#Marcus Amaker

[ukdamo]

A Poem about Charleston

Marcus Amaker

charleston,

where the sidewalks scream on saturday nights

and the corners rotate budding musicians

with skin-tight dreams.

where strings of pearls search for salvation

then sweat out their frustrations

on the backs of rooftops.

where the homeless sprout

like weeds through concrete

seeking two dollars, a handshake

and a little bit of sunshine.

where the humidity chokes you out of breath

but you manage to speak to the

spit-shine waiters who serve 95 dollar

bottles of wine.

where two blocks away,

a five dollar pitcher of liquid gold

spills on the canvas of sticky floors.

charleston,

where love lingers on cobblestone streets

in narrow alleyways, and the smell of sex

is the foundation for first and last impressions.

where shadows are surrounded by the ocean

and sea-seeing people gasp for air

from knee-deep bills and dirt-cheap thrills.

where those with

no sense of history’s melody

will sync with the songs of the city’s slaves.

where the poets scrape stanzas

off of streetlights

and if they scream loud enough, maybe someone will hear

because we live in Charleston.

i see poems everywhere

in my neighborhood.

they write themselves –

stumbling through winter’s relentless stare

and blinded by the bluntness of spring.

they surround you

before you slip

into the sweet darkness

of a sour night,

sorting through a history

of scrambled words.

i am the tongue-tied baby of the family.

the wide-eyed wanderer

who finally found a home.

walking past the broken down buildings

that hold the streets together

and having real conversations with america –

admiring her ball gowns

down one-way streets

while washing off the doom

of her repugnant perfume.

I  see poems everywhere in my neighbourhood.

they are the graffiti artists of the sky,

the glowing conversations

written in the stars,

the phone numbers

typed into cell phones,

the endless puddles of alcohol

that linger like rain in an unholy city,

looking for God amongst the ghosts within.

[kaffeeraum-bei-zarah]

enjoying a lovely weekend spent by yourself

...I've recently come across this beautiful album uploaded by nice guys (they surprise with interesting indie works quite often!). The music here is full of lightness and positivity, so it makes a perfect weekend album! It's called Paris which is the topic of my today's moodboard.

May be a couple of the images below are not french by origin, but I just wanted to keep this oh-la-la mood throughout my visual checklist...

row 1: x - x row 2: x - x row 3: x row 4: x - x row 5: x - x

✎some nice ideas of mine that you might like to steal...

Dress up in style and go for a walk around the historical center of your city pretending you're a tourist. Thus you'll see your home city afresh and probably discover new curious places as well.

Make photos of beautiful buildings and architectural details that attract your eyes. You might like to print them out later and stick into your diary - a wonderful way to keep your memories bright.

Visit a museum.

Let yourself have an impulse purchase. For example, buy an interesting piece of jewelry that made your heart flutter.

Get yourself some beautiful flowers to fancy your Home Cafe tea time.

And why not bring home some exquisite confectionery to accompany your end-of-the-day tea/coffee. Or, try your hand at making e.g. lacy crêpes with real edible flowers baked into them.

Lit up aromatic fancy candles and fill yourself with inspiration while leafing through beautiful coffee table books or your favourite magazines.

↑ illustration via pinterest ...Also, right when I was finishing this post, I came across an amazing piece of poetry! It's about embracing a genuinely managed life; a nature's wisdom philosophy coveyed in a smart, humorous way.

Give Yourself Some Flowers

by Marcus Amaker

𝖠𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖦𝗈𝖽 𝗀𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝖺 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖼𝗄𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍:

𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗅𝗎𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖽𝖺𝗇𝖼𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗈𝗑𝗒𝗀𝖾𝗇, 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗉𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖺𝗂𝗋.

𝖬𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗍𝗁 𝗈𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝗌𝗅𝗈𝗐𝗌 𝖽𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖼𝗄𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗏𝗈𝗂𝖽𝗌 𝖻𝗎𝗆𝗉𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝗈𝖺𝖽.

𝖳𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗄𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝖺 𝖻𝖺𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝗉𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗒 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗒 𝖿𝗅𝗈𝗐.

𝖯𝗎𝗌𝗁 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗉𝗎𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈𝗈 𝗆𝗎𝖼𝗁 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍.

𝖱𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗈 𝗋𝖾𝗍𝗎𝗋𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝖿𝗋𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝖽𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍.

