#Color Our World Summer Reading Program | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

curhartwrites · 4 months ago

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Books Read I've Read in 2025:

1. "Eating on The Street: Teaching Literacy in a Multicultural Society," by David Schaafsma - Describes what a group of teachers from different cultural and teaching backgrounds learned from their students and each other during an inner city summer writing program. An excellent read if you're an educator or a parent.

2. "Inside Organized Racism: Women in The Hate Movement," by Kathleen M. Blee - Discusses the unique paths that white women take into organized white supremacy, and explores how we might prevent racist conversion and deprogram racists. It's a difficult read emotionally, but valuable.

3. "The Jew in The Lotus," by Rodger Kamenetz - Explores the phenomenon of Western Jews converting to Buddhism, through the lens of a group of notable Jewish writers traveling to meet the Dalai Lama. I found this book heartwarming.

4. D"Standing Again at Sinai," by Judith Plaskow (re-read)- A classic which outlines the possibilities for practicing Judaism through a Feminist lens. Definitely glad I revisited this one. Inspired me a lot when I was getting things together to start our Chavurah.

5. "The Color Purple," by Alice Walker (re-read) - A timeless novel about the web of relationships between a group of Black women in Georgia. A cornerstone of Black Queer literature for a reason. It made me cry just like it did the first time I read it. If you haven't read it, please do. If you have, read it again.

6. "The First Bad Man," by Miranda July - A weird and fascinating novel that's kind of about reincarnation, and kind of about the ways that we seek out repeating patterns of trauma. I'm still deciding how I feel about this book, which is itself a sort of recommendation. Whether or not I can say that I "liked it," it left a powerful emotional impression, and I'm still thinking about it.

7. "The New Joys of Yiddish," by Leo Rosten - A useful, thoughtful, and funny Yiddish primer. I'm glad I have a copy in my house. It reminds me of my grandmother, and as a writer who tells Jewish stories, it's useful when I'm writing dialogue between characters.

8. "The Other Jews," by Daniel J. Elazar - An exploration on the cultural and political role of Sephardic Jews in Israel and elsewhere (from 1984, so it's definitely dated). A little dry, but I definitely learned some new bits of history, and I do love a good fun fact. I think my favorite part was the descriptions of different Sephardic communities around the world.

9. "Saving Fish From Drowning," by Amy Tan - A beautiful, improbable, intimate book about a group of rich tourists in Burma. This book thoroughly surprised and delighted me.

10. "Madame Bovary," by Gustave Flaubert - A banned and much contested French classic full of lush descriptive language and people with questionable morals but great fashion sense. Thoroughly and licentiously entertaining.

11. "A.D., After Death," by Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire - A very emotionally engaging graphic novel about immortality and change, full of watercolor artwork. I found it deeply moving, and I don't want to spoil it.

12. "Home Improvement: Undead Edition," edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner - An anthology of urban fantasy and horror stories related to the subject of home improvement. This book was an absolute hoot. Fun, widely varied, and often hilarious.

13. "Her Body and Other Parties," stories by Carmen Maria Machado - This book gutted me. It's been on my TBR list for ages and I'm so glad I finally sat down with it. A startlingly intimate window into the violence that permeates women's lives.

14. "War for The Oaks," by Emma Bull - A genre-defining classic of urban fantasy for a reason. Beautifully realized and immersive.

#booklr #book recs #nonfiction #fiction #jewish books #queer books #black books #theology #history #jewish history #yiddish #urban fantasy

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stareaterreads · 6 months ago

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Private Rites

Book: Private Rites by Julia Armfield

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You can almost feel the ever-constant rain pit-pattering on your brain as you read.

At my age, as young as my early twenties, I’ve spent much of my life being told the world is heading toward certain doom. Even in a state as red as the summer setting sun, so deep in denial of our weather’s fluctuations despite having more hurricanes with extreme behaviors, freezes deep enough to destroy our pipes never designed for this kind of winter, and hitting heat records earlier and later in the year than ever before.

The climate is a topic many people are very passionate about, yet it’s one I’ve heard become quieter amidst louder conversations. Many readers within my circles know I’m pretty loud about LGBTQIA+ rights, and it’s the subject I speak the most on (particularly because it’s the one I’m most knowledgeable on). Of course, color me fascinated the moment I was offered an ALC (Advanced Listener’s Copy) of Private Rites. I have had her book Our Wives Under the Sea on my radar for a while, and still fully intend to read it. When I read the blurb, I dove headfirst in.

