IWSG February 2022 Heartlights and Sunrays

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

We’re glad you’re here! It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring all of the members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a place to share the fabulous views and exciting news that occurs along our fascinating writing journeys. Check out the February newsletter here.  Perusing the many tips and resources offered here is definitely worthwhile and highly rewarding, so pull up a comfy chair, or better yet -  join us!

Our awesome co-hosts for this month's posting of the IWSG are: Joylene Nowell Butler, Jacqui Murray, Sandra Cox, and Lee Lowery!

This month’s optional question is:

Is there someone who supported or influenced you that perhaps isn’t around anymore? Anyone you miss?

Yes. My dad readily comes to mind today because he would have had a birthday yesterday. Facebook is good at reminding us when friends have special days, even long after they’ve passed away. So in honor of his life and his effect on mine (never mind the fact that his account remains open), I went ahead and posted a favorite music video to his page. Never one to shower another with praise, he instead said things like “I felt I was in that room,” or “I don’t know which was more pervasive; the tension, or the earthy scent of desert rain and sandalwood,” I enjoyed writing beneath the glow of his quiet Heartlight. Now, as I write, I find I still do.

For Library Lover’s Month, I decided to check out some of the secrets librarians know that we might not. For example, you don’t have to be 100% silent, but phone etiquette is necessary. While they’re aware of their status as “refuge” for homeless folks, sleeping is prohibited. Libraries across America have installed “makerspaces” offering 3-D machines, sewing machines, video-editing stations, and social workers for anyone with nowhere else to go yet who are too tired to read.  Librarians can, and often do waive the late fee – if you have a convincing reason for being late. They never know what they’re going to find in a book drop. In addition to books, they’ve discovered sweaters, letters, keys – and a dozen donuts! Overall, any librarian will say the best part of the job is being able to help, whether suggesting an octogenarian’s next read or figuring out what bird may have lost the feather a five-year-old child found in the parking lot.

When I learned today is designated as “The Record of a Sneeze” Day (according to brownielocks.com), I had to know more. Aside from the record number of sneezes in a row, placed at an unbelievable 976 days, held by a woman from the UK, the story is commonly known as Fred Ott’s Sneeze. It’s actually the oldest surviving motion picture with a copyright and was produced by Edison Manufacturing Company in 1894. The 5-second silent black and white film was shot by William K.L. Dickson and featured Fred Ott (Thomas Edison’s assistant) sneezing after sniffing a pinch of snuff.

Wishing everyone a month of gorgeous sunrays – Happy writing!

  

October 2021 - The Words I Wear Out

 

Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!

Happy October! It's the First Wednesday of the month, the day we celebrate IWSG Day, in the form of a blog hop featuring all of the members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by Alex Cavanaugh and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a place to share the fabulous views and exciting news that occurs along our fascinating writing journeys. So pull up a chair and join us!

Our awesome co-hosts for this month's posting of the IWSG are: 

Jemima Pett, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Mary Aalgaard!

In observance of American Libraries Day, I didn't have to look very far for one with a sizeable distinction:

McAllen, Texas, is the home of the largest single-story library in the United States! Since 2011 a former Walmart Big Box store has served as headquarters for McAllen's (3-branch) Library System. It features a computer lab, a café, a spacious auditorium –and even a used book store - in addition to 376,310 system-wide items and books for use or sale.

If on your way to an interview you suddenly feel unprepared, you can always duck into the New York Public Library and borrow just the right necktie or briefcase to complement your professional ensemble.

There are roughly 116,867 public and academic libraries across America today. There are more public libraries than Starbucks (can you believe it?) in the country, nearly 100% of which offer free computer access and WiFi.

"The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library" ~ Albert Einstein

One of my personal favorite offerings for Random Acts of Poetry Day:

"Only lovers
see the fall
a signal end to endings
a gruffish gesture alerting
those who will not be alarmed
that we begin to stop
in order to begin
again."  ~ Maya Angelou

As to this month's IWSG optional question: In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

You may recall I was once a Swing Singer before I learned to write. Through trials and many errors (grin), I learned from a young age the power of words, the reactions they could elicit. What I realized in writing is an opportunity to influence those reactions with carefully chosen words. That being said, I don't draw lines, but I do make decisions, much like choosing an outfit for a special occasion. Do I want to entertain or compel? Regale or repel? Desired reactions determine which words I choose to wear out in public (or on paper). I don't always hit the mark ;-)

Does anyone else feel this way? Have you ever been surprised by reactions to something you've written?