𝖳𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖺 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗅-𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗍 𝖻𝗎𝗂𝗅𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗌,

𝗈𝗋 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗇 𝖺𝖽𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋:

𝖥𝗅𝗈𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈,

𝗌𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿.

𝖨𝗇 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽𝗌, 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗇 𝖽𝗈𝖾𝗌:

𝖲𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖽𝗎𝗅𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗒 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗈𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗉𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗆 𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗀𝗒.

𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌

𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖽𝖾𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀.

𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌

𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝗈 𝗂𝗇𝗏𝗂𝗌𝗂𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖼𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗌,

𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗏𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗍𝗌,

𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝗋𝗒, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗈 𝗊𝗎𝗂𝖼𝗄 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝗈𝗂𝗅.

𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗅 𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒:

𝖬𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗄𝖾𝗇, 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝖽𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗈𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖽𝗈𝗎𝖻𝗍. 𝖸𝖾𝗌,

𝗄𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋:

𝖤𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝗌𝖾𝖾𝗆𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝖼𝗄 𝗂𝗌𝗇’𝗍 𝗍𝗂𝖼𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀,

𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾.

Copyright © Marcus Amaker and Free Verse, LLC.

[allyourprettywords]

“Black Cloth,” Marcus Amaker

Racism, let us no longer walk in your shoes. you are a traveler of darkness, a walker of shadows, cloaking yourself in a black cloth like the grim reaper and arming your soul with the tools of a terrorist- a misguided soldier who’s trying to start a war.

My sisters, heaven was as close as your breath that night. You came to Mother Emanuel to worship in the glow of God, and speak the light that flows from love. How beautiful of Him to hear your words and lift you into the arms of Christ

My brothers, you walked toward heaven with focus, even when your shoes were stained with the dirt of intolerance. A black cloth lays silent at Clementa’s seat, resting under a single rose. It was taken from our city’s soil, where seeds of faith continue to grow.

Charleston, I see heaven in your tears and feel the weight of sadness in your voice. I’ve seen strangers hold hands as the sun wraps us in unbearable heat, I’ve watched children of contradiction come together for the unity of the Holy City.

South Carolina, nine members of your family are now in heaven and you have to confront the reality of racism, the dusk of pain, the lightlessness of the dawn. Because I would rather hang a black cloth on a flag pole than give the Confederate flag another glimpse of the sun.

[jasonalayne]

marcus amaker: a jack of all trades and a local renaissance man of charleston. however, he is still known to me as my brother from another mother with a different color.

[tommysparker]

“Ours Poetica” Poems

this is a master list of all the poems used and referenced in “Ours Poetica” by zeeskeit on A03

Chapter 1: “where beauty stands and waits"

Constantly Risking Absurdity by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Chapter 2: "The nows of summer glitter in a ring; These are cities where I had hoped to live"

Triolet for Late July by Peter Kline

Chapter 3: “and my nights, and my doubts, and my friends/my beautiful, credible friends.”

All My Friends Are Finding New Beliefs by Christian Winan

Chapter 4: "I do the very thing I hate...I do not do/the good I want.

Eating Dust by Joyce S. Brown

Birthday by Richie Hofmann

Chapter 5: "my darling turns to poetry at night"

My Darling Turns To Poetry At Night by Anthony Lawrence

Chapter 6: “I gave/shape to my fears and made excuses. I varied my/velocities, watched myselves sleep.”

Birds Hover the Trampled Field by Richard Silken

Chapter 7: “And I learned after:/everything that opens is a mouth./Every mouth will spit you right out.”

Plastic Bag from Corner Store Laments the Self by Aliyah Cotton

Pristine by Hilda Raz

Chapter 8: “the only way to run through the neighborhood/was to run through it together,”

Teenage Riot by Matthew Dickman

Chapter 9: “This is an ancient practice: predicting the future/in another’s prone body”

Haruspex by Teresa Pham-Carsillo

Chapter 10: “you hurt because there are things/you’ve never been taught to do”

failed avoidance of "the body" in a poem by Destiny O. Birdsong

Cento Between the Ending and the End by Cameron Awkward-Rich

Chapter 11: “We are the sons of flint and pitch”

I see the boys of summer by Dylan Thomas

Chapter 12: “I don’t remember/what it was like when my lungs/arrived under water[…]I just/know what it feels like to be a new/parent.”

