reading challenge

Love is a feeling that never exists solely on its own, and those likely companions to love (anxiety, grief) often bring questions such as, is this worth it? It’s this question and others like it that Nicola Yoon explores in each of her novels. 

Nicola is a hopeless romantic. The affliction began in childhood after the discovery of her aunt’s harlequin romance collection. From then on, Nicola’s love of love would only grow stronger. But while her passion for romance was a love at first sight, her passion for writing was more of a slow burn.

Today, Nicola Yoon boasts an impressive resume as a two-time New York Times bestselling author, a finalist for the National Book Award, a recipient of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and a winner of the Coretta Scott King New Talent Award. Notably, her first two novels have been successfully adapted for the big screen.

In this episode, she’ll tell us why she fell in love with the romance genre, and how she found her way to writing as a career after 15 years in finance. She also shares her own ridiculously cute, out-of-a-movie love story about how she ended up with her husband and fellow writer, David Yoon. 

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

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Inspired by her own novel, "Instructions for Dancing,” in her reading challenge, Good Grief, Nicola invites us to explore the intersection of love and grief with a list of some of her favorite books.

You can find her list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Today's Beanstack Featured Librarian is Nikki Hayter, a library manager with the Des Moines Public Library system. As summer inches closer, she tells us about a unique program her library started a couple of years ago with graphic novels.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Harlequin Romance (1:37)

Chapter 2 - An Unrequited Love (6:36)

Chapter 3 - The Great Gatsby (11:24)

Chapter 4 - A Requited Love (16:26)

Chapter 5 - The Airport Scene (19:02)

Chapter 6 - Questions About Love (22:53)

Chapter 7 - Not a Case of Love at First Sight (25:43)

Chapter 8 - Expectations of Love (27:34)
Chapter 9 - Don’t read this book! (applies to children) (31:21)

Chapter 10 - Joy Revolution (33:40)

Chapter 11 - Good Grief (36:45)

Chapter 12 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (38:22)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup
• Nicola Yoon
• EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING - Official Trailer 2
• THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR - Official Trailer
• Joy Revolution, Imprint Led by Nicola Yoon and David Yoon, to Launch Inaugural List in Spring 2023 | Penguin Random House
• Joy Revolution Books (@joyrevbooks) • Instagram photos and videos
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

This week on The Book Drop we discuss the wealth of books being publish in March, check in on the OPL Reading Challenge with books about social justice and recommend new holidays for query of the week. 

Happening at the library:

• Share your nominations for Omaha Reads 2024. 
• Music Evoking Stories | 12 events between March 1st & April 3rd

All the books, movies, TV shows and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here.

See and answer the next query of the week here --> https://bit.ly/BookDropQuery

• "I'm putting every single ounce of who I am into every single book that I write, so y'all know to expect the blackest books you have ever read from yours truly.”  - Derrick Barnes

Derrick Barnes’ introduction to vulnerable storytelling was through the jazz and R&B records he found in his family’s collection. For young Derrick, reading the liner notes in albums was just as important as any other kind of reading. Eventually, artists like Prince, Rakim, and John Coltrane taught him about the power in simply and truly being yourself. Inspired, young Derrick began writing his own poetry and short stories, which served as the beginning of a long and fruitful writing career. A career that includes being the first black creative copywriter for Hallmark cards.

In his work as an author, Derrick embodies the authenticity of his idols, being uncompromising in his goal to tell an array of black stories, for black kids. Although already an established writer, Derrick’s breakthrough picture book, "Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" brought him national attention and accolades such as the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, a Newbery Honor, and the Coretta Scott King Award. More recently he earned a National Book Award honor for the graphic novel “Victory Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice.” 

In this episode, Derrick tells the story of how music inspired him to write, how his idols taught him to never compromise his voice as a black man, and why he considers himself a freedom fighter. 

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

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In Derrick’s reading challenge, "Resistance and Resilience" he invited us to read powerful stories of resilience from America’s black history.

