Queens Memory

#WayBackWednesday The NE corner of 12th St. and 27th Ave. in Astoria, Queens - 1931. This house is still standing and is now home to a Greek Orthodox Church. Photo by E. Armbruster #QPLDigitalArchives.

Mitch Waxman will highlight interesting and factual historical information about the areas, in addition to describing the way the areas have changed in relation to industrialization and environmental efforts in Queens. Viewers will learn how Long Island City has changed over the decades.

Jackson Heights Walking Tour with Adrienne Onofri

Very excited to share this bonus episode of the Queens Memory podcast conceived and produced by @QPLNYC's Teen Advisory Board! Hear from teens about their experiences with quarantine and distance learning. Available wherever you get your podcasts: https://bio.fm/queensmemory

#OnThisDay Fairgoers walk around Main Street in Flushing on a warm June 11 in 1979 #QPLDigitalArchives #FlushingQueens

Tuesday 5/11 & Thursday 5/13, join us for a memoir writing intensive led by What Will the Neighbors Say? and hosted by the Cambria Heights branch. DM us here or send an email to [email protected] to register.

Happy #MothersDay to all moms out there! We appreciate you so much. This 1956 photo from the #QPLDigitalArchives features two women with baby carriages outside the newly-opened Electchester Apartments at Parsons Blvd & Jewel Ave in Flushing.

Tomorrow Thursday June 10 at 1PM

#tbt one year ago today - "Ever since quarantine started my mom and I have been taking walks at Forest Park to take care of our mental and physical health!" - Sherri Urena, May 6, 2020 #QueensCovid #QPLDigitalArchives

Coming up on Saturday June 27 at 5 pm, attend a free virtual concert by Concerts in Motion in partnership with the Queens Covid Remembrance Day committee.

Archives preserve the past for future generations to better understand their collective histories. But whose voices are recorded, and whose are left out? Join Queens Memory and Queens College Libraries for a discussion of power, representation, and inclusion in archives, and how we can more accurately and comprehensively document our communities and institutions. The program will focus on two CUNY initiatives which aim to diversify and expand the archival record through oral ...history: the SEEK History Project at Queens College and Raising Ourselves Up at Bronx Community College. This program is the last panel in our 3-part series, titled How Can We Do Better? Creating a More Just and Inclusive Future." This program is sponsored by the Center for Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Understanding [CERRU], Queens Memory COVID-19 Project of Queens College and Queens Public Library, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Program, and the Queens College Black Latinx Faculty Staff Association (BLFSA).

Today at 2 pm, join us virtually and meet artist Azikiwe Mohammed and Queens Memory Project Director Natalie Milbrodt as they discuss community building and memory in Queens. Mohammed will share about his upcoming exhibition at the Yeh Art Gallery (on the St. John’s University campus in Jamaica, Queens) 11439 39202, which will debut a new series of fiber works inspired by the experiences of Queens residents during the past several months. Zoom link provided upon RSVP: https://us02web.zoom.us//tZArdeyprjMrHdwSKM9BOzHXpOTnmCgO2

What was happening in Queens around the time of the 1918 pandemic? Farmland was being developed for city dweller tired of crowded conditions! Here's a flyer advertising a fast commute, garden apartments, & playgrounds out in Jackson Heights. #QPLArchives #JacksonHeights

We are grateful to the @bklynlibrary’s Borrowed podcast team for inviting us and @thecityny to collaborate on Missing Them, a special episode on grief and mourning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how we can move forward as a community. The episode features excerpts from oral history interviews collected by our Brooklyn colleagues and our Queens Memory volunteers over the last nine months. This excerpt includes Bonnie Dixon, president of Maple Grove Cemetery, talking about the difficulties of mourning while social distancing. Listen to the full episode at the link in our bio. This weekend, @THECITYNY has organized three days to gather and share memories of loved ones lost to COVID-19. More information about the #MissingThem memorial event is also at the link in our bio.

Like so many, we at Queens Memory are reflecting on this difficult, long year and the loved ones we have lost to the pandemic. Grieving is so hard as we're all isolating but sharing stories, even remotely, can be a comfort. We're grateful to have collaborated on this episode with our friends at Brooklyn Public Library's Borrowed podcast to remember together and to look to the future with hope. Thank you to everyone who has shared stories with us this year and a special thank you to Catherine LaSota, Lydia Howrilka, Fran Kipnis and Bonnie Dixon of Maple Grove Cemetery for sharing your thoughts and your time.

Thank you, Queens Public Library, for sharing this blog post about our recent panel, "Power and Oppression in the Archive: Building a Diverse Historical Record through Oral History": https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/news-media/blog/2150 An excerpt: Archives don’t have complete authority over the past, he [Obden Mondesir] said, explaining that oral history, as it brings in many voices, is a democratic force. What’s most important is collecting the subjective truth, an...d that participants investigate the story they are telling, rather than tell the story they’ve already told everyone. Ambiguity, he asserted, is a part of everyone and everything. Both [Cynthia] Tobar and Mondesir were optimistic about the role of oral history in creating a more diverse and complete historical record in archives. A recording of the full discussion is available here: https://fb.watch/2gE0aYQm7x/

#nationalpastryday - What's your favorite pastry? Baklava is a sweet layered pastry that is popular in the eastern Mediterranean region. Thankfully this delicious delicacy can be found in bakeries throughout Queens! Special shout-out to #Astoria #QPLArchives #baklava