As a first impression, Hannah van der Westhuysen’s voice felt like a wind blowing through your hair before lifting you off your feet and straight for the ground to start off the audiobook. I mean that in the best possible way, because I was immediately intrigued in the dreary and somber mood their tone sets. Their narrating through the whole book is done well with subtle changes in the perspective shifts between the three sisters to help differentiate each character. The cadence and huskiness in which they read creates a fantastic atmosphere for the book to be set within.

The story itself is a reimagining of King Lear, where the three sisters - Isla, Irene, and Agnes - are left with the loss of their callous and cold father among a world slowly drowning in a gentle, endless rain. While the three are navigating this not-so-sudden death and their estranged relationship with one another, they also struggle with the frayed ends of their lives, whether it be a love breaking away, a love that refuses to be let go, and a love just begun. The tension only makes them grow further apart as the will of their well-known architect of a father reveals favor to one sister over the other two.

Each of the characters, including the sisters and their partners, are written with a depth that makes them feel real. The issues they struggle with, their anxieties and worries, their anger and stress, all gives them dimension that I could imagine them as people I could have met in passing, with lives beyond the eyes of a stranger.

You can almost feel the pitter-patter of the never stopping rain on your brain from the moment you begin this book and weeks after you’ve finished it.

Julia Armfield has made a masterpiece of climate fiction. Van der Westhuysen delivers a breathtaking performance in this audiobook and will definitely be on my radar in the future. (Add. note: Fun fact! They acted in the Fate: The Winx Saga on Netflix! I haven’t watched it, but I thought that was a cool fact. I will always remember them first for this audiobook though, appreciatively). I would highly recommend this to anyone else with an eye out for either a speculative climate fiction book or a modern retelling of King Lear dripping with raindrops.

For those who, like 5% of the population and myself, who struggle with Seasonal Depression (or any other form of mood disorder), please get yourself some water and a more cheerful book to recover from this review. It may be difficult in this period to self-care, but please remember that if anything is worth doing, it is worth being done half-way. Treat yourself like you would a dear friend.

In any case, I want to thank Libro.fm and Macmillan Audio for gifting me this ALC through Libro’s bookseller program and my job as a bookseller. I also want to thank both Julia Armfield and Hannah van der Westhuysen for bringing this amazing queer climate fiction to life for the world to admire and appreciate. Last but not least, I thank you, dear reader, for reading and patiently supporting my blog, and I remind you that in this vast and sometimes lonely universe, you matter so much to me. Take care of yourself and don’t forget your meds and hydration! Until next time, I’ll be reading!

If you’re interested in this book, buy it from one of these links here! Bookshop.org - Barnes & Noble - Libro.fm [audiobook] or from your local bookstore! If you'd like to support my personal favorite bookstore, buy it from Katy Budget Books!

To bring up the downcast mood this review presents, I have this afternote for my fellow catastrophisers that need a pick-me-up to wrap the book review burrito better.

Even in what can feel like the dreary outlook of this world, there have been many monumental efforts made to bettering it and signs those efforts are working; in the past year or so alone, we have seen loggerhead turtles making a comeback in population based on an increase in their nesting population, renewable energy is projected to be on a big rise in several states and countries across the globe, and deforestation in Colombia and in the Amazon Rainforest have reached their lowest level in a substantial period. There is good news out there, it just takes a bit of effort to find compared to the doomsday posting social media algorithms tend to push. I personally like to look at OneTreePlanted's positive environmental stories posts when I'm looking for some good news about the world (which is where I found most of the above news as it made me smile) - plus, looking it up on your preferred search engine should produce some results, too.

#books #books and reading #climate fiction #litfic #literary fiction #queer fiction #lgbtq fiction #book review #alc

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jcmarchi · 2 years ago

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MIT students build connections with Black and Indigenous Brazilians to investigate culture and the environment

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/mit-students-build-connections-with-black-and-indigenous-brazilians-to-investigate-culture-and-the-environment/

MIT students build connections with Black and Indigenous Brazilians to investigate culture and the environment

In January 2024, at the height of Brazil’s summer, a group of 20 MIT undergraduates will arrive in São Paulo, Brazil, for the Independent Activities Period (IAP) course WGS.247/21L.592 (Race, Place, and Modernity in the Americas) jointly offered by the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences’ programs in Women’s and Gender Studies, Literature, and Writing.