Happy Writing!

Common Places - Z

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

Z   In the late 80s, two brothers decided to create a store they’d want to shop in. The two purchased a turn-of-the-century building in downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and spent a year renovating what would become the first home of Zandbroz Variety.  It opened as a bookstore featuring a coffee bar, a soda fountain, and a delightful assortment of all things writerly and creative. The Sioux Falls store was so well received, a second Zandbroz location opened in Fargo, North Dakota just a couple of years later. In addition to new, used, and classic books, both locations offer homemade caramel, stationery, pens, reading glasses, cookbooks, coloring books, candles, cards, jewelry, Story Hours for children, and author book-signings. *The Sioux Falls location offers amazing window displays. Both stores offer a wide variety of highly unique gifts, antiques, and collectibles.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Fargo, North Dakota

 

“We read to know we are not alone.” ~ C.S. Lewis

 

Common Places - Y

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

Y   The architecture alone is enough to invoke a gasp of awe. Perched on four corner piers, the six-story windowless building appears to hover just above ground level. Walls of translucent marble provide subdued yet sufficient light for viewing while assuring the preservation of the precious documents contained within. And that’s only the beginning.

As the second-largest academic library in North America, Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library goes to unimaginable lengths to protect its treasured books. It is not only under constant video surveillance; in the case of a fire, you have 30 seconds to evacuate before a lethal fire-suppressing gas floods the area. Any other threat to the priceless collection will cause the glass and metal cube structure they are encased in to drop into an underground vault which sucks all the oxygen from the air as it descends.  I’m not sure I could bring myself to touch anything, but what a magical place!

 

   “Walking the stacks in a library, running your fingers across the spines, it’s hard not to feel the presence of sleeping spirits.” ~ Robin Sloan                       

Common Places - X

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

X   Xenia Carnegie Library, Ohio  - Attended by everyone who was anyone, the public opening in 1906 was a grand affair brought about by a small group of literary enthusiasts who asked for and obtained a grant from the Andrew Carnegie Library program. As electricity was not yet widely available, construction of the Xenia library included usage of cut-glass material for the second floor so that light from the roof dome would illuminate both floors.  By 1920, additional library branches were added across the county, and a bookmobile was purchased to transport books between them.  A tornado in 1974 caused significant damage to the original building and destroyed thousands of books. Repairs were made on the roof and stained glass dome, but in 1978 the (original) Xenia Carnegie Library was deemed “too small for the growing community” and shuttered as a new and more modern library building was completed downtown. With the honorable persistence of volunteers from the Carnegie Historic district, the original building was entered into the National Registry of Historic Places in 2015.

“A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert.” ~ Andrew Carnegie

 

Common Places - W

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

W  The oldest library (1885) in Indiana is still quenching literary thirsts in Evansville while attracting the attention of paranormal enthusiasts nationwide. In fact, ghost cams are set up throughout the Victorian Gothic-style building so that at-home ghost hunters might catch a glimpse of what goes on inside the historic Willard Library.   Considered to be one of the most haunted libraries in the United States, it was “The Grey Lady” who made the Willard library famous. Believed to be the daughter of the library founder, the Grey Lady seems reluctant to leave the building, though it wasn’t left to her in her father’s will. After being featured on “Ghost Hunters,” the library began offering annual tours around Halloween (of course!). On Halloween night of 1999 so many people tried to access the library ghost cams that all internet service to and from Evansville crashed.

