This week’s under-the-radar pick is a heartfelt story of childhood sweethearts, lost love, and second chances. In the lull between the busy summer season and the busy-ness of the holidays, it’s the perfect time to sink into a quiet, memorable story of secrets and starting over.
Where We End & Begin by Jane Igharo
Dunni and Obinna have had a connection since the day they met, and when Dunni is sent to America to complete her education they promise each other that Obinna will follow after. Twelve years later, Dunni is a PhD graduate who never saw Obinna again and who is engaged to a man she doesn’t love. When a wedding back home in Lagos brings Dunni and Obinna back together, the only question is if they can get what they had back again.
We are so pleased to announce that we have a winner of Farr’s 20th Anniversary Writing Contest!
After our panel of judges, including our esteemed Writer In Residence Rob Walker, carefully looked over all of the entries, it was decided that Jeanette Bauer’s entry, “Art Ex-hibition” is the winner!
The full text of Jeanette’s entry is below, and also included is a PDF version that will maintain all the formatting, which is always a critical component of poetry!
Thanks to all who entered. We had a really tough time choosing, and it came down to a pretty close contest in the end.
Keep writing, and we’ll see you again for our NEXT writing contest!
~
Art Ex-hibition
I
imprisoned the endless sky.
And
these pellucid panes, behind cooling lead,
Will forever
serve at the pleasure of sunshine.
I peeked
beneath the secret pace of nature and found patience.
A
clandestine patience I fitted; framed and fitted here.
For you.
Just
now, beneath the hooves of cattle, roots have formed.
The essay is an underappreciated form of writing. They’re short enough to be read in one sitting, can range in tone and subject from the ridiculous to the profound, and are a great way to discover new writers or dip into the works of the masters. Here are a few suggestions to get your started on your essay journey!
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
John Green is perhaps best known for writing the blockbuster teen novel The Fault in Our Stars, but his first book of essays has also racked up rave reviews. The Anthropocene Reviewed is a collection of the author’s reviews on everything from keyboards to the Canada Goose, and even the silliest seeming topic could leave you feeling moved.
This collection of essays about nature, humanity, and what ties us together is the perfect pick for anyone hoping to have a nuanced, thought-provoking read that will linger in your memory.
Fans of the television comedy series Broad City will recognize Abbi Jacobsen, but readers don’t need to be familiar with the show to appreciate Jacobsen’s memoir-in-essays. The book centers on a soul-searching road trip, and Jacobsen’s voice is genuine, vulnerable, and always funny.
Fans of naturalist-poet Walt Whitman will enjoy Mary Oliver’s collected essays, which ponder the importance of both nature and literature in the author’s life. Like in her poetry, Oliver’s writing is approachable, deceptively simple, and packed with meaning.
If you’re looking for a new appreciation of life’s everyday little problems told with a hefty dose of humor, what better source than a stand-up comedian? Tom Segura describes how years of touring, producing weekly podcasts, and parenting young kids left him, well, tired. And the feeling of kinship he felt when his young son delivered the title line: “I’d like to play alone, please.” After years of COVID, quarantines, and restrictions, who can’t relate to that one?
Readers continue to turn to the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gilead for its warm, moving story of family and faith. Marilynne Robinson’s essays offer a similar experience, but this time addressing issues of humanity and religion in a more direct, frank way.
A Yale graduate with a master’s degree in architecture, Jonny Sun really came into the public eye when he started writing for the hit Netflix show BoJack Horseman and hit it big on Twitter with his concise observations about loneliness and anxiety. That same voice is centered here in essays that range from touching to hilarious.
Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes by Phoebe Robinson
Phoebe Robinson’s career took off with her hit podcast (and eventual HBO series) 2 Dope Queens, and she now spends her time as a comedian, actress, and, of course, essayist. This is her second book of essays, which explores current events including COVID, quarantining, racial tensions, mental health, and growing to love her natural hair.