Continuing a program developed in 2019 and launched as a special course in 2020, the three-week course offers students opportunities to study how American and Brazilian Black and Indigenous writers, artists, and filmmakers’ art and cultural activism — particularly women’s — can impact racial justice and environmental issues.

The class will visit historical sites, cultural centers, nature reserves, and museums while also engaging in conversations with local scholars, activists, religious leaders, community organizers, and artists.

By mixing classroom discussions with on-site exploration and cross-cultural exchanges, the course offers innovative pedagogy that is experiential (learning by doing), immersive (learning within an environment), and interdisciplinary (learning across different fields).

An immersive course, years in the making

Joaquin Terrones ’99, a lecturer in literature and women’s and gender studies, was already teaching this material when he considered expanding its scope. “It seemed like the natural next step was to take students to Brazil so they could experience its incredible culture, art, and activism for themselves,” he remembers.

In 2019, he and Wyn Kelley, a senior lecturer in literature, received a Higher Education Innovation grant from the MIT Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) to develop the course and teach it as a special subject the following year.

Generous support from MIT-Brazil, the Office of Minority Education, and MindHandHeart completed its transformation into a full-fledged course in women’s and gender studies, literature, and writing as part of MIT’s Independent Activities Period (IAP) last January.

Helen Elaine Lee, a professor in MIT’s Comparative Media Studies/Writing program, co-taught the subject in its first full year, sharing her experiences using creative practices to further social justice.

Undergraduates from across MIT’s five schools, particularly Black, Latino, LGBTQ+, and first-generation college students, have enrolled. This outreach is important because some studies have shown students from these groups are underserved by study abroad programs, participating at significantly lower rates.

“Our students want spaces like the one created by this course to think deeply and collectively about the daunting array of crises we face, from catastrophic climate change to entrenched violence against communities of color,” says Terrones.

No day at the beach … well, maybe one or two

Although a few weeks in South America during January might sound like a vacation, the course is rigorous and intense, packing a semester’s worth of material into three weeks. Students spend mornings in seminar-style discussions, head out across the city for field trips in the afternoon, and return to their residences in the early evening for a few hours of readings or screenings.

For Tamea Cobb, a senior double majoring in chemical engineering and literature, the class trip to Rio led to an epiphany. “I remember waking up super early to watch the sunrise on the beach, where we saw a man practicing capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art form disguised to look like dancing by enslaved Africans forbidden from practicing martial arts. We had just learned about capoeira the week prior, so it was a beautiful full-circle moment.”

In addition to class outings in São Paulo and Rio, students also organize their own weekend trips within Brazil to places such as Salvador, the unofficial capital of Afro-Brazilian culture, and Inhotim, a vast open-air art museum and botanical garden in the middle of the Atlantic Forest.

Beyond Brazil

The course’s impact continues well after its completion as participants incorporate what they learned into their work and lives.

“The course was a priceless experience that further revealed the interconnectedness of African experiences in the Americas,” says Afura N. Taylor ’21, who double majored in physics and writing. “It has influenced my writing by providing examples of literature and cultural practices that center ancestral memory.”

Educators also see benefits. “I had no idea it would give me a new research project on the presence of Brazil in Black U.S. print culture from the early national period to the present,” says Kelley.

In fact, the course’s success has inspired two new IAP subjects in Brazil this year: 21G.S07 (Language Conversation and Brazilian Culture) by Nilma Dominique from the Global Studies and Languages Section, and 10.496/1.096 (Design of Sustainable Polymer Systems in the Amazon) by Professor Bradley Olsen in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

When asked what makes the course special, Professor Lee describes “[a] unique power [that] derives from rigorous discussions of challenging texts and films that question prevalent assumptions about history and politics, and immersive cultural experiences that open mind and heart, expanding and empowering students who often feel isolated and excluded on MIT’s campus.”

She adds, “In addition to deepening my intellectual and political understanding, this class gave me a profound experience of ancestral recovery that has fed my artistic work. For our Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ students, it was a liberatory experience of community. A re-education. A cultural and personal homecoming.”

