Light in the Library – Forest Park Library – St. Louis Community College

Scenes from a Library – St. Louis Community College, Forest Park

The lie of keeping it real – A review of Losing My Cool: How a Father’s Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Culture by Thomas Chatterton Williams

If you have not been reading this blog for long, and perhaps “reading” is an insufficient word here, perhaps you are confused whether it is a photo blog or a poetry blog or blog presenting prose pieces. The answer to this question is “Yes.”

It is clear that photography takes up most of its real estate, with haiku a close second, but at several stages in this blogs history, that is to say my history, there was a fair bit of prose as well. That has diminished, but when I do publish a piece elsewhere on the web, I do like to point it out.

That is what this is, a review of Thomas Chatterton Williams thought-provoking and excellently written memoir. Without further ado, I will let the review do the talking.

Oh, and for more blog brand dilution/confusion, stay tuned–a blog contest or two are in the wings waiting to make their appearance.

Thanks for reading/viewing.

A Book by the Fire – New Photo in Catapult Magazine

Here is a new photo of mine in the most recent issue of Catapult magazine which is entitled “Words on a Page.” Enjoy.

upon walking in a library, after keats

gleaned from teeming brains
these characteries, silent,
sink to nothingness

-source “When I have fears that I may cease to be” by John Keats

Socrates on Clark Street

Oh to be a Donkey Librarian!

Of course, taking care of a donkey and getting it to go, I am sure, is rather difficult work, even if I have always rather had a fondness for the beasts, especially Puzzle of Narnia. And baby donkeys? Well, I cannot begin to describe their cuteness.

However, I digress. This story is really quite cool, though, and more so for its non-donkey aspects. The eagerness with which children wait to read and then read the books made a particular impression upon me. In truth, it rather brings me up short as I sit typing this in my room, with books strewn on the floor near the head of my bed, books still in boxes from my recent move, books in thrift stores around the city which I can take hours to broswe and buy at a pittance, which itself is only a pittance because I make such a handsome wage, books at the library which pays my handsome wage on shelves and shelves and shelves, with numerous computers that can access the Internet and, yes, millions more books throughout the state of Missouri, and books, used and new, at Amazon which I can buy for rather more than a pittance, but still at amazing prices.

Now, I am not saying it is a bad thing to have access to so many books. It is wonderful, and this story highlights just how much of a privilege it, indeed, is, one that is not only good to reflect upon, but one that I, especially as a librarian, should be seeking to extend to others.

Another intersting aspect of the story was how the donkey library is also striving to have people treat donkeys with more care and respect, which is very cool. Don’t care for donkeys? Perhaps you might consider the Kenyan camel library.