You can find her list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Today's Beanstack Featured Librarian is Connie Sharp, a Librarian Training and Development Specialist at Metro Nashville Public Schools. She told us about how her district utilizes Beanstack with community partnerships to encourage students to read.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Jazz, Hip Hop, R&B (1:59)

Chapter 2 - Literacy and Lyrics (6:31)

Chapter 3 - A Hallmark Story (9:11)

Chapter 4 - The Fresh Cut (12:52)

Chapter 5 - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (19:22)

Chapter 6 - Freedom Fighter (25:00)

Chapter 7 - The Blackest Books (28:56)

Chapter 8 - The Legacy of Derrick Barnes (31:29)  

Chapter 9 - Resistance and Resilience (35:31)

Chapter 10 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (37:29)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup
• Derrick Barnes
• Caleb McLaughlin Reads "Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" | Bookmarks | Netflix Jr
• Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist For Justice - National Book Foundation
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

John Schu’s entire life has been shaped by books. As a kid, he fell in love with Shel Silverstein; Emily Dickinson comforted him as he was battling an eating disorder, and “The One and Only Ivan,” well, that book changed his life. In fact, it nearly put him into debt (he tells that story in the episode!)

The powerful impact books have had on his life inspired him to dedicate his life to sharing this power with everyone he can. His career as an educator led him to the library, the library led him across America, and now he has started a new career as a writer of stories himself.

John made his debut with "This is a School," followed by "This is a Story" and "The Gift of Story." However, in his latest work, "Louder Than Hunger," he bravely delves into a new realm of vulnerability. This semi-autobiographical tale draws from the most challenging period in his life, navigating the depths of his battle with anorexia.

In this episode, Mr. Schu, as in Mr.SchuReads,  tells us about the transformative reads that shaped his life and explains how some of those stories helped him and some actually harmed him. We’ll hear how he became an author, and about the emotional toll it took to write “Louder Than Hunger.”

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

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In John’s reading challenge, Story Within a Story, he wants us to read the actual books found in the pages of his book, “This is a Story.”

You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Today's Beanstack Featured Librarian is Amanda Maslanka, a 26-year veteran in education and an elementary school librarian in South Houston. She offered valuable advice for parents and caregivers to get kids excited about reading.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Mr.SchuReads’ Grandma (2:13)

Chapter 2 - An Internal Struggle (5:37)

Chapter 3 - Recovery and Emily Dickinson (9:29)

Chapter 4 - Best Teacher Ever (11:00)

Chapter 5 - Becoming a Writer (15:24)

Chapter 6 - The One and Only Ivan (16:04)

Chapter 7 - Power to Heal, Power to Harm (23:30)

Chapter 8 - Ready to Share (28:27)

Chapter 9 - Story Within a Story (34:17)

Chapter 10 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (35:57)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup
• John Schu
• Mr. Schu Reads
• Louder Than Hunger by John Schu | Goodreads
• The One and Only Ivan
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show

• "It's practice. Vulnerability is practice. It is learning that you can do things and say things that seem scary, but ultimately know that you're safe.”  - Mark Oshiro

Mark Oshiro was taught to fear the world. To be someone they were not and to repress someone they were. But books were an escape. Books taught them that freedom was possible.

Mark spent over a decade blogging about the stories they consumed, empathizing with characters, criticizing choices, and embracing every person's journey. But then they realized it was their turn to share, and in that sharing, they learned the transformative power of storytelling from the other side of the pages. They knew the healing power of vulnerability.

Mark debuted on the YA scene with their 2018 novel “Anger is a Gift” and has since written titles such as “Each of Us a Desert" and the latest installment in the Percy Jackson universe, “The Sun and the Star.” But their recent semi-autobiographical novel, 'Into The Light,' represents their most ultimate and vulnerable storytelling to date.

In this episode, Mark shares their life story and reflects on the refuge that books and libraries offered them as a youth from an abusive household. They also discuss how lowering their emotional defenses led them to discover the healing power of vulnerability.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In Mark’s reading challenge, "Stories of Vulnerability," they want us to explore other stories with the same rawness they bring to their work.

You can find their list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Today’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Cindy Philbeck, a teacher librarian at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. She told us about her library's lunchtime strategy that encourages students to visit and see the space as a refuge.

Contents

Chapter 1 - A Controlled Environment (2:34)

Chapter 2 - Safety in Books (7:14)

Chapter 3 - Losing Grip (11:13)

Chapter 4 - We Are Okay (20:41)

Chapter 5 - Mark Does Stuff (lots of stuff) (22:53)

Chapter 6 - The Practice of Vulnerability (28:32)

Chapter 7 - Closure? (33:40)

Chapter 8 - Stories of Vulnerability (37:45)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (38:58)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup
• Mark Oshiro
• Mark Does Stuff
• Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro | Goodreads
• We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
• Cindy Phillbeck's Library (this week’s featured librarian)
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Life is full of small pleasures, bits of magic in ordinary moments that so often go underappreciated. Oge Mora wants to draw attention to those small things and show us the true depth and meaning those moments have in our lives.