A Doctor Tells Us It’s Not a Life or Death Situation by Marcus Amaker

Hope is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson

*this will be updated as chapters are posted*

[chasenews]

Tomb of the Unknown @ 100

Tomb of the Unknown @ 100

100th Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is commemorated by new musicNovember 11: Online premiere of “UNKNOWN”, a dramatic song cycle, filmed on location UrbanArias commissioned acclaimed composer Shawn Okpebholo and poet laureate Marcus Amaker Arts organizations across the country are co-commissioners: Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Opera Colorado, The Dallas Opera,…

[slimjenkinz]

@Regrann from @umojaizm - LIBATION opens September 30th as a part of Charleston's MOJA Arts Festival! Join Dogon Krigga Roni Nicole and myself as we offer up this healing, this magic, this work. City Gallery | 34 Prioleau St. 4-7pm Promo Cred. Camera| Larry James Frazier II + Roni Nicole Soundscape| Stephen Perez for evolv audio MOJA Poster Art| Cedric Umoja MOJA Poster Design| Marcus Amaker Mo' info| mojafestival.com #art#artshow#gallery#newart #installation #installationart #urban #newcontemporaryart #urbancontemporary#film #collage #Afrofuturism#black #afrosurrealism#melaninpoppin #artcollectors#artbuyers#moja #professionalartist #libation #charleston#citygallery #exhibition #show #painting #drawing - #regrann

[biblioboard]

Announcing BiblioSummit: Cities + Libraries 2017

BiblioLabs is excited to announce that BiblioSummit will take place in Charleston, SC on November 7. The half-day event will be the fifth installment of BiblioSummit, expanding this year into the tech incubator Flagship 2 of The Charleston Digital Corridor, the perfect venue for discussing how libraries are conquering the digital space.

Register Now

SPECIAL GUEST: MARCUS AMAKER, CHARLESTON’S POET LAUREATE

Before and between panels, attendees will be treated to performances by Marcus Amaker, who was deemed Charleston’s first-ever poet laureate in 2016. Watch Marcus perform at Charleston TEDx with legendary jazz musician Quentin Baxter here.

The event will include both breakfast and lunch, with an opening welcome from Scott Watson, Executive Director of The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, and closing comments from Ernest Andrade, Executive Director of The Charleston Digital Corridor Foundation.

“I am moderating both sessions at this event and I am not even pretending to be impartial,” said Founder & CEO of BiblioLabs, Mitchell Davis. “This event is about thinking way forward about libraries and the impact they have had and need to continue to have on bridging the digital divide. This is for anyone in the library community, or here in Charleston, who cares about equal access to information and a robust creative and cultural community.”

BiblioLabs will also be launching a citywide geolocated library in Charleston on November 7th alongside dozens of other cities in North America, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Kansas City and more.

Here are this year’s panel sessions:

HOW LIBRARIES ARE THRIVING IN THE DIGITAL WORLD

In the digital age, all bets are off as to how the future of libraries unfold. How will the mission of the library change and adapt to the new world dominated by giant media corporations? How are libraries experimenting with new models and working more closely with civic, nonprofit and community leaders to create digital information strategies for their citizens that are simple, highly visible and inclusive of the entire community?

Panelists include:

Laura Cole Executive Director, BiblioTech Library (San Antonio, TX)

Veronda Pitchford Director, Membership Development and Resource Sharing RAILS Consortia (Reaching Across Illinois Library Systems)

Patrick “PC” Sweeney Political Director, EveryLibrary

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIBRARIES AND LEARNING

We live in a world that requires lifelong learning. Reflecting on his childhood education, author Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote in his pulitzer prize winning book, Between the World and Me, “I was made for the library, not the classroom. The classroom was a jail of other people’s interests. The library was open, unending, free.” How can communities leverage existing relationships and resources to provide a new kind of educational and cultural resource that evolves into the future?

Panelists include:

Kate Lawrence VP of User Research, EBSCO

Carl Pritzkat VP of Business Development & Executive Committee Member Publishers Weekly

Jonathan Sanchez Owner, Founder, Blue Bicycle Books, YALLfest

Nancy Kirkpatrick Associate Director Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS)

AFTERNOON ENTERTAINMENT: THE V-TONES

After the closing comments, hang around and cut loose with Charleston’s own V-Tones. Unapologetically off-the-wall, The V-Tones bring a bit of flare to traditional folk, or well, as they put it: “Charleston’s only ukulele hot club jug band vaudeville ragtime neo-retro-post-postmodern beachfront quasi-primitive anachronistic revolutionary anti-inflammatory mass catharsis jazz freakout and philharmonic group therapy session.” Watch their music video for “Dinah” here. 

