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Contact: Elliot Warren
Acting Director of Library Services
Berkeley Public Library
(510) 981-6195
ewarren@cityofberkeley.info

How to Do Nothing Author, Jenny Odell, Comes to the Berkeley Public Library

Berkeley, California (January 14, 2019) -- How To Do Nothing: Resisting The Attention Economy, written by local author, artist and educator Jenny Odell, has been named one of the best books of 2019 by Time Magazine, The New Yorker, National Public Radio, The New York Public Library, and others. Odell comes to the Central Library on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 2pm for a community discussion and book signing. 

“The Library is committed to bringing contemporary thought leaders and authors to our libraries and our community is clearly appreciative of events like this,” notes Acting Director of Library Services, Elliot Warren. “Since our newsletter announced Odell’s visit just a few weeks ago, patrons have checked out all of Odell’s titles and we are purchasing more to meet community interest. Our collections and programs are designed to complement each other.” 

Jenny Odell is based in Oakland, California. Odell’s visual work has been exhibited at The Contemporary Jewish Museum, Les Rencontres D'Arles, Fotomuseum Antwerpen, La Gaîté Lyrique (Paris), the Lishui Photography Festival (China), the Pratt Manhattan Gallery, East Wing (Dubai), and at Google headquarters. Odell has been artist-in-residence at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Palo Alto Art Center, ODC Dance Center and Facebook. Additionally, Odell teaches art and design at Stanford University.

Odell’s writing has appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, The Believer, The Paris Review, McSweeney's, SFMOMA's Open Space, and the Creative Independent.

This author event and book signing will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 2pm in the 3rd floor Community Meeting Room at the Central Library in downtown Berkeley. Pegasus Books will be on site for those who wish to purchase copies of the book for Odell to sign.

“The subject of Odell’s book is being present with our surroundings as they are. This is a great way to usher in 2020,” said Supervising Librarian Heather Cummins. This event is part of the “New Year, New You” programming the Library is offering. For a complete listing of events and programs, please visit the Library’s online calendar.

For questions regarding this author event, Cummins can be reached at 510-981-6124. Programming is made possible by generous support from the Friends of the Public Library.

The Central Library is located at 2090 Kittredge Street and is open Monday, 12:00noon-8:00pm, Tuesday, 10:00am-8:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00am-6:00pm, and Sunday from 1:00pm-5:00pm. 

Wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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