In her work as a collage artist, she takes bits and pieces of scrap material and shows us their beauty when all put together. Much like her stories, we are shown that small things are what make the big things, like a Saturday spent with a loved one, or the enticing aroma of an old family recipe. 

Oge Mora burst onto the kid lit scene with her picture book “Thank You, Omu!”, a book that earned her a Caldecott Honor, a Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award, and a host of other accolades. She was also a 2021 Forbes 303 Under 30 lister. 

In this episode, Oge tells us about the community support that built the foundation for her career, the art school epiphany that shifted her perspective from shame to pride, and why she wants her books to feel like a cup of hot cocoa. If you're looking for a moment of joy, you have found it here. 

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In Oge’s reading challenge, "Story Collage" she shares some of her favorite picture books with collage illustrations.

You can find her list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Today’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Alli Buffington, Library Media Specialist at Holley Navarre Intermediate School in Santa Rosa County, Florida. She’ll tell us about the most successful reading challenge she’s run at her school.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Repeat Renewals (2:31)

Chapter 2 - Sister Catherine and The Doodler (7:13)

Chapter 3 - A Street Called Home (14:27)

Chapter 4 - That Little Bit of Shift (18:40)

Chapter 5 - An Homage to Connection With Others (25:28)

Chapter 6 - More of Less, and More (32:12)

Chapter 7 - Collage of Stories (32:57)

Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (34:15)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup
• Oge Mora
• Forbes 30 Under 30 - Oge Mora
• Oge Mora (@oge_mora) • Instagram photos and videos
• Columbus Public Library
• King Arts Complex
• “A Street Called Home” Mural – 2005 – Kristine Schramer
• Aminah Robinson
• Romare Bearden
• Alli Buffington's Library (this week’s featured librarian)
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Hena Khan didn’t believe her perspective mattered. As a Pakistani-American Muslim, she grew up not seeing her or her family reflected in the media she was consuming. As any kid might do, she concluded that it was simply because her experience was not important, a realization that became clearer in hindsight. Recalling her childhood writing, she discovered she had unintentionally white-washed her own homemade family newspaper.

Building confidence in her perspective was a gradual process, extending into adulthood. Initially lacking self-assurance, she began writing while toning down her cultural identity to conform to perceived publisher expectations. Over time, her confidence grew, and today, she is recognized for authentically portraying stories rooted in her culture and religion.

Reflecting on her own reading experiences, Hena values shared human experiences that transcend cultural backgrounds. She aims to demonstrate that these relatable moments exist in stories featuring non-white characters and diverse cultures.

Renowned for works such as "Amina's Voice," its sequel "Amina's Song," the "Zara's Rules" series, and "More to the Story," Hena Khan shares her journey of grappling with invisibility as a young reader and the evolution of her faith in herself and her unique perspective. She also recounts the unexpected connection to a book about Christian white sisters in the 1800s in her unconscious quest for stories reflecting her Muslim immigrant family.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In Hena’s reading challenge, "Read Desi" she encourages us to celebrate South Asian American writers.

You can find her list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Today’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Allie Buffington, Library Media Specialist at  Holley Navarre Intermediate School in Santa Rosa County, Florida. She tells us about the importance of making the library a space that kids want to come back to.

Contents

Chapter 1 - “Religious Holiday” (2:38)

Chapter 2 - Gogol Search (6:16)

Chapter 3 - Little Women (and the Khanicles) (9:43)

Chapter 4 - Three Cheers From Andrea (18:17)

Chapter 5 - Just Living (22:18)

Chapter 6 - Common Humanity (30:20)

Chapter 7 - Curious About Curious George (33:50)

Chapter 8 - The Door is Open (35:31)

Chapter 9 - Read Desi (37:28)

Chapter 10 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (38:54)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup (for bonus content)
• Hena Khan
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott | Goodreads
• Hena Khan's More to the Story is a Love Letter to Little Women | School Library Journal
• Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin 
• The Salam School for Girls 
• Alli Buffington's Library (this week’s featured librarian)
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (to see reels of author conversations)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

"Don't follow your dreams if that's the only thing you're doing. Ask yourself, what will make you most useful? What will make you most, in terms of a purpose, help you do meaningful work?” - Daniel Nayeri

You want Daniel Nayeri at your dinner party. Always with a story or an insightful question, it turns out he is also the person you want on your podcast! The Iranian-American author of the Printz Award-winning “Everything Sad is Untrue,” and the more recent “The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams,” offered up fresh conversation and a good deal of humor. 