“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see,” ~ Edgar Allen Poe

Common Places - U

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

U  Highly acclaimed and declared the oldest independent bookstore in Dublin, Books Upstairs (I couldn’t resist!) is just as described; upstairs, in a vintage Georgian building that “feels like a house” as you wander the well-stocked rooms. With an emphasis on humanities, especially Irish literature, poetry, culture, and history, Books Upstairs proudly offers the best in Irish and international literature. There are bargains to be found in the basement. Friendly, dedicated staff members are eager to assist in any way  - even if it’s only to steer you to the narrow staircase that leads to a lovely literary café that serves banana bread and so much more in an authentic tea-time atmosphere. Be advised there is no Wi-Fi or phones allowed because they encourage engaging conversation or tranquil reading.  However, (groan) do check ahead for current hours of operation as they’ve been under strict pandemic restrictions.

“Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house” ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Common Places - R

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

R    RiverRun Books has a website for ordering books and gift cards, but they’d much rather you come on in and “browse and buy” hand-picked new and used books at their store located at 32 Daniel Street in Portsmouth, NH. They are open full-time again and are ready to recommend your next favorite book. They even have their own publishing project called Piscataqua Press – in case you’ve written someone else’s next favorite book ;-) Oh! If by chance you’ve worn out your old typewriter, they’ll sell you a new one or repair the old one.

 

“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write” ~ Saul Bellow

Common Places - Q

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

Q   Self-described as a Giftery, Bookery, and a Chocolaterie, The Queen Bee Bookstore in the tight-knit community of Ogden, Utah supports its local schools and the Treehouse Children’s Museum. In addition to selling consigned wares by local artists and artisans, and hosting author events and chocolate tastings. Yes, you read that right, chocolate tastings!

 

Thought to be the oldest library in the world, al Qarawiyyin Library in Fez, Morroco first opened in 859 CE as part of a complex comprised of a library, a university, and a Mosque.  Much later, the library was closed for several decades to all but a few scholars and students of the adjacent Qarawiyyin University due to extensive water damage by rain run-off from the roof of the next-door Mosque (also named Qarawiyyin). When renovations began in 2012, an underground canal was built below the floors to assuage the water problem. A new Lab was added to assist in the refurbishment; treat, preserve and digitize a few of the oldest texts - some written on camel skin! Much to the surprise and delight of scholars and workers alike, secret rooms and ancient artifacts were discovered during the lengthy renovation. While restoration efforts continue, one entire wing opened to the public in 2017, featuring an exhibition room and a café.

 

“In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin without even opening them” ~ Mark Twain

Common Places - P

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

P   “Hidden in plain sight,” is how El Pendulo Books, Café and Music of Mexico City has been described. A small arched entrance opens into what one visitor equated to a Hogwarts Library. Featuring books in Spanish and English, from classic to new releases, movies and DVDs, and live music three days a week, El Pendulo is not a quick-stop adventure, it’s an awesome afternoon (or longer) experience – especially since the Café fare isn’t half bad!

 

“The bookstore and the coffeehouse are natural allies, neither has a time limit, slowness is encouraged” ~ Lewis Buzbee

Common Places - O

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

O   Voted the best Locally Owned (Independent) Bookstore in uptown New Orleans in 2020, Octavia Books remains open (with restrictions) and ready to entertain with numerous events, and inspire with endless choices for every passionate reader. Quiet areas are provided to enhance the experience of serendipitous pleasures found in the company of books. Extensive browsing is encouraged!

“Bookstores, like libraries, are the physical manifestation of the wide world’s longest, most thrilling conversation” ~ Richard Russo

Common Places - N

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

N  The largest and oldest of five libraries in the Bahamas, Nassau Public Library and Museum once housed the city’s entire criminal population when the octagonal building served as a prison. The passing of the Nassau Public Library act in 1847 saw the atmospheric transformation of a rowdy reformatory into a remarkable repository of historic maps, documents, artifacts, as well as newer books of higher education. Refreshing breezes waft through ground floor windows near quiet reading areas. The second and third floors offer spectacular ocean views above tall palms - however, word on the winds is that while the doors may have closed for the last time in 2018, everything inside was left as it was - just in case.

 

 

   Northwind Book & Fiber is a combination independent bookstore and fine yarn shop in Spooner, Wisconsin. Other features include a consignment gallery of local art and jewelry, in addition to toys, games, and puzzles.

 

More than a store, it’s an experience!

