Since 1996, April has been designated National Poetry Month by the Academy of American Poets.  The purpose of this monthlong celebration is to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is offering a variety of poetry programs at various locations during April to celebrate.

See/Listen to WFAE's coverage of The Poet Is IN.

Here is just a sample of the many programs celebrating poetry:

Poetry Month Kickoff Ceremony

Monday, April 1, 2019 from 11:30am to 12 p.m. at Main Library

Join Slam Master Bluz and other local poets for the unveiling of the 2018 National Poetry Slam Championship trophy at Main Library. Learn more.

The Poet is IN: Meet a Local Poet--Leave With a Poem

Select weekdays from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at Main Library

Come meet local poets and see them in action! Poets will craft poems on the spot based on suggestions. The Poet is In will be on the first floor near the entrance. Come join us for poetry fun! Learn more .

Writing Workshop: Wild Words Poetry Workshop

Thursday, April 4, 2019 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Matthews Library

Poets and lovers of verse of all experience and skill levels are encouraged to join this group to read, write, and discuss poetry. Register here.

Spoken Word with Bluz

Saturday, April 6, 2019 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Main Library

Emmy Award Winner Bluz, Slam Master of the 2018 National Championship Slam Poetry team, presents a riveting poetry performance and workshop. Register here.

Writer's Workshop: Guerilla Poets Art & Poetry

Wednesday, April 10, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Independence Regional Library

In honor of National Poetry Month, learn how to express yourself and be uplifted through the arts involving poetry, music and artwork. Learn how to write poetry, play music and create art. Register here.

Cannonball Into the Deep End-Writing the Poem that Leaves Us Breathless

Saturday, April 13, 2019 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Main Library

Join award-winning poet J. Ward for a workshop featuring a performance of his poetry and some prompts to begin writing your own. Ward’s work has graced many stages. He is best known for his excellent writing and incomparable stage presence. Register here.

Adult Poetry Club Presents: ADULT POETRY SLAM

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Independence Regional Library

Come join us for an interactive ADULT POETRY SLAM where you are invited to recite, share and hear the poetic works of others during National Poetry Month. Register here.

Buried Treasure Poetry Workshop

Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Main Library

Join award winning visual artist and poet Shane Manier for a poetry performance and prompts to develop your own writing in this workshop, geared towards how to get breathtaking metaphors in your poetry. Manier is the founder of Guerilla Poets, a nonprofit artist collective with branches in the US and UK, has served on the Poetry Council of NC board, has been a member of Respect Da Mic slam team from 2017-2019 and has been featured and published across the Southeast. She released her first chapbook Fallen Heroes of the Awful Waffle with Main Street Rag in 2017, along with her first spoken word album Bootstraps. Register here.

All of the programs are free to attend. A comprehensive listing can be found here.

https://www.wsoctv.com/community/power-of-poetry-helps-heal-mans-trauma/935432492

Get ready to celebrate El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) in April 2019 with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Also known as Día (Diversity in Action), this initiative emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

This year, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library focuses the Día theme on science. Children and families are invited to visit all our branches and experience unique STEM programs. There is also a bilingual book fair and bilingual theater performance of the play "Los Zapatitos Rosa" on April 20, 2019 at ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center. 

Dia 2019 programs

This year's finale celebration is on Saturday, April 27, 2019 and will be at Discovery Place (301 N. Tryon, Charlotte NC 28202) from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The event features a Mad Science Experience, find time to Explore with Casey Neese, and enjoy a special author visit by Margaret Reed MacDonald.

Margaret Reed MacDonald breathes life into traditional folktales, sharing them in exciting performances, using them to enable beginning storytellers, and publishing them in picture books and folktale collections. A complete listing of her books and fairytales available through the Library can be found by clicking here.

National Volunteer Week recognizes ordinary people who improve our neighborhoods and our community every day – volunteers. At the Library, we celebrate the enormous contributions of volunteers April 7 – 13, 2019 – which is fittingly also National Library Week.

Volunteers are an essential part of the Library’s efforts to create a more educated and literate community. Last year 1,421 volunteers gave a whopping 53,386 hours of service to our Libraries – a value of more than $1.8 million dollars.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library thanks all our volunteers for their dedication and support. We are grateful for the energy and enthusiasm they bring to so many roles: Reading Buddies, Technology Tutors, Circulation Helpers, Homework Helpers and our Paws to Read dogs.