As a writer, Daniel Nayeri is deeply aware of the impact his writing has on readers. As he noted in our conversation, there is perhaps no more intimate power than becoming the dialogue in one’s head. And Daniel feels strongly about using that power to have a positive impact on those who read his words. Part of his purpose, or obligation, he believes, is to “remystify the world.” Just wait until we talk about why cherries grow in pairs! 

In this episode, Daniel explains what he means by remystifying the world, talks about the roadside storyteller that initiated his storytelling journey, and shares his views on purpose (why he takes his so seriously). From his life-changing experience with the Junior Great Books program in elementary school to his current film and book projects, Daniel delves deep into his role as storyteller. 

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In Daniel’s reading challenge, "Wise Shorts" he keeps our work and life load in mind offering a curated selection of short stories, reminding us that even the smallest things can have a major impact.

You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Today’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Nikki Hayter, Library Manager at Franklin Avenue Library in Des Moines, Iowa. Nikki tells us about a program that highlights the deep impact libraries have on communities.

Contents

Chapter 1 - The Ferris Wheel and The Storyteller (2:15)

Chapter 2 - A Retired Conan the Barbarian (6:43)

Chapter 3 - Alberic The Wise (11:30)

Chapter 4 - Remystifying the world (7:18)

Chapter 5 - You get a memoir! And you get a memoir! And… (25:25)

Chapter 6 - How to be interesting (28:20)

Chapter 7 - Wise Shorts (33:31)

Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (34:32)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Daniel Nayeri
• Alberic the Wise by Norton Juster | Goodreads
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

This week on The Book Drop we talk about what kind of non-librarian library patrons we might be, share titles by Black authors for the latest OPL Reading Challenge category and talk about our favorite books we've read for this year's Challenge for query of the week. 

Check out the OPL events calendar for these upcoming events:

• Jane Austen Tea Party  | Saturday, December 9th, 2-4pm at The Living Room

All the books, movies, TV shows and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here.

See and answer the next query of the week here --> https://bit.ly/BookDropQuery

On Today's Show

• "It (TV) was my junk food, but also it was my in with the kids to be able to talk about pop culture, to know all the little nuances and jokes about the cultural zeitgeist things.” - Dan Santat

Media and stories around us around us are more than just entertainment. They provide a common space, a piece of the world around us that connects us to others. We learn from these stories, shape our own views and ideas, and listen to and share these ideas with others. 

Dan Santat, a son of Thai immigrants in rural SoCal, found solace and belonging in the storytelling of 80's TV shows and movies, connecting with others' experiences and perspectives. His fascination with storytelling coupled with his talent for drawing led him on a journey of self-discovery that would ultimately diverge from the career path his parents had urged him to pursue.

In this episode, Dan shares openly about his fraught relationship with his dad. Dan’s honesty is humorous and nostalgic and real all at once. He talks about the freedoms and limitations of growing up in the 1980s and how they helped him discover a passion for storytelling as a means of communicating. Dan also tells us about his experience of embracing art, despite his parents' differing expectations, and how his journey has impacted the messages he imparts to students he meets today.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In his reading challenge, "Profound Panels" Dan wants listeners to embrace the hidden wisdom in the medium that first sparked his love of storytelling: comics.

You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Connie Sharpe from Metro Nashville Public Schools. She told us about the importance of the connection between administrators and librarians. 

Contents

Chapter 1 - Thai in SoCal (2:25)

Chapter 2 - Crime Fighting (vehicle here) (6:55)

Chapter 3 - The Trial and Death of Socrates (12:59)

Chapter 4 - A Book About Dan (21:04)

Chapter 5 - Passing on Heritage (and advice) (24:09)

Chapter 6 - A Storyteller’s Legacy (31:03)

Chapter 7 - Profound Panels (34:17)

Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (35:40)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Dan Santat
• Dan Santat | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
• Longlist for National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
• Shane (movie) - Dan’s dad’s favorite movie before moving to America
• X-Men (comics that changed Dan’s life)
• Flowers in the Attic (how were we allowed to read this at such a young age?!)
• The Trial and Death of Socrates (a critical book for Dan)
• The Replacements (Dan’s show on Disney)
• Kung Fu: The Movie (starring David Carradine…hmmm)
• Dan’s acceptance speech at Caldecott-Newbery banquet
• A conversation about “Drawn Together” by Dan and Minh Lê
• American Born Chinese (a book that is very important for Dan)
• Dan Santat
• Dan Santat | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
• Connie Sharp at MNPS (this week’s featured librarian)
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show

• "I think that has a lot to do with why I was so interested in writing for children. It's like, I was trying to heal. I was trying to heal my childhood experiences through writing, through these characters.” - Kacen Callender

Just as books provide readers with a space to learn, see themselves, reflect, and cope with their inner thoughts, writing has served as a means for Kacen Callender to process and heal from their own trauma. Throughout their writing journey, Kacen has traversed the various stages and ages of their life, opening wounds and finding ways to heal them through fiction. 