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davidmariottecomics · 2 years ago

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A Matter of Time

Surf's up, gang!

Aloha from the beach! Okay, not really. I'm at home at time of writing, but I've made 2 whole trips out to the ocean this week, so I'm feeling beachy! Which, if you live near the water, is a pretty good way to feel in the summertime!

In enjoying the season, I started thinking about the complex production timelines of comics, the ways in which some comics feel timely when they were created well ahead of the events they seem related to, and a book I read recently that had one time element that really didn't work for me. So let's take some time to talk about time!

Story of Seasons

Where I live in the U.S., summer means a certain thing. At this time of year, we're largely through the June Gloom and into hot, sunny days. The sun rises before I'm usually up, and I wake up early, and sets around 8 p.m. Most nights, in at least some parts of town, there are fireworks. Folks are having barbecues at home and along the beach--which people are flocking too. The college-aged kids only roll up after they've got up, and since they don't have school, you can usually not expect to see them before noon. And while the coastline's popping, closer to us, things are quieter exactly because school's out and the college campus has largely cleared out. And, specific to where we live, it means the trolleys and buses and some buildings and street signs, have assumed their summer wrap, promoting Peacock and Futurama's return and whatever else companies spent boodles of money on to promote ahead of and during San Diego Comic-Con.

That's what the exterior of my life is like right now. Sweet, hot, summertime fun outdoors--though I spend most of my time in with the cats. And there's still a little bit of that in my work. I'm planning meeting up with folks at San Diego Comic-Con and, while I'm not particularly involved, I'm watching Riley Farmer get the Sonic the Hedgehog: Endless Summer one-shot buttoned up for next month. But most of what I'm working on is already well ahead, working actively on releases across the fall, and switching from planning to the first steps of production on our winter releases with spring 2024 already cresting the horizon.

It's a funky dichotomy. If you go into a comic shop in the next two months, summer programs will be in full swing, from DC's big summer crossover event, Knight Terrors to IDW's Endless Summer, to Ultimate Invasion and the Hellfire Gala stuff Marvel's got going on, as well as Skybound's kicking off their Energon Universe, and whatever stores have left of the projects kicked off for Pride.

But because you're seeing those things in stores, it means they're done and as I've talked about a bit before, generally comics have to be done a ways before their release. In an ideal situation, a comic is done between 7 and 10 weeks before the on-sale date. In a less ideal situation, a comic needs to be done at least 3 weeks before the on-sale date for most printers/distributors/final-order-cutoff reasons. But, in the former case, it means this next week, I'd be looking at what needs to go out right around mid-September--the first week of fall. And those are the things that'd be finishing. Let's say you'd need at least 10 weeks before that for finalizing the script; drawing, coloring, lettering, and doing any production on the issue; and getting it approved by all the relevant stakeholders. So the things entering that phase in the next week wouldn't actually see stores until the last week of November.

In the books world, there are three spans, rather than the four seasons. Those are Spring (Feb-May), Summer (Jun-Aug), and Fall (Sept-Jan). And when you're working purely with single-issue comics, when you're in one span, you're generally working on titles for the next. When it comes to collections and OGNs, you can be working on stuff years ahead of time. (As an aside to all this, it's also super interesting that this is how things are sorted because it really speaks to publishing in the northern hemisphere... sorry to anyone in the southern hemisphere who is looking at IDW's Endless Summer and thinking "but it's winter!")

I bring all this up as a reminder that comics take a long time to make and when there are comics have a particularly timely element, like a summer event, they're the result of months of work and planning to hit that specific date that falls in that seasonal span. And while tons of planning can go into something like a 5th week event (in months with 5 Wednesdays, some publishers will add extra titles on the 5th week so they have releases for that Wednesday without disrupting the regular monthly schedule of their titles), it also means sometimes something happens that seems very intentional, but is purely coincidental!