We asked a few volunteers why they give so generously of their time and talent. Surabhi Kaushik has led writing programs and helped at events for nearly three years – in that time, she’s logged over 400 hours of service. Kaushik shared “Volunteering at the Library has been an enjoyable learning experience for me because it has given me a space to showcase my talents, meet new people and be part of a welcoming community. The writing group has given me a sense of belonging which was important to me as a newbie immigrant.”

VolunTeen David Clinkscales has been volunteering at University City Regional Library for three years, since he was just thirteen years old. “My favorite part of volunteering at the Library is participating in storytime. Seeing the children follow the dances, run around smiling and interacting makes me always want to come back.” Clinkscales explains, “Libraries are important because the library is where most children first learn and develop the literacy, math and social skills necessary for school. The Library helps the surrounding community, and volunteering allows me to be a part of that improvement.”

We are forever grateful to Library volunteers and all volunteers who dedicate themselves to improving lives and building a stronger community.

If you or your group are interested in volunteering:

• Visit www.cmlibrary.org/volunteer
• Call or visit your local library branch
• Email the volunteer coordinator at [email protected]

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library celebrated Community Read the entire month of March 2019 with the hopes of bringing the community together to discuss the issues that are important to Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Close to 200 programs and events were scheduled by Library and community partner locations covering many topics including wellness, culture and education, activism, and the arts. The entire community was all in from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to the Levine Museum of the New South and many more. 

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg community welcomed Community Read with great enthusiasm and support. We were pleased by the candor and passion people brought to the discussions and programs. There were diverse perspectives and the Library is hopeful that with this year’s Community Read, Charlotte-Mecklenburg is on the right track to becoming a stronger community. Together.

Open Books. Open Minds.

Community Read brought all races and ages together to initiate dialogues and affect change in the racial, generational and gender divide that exists in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community. During the monthly Lunch and Munch book club at Independence Regional Library, readers of all ages reached a better mutual understanding while bridging the racial and generation gap toward a more peaceful and just world.

Tackling the big issues.

Much of the dialogue during Community Read programs centered around the heavily-weighted issues in Charlotte-Mecklenburg such as police involvement and racism. The Library offered programs in collaboration with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. One program focused on “How to Talk About Race,” where attendees gained a deeper understanding of moderating conversations about race.

Another program at the Levine Museum of the New South offered a powerful and moving experience where participants toured the K(NO)W Justice K(NO)W Peace exhibit and held a discussion. The program is a community-created exhibit about police-involved shootings throughout the nation and in Charlotte, and was co-created with activists and law enforcement, the media, students, clergy and civic leaders.

At Johnson C. Smith University, trial attorney, Civil Rights Activist and community organizer Toussaint C. Romain tackled the topic of racial injustice as he delivered a passionate and honest discussion on The Hate U Give after a viewing of the movie.

Activism and making a difference.

Community Read delivered a message of getting involved and using one’s voice to make a difference in the community. In a College and Career Connections program at Hickory Grove Library, photographer Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. and Councilman Braxton Winston stressed the importance of using the tools at your disposal to affect change.

During Angie Thomas’ appearance on March 19, 2019, she spoke to a crowded theater at Central Piedmont Community College and said, “I did the only thing I knew how to do – I wrote. I shed light on the darkness. I made the political personal.”

At various Library locations, members of the community made a difference by sharing their time with the community they serve. At locations like Scaleybark Library and Independence Regional Library, police officers, firefighters and librarians shared stories, songs and other fun activities while engaging with families in the community.

Then came the authors.

Community Read provided an extra bonus for participants to meet and interact with their favorite Community Read authors. On March 19, Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give presented to a full house with her honest and personable talk. She left the entire auditorium at the Halton Theater at Central Piedmont Community College in awe and inspired to not only find their voice but to use their voice to change the world. 

Then at the end of the month, Matt de la Peña, author of Love, mesmerized young Community Read participants with his message of love. He spent the morning of March 28 at Seversville Park for StoryWalk® featuring his picture book, Love. There he shared personal behind the scenes stories about the book and illustration process. During the day he visited several Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Later that evening, de la Peña wowed the audience at ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center where he discussed his picture books with educators and families. He shared that for him writing children’s books is his form of activism. “My job is to facilitate the story and leave space for the reader to add their own context to the margins. Once a book is out in the world and in the library, it’s a collaboration between the writer and the reader.”

Community Read 2019 may be over for this year but remember what happened here in Charlotte-Mecklenburg: the discussions, the messages and the coming together of our community. Keep the spirit of Community Read alive all year long in your heart, your household and your overall community. Continue reading and looking for opportunities for open dialogues and being a force in your community.

