For The Love of a Good Story -Celebrating Our Favorite Books, Libraries & Librarians.
Sept. 22-28, 2024 Banned Books Week
The freedom to read is a nonpartisan American value. Libraries are for EVERYONE.
As you all know, I love book, stories, poetry and life long learning. I also love libraries, librarians and all the folks that work to support and sustain our American library system.
So today I’m lifting up libraries for important resource they are to communities across the country. In this video I share a beautiful poem by the poet Nikki Giovanni called “A Library”
My daughter, Amelia Aldred, is one of those amazing people working in support of American libraries. She co-leads Unite Against Book Bans, a national coalition of organizations and individuals who are fighting censorship. If you'd like to learn how to support your local library, you can find information and free resources here. https://uniteagainstbookbans.org AND if you'd like to host an event to support your local library, you can join a video workshop with Amelia on how to do that.
A LIBRARY (for Kelli Martin) a Library Is: a place to be free to be in space to be in cave times to be a cook to be a crook to be in love to be unhappy to be quick and smart to be contained and cautious to surf the rainbow to sail the dreams to be blue to be jazz to be wonderful to be you a place to be yeah… to be By Nikki Giovanni
Here are some of the books that have inspired me and still ring true and are frequently found on banned book lists.
The Poisonwood Bible. The Kill A Mockingbird, Beloved, Slaughterhouse Five, The Color Purple, The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian, 1984, The 1619 Project, Maus, Charlotte’s Web, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, The Fault In Our Stars, Turtles All The Way Down, Nickel and Dimed, The Handmaid's Tale, The Kite Runner, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Year of Wonder, Leaves of Grass,…and so so so many more.
QUESTION
Is there a book or books that changed how you see the world or yourself? Is there a book that opened or expanded something in your mind or heart?
Upcoming Shows and Workshops
For more info visit www.carrienewcomer.com/tour
I hope you’ll join us for this very special show in Chicago, at the fabulous Old Town School of Folk Music with Gary Walters and The Gathering of Spirits String Quartet. Still a few tickets left…here’s the link for more information and reserving your seat.
I love all of Wendell Berry's novels. What beautiful writing and rich character development. They take me deeply into another place and time. It's remarkable that his first novel was written when he was 27 years old. Each one builds on the previous one with many familiar characters and a span of decades. I believe the most recent one he wrote when he was in his 70s.
I cannot imagine a world without books nor, especially, my beloved library card! One book that changed my life, Pearl Bucks, The Good Earth....from other cultures that led me to anthropology to tea drinking.....