This transformative process began with their debut novel “Hurricane Child” in 2018 which not only earned Kacen critical acclaim but also accolades such as the Stonewall Book Award and Lambda Literary Award. Since then, Kacen has authored other titles such as “Felix Ever After” and “King and the Dragonflies”, the latter of which won a National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Now, Kacen is entering the next phase in their writing journey, delving into the enduring adult repercussions of childhood trauma.

Kacen’s vulnerable and emotional storytelling has had profound impacts on readers around the world, particularly Queer readers who often find their own journeys reflected in Kacen’s work. 

In this episode, Kacen shares more about their personal journey of processing trauma through writing. They also discuss how fanfiction played a pivotal role in inspiring their creative path and how the fictional storyline within a Canadian teen drama that helped them come to terms with their own identity.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In their reading challenge, "Trans YA Spec"  Kacen wants readers to imagine freedom for the trans community through works of speculative fiction.

You can find their list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Meredith Derrick, library coordinator for Klein Independent School District outside of Houston, Texas. She shares a funny story about a student’s attempt at a thoughtful teacher appreciation surprise.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Reckoning with Trauma

Chapter 2 - Annie John

Chapter 3 - Fiction in Our Own Hands

Chapter 4 - Honest Representation

Chapter 5 - The Journey Continues

Chapter 6 - Dream State

Chapter 7 - Diversity on the Shelves

Chapter 8 - Trans YA Spec

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian 

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Kacen Callender
• Fan Fiction
• Adam Torres (Degrassi)
• Annie John
• Stonewall Book Award | Kacen Callender
• Klein ISD
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

This week on The Book Drop we talk about best concerts we've been to, check in on the OPL Reading Challenge with books about music and create our personalized fauxchella lineups for query of the week. 

Check out the OPL events calendar for these upcoming events:

• Mysterious Codes: Passenger Manifest Letters and Numbers (Virtual Program) | Thursday, October 12, 5 – 6PM
• Using Your Known DNA Matches to Further Your Research | Saturday, October 21, 2 – 3PM | Genealogy & Local History Room
• Have a Blast in the Past! | Friday, October 27, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM |Genealogy & Local History Room 

All the books, movies, TV shows and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here.

See and answer the next query of the week here --> https://bit.ly/BookDropQuery

Are reading challenges worth it? What thousand page book is Dan dying to read? And what in god's name is an "anti-library?" Enjoy!

About the Week's Book

Here’s the rub, The Name of the Rose is one of the highest selling books ever. Ever! It sold more copies than The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird, and yet it is hard to fathom how. The book is extraordinarily dense, so fraught with allusions and references that 50% of the its subtext sails quietly past, like a ship in the night. On the podcast we discuss a few theories how this could be. To us, it seems that Eco essentially wrote two novels in one—a detective thriller for the common man6, and a critical commentary for the 20th century post-modernist. At bottom it’s a medieval detective whodunnit whose principle characters are not investigators but 13th century christian monks. Church thrillers are not my jam, but I sure as h-e-c-k admire its commentary, and the man’s hustle 🧠🫡.

About the Show

Hosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. In Season 4 we’re traveling through the 20th century, decade by decade, because Dan really wanted to see what the world was like before plumbing was a common thing.

Website

TikTok

Instagram

YouTube

Newsletter

Jeremy's Website

Dan's Website

On Today's Show

• "I'm just being real. I'm telling my story. I think Nikki Giovanni calls it dancing naked on the floor. I am unafraid and I'm doing my dance… I don't feel like I can go wrong if I'm just being me.” - Kwame Alexander

Exciting reluctant middle school kids about reading (or really, anything) can be a battle. Getting them to think reading is cool is another. Kwame Alexander excels at both. His ability to authentically relate to his readers is a skill around which he has built his career.

