FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: KALAMAZOO PUBLIC LIBRARY SELECTS BEST-SELLING AUTHOR JACQUELINE WOODSON FOR THE 2021 READING TOGETHER AUTHOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, October 19, 2020 CONTACTS Farrell Howe | Marketing & Communications Manager (269) 553-7879 | farrellh@kpl.gov<mailto:farrellh@kpl.gov> Karen Trout | Community Engagement Librarian (269) 553-7895 | karent@kpl.gov Kalamazoo Public Library Selects Best-selling Author Jacqueline Woodson for the 2021 Reading Together Author Kalamazoo, MI–Monday, October 19, 2020. Kalamazoo Public Library is honored to announce the chosen 2021 Reading Together author, Jacqueline Woodson! Woodson will host two virtual Meet the Author events on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. The first at 3 pm will be a craft talk, and at 7 pm, the keynote speech: “The Power of Story.” With hopes of bringing our community closer together in the midst of the social isolation brought on by COVID-19, Kalamazoo Public Library has decided to approach Reading Together a little differently for 2021. Instead of choosing one title, aimed primarily at adult readers, we have selected one author whose body of work spans all ages, from picture books, to middle grade and young adult fiction, to adult novels. That is why we have chosen National Book Award and four-time Newbery Honor Winner, MacArthur Fellow and bestselling author, Jacqueline Woodson<https://www.prhspeakers.com/speaker/jacqueline-woodson>. About the Author: Jacqueline Woodson is the author of more than two dozen award-winning books for young adults, middle graders, and children; among her many accolades, she is a four-time Newbery Honor winner, a three-time National Book Award finalist, and a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. She was named Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation in 2015 and was also named the 2018 Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress. Woodson was also the 2020 recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Woodson’s New York Times-bestselling memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1642382>, was the 2014 National Book Award Winner and also a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor Award, the NAACP Image Award, and the Sibert Honor Award. Her first adult novel in twenty years, New York Times bestselling novel Another Brooklyn<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1744939> (Harper/Amistad), was a 2016 National Book Award Finalist. In 2018, Woodson published Harbor Me<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1807651>, her first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming. Harbor Me and The Day You Begin<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1807349>, Woodson’s picture book that was published the same year, were both New York Times bestsellers. Red at the Bone<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1835237>, released in September 2019, was a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book of the Year, an NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) finalist for outstanding literary work in fiction. Woodson’s most recent book released in September 2020, Before the Ever After<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1852993>, explores how a family moves forward when their glory days have passed and the cost of professional sports on Black bodies. We encourage our 2021 Reading Together participants to explore all of Woodson’s work<https://www.kpl.gov/search/Jacqueline+Woodson/> but we will be primarily focused on the following titles: · The Other Side<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:230992> – picture book · The Day You Begin<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1807349>/El Día En Que Descubres Quién Eres! (available soon!) – picture book available in English and Spanish · Harbor Me<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1807651> – middle-grade fiction · Brown Girl Dreaming <https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1642382> – middle grade/young adult fiction · Another Brooklyn<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1744939> – young adult/adult fiction · Red at the Bone<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/item/?i=ent://SD_ILS/0/SD_ILS:1835237> – adult novel About Reading Together: The purpose of Reading Together is to build a stronger community with deeper connections through the common experience of reading the same book and exploring its themes together. When we do that, we engage and learn, not only about ourselves but more importantly about each other and the world around us. By experiencing the same book, hearing the author of that work speak right here in Kalamazoo, and examining the book’s themes through a local lens, we are able to embrace our similarities and differences from a common point of reference. Very simply, when we read together, we grow together. ####
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, November 13, 2020 CONTACT Farrell Howe Marketing & Communications Manager farrellh@kpl.gov<mailto:farrellh@kpl.gov> | 269-553-7879 Kalamazoo Public Library Announces Curbside KPL Service Beginning Monday, November 23 Kalamazoo, MI–Friday, November 13, 2020. Kalamazoo Public Library<http://www.kpl.gov/> (KPL) announced that beginning Monday, November 23, 2020, they will modify current in-person library services to curbside delivery only. Due to the significant increase in COVID-19 cases in Kalamazoo and surrounding counties, KPL is prioritizing the health and safety of their staff and patrons by temporarily closing in-person library service to help mitigate the spread of the virus in the community. KPL will close all locations to the public Saturday, November 14–22 to prepare for curbside delivery. Beginning on Monday, November 23, KPL’s Central<http://www.kpl.gov/cen> Location, Oshtemo<http://www.kpl.gov/osh>, and Eastwood<http://www.kpl.gov/eas> branches will begin providing curbside delivery service Monday–Friday, 1–6 pm and Saturdays, 10 am–2 pm. The Washington Square<http://www.kpl.gov/wsq> and Alma Powell<http://www.kpl.gov/pow> branches will remain closed to the public. Dropboxes for returns will remain open at all KPL locations except the Alma Powell Branch. Curbside KPL service will enable library patrons to pick up library holds from the safety of their vehicle or walk-up service. More information about Curbside KPL and what services will be included will be posted on kpl.gov<http://www.kpl.gov> during the week of November 16. While KPL’s physical buildings will be closed for in-person service, their online branch kpl.gov<http://www.kpl.gov/> is always open! KPL offers a large variety of digital options<https://www.kpl.gov/digital-catalog/> including online library card signup<http://www.kpl.gov/getcarded> and access to a huge catalog of eBooks<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/ebooks/>, eAudiobooks<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/eaudiobooks/>, eVideos<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/evideos/>, eMusic<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/emusic/> and eMagazines<https://www.kpl.gov/catalog/emagazines/>. KPL Card<http://www.kpl.gov/getcarded> holders can also access digital services such as Lynda<https://www.lynda.com/portal/sip?org=kpl.gov> which offers thousands of videos on professional development, skill building and how-to instruction. Novice crafters and advanced artists can begin a new hobby or master a new challenge with Creativebug<https://www.creativebug.com/lib/kpl>. Students can access homework help<http://www.kpl.gov/homeworkhelp> and other learning/resource databases<https://www.kpl.gov/databases/> online. Learn more about KPL’s eLearning options at kpl.gov/elearn<http://www.kpl.gov/elearn>. Also, KPL programs such as author visits, Michigan history presentations, concerts, and more are available for your enjoyment at any time online on KPL TV<http://www.kpl.gov/kpltv>. All KPL service updates will be posted on their website kpl.gov<http://www.kpl.gov/> and on social media platforms Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/KalamazooPublicLibrary>, Twitter<https://twitter.com/KzooLibrary>, and Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/kzoolibrary/>. ####
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Farrell Howe