Newsmaker Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Newsmaker: Harvey Fierstein

By Sallyann Price | January 3, 2022

He spoke with American Libraries about his librarian mother, what he’s learned from playwriting, and his recent $2.5 million gift to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts campus at Lincoln Center, which will fund a new laboratory space. How did your mother become a school librarian? My mother had a great love … Continue reading Newsmaker: Harvey Fierstein →

Newsmaker: Padma Lakshmi

By Terra Dankowski | November 1, 2021

You’ve authored two cookbooks, a food encyclopedia, and a memoir. What made you want to write the children’s book Tomatoes for Neela? This book is based on a story I would often tell my daughter, who is now 11, as I was putting her to sleep in earlier years. I think one of the best … Continue reading Newsmaker: Padma Lakshmi →

Colson Whitehead (Black man with braided hair pulled back, wearing leather jacket, looking just up and to the right)

Newsmaker: Colson Whitehead

By Donna Seaman | September 1, 2021

Will the experience of having The Underground Railroad turned into a 10-episode miniseries for Amazon affect your writing? No, I don’t think it will affect my writing. It felt very separate. They optioned it five years ago, so it was always on the backburner, and occasionally I would talk to Barry Jenkins, the director, but … Continue reading Newsmaker: Colson Whitehead →

Newsmakers: Judy Tyrus and Paul Novosel

By Sallyann Price | June 15, 2021

The pair, who cofounded a nonprofit dedicated to promoting diversity in the arts, talked with American Libraries ahead of their appearance at the 2021 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition Virtual on Friday, June 25. How long have you two known each other? Judy Tyrus: I was the archivist at Dance Theatre of Harlem and Paul … Continue reading Newsmakers: Judy Tyrus and Paul Novosel →

Alicia Serratos poses in front of a seed library holding a box of seeds.

Newsmaker: Alicia Serratos

By Carrie Smith | June 1, 2021

Serratos started her first seed library in 2014 at her elementary school in Mission Viejo, California, after learning about healthy eating, gardening, and sustainability. Through Three Sisters Seed Box, she has now helped place seed libraries in all 50 states and has filled requests from as far away as India. American Libraries talked with Serratos … Continue reading Newsmaker: Alicia Serratos →

Author Isabel Allende (Photo: Lori Barra)

Newsmaker: Isabel Allende

By Sallyann Price | May 3, 2021

What do you to hope to add to the conversation around feminism? The book tells my story, which is a very long story, so young women who read it will see what happened before them, and people my age will be able to see what’s happening now, which I think is important: to be open … Continue reading Newsmaker: Isabel Allende →

National Library Week with Honorary Chair Natalie Portman, April 4-10, 2021

Newsmaker: Natalie Portman

By Phil Morehart | April 5, 2021

As honorary chair of National Library Week, April 4–10, Portman is highlighting the role that libraries, librarians, and library workers play in serving their communities, especially during challenging times. Portman spoke with American Libraries about her love of reading, her new picture book for kids, and what libraries mean to her and her family. You … Continue reading Newsmaker: Natalie Portman →

Newsmaker: Kazuo Ishiguro

By Alison Marcotte | February 25, 2021

Klara and the Sun is a powerful commentary on the ethics of technological advances and artificial intelligence. What inspired you to address those themes? It was an opportunity to have a narrator with an interesting perspective. The Artificial Friend is almost like a baby at the beginning: completely fresh, completely open, but taking things in … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kazuo Ishiguro →

Newsmaker: Emmanuel Acho

By Terra Dankowski | January 20, 2021

American Libraries caught up with Acho ahead of his January 24 appearance at the American Library Association’s 2021 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual to discuss his series and book, as well as equity in professional sports and the power of libraries. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man—the name of your YouTube series and book—is such … Continue reading Newsmaker: Emmanuel Acho →

Newsmaker: Ziggy Marley

By Sallyann Price | January 4, 2021

Marley spoke to American Libraries ahead of his appearance at the American Library Association’s 2021 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual about his creative process during a lockdown, oral traditions, and voting for the first time. Your latest album was written and recorded during the pandemic. What was that like, and did you intend to create … Continue reading Newsmaker: Ziggy Marley →

Marcus Samuelsson (left) and Osayi Endolyn [Photos: Angie Mosier (Samuelsson); Lucy Schaeffer Photography (Endolyn)]

