This post is a combination of “downtown is where it’s at” and “Edmonton’s library is cool.”

Tomorrow – Friday, August 26 – the Edmonton Public Library is flipping all of its best parts inside out and taking the Stanley A. Milner branch across the street, and outside, to Churchill Square. It’s an event called EPL Squared.

There will be a book sale (with the profits going to help fire-ravaged Slave Lake’s library), a human library (where you borrow a person instead of a book), lots of games, stories, music, an e-reader kiosk, and Marty Chan’s Secrets of the Square.

Make the jump to find out what that’s about. 

Marty Chan is the current EPL Writer in Residence, and he’s got a treasure hunt for EPL Squared:

If you solve the puzzles you could win EPL swag, Kobo e-readers, or an iPad2.

After all of that fun and excitement, head on back to the Milner branch for an interactive viewing of The Princess Bride.

Because it’s just not the same to watch the movie alone:

I can’t think of a much better way to spend a Friday with the family, or skipping work.

I mean, on a lunchbreak from work.

(Full disclosure: Our lovely and talented Creative Director, Sally Poulsen, produced those two videos for the EPL.)

(Photo by: Linda Hoang)

(Editor’s note: This is an item which includes a video cross-posted from Linda-Hoang.com – the web home of Edmonton journalist, and lady about the Internet, Linda Hoang.)

The tablets are coming! The tablets are coming.

The tablets are here.

And artists are finding ways to use them. Heck, there are even tablets out there JUST for artists.

We’ll let Linda Hoang explain what’s going on in Edmonton. 

Linda Hoang is a versatile young journalist, so it’s no surprise we’ve talked about her before. You can find out what she’s up to on the Internet at her website and on Twitter.

I knew I’d be posting about it because after watching the trailer I had no idea what the play would be about, but it was a fairly slick video.

After doing some research (Googling) on the play, it appears to be about Alberta’s eugenics program. Yes, until the 1970s (!) people in Alberta could have been sterilized for a variety of reasons; primarily mental disability and mental illness.

Now that you know that you can see how the title is a play on Alberta and eugenics.

The interesting thing about the Fringe, is that sometimes you get universally agreed upon 5-star hits or flops, and sometimes you get a play that’s both. Aleugenta, for example, got 4 stars (out of 5) from Vue Weekly, but just 2.5 (out of 5) from the Journal. Both written reviews include praise, however, so I think this is probably a sure bet.

Aleugenta shines a light on a shameful part of Alberta’s past at King Edward School.

(Hey, you might be thinking, what’s all this video stuff about? That’s what we’re doing for Fringeopolis. Watch for more videos about plays at this year’s Edmonton International Fringe Festival.)

The future may not be all it’s cracked up to be. But TV is good. Now we’ve got the premise to Channel One, a Fringe play coming to us from New York City.

Uh, I mean coming to us from the future.

Basically, the end of the world was happening, and these two ladies (Emily James and Ishah Janssen-Faith) hopped a time machine to avoid it (heading to the year 2316). Then some folks from 2011 show up (could that be you?!) and the clear option is to entertain these guests by creating TV shows. Clearly.

Expect to be blown away and entertained by their TV programming. I say that after reading reviews like this:

“I don’t think I can convey the magnitude of their success without putting it so plainly as: it’s fucking hilarious.”

“…I would urge anyone with a pulse and a deep sense of boredom with the popular TV comedy of 2011 to tune into Channel One.”

- The Blog of Jenna Rocca

Channel One is on the air at the Catalyst Theatre.

(Hey, you might be thinking, what’s all this video stuff about? That’s what we’re doing for Fringeopolis. Watch for more videos about plays at this year’s Edmonton International Fringe Festival.)