Library sponsors fake news-based ‘SymBozium,’ documentary film screenings

Bozeman Public Library offers more than just a vast selection of books, periodicals, and movies to its many pass-holders – it also hosts a number of engaging events open to the public. Here’s a look at what’s coming up.
On Thursday, October 18th, FREE health forum “Emergency Preparedness 101: Keep it Simple!” will be held in the small community room at 5:30pm. Most families do not have an emergency plan in place, but spending the time to develop one can make all the difference if your family is involved in a disaster. During this presentation, Patrick Lonergan of Gallatin County Emergency Management will discuss why it is important to make a plan for your family and items you should consider when you do make your plan.
Take part in SymBozium on Tuesday, October 23rd. Presented by the Bozeman Public Library, this community forum for civil discourse will unfold at the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture from 7–9pm. The topic for the evening will be “Fake News or Free Speech: Can Democracy Survive?”
“Fake news” has always been part of the communication landscape. The difference now is that we are inundated with social media that makes it possible to disseminate fake news quickly and easily. In the past, fake news was used as propaganda to isolate individuals or groups of people, destabilize governments, and foment anarchy. Fake news may be inaccurate, dishonest, misleading, intentionally untrue, and even intended to damage the paradigm of factual information. But is it illegal? Is it protected by the First Amendment? Can fake news – or suppressing it – undermine our democratic way of life?
The evening will be moderated by Frankie Wilmer, Professor and department head of Political Science at MSU. Guest speakers will include Will Dobson, Chief international editor at National Public Radio; Les AuCoin, Former journalist, professor of government, and nine-term U.S. congressman from Oregon; and Dr. Jeff Reed, Technology executive. Please register for this event in advance at www.symbozium.org as space is limited.
Montana Friends of Jung will host FREE DVD program, “Transference, the Therapeutic Relationship & Transformation,” on Saturday, October 27th in the small community room from 1–4pm. The seminar will examine the relationship between client and therapist, especially in the deepening stages within long-term therapy. The focus is on the conscious and unconscious interplay of both client and therapist, including the transforming elements of transference. In the film, Dr. Jacoby shares anecdotes of his encounter with C.G. Jung.
On Monday, October 29th, the Library will be the fourth stop of the BZN Film Rodeo from 6–8pm. The evening will feature FREE screenings of BZN award-winning short films, followed by the BZN Spirit Award-winning documentary, MANKILLER, the incredible story of the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller. Filmmaker, Helena native, and MSU grad Colter Olmstead will also speak about the making of his film, Drawback, which took home the BZN Best Documentary Short. The doc paints a beautiful portrait of Olmstead’s sister, Jordan, and her experience bowhunting in the Montana backcountry. Learn more about the films and BZN Film Rodeo series at www.bozemanfilmcelebration.com/film-rodeo.
Tuesday, October 30th will feature a FREE screening of Far East/Far West, a Montana film about citizen diplomacy, at 5:30pm. In the Spring of 2016 a small team from Helena Civic Television visited Taiwan and the Guangxi Province in China. Their self-appointed mission, as citizen diplomats, was to illuminate the long-standing Sister State relationships Montana has with both jurisdictions. Far East/Far West is an hour-long account of their fast-paced and peripatetic visit, part travelogue, part documentary, with interviews and voice-overs and a panoply of colorful images. The program and its themes emerge at a critical juncture in U.S.-China and U.S.-Taiwan relationships. The film will be followed by remarks from Maggie Greene, China Scholar and Assistant Professor of History at MSU, as well as a Q&A with the producer, Stephen Maly.
Yoga for All continues this fall! This weekly event is held every Tuesday at 11am and noon in the Community Room. Open to all ages and abilities, instructors focus on the basics of yoga, breathing, and mind/body connections. Please bring your own mat and any props you choose to use, including blocks or straps.
Terra Kopf instructs the 11am class. Terra completed her teacher training at the Maui Yoga Shala and additional training at the Yandara Yoga Institute in Baja, Mexico. Brooke Russell, a Yoga Motion-certified instructor, continues to teach the noon class.
The Bozeman Public Library is located at 626 E Main St. For more information about other library happenings, please visit www.bozemanlibrary.org.