Feminist Slam

Some of my favorite slam poetry fixes come from Button Poetry, founded in 2011 by Sam Cook and Sierra DeMulder, who were shortly joined by Rachele Cermak and Heidi Lear. They launched the first Button website and blog.

Sierra DeMulder was the first to pull me in with her poem “Today Means Amen,” from her poetry book with the same title.

Bringing Women’s Stories to Life

For Women’s History Month this year, I’d like to highlight the way fiction can take a real person’s life and help fill in the gaps about what we historically know, using imagination in order to bring that person’s story back. In particular, since the historical register generally focuses on men, women’s full lives were often elided or ignored in the historical record, and thus in history class and history books. Here, then, is a small sampling of novels by women writers bringing back to full, bright life women from history.

Jubilee by Margaret Walker
Grounded in decades of research, Walker tells the story of her great-grandmother Vyry, the child of a white plantation owner and an enslaved woman on his plantation. Through Vyry’s experiences the reader sees life in pre-Civil War Georgia, wartime deprivation, and the promise and hard reality of Reconstruction.

Lady Librarians of Seattle

2016 marks the 125th anniversary of The Seattle Public Library. After it was adopted as a department of the city in 1890, the Library opened its first reading room in Pioneer Square on April 8, 1891. To honor this milestone, we will be posting a series of articles here about the Library’s history and life in the 1890s. We also encourage our patrons to share their favorite memories of SPL on social media using the hashtag #SPL125. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. – editor

How have you been celebrating Women’s History Month? Before March draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to highlight a few of the amazing women who played an important role in the library’s history.

Celebrate Rad American Women For Women’s History Month

In honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to be sure all of you have read the amazing book published in 2015, Rad American Women A-Z by Kate Schatz. You may notice it’s shelved in the Children’s section, but don’t let that fool you – this little alphabet book is a must-read for all ages. The concept may not be 100% original, but the 26 women represented by each letter of the alphabet comprise a list that is representative of many different cultures and claims to fame. Furthermore, the book introduces readers to many lesser-known heroines from various periods of history. And once you read Rad American Women A-Z, I know you will want to read more about the inspiring women described in its pages. Here are just a few of the women discussed in the book, along with links for additional Library resources.

Just because Women’s History Month is over….

…doesn’t mean that you can’t go on reading about the heroines of our past!  I read a lot of non-fiction, and I can testify that it isn’t necessarily turgid and boring.  Many biographies and histories center around a gripping story and read like fiction, and there are also the joys of well-written and humorous prose.  Here are some options for keeping your women’s history connection going beyond March, with some books that are, first and foremost, great reads!