Sunday, April 4, 2021

Writers’ Pantry #64: Librarians Are Magic

Librarians were my first superheroes. So, I never waste a chance to celebrate those wonderful souls, who dedicate their lives to guard “uniquely portable magic” vessels with words in them. Today, the USA celebrates the National School Librarian Day. If you run into a school librarian, do let them know how much they are appreciated.

Today, the literary world also celebrates 1984 Day. Or, the day the main character starts writing his diary, which begins with: “April 4th, 1984. Last night to the flicks. All war films. One very good one of a ship full of refugees being bombed somewhere in the Mediterranean. Audience much amused…” Can you imagine sharing a movie theater with that bunch? Eek!

And for those of you who celebrate it, today is also Easter. May your day be exactly as you wish it to be.  

Now, let us open the Pantry. Share poetry or prose that is old or new. Let it be fiction or nonfiction, short or longish (if you go for prose, then your word count should be 369 words or fewer). One link per participant, please. This prompt will stay open for a week. More than enough time to share your words and to take a moment (or 3) to read the words of other poets and storytellers.

- for our next Weekly Scribblings, Rosemary would like us to create poetry or prose about “non-human beloved companions.” And I’m super-excited to announce that she doesn’t only mean cats and dogs, but plants and books and… well, you get the idea. Also, she welcomes old pieces that have been “considerably rewritten”.

Let us write (and read)!

21 comments:

  1. How nice that librarians are your super-heroes! I was one of them for 18 years. Not a school librarian, however, but a public librarian (mostly – except for a year or so in a special library). I did start work in a children's library, though, which was one of the more delightful phases of my career.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The village were I grew up didn't have a library, public or otherwise. There was a small library in the closest town, but one couldn't take the books home. For some months, I used to spend every bit of free time I had there... reading from open to close. Then, a new library came to town--my first hero!--and she would let me take one book with me. And then replace it with another when I was done. That wonderful woman changed my life. So, to her and you, my sweetest Rosemary, I say, "Thank you so much for guarding (and sharing) words!"

      Delete
    2. We had a good library in Launceston, where I grew up. One big library for the whole town. I worked my way though the children's section in just a few years – so quickly that my Dad took me in to see the Chief Librarian (Walter Sutherland; I still remember the name) to ask if I could be allowed to borrow from the adult library. Perhaps he promised parental supervision, or maybe Mr Sutherland assumed that any parent so interested as to come with such a request would surely be aware of what his daughter was reading. Anyway, I got permission, which made me very happy for years to come, and Walter Sutherland was MY first librarian hero.

      Delete
    3. What a wonderful thing for them to do for you!

      Delete
  2. I have missed my voluntary work at local libraries over the past year. I had to go to the post office yesterday and noticed that they are now open, which cheered me up, but I won't go back to volunteering for some time. Happy Easter everyone!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You and me both, dearest Kim. I had just started leading a blackout poetry group at a public library when the pandemic hit. I so hope that things will be safe enough soon to get back to it.

      Delete
  3. Morning, fellow storytellers. And a Happy Easter or Happy Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Retired Library Assistant, present.
    Happy Easter to all

    (✿◠‿◠)

    much love...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good day, poets!
    yes, i think that librarians are kindest and most compassionate people around. i always have good memories when i visit the public libraries in my youth. sure, they may be stern, asking you to lower your voice, but they are always there with a helping hand and kind words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No one has mastered stern looks (at the littlest noise) like librarians have. For some reason, that just made me laugh really hard. I can remember those "Shhhhh!" so well.

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Thank you, Rall. I hope your day is a fantastic one!

      Delete
  7. I never was in a paid position, but got the certificate for library assistant. My internship was in a Juvenile Detention Center library. It was one of the county's library branches. There are few in the US, and it's shown libraries in jails/prisons/juvenile facilities do so much better once released. Some of those children had never been to a library in their lives, in a county with many branches. There was a physical library they visited, checked out books, played library games (for edible prizes). Those that weren't allowed that freedom would have books delivered to their units, and every unit had a small room of books. Check and see if you have the opportunity, the kids I met were nice kids, just misguided, caught up in gangs, and with obviously neglectful parents. They also had an evening program where I used the Internet on the girls' unit. Printed out coloring pages, edited song lyrics, checked on homes they were being released to, or schools they wanted to attend, filled out FAFSA (way to get financial aid in the US).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh wow, Lisa! Thank you so much for what you've done. I bet memories of you and what you did for them remain very clear in the minds (and hearts) of many of those children. You totally rock!

      Delete
    2. I echo Magaly's applause for you, Lisa. After I stopped being a librarian, I embraced the life of 'Occupation, poet' – which led, among other things, to running poetry workshops in a major prison for a while. IT was an adult prison, all male (the reason I was there was because the prisoners had requested it and their Education Officer made it happen). I brought in a lot of other visiting poets so they could get a variety of 'voices' to learn from, and of course we all wrote poems about our experiences going in to visit. I remember one woman wrote that, not knowing what to expect the first time, what she actually found was 'young blokes, down on their luck.' It's great that you got in at the point of juvenile detention, with the potential for changing futures.

      Delete
  8. Hi all! Just having a bit of fun... :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I never had a librarian or a real library until I started town school as a Junior, 11th grade. I discovered the library was a good place to real my paperback Zane Grey books which I hid behind a text book. I was always caught up and the cowboy books kept me occupied. I think the librarian knew that.
    ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, the art of hiding what we really wanted to read in the books we were supposed to be reading. I never did that at the library--never felt like I had to--but goodness knows there many social studies lectures I spent adventuring in a fantastic world.

      Delete

Please be respectful of all the people on this site, as each individual writer is entitled to their own opinion, style, and path to creativity.