Kwame is beloved by parents, educators, and students, for his ability to ignite a love of reading (especially middle school boys) through poetry and characters who reflect their real experiences. But his impact extends beyond just an introduction to books, he also opens the door for readers to explore their own emotional depths. As he tells us, “I think part of my job is just to show a different side of masculinity.”

Kwame is best known "The Crossover," "The Undefeated," "The Door of No Return," and numerous other novels and poetry collections. He also recently authored his memoir "Why Fathers Cry at Night." He won the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Book Award among many other awards, and this year "The Crossover" was adapted into a Disney Plus original TV series. 

In this episode, he tells us about his own upbringing surrounded by Black storytelling and literature, reveals his secret to making middle-schoolers think he’s “cool”, and shares about a letter he received (which was “not fan mail”) that inspired a surprise visit to an unsuspecting kid.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In his reading challenge, "Blackout,"  Kwame wants listeners to utilize their favourite books to look inward and make some art of their own.

You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Kirsten, the programming specialist for the Indianapolis Public Library. She shares some moving stories about a book club she runs for teens at a residential treatment facility. 

***

Contents

Chapter 1 - Glasses first (2:10)

Chapter 2 - Mom’s stories, dad’s garage (3:53)

Chapter 3 - Love After Love (9:11)

Chapter 4 - The “Reluctant” Readers (14:01)

Chapter 5 - Kwame Shows Up (17:50)

Chapter 6 - America’s Next Great Authors (24:18)

Chapter 7 - Blackout (27:34)

Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (28:09)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Kwame Alexander
• Folly Island
• NYT article by Teddy Wayne about the potential benefits of clutter
• Beef, No Chicken
• Love After Love by Derek Walcott
• Kwame’s Newbery Banquet Speech
• Why Fathers Cry: The Podcast | Kwame Alexander
• #KwameShowsUp
• Nikki Giovanni
• Collected Poems, 1948-1984 -  Derek Walcott
• The Crossover | Official Trailer | Disney+
• America's Next Great Author
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show

• "I think it comes down to caring about the characters. When you care about the characters, you care about the world that they live in.” - Neal Shusterman

When Neal Shusterman was in college, he was told to stop building worlds and start building characters. He listened. And from then on, his worlds became more magical and deep than ever before, because, as he says, when you care about characters, you care about the world they live in.

Neal’s career has revolved around incredible and fantastical lands of his own creation. In these worlds, he builds rules and structures that he sticks to rigidly, even if that means following a story arc he had no intention of writing to begin with (he tells us that story in the episode). 

Getting immersed in settings unlike – but not far from – our own provides crucial lessons about perspective. This outside perspective allows us to shed our preconceptions and witness characters and events in a way we would be unable to otherwise. It’s an incredibly impactful storytelling style for young readers just learning these skills, and Neal is a master at it.

Neal Shusterman is best known for his "Unwind Dystology" series, his Printz-winning "Scythe" trilogy, and "Challenger Deep," which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2015. 

In this episode, Neal shares how getting immersed in his favorite fictional worlds inspired him to create some of his own, he’ll talk about how and why he prioritizes characters to enhance immersion, and how seriously he takes sticking to the rules of his world.

***

Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In his reading challenge, "The Nature of Consciousness," Neal wants to send us into various fictional worlds to challenge our perception of a prevailing debate in our own world: A.I.

You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Danielle Masterson, assistant director at the Wilmington Public Library in Massachusetts. Danielle shares some wisdom to settle the debate of what “qualifies” as reading.

Contents

Chapter 1 - The Trouble with Star Trek Blueprints (2:11)

Chapter 2 - The Jaws of (Neal’s) Life (9:02)

Chapter 3 - Desktop Quotes (10:32)

Chapter 4 - Stories From the Cabin (15:14)

Chapter 5 - No Characters, No World (18:02)

Chapter 6 - A Sense of Hope (24:10)

Chapter 7 - The Power of a Teacher (27:12)

Chapter 8 - The Nature of Consciousness (30:30)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (31:23)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Neal Shusterman
• Neal’s National Book Award Speech for “Challenger Deep”
• Jaws movie trailer
• The Talmud
• Neal’s Upcoming Graphic Novel, “Courage to Dream”
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and extra content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
• Challenger Deep - National Book Foundation
• Wilmington Memorial Library
• The world of Scythe - An interview with Neal Shusterman

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show

• "That's still my trick too, never tell them how they're feeling. Never begin to even show how they're feeling. They'll get it anyway. You're describing negative space and the negative space you can't even get at.” - Jon Klassen
  
  

Where there is empty space, our brains will fill in the blanks, and often, the way in which we personally fill those blank spaces is far more potent than anything that can be written in words or shown in an image. That’s why despite being gifted in both illustrating and writing, Jon Klassen always intentionally restrains himself from specificity. 