Unintended Timeliness

Wendy Xu has a new book coming out next month, The Infinity Particle. Like all of her books, it looks very good. Straight from the copy, it "explores big questions through the eyes of an aspiring inventor and the lifelike AI she finds herself falling for." And in the build-up to release, advance reader copies have gone out to booksellers, librarians, and reviewers--the folks who should see the book early because it will help the book get more traction in stores, libraries, and more visibility with readers. But because of developments over the past year, it also is now very closely tied to a hot button issue: AI. Through the circumstances of the world around The Infinity Particle's release, early reviews and examination of it are inherently looping it into the larger conversation. Wendy's gone on the record about, as she said, "'AI' (derogatory)" and "AI-in-fiction (complimentary)." But one of the things she's also been very clear about is that she's been working on this book since 2018 when we weren't talking about AI in the same way.

I bring this all up because, when taken with my previous point about how long it often takes comics to be made, a lot of the timeliness that you may seen in a work can be coincidental. As another example, I've been asked a few times about whether the Metal Virus arc in IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog was in any way inspired by the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. That arc is, in many ways, about a global pandemic. That arc, also, was pitched over a dinner at WonderCon 2018, where only the very first issue was on sale a week early and the series had not yet launched widely. The majority of it was written and in production before March 2020 when the U.S. really shut down in the early days of their response. So, no, the timelines don't really work out, it was just happenstance.

And as a writer/artist/editor/etc, that's one of the things you have to keep in mind. I came from journalism, where timeliness was often an important part of storytelling. "New" is 3/4ths of "News." But outside of strips and editorial/political cartoons, it is much harder to incorporate true timeliness to your comics work. So, often, the default is to look for timelessness--something that isn't pegged to a specific event or set of circumstances, but that can be appreciated whenever because it speaks to something larger. Timelessness doesn't need to be forward-looking necessarily. It can be reacting to or interpreting long-standing history. But the benefit of trying to tell a story that always feels relevant, even if the cultural context around it may change the reader's interpretation from your intention (and there's a longer conversation to be had about interpretation vs. intention), is it usually doesn't feel immediately aged.

The flip side of things having an unexpected timeliness is when you try to execute something to be timely, but in the interim of writing to execution or just through the flow of time, it just isn't anymore. Somewhat recently, Becca rediscovered "Boyfriend" by Big Time Rush. Obviously, this song is like 13 years old anyway, but boy howdy does the song feel it's age when they call out 2008 Best Picture winner, Slumdog Millionaire. It's not to say you can't or shouldn't put things in the context of the time they're written in, just that being considerate of it is probably to your benefit because specific cultural and contextual touchpoints should feel additive to the work and the intention, not haphazard as a way of showing modernity. (Two quick asides to this: 1. If you don't like "Boyfriend" by BTR musically, you do need to watch the video because it is wild. However, maybe "Boyfriend" by Dove Cameron will be more to your tastes and is incredibly funny if you listen to it as a response to the BTR song. 2. Cultural references aren't the only things that can feel dated or be misused and make your comic worse--see every time AAVE is misused in comics and the creators are immediately dunked on.)

A Timeless Romance... And Leia Organa

Last bit for today, building off what we were just talking about. I recently read Neon Gods by Katee Roberts. It's a smutty retelling of Hades/Persephone set in modern times. (I'm still figuring out some upcoming blogs, but certainly the aforementioned AI and also why SO MANY WORKS are gravitating to Hades/Persephone are on the shortlist). Overall, I liked it. Like many first books in a series, I hear it picks up in later volumes. There's a lot to say about it, but one thing that really stuck out to me was while I understand that it is set in modern day, anytime it made a specific modern reference, it really threw me off.

Throughout the book, people make calls on their smart phones and have video conferences and there are guns and cars and skyscrapers and other hallmarks of modernity. And it is totally fine. It sets the scene and makes sense for the story being told. But every once in a while--I remember it happening 3 or 4 times--something specific gets called out and it feels weird. One of those times being a reference to the gold bikini Leia wears in Return of the Jedi. It's the sort of touchstone that should feel innocuous. Most folks know it, even if they don't super know Star Wars. But when it happens as like a singular pop culture reference in a work (the other specific callouts I remember feeling odd were a reference to UC Berkley and a brand-name medicine), it weirdly works against the modernity because it feels too concrete in a world of otherwise abstract modern life. It is so solid, so recognizable, that it almost begs the question of why there aren't more references throughout and it vaguely asks questions of the world and of the characters that aren't actually consequential to the plot--or, perhaps, that are consequential to a larger overarching plot that isn't really investigated in depth in the first book. Either way, it was just a little moment that in my reading created a bump that I'm remembering a week and a half later better than some of the actual plot elements or hot smutty scenes, which probably is not the intent of that otherwise kinda throwaway line.