Bring Your Baggage and Don’t Pack Light by Helen Ellis
Although Helen Ellis can be described as both a short story writer and an essayist, we think her most appropriate title is humorist. Where else can you find collected essays on Las Vegas poker professionals, back-alley beauty treatments, cutthroat garage sale strategies, and middle-aged ladies battling middle-age?
No list of essays would be complete without the iconic David Sedaris. Once again Sedaris mines his childhood memories and quirky modern lifestyle to deliver essays that won’t make you choose between humor, insight, and genuine emotion.
This week brings us a new horror novel by Bird Box author Josh Malerman, just in time for the spookiest month of the year. We can also expect the eagerly awaited sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Less, with Less Is Lost.
Daphne by Josh Malerman
Josh Malerman became an instant name in horror when he released Bird Box, but Daphne proves he’s not resting on his laurels. The coming-of-age horror follows high school senior Kit Lamb, who hears a local ghost story the night before the big game. Legend holds that those who hear the tale of Daphne will soon fall victim to her revenge, and when Kit’s friends start disappearing one by one she knows it’s up to her to solve the mystery of Daphne.
Andrew Sean Greer took the book world by storm (and the Pulitzer Prize) with his warmhearted and witty novel Less. Now Arthur Less is back in a sequel, once again trying to understand love and relationships while running from his problems, this time in a cross-country road trip via camper van.
With Farr Regional Library’s 20th Anniversary
coming up, we’ve been looking through old files, documents, and photos,
including entries into a “Name the Library” contest, which tell the story of
how Farr Regional Library got its name.
Today we’re highlighting a set of entries that fall into the patriotic category.
When we first started looking through all the
entries, it was striking how many suggested names like Independence Library,
United Library, and other very patriotic names.
However, once we realized the contest opened in October 2001, just shy of a month after the events of 9/11, it started to make sense.
For those of you too young to remember, fall 2001 was a strange time to be an American.
There was a resurgence of…I want to call it “patriotism,”
but I think that word has changed over the last couple decades.
Maybe the best way to describe it is to tell
you this:
I was a senior in high school. We were about 2
years and change out from the Columbine tragedy, which I watched live in
history class. My school years were…kind of a gauntlet.
Most of the teachers didn’t know what to do
with 9/11.
My AP English teacher, Mr. Johnston, was the
only one who talked to us about it.
He sat on the table at the front of the class,
and he ate candy. He said that Good N’ Plenty was his comfort food, so after he
got his fill of watching the planes hit the towers, just about the only thing
you’d find on TV or radio for a while, he walked to the store and bought some
Good N’ Plenty.
I don’t remember what else he said, not
exactly, but he admitted to us that it was a scary thing, that it’s normal to
feel a lot.
A lot of us were confused, scared, angry. A
lot of us didn’t know what to do with those feelings. But we knew we couldn’t
just turn away from what happened.
And I think there was a strong feeling that we
needed to rely on each other. Make each other better. I help you out today, you
help me out tomorrow, and we’ll make it a couple days more together.
I think, for a lot of us, it was the first
time we felt like The United States was an underdog, and we felt up to the
challenge of changing that.
All the events put us to the test, all the
reactions to the events tested us, and I wanted to be up to those challenges.
I wanted to help. That’s all. I couldn’t unwind
what happened, but maybe I could help the future be better.
That’s the best way I can describe the
patriotic feelings I had at the time: I wanted to help. I wanted to make the
future better.
I’d ask everyone to read these name
suggestions with that context, with that spirit in mind. You might have very
strong feelings about “patriotism,” and that’s understandable, different people
have very different relationships with The United States, the flag, the
government, all of these things.
I’d just encourage you to read these
suggestions as coming out of a time when “patriotism” meant a desire to help,
to help each other. A need to make the future better.
-Peter
~
“I think the name of the library should be
called The Independence Library. I think that you should call it that…for the
soldiers that are risking their lives for us.”
“America United Library: It should be like a
memorial for the people that died.”