“I love walking into a bookstore. It’s like all my friends are sitting on shelves, waving their pages at me” ~ Tahereh Mafi

Common Places - M

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

M   The Montague Bookmill is an independent bookstore located inside a converted 1834 grist mill (National Register of Historic places) in the picturesque New England village of Montague, Massachusetts. The charming bookstore’s motto is “Books you don’t need in a place you can’t find” and they claim to have “40 thousand books and one waterfall” Baked goods from the Bookmill’s café are said to be as superior as the views from the bank of the Sawmill River. If, by chance, you’re not yet enchanted, other attractions include fine dining, an art gallery, and a music store.

 

“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary” ~ Jim Rohn

Common Places - L

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

L  When Antonio La Cava, a retired school teacher in Basilcata, Italy, realized a need for children to access books, he transformed his three-wheeler into what he calls the Bibliomotocarro (possibly Italy’s smallest library) to deliver books to children in remote communities.

“Without a book, so often a child is alone” ~ Antonio La Cava

  Fun Fact: Benjamin Franklin started his own Lending Library in 1731 (Philadelphia) called the Library Company (he served as a librarian), but it required a subscription fee of 40 shillings. Later, in 1790, one of the oldest libraries in the country opened in Franklin, Massachusetts where residents could borrow books donated by – you guessed it - Benjamin Franklin.

   

Communal Places - K

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

K  When two writers needed a place to complete their manuscripts, the logical solution for them was to create one - in the form of the King’s English Bookshop. They’ve been “matching books to readers since 1977” and enjoy a strong and beloved presence in their Salt Lake City, UT community. They host numerous events, accept consignments (check guidelines) and remind us that Independent Bookstore Day is April 24^th!

 

“No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting” ~ Mary Wortley Montagu

 

Communal Places - J

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

J   The national landmark located at 425 Avenue of the Americas, now known as the Jefferson Market Library, carries more than just stories within. Having once housed (only) female prisoners in an adjacent section that is now a garden, and later, a courthouse before becoming the iconic bequest to public literacy it is today, the building itself was the subject of chronicles whispered. The atmospheric essence of this edifice, alone, is enough to entice readers in, while the remarkable architecture, complete with Victorian Gothic embellishments such as decorative gables, pinnacles, and towering stained-glass windows, seems to attest to claims of other-worldly presences. For example, nighttime shadows are reportedly seen around the intricately redesigned clock tower - formerly a fire lookout tower (circa 1833). A phantom woman waves from the balcony above the expansive courtroom (now the adult reading room) and fleeting visages of ghosts have occurred in the garden.  

 

Jefferson Market Library, Greenwich Village, NY

Anyone up for an adventure – and a good book?

 

“The library is inhabited by creatures that come out of the pages at night” ~ Isabel Allende

Communal Places - I

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

I.  Now located on West Lovers Lane in Dallas, Texas, Interabang Books takes its unique name from the symbol that combines the question mark and the exclamation point. Owner Nancy Perot knows a bit about what those symbols represent, as well as the value of perseverance having the original bookshop, which opened in 2017, destroyed by a tornado in 2019, followed by the recent pandemic. Nonetheless, the store once again thrives in its new location, offering hand-picked selections of books and gifts for adults and kids. Events include Children’s Book of the Month subscriptions, in-person book signings, online author, publisher, and bookseller chats, videos, and personalized reading recommendations. They’ve temporarily discontinued the consignment program, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

If anyone knows how to create an Interabang symbol on a computer, do tell ;-)

 

“If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Communal Places - H

 

Communal Places for Literary Enthusiasts

H   The Haunted Bookshop in Iowa City is the second oldest secondhand bookstore in town. And while it’s not really haunted, the walls of ten well-appointed rooms of the historic Wentz House on Gilbert Street are lined with shelves and comfortable chairs, and feature over fifty thousand books, some first editions and signed, in eighty different subject areas, in addition to puzzles, games and toys. Events include book-signings, read-aloud sessions, puppet shows, and spontaneous performances by visiting piano players.  Friendly staff, including several feline tour guides, are on hand to help with any questions you may have.

 

Now, this is my favorite kind of bookstore! How about you?

“In ancient times cats were worshipped as Gods; they have not forgotten this.” ~ Terry Pratchett