We’ll see you next year for Community Read 2020.

Angie Thomas makes the political personal, and that’s what she believes makes her an activist.

The author of the New York Times best-selling novel and Community Read 2019 featured title The Hate U Give spoke at Central Piedmont Community College’s Halton Theater on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 about finding her voice. She also encouraged the audience – especially young people – to find and use theirs.  She spoke of growing up in segregated Mississippi in the shadow of the KKK and discovering the story of Emmett Till in an  issue of Jet magazine when she was six years old. “He could have been my brother,” she remembers.

Even as a child, Thomas connected political landscape with her personal reality – and she saw the same quality in the outspoken activists she admired. Musicians used their art as activism, and much of it spoke to her. “As a teen, I connected with hip hop. Tupac [Shukar] cared about me, even when nobody else did – I heard it in his lyrics.”

Like the main character of Starr in The Hate U Give, Thomas attended a mostly white, suburban college. It was only a few miles from the house she grew up in, but it was worlds away. There, she developed a second persona. “Code-switching” became her defense mechanism, and it also made her angry. “I was often the only black student in my classes, and I was so careful to fit in. When Oscar Grant was killed by California police in 2009, my classmates saw what the media presented – that maybe he deserved it, he was an ex-con, he may have been selling drugs, all of it. They didn’t see his value, and I took that personally. He could have been my brother too.”

Thomas took action. “I did the only thing I knew how to do - I wrote. I shed light on the darkness. I made the political personal.” She wrote a short story for her creative writing class, and her professor suggested she expand it to a novel – which became The Hate U Give.

“Empathy is far more powerful than sympathy,” Thomas explained, “and books are one of the best ways to create empathy. If you spend 300 pages in the shoes of a character, you WILL feel empathy.” She challenged the diverse audience to ask themselves whether they know what it’s like to be someone different, and further challenged them to go find out.

That’s what Community Read 2019 is all about, and what libraries have the power to do – to be a platform for learning about one another, about issues important to our shared community, and about the world. Libraries bring us together around books, ideas, curiosity, and around the shared goal of building a stronger community.

Angie Thomas left an inspired audience with a final thought: “If you change the world around you, you will find yourself changing the world. There are issues you can change. Care enough to change them.”
 

Community Read 2019 was made possible with the generosity of presenting sponsor Bank of America and additional support from Foundation For The Carolinas and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation.

There's still time to participate by donating books during the 9 Books For Kids book drive. If you would like to help as an individual, you can drop off new and gently used children’s and teen books at any of the donation locations – including all 20 Charlotte Mecklenburg Library locations.

9 Books for Kids is an easy way to have a huge impact on students and their learning experience. Help improve student learning and achieving by the simple act of donating books.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

You can drop off your book donation at any Charlotte Mecklenburg Library location or partner location through April 12, 2019. 

Collect books for kids! Feel great about ensuring that children can enjoy their own library - at home. Donate books!

The week of April 7- 13, 2019 is National Library Week, a time to celebrate the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will participate by highlighting different services and programs on social media each day beginning April 7, using the theme “Libraries = Strong Communities.”

This year's theme truly aligns with our mission of improving lives and building a stronger community. It illustrates how today’s libraries are at the heart of our cities, towns, schools and campuses, providing critical resources, programs and expertise. Libraries also provide a public space where all community members, regardless of age, culture or income level, can come together to connect and learn. National Library Week is an opportunity to highlight the changing role of public libraries in our society. Libraries are about more than just the services they offer, they are about the people they serve. 

Library programs are designed to encourage community members to meet and discuss civic issues, work together using new technologies like 3D printing or learn alongside one another in English language or technology classes. Library staff also partner with other civic and service organizations to actively engage the people they serve, always striving to make sure their community’s needs are being met.

Celebrate National Library Week by sharing your library story—how do you library?

We invite our community to follow along, share and comment on social media at twitter.com/cmlibrary, facebook.com/cmlibrary and instagram.com/cmlibrary using the hashtags #NationalLibraryWeek and #LibrariesTransform.

Melinda Gates Serves as Honorary Chair

Melinda Gates has dedicated her life to achieving transformational improvements in the health and prosperity of families, communities and societies. Now she will lend her support to advocate for our nation’s libraries as honorary chair of National Library Week. Over the last 20 years, Gates has invested more than $1 billion through her foundation’s Global Libraries initiative to enhance the power of libraries to improve lives. As co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she sets the direction and priorities of the world’s largest philanthropy. She is also the founder of Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company working to drive social progress for women and families in the United States.

