Reunification: a special film screening

Wednesday, March 29 - 6:30 pm

The recipient of a Special Jury Prize at the San Diego Asian Film Festival last year, Reunification documents the legacy of a family's immigration to Los Angeles from Hong Kong.  This feature-length documentary gives an insider view on the contemporary Asian American immigrant experience, divorce and family psychology.  Alvin Tsang turns the camera on his own family, cautiously prodding for answers, but fully acknowledging that the only closure he can get will be from deciding for himself how to move on.  Reunification will be screened on Wednesday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. in Crowell Public Library’s Barth Community Room. 

The film presents a personal narrative that not only investigates the financial and emotional struggles of contemporary migration, but also offers deep insight into divorce and its effects on children, parent-child relationships, communication gaps, and the children's need for a healing narrative "after the storm."  It is an exploration of many unresolved years that moves across different channels and modes, bending into labor histories and Hong Kong’s colonial trajectories. Engaging post-screening discussions have allowed audiences from all backgrounds to share their own personal stories surrounding immigration, divorce and family relationships, mental health, and filmmaking as a way of healing. 

Alvin Tsang is a graduate of University of California, San Diego’s Visual Arts department where he also began his career as a film editor. He served as co-producer and post-supervisor for Ermena Vinluan’s award-winning documentary, Tea & Justice, about the first female Asian-American NYPD officers on the force.  Tsang filmed and edited a documentary short profiling legendary independent film director John Sayles’s making of his film Amigo (2010) about the Philippine-American War. He serves as a video documentarian for the pioneering artist Meredith Monk and The Guggenheim Museum NYC, and has created promos for several of Michael Kors’s fashion collections. Tsang’s other films include the shorts Fish (2010) and Preservation (2011).  Reunification is his first feature. 

Come to Crowell Library on Wednesday, March 29 for an enlightening, cinematic experience with Alvin Tsang.  Light refreshments will be served.

Meet the Author: Edan Epstein

Wednesday March 15th   7:00 p.m.

The Friends of Crowell Public Library’s Meet the Author! series continues on Wednesday, March 15 at 7:00 pm with Edan Epstein who will speak about his most recent book, Afternoon of the Faun.  In this tale of descent, survival, and redemption, a man’s journey perversely parallels his father’s childhood struggle for survival in the forests of Europe at the end of World War II.

Edan Benn Epstein works full time in health care and lives in South Pasadena. In the wee small hours he has completed five novels and is currently working on his sixth.

The event is free and will take place in the Barth Community Room of the Crowell Library.  Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. 

Get Your Blood Pressure and Glucose Checked

Huntington Hospital Community Outreach Nurses:

3 Tuesdays: March 28, April 25 & May 30, 12:00 p.m.

Huntington Hospital Community Outreach nurses want to empower all members of the community to enjoy the healthiest lifestyle possible. Beginning Friday March 28, at 12:00 noon, they will be visiting Crowell Public Library once a month, offering free blood pressure and glucose screenings.  Patrons will be seen on a first come, first served basis and no appointment is needed.  No insurance information is required; the nurses will only ask for first name, age, and zip code.  The nurses will set up in the Library’s Barth Community Room right after Tuesday’s Brain Aerobics/Lip Reading session.

These blood pressure and glucose evaluations can lead to prevention and early detection of the “silent killer” diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes.  As needs determine, the nurses offer counseling, education, referrals, and an opportunity to discuss any health management related issues or questions.  Frequent topics of discussion include:  how to use a glucose meter, questions about a recommended diet, or where to attend a health class.  The nurses provide a small card on which to record results, a good way to keep track of one’s health status and monitor progress. 

These outreach nurses are active all year, working with many community-based organizations such as community centers, senior centers, faith organizations, schools, food banks, mental wellness programs, and health clinics.  Kathy Eastwood, R.N., has worked at Huntington Hospital over three decades in Cardiology, ICU, and in Community Outreach for the last ten years.  Her passion is teaching and promoting a healthy lifestyle and she is also a certified yoga instructor. Encouraging and empowering others to wellness is her goal.  Ruth Pichaj, R.N., has worked in various areas of Huntington Hospital for nearly 30 years including the Senior Care Network as a case manager, and for the past ten years in Community Outreach. She enjoys connecting with and helping clients through all her community clinics and is fluent in the Spanish language.  

All adults are invited to avail themselves of this free program, offered to empower the community to stay happy and healthy throughout 2017!