“Towers Library: It would be a symbol to
remember all of the people who died during the event. Also, it would remind
people how strong America is and that we stand united. It would remind people
that even with the tragedy we continue to function and to educate our citizens.”
“Many places are named after a single person,
heroes, etc. On September 11th there were so many heroes in all
walks of life, history, and so on. Much history was made that day at the
expense of many innocent lives and heroes. I would submit that we consider the
name The Nine-Eleven Library in memorializing those who were lost on a day that
we must heal from, but never forget.”
“Freedom Library: With the population becoming
more diverse and with the tragedy occurring on September 11th, let
your differences be celebrated and accepted more and let freedom ring with a
new library to study at and learn about ourselves and others.”
“I think it should be the Justice Library
because we want justice, and justice means fair treatment. I also want the
library to be that name because we want to keep justice in Greeley.”
Read the books that became your favorite Broadway shows!
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Opening on Broadway in 1988, ThePhantom of the Opera is the longest-running show in Broadway history. First published in 1909, the book that it is based on is a Gothic horror novel that follows Christine’s interactions with a mysterious angel of music and her childhood friend Raoul in the backdrop of the Paris Opera House.
The biography that inspired the hit musical Hamilton. An orphan from the Caribbean, he fought in the American Revolution and became George Washington’s aide-de-camp and was a vital part of the Federalist Party and forming the financial systems we know today.
The musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812is based on a 70-page segment of this classic tome. Chronicling the French invasion of Russia, War and Peace tells the stories of five aristocratic Russian families and their struggles during the Napoleonic war.
Used as a basis for the musical Wicked, this book focuses on the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and how she grew into the character we know from The Wizard of Oz.
Adapted into a musical in 1980, Les Misérables is the longest-running musical in London’s West End. Beginning in 1815 and ending with the June Rebellion of 1832, escaped convict Jean Valjean strives to become a respected member of society but is relentlessly pursued by Inspector Javert.
Though it had a short run on Broadway in 2016, the musical Tuck Everlasting could be considered a cult classic. Based on the middle-grade novel, it follows Winnie, a girl who wants adventure and discovers a family blessed with eternal life.
Debuting on Broadway in 2005, a revival in 2015, and an upcoming movie in 2023, the musical The Color Purple is a beloved classic. Spanning twenty years, it focuses on the relationship of sisters Celie and Nettie who had been separated as girls.
Debuting on Broadway in 1998 and revived in 2009, Ragtimefollows three families in different social castes in the early 1900s.Featuring famous characters like Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan, and Henry Ford, Ragtime blends historical fact and fantasy to tell the stories of three very different families and how their lives converge.
The fourth-longest-running Broadway show, Cats debuted in 1981. Based on this poetry collection by T.S. Eliot, the musical follows a group of cats that must make the Jellicle choice of who will ascend to the Heaviside layer and come back to a new life.
A book of related short stories, this became the basis of the musical South Pacific which debuted on Broadway in 1949 and was revived in 2008. These stories take place in the South Pacific during World War II and cover a wide variety of characters and situations.
With Farr
Regional Library’s 20th Anniversary coming up, we’ve been looking through old
files, documents, and photos, including entries into a “Name the Library”
contest, which tell the story of how Farr Regional Library got its name.
Today we’re highlighting an entry by Ambray, who was in 4th
grade when she wrote the following:
Pheasant Run Library
First, it is going to be built near Pheasant Run Park.
Second, I chose this name because other libraries have been named after parks.
Third, also it would be a good name because during fall season you see pheasants in that area.
Fourth, Pheasant Run is a pretty name for a library.
Fifth, I think the people can remember Pheasant Run easier.
Sixth, Pheasants are very quiet and libraries are quiet too.
Seventh, Pheasants are very resourceful, like libraries are.
Eighth, pheasants have long pretty tails like libraries are big too.
Ninth, pheasants migrate from one place to another like the library is moving from downtown to out west.
~
Wow!
Thorough! And as far as compliments, resourceful is one we’re happy to take 😉
