It’s safe to say that Becky Anderson, of Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, has already expressed more regret over her decision to cancel an April 8 book signing by former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers than Ayers has over the bombings his group carried out 40 years ago.
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“The school district was getting hundreds of calls and we were getting vicious, threatening calls and e-mails—a constant barrage—telling us things like to increase our insurance,” Anderson explains. “Our employees were concerned about coming to work, and we started to think, ‘With the school down, maybe we should let go of this one and invite him back later.’ In retrospect, I think we were too hasty.” She now believes “it was probably a very small, vocal minority that was calling, because once we told a few people that we’d canceled the event, the [harassment] miraculously stopped.”
“We want all factions to be represented,” Anderson says, adding that they’re having trouble finding representatives from the formerly vocal anti-Ayers contingent. “Most people who were sending us these horrible messages would not give us their names. But those who did we’ve invited for a civil discourse on what this really means. I want people coming from both sides, so we can have a dialogue. But I have a feeling they’re going to be the chickens that won’t show up.”
The event includes 13 features and five programs of shorts—all independent work done since 2007—culled from 75 national and international submissions. It’ll be presented at four venues: the library, the Block, Boocoo, and for late-night programs After Hours Movie Rentals. Highlights include Sita Sings the Blues, Nina Paley’s animated interpretation of The Ramayana; Pray the Devil Back to Hell, about the Liberian grassroots movement that brought down a dictator; and Jodie Mack’s 29-minute stop-motion animation with original music, Yard Work Is Hard Work. Details at talkingpicturesfestival.org.
Emerging Again