Celebrations during National Library Week include:

• Monday, April 8: State of America's Libraries Report released, including Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2018.
• Tuesday, April 9: National Library Workers Day, a day for library staff, administrators, and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. #nlwd19
• Wednesday, April 10: National Bookmobile Day, a day to recognize the contributions of our nation's bookmobiles and the dedicated professionals who make high-quality bookmobile outreach possible in their communities. #BookmobileDay2019
• Wednesday, April 10: Library Giving Day is a one-day fundraising event with the goal of encouraging people who depend on and enjoy public libraries to donate to their individual library system. #LibraryGivingDay

Make a gift to your Library

• Thursday, April 11: Take Action for Libraries Day, a day to speak up for libraries and share your library story. #MyLibraryMyStory

We also invite you to support the Library - not only on April 10 but every day of the year! - by making a donation to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. 

DONATE NOW

“Libraries = Strong Communities” is a national campaign sponsored by the American Library Association. 

On Wednesday, March 20, 2019, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Job Help Center hosted its semi-annual job fairfr the community. The turnout from both employers and job seekers was tremendous with more than 400 prospective employees attending, to meet with 39 employers who were on hand to collect resumes and set interviews. Traffic and interaction were non-stop for nearly the entire event. One success story included Mecklenburg County ABC who interviewed four prospective employees on the spot during the Job Fair.

David Sniffin, Leading on Opportunity Leader at the Job Help Center, said, “It’s exciting to see the enthusiasm and engagement between our employers and job seekers during the Job Help Center Job Fair at Main Library. This event is a successful, working example of how the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is contributing to the Leading on Opportunity initiative in our community by improving lives and building a stronger community.”

Among the companies in attendance were AAA Carolinas, Carowinds, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Snyder’s-Lance, Marriott City Center and many more. 

The Job Fair came after Job Readiness Week, where the Job Help Center offered classes and programs on resume writing, interviewing and other job-related topics.

Good luck in your job search and we hope to see you at our next job fair in the fall.

Although Women's History Month is in March, you can still vicariously experience that spirit though the work of fictional female detectives. To successfully solve mysteries and crimes is noteworthy for anyone and these women navigate down avenues traditionally held by men. Three current series fit the bill with women fulfilling this mission in New York City and Alabama in novels spanning more than half a decade from the turn of the century, the Great Depression and the early 1960s. 

Photo Caption: From l to r: the Darling Dahlias, Molly Murphy and Ellie Stone mystery series

The Molly Murphy Mysteries:  Writer Rhys Bowen introduced a young red-headed woman to New York City and delivered a series of 17 private detective novels with Molly Murphy.  Novelist Plus, the digital reader’s literacy advisory resource, writes of the series, she’s a “feisty yet resourceful Irish immigrant woman [who] investigates intricately plotted mysteries and deals with an ever-dramatic and complicated personal life in these charming and atmospheric historical mysteries set in early 20th-century New York City. The lushly rendered period settings, well-developed characters, and suspenseful, fast-paced plots will keep historical mystery fans hooked.”  The Library has 14 titles of this series in regular print, large print and e-book formats available.  

The Darling Dahlias Mysteries: Author Susan Wittig Albert has delved into small-town, rural South life during the 1930s with a 12-member women’s gardening club.  The women find their talents though are just as sharp for solving mysteries and Albert’s group jump into mysteries large and small.  Again, in Novelist Plus, the series is named “for the ladies of the garden club of Depression-era Darling, Alabama, this engaging, fast-paced series of cozy mysteries is rich in historical detail (including some of the less pleasant details of the era). Follow the ladies of the club as they investigate suspicious town newcomers, stolen money, and even murder amidst the flurry of small-town gossip surrounding each case.”  Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has seven of the eight books in this series available in regular print, large print and e-book formats.

The Ellie Stone Mysteries:  James Zuskin writes about a central character described as “flawed” by Novelist Plus in his amateur sleuth novels. It also says that the 1960s, New York City stories are "atmospheric mysteries [which] feature the adventures of reporter Ellie Stone, a self-professed ‘modern girl’ who sometimes sleeps with the men she meets and generally plays by her own rules. As a woman in a traditionally male job, Stone must work harder and smarter than her male counterparts if she is to succeed.”  The Library system has the six books in this series as regular print.