FRIENDS!

Okay, shifting away from all that for a moment, I wanna talk about my many cool friends! Who have a new page on my website! Inspired by the webrings of old, I wanted to do a little something to help folks who find their way over to my site find their way over to the sites of other cool folks who are making comics! Right now, you'll notice a lot of family and people who work on Sonic in addition to a few other friends, but always happy to add folks that I've worked with or know and like who might want a bit more web traffic flowing their way.

While we're on the topic, I know a number of former IDW folks are still looking for work. You'll find links to their LinkedIns there and if you have any opportunities that might be a good fit, please reach out! Also specific shout-out to Yu & Me Books, who could use some help at the moment.

Patreon!

I'm now on Patreon sharing, wouldja believe, this very blog! As well as some other cool stuff that I've got planned! If you've been enjoying the blog for a while and want a new way to read or support it with a small tip, the Patreon might be for you. I'm also going to be doing Patreon-exclusive blogs that show off stuff like scripts and pitching materials that I can share, WIPs of some of my personal projects, some weird video/audio/streaming content at certain levels, and have a somewhat ambitious group funding goal where subscribers to my top tier mostly help me fund making more short comics by being able to pay cool artists I know!

Do you not want to read this pitch for my Patreon? Good news: If you subscribe to it, this is cut out from the blog! Ooo aah!

What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast), Craig of the Creek (Cartoon), Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast), Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links (Video game), My Adventures with Superman (Cartoon), the beach, Girly Drinks by Mallory O'Meara (Book), the aforementioned Neon Gods (okay, that was last week, but y'know), Stab that Cake (TV show), the only real social media, Clapback, Cruel Summer (TV show), Crime Scene Kitchen (TV show), "Shy Boy" by Carly Rae Jepsen (my queen), the music video for "Water Slide" by Janelle Monae (really loving the aesthetics of their new stuff), Starship Troopers (Movie), thinking about The Love Witch (due for a rewatch).

New Releases this week (7/5/2023): Sonic the Hedgehog #62 (Editor) Brynmore #1 (Editor) - Actually came out in my last gap week, but go grab it!

New Releases next week (7/12/2023): Off week for me! Buy something else groovy!

Final Order Cut-Off next week (7/10/2023 - AKA Preorder Deadline) Brynmore #2 (Editor) Godzilla: War for Humanity #1 (Editor)

Announcements:

I'll be at San Diego Comic-Con! My schedule's gotten pretty full, but if you're going to be there, do reach out and let me know. I'll at least try to say hi! IDW announced our panels for the year and I'll see you at Sonic the Hedgehog: Speeding to the 900th Adventure on Sunday at 10, room 25ABC!

Side note, because con is coming, I may or may not have an update the week of SDCC itself! And Becca's Twitch streams will be off that week, but they'll be streaming throughout the rest of the month. Just anticipate Tuesday streams, rather than Wednesdays, because of some scheduling conflicts. Just through July.

Oh! And a reminder I am on Bluesky, but don't expect to see me on Threads! That service seems lousy!

Pic of the Week:

Becca and I at the beach! Beach stuff including some cool shells and part of a crustacean's shell!

#comics #sonic idw #neon gods #summertime #comics scheduling #infinity particle #metal virus saga #comics behind the scenes #patreon

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suindependent · 8 days ago

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#books #communityevents #prizes #SummerReadingProgram #Utahlibraries #WashingtonCountyLibrary

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home-inspiration-blog · 10 days ago

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Anaheim Hills briefs: Make your summer reading count for prizes and learning

A summer reading program, “Color Our World,” kicked off earlier this month at all Anaheim Public Library branches and is open to all ages. Participants have the opportunity to read books over the summer and earn amazing prizes. Those wishing to be part of the annual summer reading program should sign up on the Beanstack app or go into Canyon Hills Library to register. The summer reading program…

