canada 150 with Storytelling

_ (press release) _ ** Ottawa **

• Starting January 2017, the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) will mark Canada’s 150

th

anniversary with a year-long celebration of ** Storytelling ** .

“Public libraries hold a special place in Canada’s 150 years of history- they are the spaces where stories are told, shared, remembered, celebrated, and saved. Stories are the ways people connect with each other; they are the way people share their experiences and learn from others,” says Ottawa Public Library CEO, Danielle McDonald.

Stories are told in many forms, and in 2017, the OPL will explore the different ways in which stories are expressed through marquee events, as well as encore and regular programming. The themes to be explored per month are:

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January: Storytelling through Song;

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February: Storytelling through Experiences;

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March: Storytelling through Images and Words;

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April: Storytelling through Poetry;

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May: Storytelling in Theatre, Cinema, Popular media;

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June: Storytelling through Traditions;

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July/August: Storytelling in Canada and through Canadian Authors;

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September: Storytelling through Food;

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October: Storytelling through Novels and Short stories;

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November: Storytelling through Entrepreneurship;

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December: Storytelling without Borders;

In addition, OPL will host four (4) high-profile, marquee events throughout the year, taking place in January (a special concert performance), April (Mayor’s Poetry contest in conjunction with Ottawa 2017), July (a Dominion Day Steam Punk Strawberry Social), and October (a haunted evening).

Details on all of the events and programming will be available on the Canada 150 webpage: biblioottawalibrary.ca/canada-150 .

“Storytelling- what better way to inspire learning, spark curiosity, and connect people?  I invite all Ottawans to lend their voices as we mark 150 years of telling Canada’s story at the Ottawa Public Library”,  says OPL Chair Tim Tierney.