FULL SCHEDULE:

8:30 AM: Breakfast 9:00 AM: Welcome (Scott Watson, Marcus Amaker) 9:20 AM: “How Libraries Are Thriving In The Digital World” 10:40AM: Break (w/ Marcus Amaker performance) 11:00AM: “The Relationship Between Libraries And Learning” 11:55AM: Closing Comments (Ernest Andrade) 12:00PM: Lunch (w/ V-Tones performance)

BiblioSummit: Cities + Libraries 2017 Nov 7th, 2017 // 8:30 am - 12 pm (Free) Flagship 2 - Charleston Digital Corridor

Register Now

[thegirlwhowroteitalldown-blog]

Marcus Amaker

Hello my beautiful kittens, I have found a wonderful poet! He is from my hometown, his name is Marcus Amaker. His website is marcusamaker.com So look him up! He has an app where he uploads poems, if you search Charleston Poems in the app store you should be able to find it. I hope you all love him as much as I do! Thanks kittens! Bye!

[bbq-chicken-pizza]

Two images for upcoming Poetry Slam at the Charleston Music Hall.

[slimjenkinz]

@Regrann from @hilarryous_f - The fam all over SC this weekend, catch my big bro @umojaizm at MOJA Arts Festival this weekend premiering Libation! Repost from @umojaizm - LIBATION opens September 30th as a part of Charleston's MOJA Arts Festival! Join Dogon Krigga Roni Nicole and myself as we offer up this healing, this magic, this work. City Gallery | 34 Prioleau St. 4-7pm Promo Cred. Camera| Larry James Frazier II + Roni Nicole Soundscape| Stephen Perez for evolv audio MOJA Poster Art| Cedric Umoja MOJA Poster Design| Marcus Amaker Mo' info| mojafestival.com #art #newart #artshow #gallery #exhibition #charleston #show #black #afro #moja #urban #melaninpoppin #urbanart #newcontemporaryart #newcontemporary #urbancontemporary - #regrann

[biblioboard]

BIBLIOSUMMIT 2017: MEET THE PANELISTS

BiblioLabs is thrilled to host the fifth installment of BiblioSummit: Cities + Libraries this year in our hometown of Charleston, SC on Tuesday, November 7. The annual event brings together top minds from libraries, publishing and technology to have a conversation about how libraries are conquering the digital space, and what to expect next.

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HOW LIBRARIES ARE THRIVING IN THE DIGITAL WORLD

In this panel discussion, contributors will speak about the future of libraries in the digital landscape: how to adapt in a world dominated by giant media corporations with new models for community engagement, and how these new digital strategies can be inclusive for the entire community.

Laura Cole is the Executive Director of BiblioTech Library in San Antonio, the first all-digital public library in the United States. Cole has directed BiblioTech’s expansion over the past four years through numerous community partnerships including VIA Metropolitan Transit, University Health System, San Antonio Housing Authority and 14 area school districts. Laura has engaged in dialogue with government officials and librarians across the world about the need to challenge the inveterate understanding of the public library while fortifying its core mission and the opportunity afforded by digital libraries to meet this objective.

Veronda J. Pitchford is the Director of Membership and Resource Sharing for the Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS). She manages the eRead Illinois Axis 360 shared ebook collection and PopUp Picks on the BiblioBoard platform, which is statewide and geolocated. Pitchford works nationally with library consortia, vendors and publishers to position libraries as the rock stars of e-content in the communities they serve. A “die-hard library chick,” Veronda was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2005.

Patrick “P.C.” Sweeney is co-author of Winning Elections and Influencing Politicians for Library Funding. He is the former Administrative Librarian of the Sunnyvale (CA) Public Library and Executive Director of EveryLibrary California, a statewide initiative to support library propositions. Sweeney currently works as the Political Director for EveryLibrary, the nation’s first and only national political action committee (PAC) for libraries, and is a lecturer on politics at the San Jose State University iSchool. He is a 2015 Library Journal Mover & Shaker recipient for his advocacy work in California and across the country. He can be found online as PC Sweeney.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIBRARIES AND LEARNING

We live in a world that requires lifelong learning. Reflecting on his childhood education, author Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote in his pulitzer prize winning book, Between the World and Me, “I was made for the library, not the classroom. The classroom was a jail of other people’s interests. The library was open, unending, free.” How can communities leverage existing relationships and resources to provide a new kind of educational and cultural resource that evolves into the future?