Jon is a Caldecott Medal winner author and illustrator known for his distinctive minimalistic art style and quirky but profound writing. His work includes his Hat Trilogy, starting with "I Want My Hat Back", along with newer works such as "The Rock from the Sky," “The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale” and many collaborations with his longtime friend and author Mac Barnett. 

In this episode, Jon tells us the story of how he learned to embrace the unspoken through a “gunshot moment” in his youth. He’ll talk about how he intentionally incorporates negative space into his work and why that is so impactful for young readers in particular, and we’ll hear about the SNL classics that inspired his coy sense of comedy. 

***

Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In his reading challenge, "A Tale to Remember," Jon invites readers to follow a process that for him emerged unintentionally in the creation of his latest book, "The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale." You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Ellen Clark, the Children's Outreach Librarian for Kokomo Howard County Public Library in Indiana. Ellen shares an experience she recently had that highlights the emotional impact librarians have not just on a community writ large, but on each individual reader.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Seventies University Guy Reads (2:25)

Chapter 2 - Sketch Book Art Kids (not Jon) (7:51)

Chapter 3 - Waiting For Godot (13:10)

Chapter 4 - The Existential Gun Shot (19:40)

Chapter 5 - No Sad Bears (21:47)

Chapter 6 - Part 2 (28:34)

Chapter 7 - A Girl and Her Skull (30:37)

Chapter 8 - A Tale to Remember (34:51)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (36:12)

Show Links

• The Reading Culture
• Jon Klassen
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and extra content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
• Elm Trees of Manitoba
• P.D. Eastman
• Mac Barnett
• Jon’s Ghost Story
• The Hat Trilogy
• Waiting for Godot
• For Whom the Bell Tolls
• Jack Handy - Fuzzy Memories
• George and Martha by James Marshall
• Book Review: ‘The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale,’ by Jon Klassen - The New York Times
• The Far Side Comics
• Bill Watterson
• Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
• The Children’s Book Podcast
• KHCPL.org

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

This week on The Book Drop we're joined by OPL's Arts & Culture Librarian Holly to talk about short stories, essays and explore a few literary awakenings from our youth.

Check out the OPL events calendar for these upcoming events:

• Researching Nebraska Land Records (Virtual) | Thursday, August 17,  5 – 6PM
• Friends of Omaha Public Library  Book Sales | Every Thursday and the first Saturday of every month from 10AM - 3PM, except holidays. 

All the books, movies, TV shows and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here.

Check out the next query of the week here...  https://bit.ly/BookDropQuery

On Today's Show

• "For me, in the fiction, it is so much about keeping that continuum going, that someone's going to come along after me and tell a story that's connected to the story that I've told. I'm telling the story that's connected to the writers and the relatives who came before me.” - Jacqueline Woodson
  
  

Jacqueline Woodson was born a watcher. An observer. Even as a young girl, she recognized that our stories are part of an enduring legacy that stretches far before and beyond our own lifetimes. Woodson is an icon in American literature, and author of works like “Brown Girl Dreaming,” “Red at the Bone,” and “Each Kindness.” Her voice has left an indelible mark on the literary landscape.

In this episode, she shares about her relationship with her siblings growing up, her sense of melancholy as a child, and how some of the earliest books she read gave her a deep sense of fairness and social justice. She reveals the book that most impacted her own writing and the one thing that gives her hope, even in dark times. 

Jacqueline has witnessed the evolution of literary spaces over decades, along the way establishing herself as a legendary voice in the industry. She has become a guiding force, pushing publishers, readers, and writers toward a more inclusive future, a future that features creators of the global majority. She reflects on the industry’s evolution throughout her career through the lens of a Black queer writer, and she talks about setting the next generation up to carry on our stories and the stories that came before us. Now, in addition to her own work, Woodson dedicates her time to providing resources and support to the next generation of voices through the Baldwin For the Arts. 

***

Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

Connect with Jacqueline on social @jacqueline_woodson.

