Events

Book Distribution*

Thank you for your support! All the common books have been distributed!

PolyU readers can also access the e-book version of the common book here to read anytime, anywhere.
 

Book Chat Groups*

Time: Week 3 - 5 (Mon - Fri), 11:30 / 12:30 / 13:30
Venue: The Bubble, 6/F South Wing of the Library

Share your reading experience in a Book Chat Group! Each group will meet 3 times within Sep - Oct. Let’s make new friends and develop soft skills during the thought-provoking discussion.

*For PolyU students only.

 

Book Exhibition: Futuristic Frontiers - Exploring the World of Science Fiction

Date: 26 Aug to 31 Oct of 2024
Venue: Display Wall, P/F, Library

Discover the diverse futures imagined by renowned sci-fi authors like Asimov, Clarke, and Herbert at our featured book exhibition. From mind-bending multiverses to cautionary tales of technology's impact, these thought-provoking narratives will ignite your imagination and challenge you to consider the opportunities and perils that may shape our world.

 

Feature Talk: Human, Machine, and the In-Between in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun

Date: 30 Oct 2024
Hybrid Mode: The Forum, 6/F, Library & Online via Zoom
Guest Speaker: Ms An Yu
Sign up HERE

In Klara and the Sun, the humanity of Ishiguro’s characters is placed on a spectrum. What does it mean to be human? Is humanity something that can be learned?

A story of love, grief, and hope, told through Ishiguro’s understated prose and from the compelling point of view of an AI machine, this novel achieves what all novels aim to do, which is to stand by its readers as they each arrive at their own truths.

In this talk, Ms An Yu will provide PolyU readers with rich and thought-provoking perspectives on the novel's resonance with contemporary issues.

About the Speaker

Ms An Yu (安於) was born and raised in Beijing, and spent parts of her life studying and working in London, New York, and Paris. She received her MFA from New York University and writes her fiction in English.

She is the author of the novels Braised Pork (2020) and Ghost Music (2022). Her writing has also appeared in The Sunday Times Style, Freeman’s, Literary Hub, The Wall Street Journal, among other publications.
 

Call for Book Nomination

Date: End of 2024

Please send us your Common Book nominations for a new year of reading. It will help us decide which book the PolyU community will read in 2025.

READ@PolyU Challenge – Design Your AI Companion!

We are excited to announce a special contest as part of our READ@PolyU reading programme, centred around our common book 2024/25, Klara and the Sun. We invite you to explore the themes of artificial intelligence and companionship that lie at the heart of the novel.

In Klara and the Sun, we follow an artificial friend, Klara, who navigates the complexities of human emotions and relationships. This contest encourages you to reflect on your own ideas about AI and friendship. If you had the chance, what kind of AI friend would you create, and how would it change your life?

How to Participate:

  1. Design Your AI Friend: Write a 50-word description of your AI friend's unique qualities and role in your life.
  2. Visualize Your AI Friend: Study image prompting and use GenAI tools to visualize the image of your ideal AI companion. Let your imagination run wild!
  3. Eligibility: This challenge is open to all PolyU students. Each participant should submit one entry only.

Submission:

  1. Share on Social Media: Post the AI friend’s image and its description on your Facebook or Instagram with the title "READ@PolyU Challenge: Design Your AI Companion" and hashtags: #polyureads and #PolyULibrary.
  2. Email Your Submission: Send a screenshot of your post, the image, the full 50-word description of your AI friend, the final prompt and AI tool that you have used to lbread@polyu.edu.hk with your name and student ID.

Important Dates:

  • Submission Period: From today until 14 February 2025.

Prizes:

Submissions will be evaluated based on creativity, originality, and thoughtfulness.

All winners receive an award certificate and the opportunity to be featured on our social media platforms, along with book coupons:

  • Gold Award (x1): $500 book coupon
  • Silver Award (x2): $200 book coupon
  • Bronze Award (x5): $100 book coupon

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to showcase your creativity for a chance to win amazing prizes!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at lbread@polyu.edu.hk.