Newsmakers: Marcus Samuelsson and Osayi Endolyn

By Anne Ford | November 2, 2020

Among the many talented Black chefs whose cuisine is highlighted: Cheryl Day of Savannah, Georgia’s Back in the Day Bakery; Gregory Gourdet of Portland, Oregon’s Departure; and former Top Chef contestant Nyesha Arrington of Los Angeles. Samuelsson and Endolyn spoke with American Libraries about their work—and about the racial dynamics of the food publishing world. … Continue reading Newsmakers: Marcus Samuelsson and Osayi Endolyn →

Sunday Roast Chicken with Chickpeas and Couscous

By Marcus Samuelsson | October 22, 2020

Reprinted with permission from The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food (Voracious, October) by Marcus Samuelsson and Osayi Endolyn. When I think about Alberta’s history—her fierceness combined with her incredible charm and grace—I am humbled by how much she accomplished, when she started with very little. She had an 8th-grade education, but … Continue reading Sunday Roast Chicken with Chickpeas and Couscous →

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Sallyann Price writes: “Actor and comedian Molly Shannon is perhaps best known for the larger-than-life characters she created over six seasons as a Saturday Night Live cast member. She talked about the vulnerability that forged those characters—and the real-life personalities that populate her forthcoming memoir Hello, Molly! (Ecco, April)—at the American Library Association’s LibLearnX conference on January 23 in conversation with author Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. ‘I have so much respect for what you do and for writers in general,’ Shannon told Sweeney. ‘I think it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, ever. Way harder than performing.’ “

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 23
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Sanhita SinhaRoy writes: “How do you address low morale at your organization? What can you do to foster more diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in recruitment and retention? In her 15-minute ShopTalk session, “3 Reasons Your DEI Programs Are Not Working,” Elaina Norlin presented research and anecdotes from consulting on DEI issues to attendees of ALA’s LibLearnX virtual conference on January 23. Norlin, author of The Six-Step Guide to Library Worker Engagement (ALA Editions, 2021) and professional development and DEI program coordinator for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, said that recent studies show 92% of DEI trainings fail on multiple levels and can create more harm than good.”
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The American Library Association has selected The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu (Little, Brown and Company) by Tom Lin as the winner of the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance (Random House) by Hanif Abdurraqib as the winner of the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The selections were announced during ALA’s inaugural LibLearnX conference January 23 at the Reference and User Services Association’s Book and Media Awards virtual event. “Congratulations to both medalists for gifting readers with essential antidotes to the polarizing challenges we continue to face,” said Terry Hong, chair of the selection committee for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence.”

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 23
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Terra Dankowski writes: “If you’ve ever wondered if your library should be doing more to support independent and self-published authors—such as holding book festivals featuring their work or including more of their titles on your shelves—Tejas Desai and Kacper Jarecki of Queens (N.Y.) Public Library (QPL) think the answer is yes. At ‘Supporting Indie Authors,’ an educational session at the American Library Association’s LibLearnX conference on January 22, Desai and Jarecki discussed how libraries can be a lifeline for independent and self-published authors and their readers—especially those who live in the communities they serve. ‘We’re firmly committed to the idea that everyone has a story,’ said Desai, assistant manager and supervising librarian at QPL’s Cambria Heights branch.”

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 22
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Carrie Smith writes: “As attention on trauma-informed care for library patrons grew, Karen Fisher, professor at University of Washington School of Information, began to wonder whether equal attention should be turned toward library workers. ‘We had a long list, pages and pages of incidents that we had been gathering from the media, all the types of stresses coming into library workplaces,’ said Fisher during the January 22 session ‘Trauma in the Library’ at ALA’s LibLearnX virtual conference. ‘We really wanted to turn it more inward and ask, What is the impact on staff?'”

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 22
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Chase Ollis writes: “The American Library Association (ALA) presented its annual I Love My Librarian Awards in a livestreamed ceremony at the inaugural LibLearnX event on January 22. The awards honor 10 librarians per year for outstanding service. This year’s recipients include three academic librarians, three school librarians, and four public librarians, including one prison librarian. ‘These 10 honorees are inspiring examples of what is possible in our profession,’ said ALA President Patricia ‘Patty’ M. Wong during the ceremony’s opening remarks. ‘Their stories are a testament to the profound leadership, compassion, and expertise of our nation’s librarians.’ “

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 22, Jan. 10
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Sanhita SinhaRoy writes: “As US demographics change and as the push to become a more inclusive and equitable society grows, libraries must follow suit. That was the message at ‘Advancing Race and Social Equity in Library Communications,’ a January 22 session at ALA’s LibLearnX virtual conference. Three members of Prince George’s County (Md.) Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) discussed the library’s ongoing antiracism and social equity work, how that work is reflected in its communications, and how it has strengthened the library’s role in the local and statewide community.”

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 22

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