***

For her reading challenge, Reading Black, Jacqueline challenges us to use her reading list as a way to look forward and back. The books she has chosen are all by black authors, telling their brilliant and varied stories of the American diaspora - stories this country is attempting to erase through book bans and challenges. She asks us to read these books and consider what other books they remind us of? For those we reread, what is new in the re-reading? What was it we missed the first time around? What thoughts and ideas have changed for us in the re-reading? You can find her list, designed for high school to adult readers, and all of our author challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Returning as this episode’s Beanstack featured librarian is Cicely Lewis, School Library Journal’s 2020 school librarian of the year, from Gwinnett County Public Schools. Cicely, aka the Read Woke librarian, talks about why read-alouds are so important even for high school students, and why she refuses to stop using the word “woke” to inspire young people to read important narratives.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Starting in the Middle (2:30)

Chapter 2 - The Continuum (5:44)

Chapter 3 - Ballad of the Sad Café (10:44)

Chapter 4 - Jacqueline’s Beginning (15:44)

Chapter 5 - Empowering the Future (20:31)

Chapter 6 - A Different Story (28:00)

Chapter 7 - 500 Questions (35:37)

Chapter 8 - Reading Black (36:33)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (37:41)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Jacqueline Woodson
• Carson McCullers reads from The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1958)
• Baldwin for the Arts
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and extra content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
• The Children’s Book Podcast
• Cicely Lewis (Read Woke Librarian)
• Brown Girl Dreaming
• Red at the Bone
• Ballad of the Sad Café
• Greenville, SC
• Juno Diaz
• Jamaica Kincaid
• MacDowell
• Bastard Out of Carolina
• Toshi Reagon
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

This week on The Book Drop it's all about friends. We talk about oldest pals, share titles about friends and frenemies and discuss our favorite bestie date ideas for query of the week. 

Check out the OPL events calendar for these upcoming events:

• Family Zumba |Saturday, July 29,  10:30 – 11:30am | Downtown Branch 
• Book Bash | Thursday, August 10, 7-pm | Two ways to atttend: 
  • Virtual on Crowdcast
  • In-Person at The Living Room 

All the books, movies, TV shows and resources we talk about in this episode can be found here.

Check out the next query of the week here...  https://bit.ly/BookDropQuery

On Today's Show

• "Kids are growing up in an interesting time and they're led to believe that if we don't feel happy, we're doing something wrong. I think what I respond to is a deeper truth, which is, happiness is incredible and we should strive for it, but we should also acknowledge that half of our life is challenging or melancholy." - Matt de la Peña
  
  

Hailing from a working class border town in Southern California, Matt de la Peña (Last Stop on Market Street, Mexican WhiteBoy, Milo Imagines the World) grew up in an environment that deeply valued strength and stoicism and oftentimes discouraged big displays of emotion from men. Instilled with a strong work ethic and the pursuit of opportunities, he followed in the footsteps of the men in his family and community. But still, there was a deeper truth to life within a buried emotional side that he felt compelled to explore.

As early as high school, Matt would embrace this side of himself by secretly writing poetry, continuing on this journey to emotional self discovery throughout adulthood. Now, influenced by writers such as Kate DiCamillo and the late Cormac McCarthy, Matt’s books seek out the deeper and sometimes darker parts of life, teaching kids the invaluable skill of acknowledging melancholy and granting them the permission to appreciate their own emotional complexity.

In this episode, Matt will share his lifelong journey to accessing his own emotions and how his writing teaches kids to do the same. 

***

Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. Join Matt on social @Mattdelapena.

***

For his reading challenge, Conversation Starters, Matt invites us to ponder alongside our youngest readers with his curated selection of picture books. You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculture.com/matt-de-la-pena.

This episode’s Beanstack featured librarian is Cicely Lewis, School Library Journal’s 2020 school librarian of the year, from Gwinnett County Public Schools. Cicely, aka the Read Woke librarian, shares about an awesome way to keep high schoolers excited about reading for pleasure and also a very fun birthday tradition at her school. 

Contents

Chapter 1 - One Side of the Border (2:24)

Chapter 2 - The Good, Bad, and Masculine (7:20)

Chapter 3 - The Closet Poet (11:14)

Chapter 4 - Sutree (14:38)

Chapter 5 - The Future of Latinx Voices (24:38)

Chapter 6 - Leaning Forward (27:58)

Chapter 7 - Writing Up (31:58)

Chapter 8 - Conversation Starters (33:59)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (34:55)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Matt de la Peña
• Matt’s Books
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and extra content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
• Why We Shouldn’t Shield Children From Darkness | Matt's Letter to Kate DiCamillo
• The Children’s Book Podcast