Hello and welcome to Episode Fifty-One of Page Turn: the Largo Public Library Podcast, the very last episode. I’m your host, Hannah!
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The English Language Transcript can be found below
But as always we start with Reader’s Advisory!
Today’s Reader’s Advisory is a little different that usual. I decided, selfishly, to share some of my favorite books this year and talk about why I liked them. Just share a bit about my personal reading preferences and how all these, seemingly different titles, all caught my eye and my love.
The titles I decided to share about are Unbias: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work by Stacey A. Gordon, Crip Kinship: the Disability Justice & Art Activism of Sins Invalid by Shayda Kafai, link to their performances can be found here, The Forgotten Dead by Jordan L. Hawk, Creepy Cat by Cotton Valent, and Water I Won’t Touch by Kayleb Rae Candrilli.
Happy Reading Everyone
Today’s Library Tidbit is all about our new butterfly garden!
The idea to change our courtyard from its previous version to the butterfly garden came from an article in the March/April issue of American Libraries magazine. This article, titled, “Where Monarchs Reign” by Emily Udell, describes how the Kokomo-Howard Public Library created their butterfly garden, how that garden inspired other gardens in the area, and also about the importance of butterflies and butterfly gardens to the ecosystem.
Butterflies, and other pollinators, are deeply important to our planet and are some of the first to suffer from climate change and human caused destruction of habitat. For too long humans ignored native flora and fauna not understanding why it was important. In recent years we have seen a growing understanding and push for replanting with native plants to encourage native wildlife back into the ecosystems. Some minor inconveniences and costs is worth it to have a habitable planet for our descendants.
Casey, the Library Director, read this article and was inspired to change our courtyard garden into a butterfly garden! It was also important to her to make sure that our butterfly garden was a certified butterfly garden through the North American Butterfly Association. This association is a non-profit organization that focuses on conservation, education, and research. NABA is the largest butterfly interest group in North America.
Geri, the Assistant Library Director, contacted Taylor Kahn from the Recreation, Parks, and Arts Department to work with them on creating the new garden. Taylor was very enthusiastic about it from the beginning. Keeping the criteria for a NABA certified garden in mind they purchased native Florida plants and also renovated the pond and waterfall. Once the preliminary changes had been made the garden was submitted to NABA and received certification!
Some of the plants added to our butterfly garden include: milkweed, false heather, firecracker, penta, lantana, and porterweed.
Phase II of the garden was kicked off by a Greater Largo Library Foundation donor who spoke to Elliot, the Director of GLLF, and Casey about how much she enjoyed the new butterfly garden and how much she loved gardening in her own life. She suggested, planned, and funded additional renovations to the courtyard including more trees and plants, boulders and ground coverings. As well as, furniture, a shade structure, lighting, new artwork, signage, and a new paved area for additional outdoor programming space.
We’re so excited and pleased with how the butterfly garden came out and we hope you come out and enjoy it as well!
And now it’s time for Book Traveler, with Victor:
Welcome to a new edition of Book Traveler. Today I will be talking about a new book in the Spanish collection, called Aristotle and Dante Submerge in the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáez.
Synopsis: In Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, two boys in a border town fell in love. Now, they must discover what it means to stay in love and build a relationship in a world that seems to challenge their very existence.
Ari has spent all of high school burying who he really is, staying silent and invisible. He expected his senior year to be the same. But something in him cracked open when he fell in love with Dante, and he can’t go back. Suddenly he finds himself reaching out to new friends, standing up to bullies of all kinds, and making his voice heard. And, always, there is Dante, dreamy, witty Dante, who can get on Ari’s nerves and fill him with desire all at once.
The boys are determined to forge a path for themselves in a world that doesn’t understand them. But when Ari is faced with a shocking loss, he’ll have to fight like never before to create a life that is truthfully, joyfully his own.
Opinion: The book picks up immediately where the first one ends, when Aristotle and Dante stargaze together in the desert. Both talk about their future, confess their dreams and fears, but above all fears. The enormous fear they have is because they are different in a world that does not tolerate them, a world that has violated and attacked them on more than one occasion, an intolerant world that every day generates more rejection of people like them.
As the title says, the boys will have to dive into the deep waters of an unknown and hostile world. Both Aristotle and Dante must learn to lead a relationship like theirs in a society that discriminates against them, while trying not to get lost in each other’s waters, managing their responsibilities and thinking about how to tell their secret to those around them and maintain their relationship after high school. All this at the same time as the AIDS pandemic that hit the world in the 1980s.
The book tells us a beautiful story and can be of help to many boys and girls who find themselves in the same situation, because, despite the fact that they are obviously not the same conditions as those of the eighties, several of the reactions of the people and the discourse of rejection is still valid to this day.
Aristotle and Dante Submerge in the Waters of the World shows us what the process of adaptation with oneself and with others is like, how we battle against internalized homophobia and, later, the process of opening up to the rest of the world. If you liked the first book in the series, you’ll like this one too.
Outro: That’s all for today. Until the next edition of Book Traveler. Bye now.
Thanks everyone for listening some upcoming library events to keep track of:
August 1st and 2nd CandyLand de Casita family slots from 2-6:30pm in the Jenkins Wing
-Registration is required
August 3rd Getting Started with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at 2pm in the Adult Program Room
-Registration is required
August 4th DNA Basics I: Ethnicity at 7pm online Zoom meeting
-Registration is required
August 8th Newspapers.com at 1pm in the Local History Room and on Zoom
-Registration is required for the Zoom portion only
August 9th Paint Along with Bob Ross at 6pm in Jenkins Room B
-Registration is required
August 11th Intro to 3D Printing at 4pm in the Adult Program Room
August 13th Advanced Genetic Genealogy Discussion at 1pm online Zoom meeting
-Registration is required
August 15th Color! & Experience Augmented Reality at 6pm online Zoom meeting
-Registration is required
August 16th Printing with Natural Dyes at 6pm in Jenkins Room B
-Registration is required
August 20th Kings, Pilgrims and Tavern Keepers: Who is Your Family Tree at 11am in Jenkins Room B and on Zoom
-Registration is required for the Zoom portion only
August 22nd Wreck This Journal at 5pm in the Teen Program Room
-Registration is required
August 23rd Accessibility/ADA Options & Library Resources at 3pm in the Adult Program Room
-Registration is required
August 24th Teen Crafternoon at 3pm in the Teen Program Room
August 25th Sew a Reusable Lunch Bag & Cutlery Keeper at 3pm in Jenkins Room B
-Registration is required
August 29th Teen Trivia Night at 5:30pm in Jenkins Room C
-Registration is required
August 30th Summer Flowers with Watercolor & Gouache at 6pm in Jenkins Room B
-Registration is required
August 31st Switch Gaming at 3pm in the Teen Program Room
For everyone interested our intro music is by Break the Bans and the outro music is by Jahzzar, both artists can be found on Free Music Archive.
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