Were you a Library Kid?
oh for the love of books, say yes
Hello page-turners and book-markers:
Were you a library kid? Do photographs of libraries, or the memory of being inside of a library give you a feeling of comfort, acceptance, joy? You’re not alone.
Library kids know how the Dewey Decimal system works. And this makes them happy.
Library kids have felt the hurt of running out of books by a favorite prolific author.
Library kids also know the surprised elation when they discover an unread book by a favorite author whose oeuvre they thought they’d exhausted.
Library kids understand that solitude doesn’t mean isolation — the library always has at least one other person in it (the librarian) who is happy that you are there, even if you don’t say a word.
Sometimes because you don’t say a word.
….The previous words are lifted from my newest post on Medium: Calling All Library Kids…. Have a look at the whole essay! Read it! Share it! Celebrate books and libraries and the people we became because of them!
Writing stuff:
Part of what inspired me to write the Library Kids essay was that this week I thought about “my people” and realized it was the library kids that I love. I attended two readings—one was East Village Wordsmiths which was a wonderful, welcoming, and very eclectic mix of pro and amateur writers of all genres - poetry, fiction, essays, all of it. Check them out on Facebook or just stop by Book Club Bar - it’s a wonderful curated open mic night in a very cool coffeshop/bar/bookstore (I met Leigh-Ann O’Connor, the curator of these nights through Pen Parentis: she’s a Title Member and attends one of my weekly accountability groups).
I also went to a “Secret Sphynx Salon” (sic) in Bushwick - this one featured four pro authors in a fantastically eclectic secret outdoor setting with hairless cats and a hairless dog (all in sweaters) and a lot of local book-lovers on strange chairs, carts, boxes, and a church pew, all listening to top authors reading in a specific genre: this month’s salon was science fiction and my super-talented friend Ben Francisco premiered a knockout short story.
Other than these, I also was interviewed on film for The Nonprofit Cooperative, which is a very generous organization that helps nonprofits. (I’ve spent most of the week mulling over “organizational capacity” and that’s not the most fun or creative stuff, but there you go, sometimes one has to also work for a living.) If you run a small nonprofit check out their resources. The Nonprofit Cooperative is fantastic.
Lots more press about the Lithuanian Writers of the Diaspora Forum:
one in Lithuanian, published in Italy! (fun photo of me in this one—with a woman who I still have to write about - great story in this one!)
Random Final Thought:
Someone asked me this question, and I did not know the answer. Is Turkish Delight called that in Turkey? And if not….what’s it actually called? Just “Delight”? Is there Delight in other countries? Like is there an Armenian Delight? Or a Greek Delight? or is all “Delight” always called Turkish Delight, even when made in New Jersey?
And back to the subject of libraries and how great they make me feel: if you really were and/or still are a library kid, share your favorite library memory with me in the comments! (I always read the comments) If you have kids, did your kids turn into library kids too?
I’m building my Twitter base, so if you link to an essay or post your musings on libraries there, I’ll gladly retweet if you tag me @mmdevoe and use the hashtag #librarykid
delightful! the library essay and Turkish delight and Lithuania adventures!
Turkish delight is called lokum in its home country, traditionally rose flavored .
In the before times there was a stand in London's Kings Cross station selling lots of flavors, along with other Middle Eastern sweets but it's now gone.