Kate Lawrence is the Vice President of User Research at EBSCO Information Services, leading the UX research and design activities that power EBSCO’s evidence-based product development process, across the portfolio of EBSCO products. Since 2011, Kate and her team have observed thousands of users interact with EBSCO products, mobile devices, websites and interface designs, and have discovered insights that drive improvements to products, services and processes. Kate is a member of the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) and an active presenter in the Boston and international UX community.

Carl Pritzkat is the Vice President of Business Development for PWxyz, the company that owns Publishers Weekly and BookLife. Pritzkat oversees all new business, digital strategy and product development for PWxyz and serves as president of BookLife, PWxyz's site dedicated to indie authors. Prior to PWxyz, Pritzkat co-founded the interactive media company Mediapolis, Inc., where he oversaw projects for The New York Times, Viacom, NPR, Sony, Johnson & Johnson, Volvo and others.

Jonathan Sanchez is a writer and the owner of Blue Bicycle Books in Charleston. The author of the short-story collection Bandit, Sanchez is a two-time winner in The S.C. Fiction Project and a former writer-in-residence at the Kerouac House in Orlando. He is the founder of The Write of Summer camp for kids, the Poets in the Schools program at Burke High School and YALLFest, Charleston’s Young Adult Book Festival. Originally from Charlotte, he lives in Charleston with his wife Lauren and two children.

Nancy Kirkpatrick is a recovering attorney who gambled that it would be more interesting to work with bibliophiles than barristers. She won that bet. As the Associate Director of Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS), she gets to work with libraries of all types and wear her lawyer hat negotiating group licensing. Prior to joining MCLS, Nancy was the library director at Marian University in Indianapolis. Every spring, Nancy teaches Academic Library Management for the LIS Department in the SOIC at IUPUI. And, in case it wasn’t clear, she speaks fluent acronym.

FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT: POETRY & MUSIC

In 2016, Marcus Amaker was named Charleston, South Carolina’s first Poet Laureate, as appointed by Mayor John Tecklenburg. Amaker’s poems have been featured on TEDx, PBS Newshour, A&E, The Huffington Post, several journals and poetry collections. His seventh book, Mantra, is also an app featuring audio, video and new poems. In 2017, He was named one of “Charleston’s 50 Most Influential” people by Charleston Business Magazine. As a musician, he’s recorded more than 15 albums, including a poetry and jazz album with Grammy-nominated drummer Quentin E. Baxter. Amaker graduated from The University of South Carolina with a Bachelor's in Journalism. He worked in newspapers for 12 years, during which he was the editor of Charleston Scene of The Post & Courier.

The V-Tones describe themselves as Charleston’s only ukulele hot club jug band vaudeville ragtime neo-retro-postpostmodern beachfront quasi-primitive anachronistic revolutionary anti-inflammatory mass catharsis jazz freakout and philharmonic group therapy session. You’re just going to have to see...and hear for yourself.

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BiblioLabs would like to thank our media sponsors:

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“breathe,” Marcus Amaker

two words with two G’s spread hate like a disease the smoke is everywhere and i can’t breathe.

it only took one arm to squeeze the life out of an unarmed man the only thing in his hands were the lifelines embedded on his palms, now we stand on the front lines singing songs of injustice.

we are slaves to the melody and hum the tune while digging graves for another life that is gone too soon … two words with two G’s spread hate like a disease the smoke is everywhere and i can’t breathe.

what kind of world do we live in where women and men have to fight for the right to love? what kind of world do we live in when a private union is a public sin? it’s the same world where a killer can easily get a marriage license from jail.

is love for sale?

or is it in the hands of politicians whose lifelines have lost their way, whose want for one is greater than the needs of all, taking negative steps on a path to enlightenment, the math doesn’t add up

two words with two G’s spread hate like a disease the smoke is everywhere and i can’t breathe.

speaking of math, television promotes division, we are losers in a war for ratings. it’s the great divide and we can’t hide from the deception.

Be mindful of the way “truth” is portrayed, or your mind will sway toward a bad perception.

but if you open up your hands, you will see that we are united by the lifelines given to us by the greater good,

don’t deny our connection.

two words with two G’s spread hate like a disease the smoke is everywhere and i can’t breathe.

this is not a black and white thing this is a human rights thing