You grew up in the inner city of Detroit. How did you discover literature? My mother was and is an extremely literate woman who read voraciously, and I picked up that habit from her. My Sunday school teachers encouraged literacy by recitation of set pieces in Sunday school. My 5th-grade teacher, Mrs. James, really jump-started … Continue reading Newsmaker: Michael Eric Dyson
How did you get involved with the Hogarth Shakespeare project? I got an email, of course—all of these things start that way. This email was from Becky Hardy, the Hogarth Shakespeare editor. She asked what play I would choose to do, and I said The Tempest. What was it about The Tempest that appealed to … Continue reading Newsmaker: Margaret Atwood
This year’s Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) theme is “On Your Mark, Get Set … Read!”, and two-time Newbery Medal–winner Kate DiCamillo is the 2016 CSLP National Summer Reading Champion. DiCamillo is the bestselling author of numerous books, including Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux. DiCamillo also served as the first National Summer … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kate DiCamillo
What got you into writing and drawing? Gene Luen Yang: I’ve been interested pretty much all of my life. My parents are avid storytellers, and I grew up listening to their stories. I also grew up drawing. Comics was a way of combining those two things. There are themes running through your work—of identity, of … Continue reading Newsmaker: Gene Luen Yang
How did you become this year’s spokesperson for School Library Month? MEGAN McDONALD: It’s been amazing. I didn’t even really grasp what was being asked of me, but the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) came to Candlewick Press, my publisher, and asked if I’d be the spokesperson for School Library Month. I feel so … Continue reading Newsmaker: Megan McDonald
When reading your book, I didn’t know whether to be scared out of my mind about the jihadists or think it’s the greatest thing that these librarians were able to get the manuscripts out of danger. JOSHUA HAMMER: I think both reactions would be appropriate. Fearing for more than 350,000 medieval manuscripts in the city, … Continue reading Newsmaker: Joshua Hammer
Nathalia Holt gives a voice to the seldom-recognized female mathematicians and scientists who shaped NASA in its earliest years and beyond, in her new book, Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us from Missiles to the Moon to Mars (Little, Brown & Company, April 2016). American Libraries recently spoke with Holt, herself … Continue reading Newsmaker: Nathalia Holt
What do you see as the key issues facing libraries right now? I think nonprofits, and particularly libraries, are stepping back and examining how we become community anchors and develop meaningful, deep, and sustained partnerships with other players in the community, rather than acting as a single entity trying to reach target populations. Balancing digital … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kathryn Matthew
A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Williams credits his mother, who is a librarian and teacher, for being the biggest influence in his life. Williams is featured in a new READ poster, available at the ALA Store. He responded via email to questions from American Libraries while on tour in Europe. American Libraries: In 30 … Continue reading Newsmaker: Pharrell Williams
The Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat who fought for the US in the American Revolutionary War, is a ubiquitous but overlooked character in American history. He touched many significant events, people, and places: the Revolution, Herman Melville, Marie Antoinette, and also our modern parks, cities, and roads. The name “Lafayette” is everywhere in the US, … Continue reading On the Road with Lafayette
Your most recent book is a fascinating look at the Underground Railroad and antislavery networks of pre–Civil War New York City. Explain how you came across the document that shed new light on these events. ERIC FONER: It was totally accidental. Madeline Lewis, an undergraduate history major at Columbia who also worked for my family … Continue reading Newsmaker: Eric Foner
American Libraries: How significant were libraries when you were growing up in Ohio? JON MUTH: The local library was on the way to my elementary school, about two blocks from my house. I would go every Thursday with my class, but my mother and great-grandmother would also take me on other days, and then sometimes … Continue reading Zen and the Art of Jon Muth