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naturecoaster · 11 days ago

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Join the Hernando County Library's Color Our World 2025 Summer Reading Program, where children and teens can dive into a summer full of fun, learning, and creativity! Enjoy art-themed Storytimes for families, exciting programs for tweens and teens, and a fantastic lineup of performers throughout the season. The Hernando County Public Library is especially excited to partner with the Hernando County Fine Arts Council throughout July! Thanks to their generous sponsorship, hands-on art classes for children taught by experienced, professional artists are being offered through the library system. To participate, simply register through the Hernando County Library calendar. Don't miss the 2025 Hernando County Library's Summer Reading Challenge and Hands-On Art Classes! Track your reading and earn prizes through the Beanstack app. This year, we’re teaming up with the Tampa Bay Rays for the Reading with the Rays program. Stop by your local branch to pick up your game card and earn rewards as you read your way around the bases. Reach home plate and receive a $24 Suncoast Credit Union savings account voucher! Hernando County Public Libraries can’t wait to celebrate summer with you!Visit https://hernandocountylibrary.us/summer_reading_2025/ for full details. About Hernando County Public Library System Hernando County Public Library System is an essential part of a just and fair community where all can thrive and grow. We provide spaces where all are welcome to discover, create, and learn. About Hernando County Fine Arts Council Through advocacy, engagement, education, and art-inspired programs and events, we work to fulfill this mission. We are dedicated to providing accessible opportunities that invite art into the lives of Hernando County residents and visitors. Read the full article

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lesterpubliclibrary · 11 days ago

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Track Repair by Lester Public Library Via Flickr: Engineering a Track in the Dramatic Play Area, Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin

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glittergrrldreamz · 19 days ago

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📚✨ "Library Launch & Crayons for Days!" ✨📚

Date: June 3rd — Sparkle Level: 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

OMG HI DIARYYYY!!! 💌

Today was officially the first day of summer AND the first day of the ✨Summer Library Program✨ and I am literally losing my sparkly mind!!! The theme this year is “Color Our World” and it's SOOOO perfect because 1) I’m basically made of rainbow glitter and 2) I already color-coded my entire booklist with scented gel pens 💖

My Library Adventure:

I woke up super early (ok like 9:07 am) and wore my favorite pastel cheer bow + rainbow skort combo and walked to the library with my tote bag that says “Reading is Hot Girl Behavior.” 😘

Inside, they had this big poster with all these crayons and markers and paint splashes and it smelled like fresh paper and dreams 🥹✨ I signed up for the program right away and the librarian gave me a reading tracker shaped like a rainbow 🌈 and a sticker sheet full of lil’ books and stars (!!!)

Then I sat cross-legged in the bean bag chair in the kid section (yes, it fits me if I fold like a pretzel LOL) and picked out 3 books:

Dork Diaries: Crush Catastrophe

Geek Girl by Holly Smale

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Highlights:

Drew myself as a Crayola fairy in my diary

Made 2 new goals: read 10 books AND make a rainbow collage

Got an ice cream sandwich after (cookies n' cream + glitter sprinkles, duh)

Wrote my name on the “Readers Wall” with a glitter marker the librarian definitely didn't say I could use... 🫣

Mimi Says:

“Coloring your world isn’t about staying in the lines — it’s about making your lines ✏️💗”

Anyway, if you're doing a summer reading program too, TELL MEEEEE!!! We can swap recs or even have a virtual slumber party book club 👑📚✨

Until next entry… xoxo, Mimi 🦋

#middlespace #agere #age regression #tweendream #libraryvibes #colorourworld #summerreadingclub #glittergrrlblog #diaryentry #sparklecore #rainbowjournaling

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carrolltonrainbowinc · 2 months ago

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https://ift.tt/q3OvpNy Call for artists! For the month of July, we will have an art show themed "Color Our World" to go along with the summer reading program at the local library. Setup & Break-down dates are being worked out, but we anticipate a reception on the afternoon of July 5th, setting up at the end of June. We're starting out by allowing three family friendly pieces per artist. Please submit this form to sign up. It's not a juried show, and it is free to participate. https://ift.tt/yVZLU21

#Cowtown Pride #LGBTQIA+#Carrollton Georgia

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finishinglinepress · 2 months ago

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FLP CHAPBOOK OF THE DAY: When the Cats Yawn by Kate McNairy

On SALE: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/when-the-cats-yawn-by-kate-mcnairy/

https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/when-the-cats-yawn-by-kate-mcnairy/

Venture into When the Cats Yawn and you will find quiet fireworks: each poem flowers into whimsical shapes, expands ineffably and lingers long afterward. Their sense is like a finely tuned violin discovering this beautiful, terrible world. #nature #aging #life

Kate McNairy is a minimalist poet inspired by Emily Dickinson and William Carlos Williams, among others and she has published the chapbooks: June Bug, (2014), Light to Light (2016), and My Wolf (2021). Her poems have appeared in several journals including Third Wednesday, Raven’s Perch, Bluebird Word, Scarlet Dragonfly, and Local Gems. Kate was a featured poet at Café Lena and on the editorial board of The Apple Tree. Having B.A. and M.A. degrees from SUNY Albany, she has been a writing instructor at Adirondack Community College, Empire State College and has also been a freelance writer for several newspapers. Kate has also attended the NYS Writers Institute Summer Program at Skidmore, The Frost Place, and Tupelo. She lives with Jon in upstate New York.

PRAISE FOR When the Cats Yawn by Kate McNairy

Venture into When the Cats Yawn and you’ll encounter a collection of poems brimming with singular, vivid images of nature and domesticity, as startling as those in a painting by Magritte and Dali. Gently guiding us through life’s journey – from childhood to old age, solitude to intimacy, and the ordinary to the extraordinary – Kate McNairy infuses her work with a wry humor that leaves you both smiling and thoughtful. These poems resonate with authentic insight and genuine emotion. Perfect for fans of Kay Ryan and Emily Dickinson.

–Ellen White Rook, author of Suspended (Cathexis Northwest Press, 2023)

“Tiny and Taut, Kate McNairy’s poems are like quiet fireworks, each one flowers into its own surprising shapes and various colors, expands and lingers long afterwards.”

–Barbara Ungar. Author of After Naming the Animals and Save Our Ship.

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry #chapbook #read #poems #life #aging #nature

#poetry #flp authors #preorder #flp #poets on tumblr #american poets #chapbook #finishing line press #chapbooks #small press

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brightkidsofamerica · 2 months ago

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Why Bright Kids America is the Go-To Preschool, Day Care, and Summer School in Forest Hills & Middle Village

Are you looking for a place where your child can grow, learn, and have fun? Look no further! Bright Kids America is the best choice for families in Forest Hills and Middle Village. We offer everything from preschool and day care to summer school and Chinese classes. Our programs are fun, safe, and perfect for young learners.

At Bright Kids America, we believe that every child is special. Our teachers are kind, caring, and trained to help children learn at their own pace. Whether your child is just starting preschool or wants to learn a new language, we have something for everyone. Keep reading to find out why so many families trust us with their child’s education.

A Top Preschool in Forest Hills

Bright Kids America is proud to be a leading preschool in Forest Hills. Our preschool helps kids get ready for kindergarten in a fun and loving way. Children learn letters, numbers, colors, and shapes through play and hands-on activities. Our classrooms are bright and clean, and we use age-appropriate toys and books to help children learn.

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In addition to schools, we also offer Chinese classes in Middle Village for all age groups. These classes help kids practice speaking and listening. We also teach culture, so kids learn about Chinese festivals, food, and traditions.

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Fun-Filled Summer Schools in Middle Village

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We also include Chinese lessons in the summer! This way, kids keep learning while having fun. Our summer school keeps your child active, social, and ready for the next school year.

Why Choose Bright Kids America?

Bright Kids America is more than just a school. We are a community. Families from Forest Hills and Middle Village trust us because we care about every child. We offer:

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Whether you need a preschool in Forest Hills, a day care centre in Forest Hills, or Chinese schools in Middle Village, we are here for you. We also offer exciting summer schools in Middle Village and fun Chinese classes in Middle Village.

If you're also searching for Chinese schools in Forest Hill, Bright Kids America has the best program for your child. We are proud to help children grow smarter, kinder, and more confident every day.

Are you ready to give your child the best start? Come visit Bright Kids America! Call us to schedule a tour or ask questions about our programs. We can’t wait to meet you and your little one.

Bright Kids America—where every child shines!

#chinese schools in middle village #chinese schools in Forest hill #preschool in Forest Hills #day care centre in forest hills #Summer schools in middle village #Chinese classes in Middle Village

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