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Rapper Noname just opened an LA library dedicated to the Black experience. 
By Vanessa Willoughby
October 5, 2021, 11:17am
Fatimah Nyeema Warner, otherwise known as Noname, has become a fierce advocate for literacy. The Chicago rapper, who generated buzz after appearing on Chance the Rapper’s 2013 mixtape Acid Rap, launched her synonymous book club < https://lithub.com/chicago-rapper-nonames-new-book-club-highlights-work-from-writers-of-color/ >  in July of 2019. Noname Book Club < https://nonamebooks.com/ > , which operates online and in person, is dedicated to spotlighting the works and voices of people of color. Currently, the club has 12 local chapters with plans to continue growth. Additionally, the organization also sends monthly book club picks to incarcerated people through their Prison Program, which was launched in 2020. 

Now, following months of planning and construction, the doors of the Radical Hood Library have officially opened.

The library, which is located in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, offers several categories of literature, including Prison Writings, Global Black Resistance, African American History, and How the US F*cked Up Everything. On Twitter, Noname said that her favorite sections are Fuck the Police and Black Capitalism Won’t Save Us. She added that more sections would be added in the near future and this was “just the beginning.”

This type of progressive entrepreneurship runs in the family. The artist’s mother, Desiree Sanders, opened the Afrocentric Bookstore < https://twitter.com/noname/status/1444774485723287554Unsurprisingly, Noname envisions bigger plans for the book club. According to Rolling Stone, she’s could possibly expand the club into “a government-recognized cooperative, where all of its workers own the social enterprise and have similar power in running it.”

Of course, because we can’t have nice things, some dissenters on our favorite love-to-hate bird app said the public library was a reflection of “gentrification.” (Insert upside-down smiling emoji.) I’m not really sure how anyone can come to that conclusion, though I suspect this particular reaction to Noname is based in misogynoir. Public libraries are more than just spaces to house books—they’re integral to community building, education, and economic development.

To support Noname Book Club, consider subscribing to their Patreon < https://www.patreon.com/nonamebooks > or checking out their merch < https://nonamebooks.com/Shop > . And if you’re local to the community, you can use the online catalog < https://bookclubhq.libib.com/ >  to place a hold on books and pick them up at your leisure. 

https://lithub.com/rapper-noname-just-opened-an-la-library-dedicated-to-the-black-experience/

James Patterson and Scholastic are joining forces to mitigate illiteracy.
Vanessa Willoughby 
September 28, 2021, 1:26pm

In rather heartwarming news, bestselling novelist James Patterson is working with Scholastic Book Clubs to tackle literacy inequity. On Monday, Scholastic announced that Patterson had donated $1.5 million to help launch “The United States of Readers,” a classroom initiative created to address the needs of children in Title 1 schools. According to Scholastic, the program will get books into the hands of 32,000 kids nationwide, grades K-8, from low-income families.

“I’ve been working my entire career to get kids reading because I believe that illiteracy is one of the biggest challenges our country faces,” Patterson said in a statement. “And in many cases, kids simply need access to books—and especially books they want to read—to fall in love with reading, characters, and stories. Through my partnership with Scholastic these past seven years, we’ve made some great strides to do that. And I’m particularly excited about this new program as it will bring books to those schools and communities that need them the most, and ones that we haven’t served before.”

It’s no secret that Patterson has a dedicated interest in combating illiteracy. In September of last year, Patterson made headlines for awarding thousands of teachers with $500 grants to foster and strengthen students’ reading skills.

And in an interview for multimedia outlet Big Think, Patterson discussed his partnership with the University of Florida and expressed his sincere belief in the transformative power of literature: “I really mean it when I say that we can save lives—and thousands of lives. If we do this thing in Florida we will save thousands of lives in Florida. And any state that can solve the problem [of literary inequity] is going to save thousands of lives. Plus you can improve the economics of the state because you’re going to have that many more people who can go out into the workforce, that have choices . . . It’s a hugely important thing. And I think it’s kind of a sacred mission.”

Thus far, Patterson has donated more than $10 million to teachers and students through Scholastic.

For more information about The United States of Readers, visit the program’s website. < https://unitedstatesofreaders.scholastic.com/  >

https://lithub.com/james-patterson-and-scholastic-are-joining-forces-to-mitigate-illiteracy/

The 25 Most Iconic Book Covers in History 
By Emily Temple
October 7, 2021
Iconic covers- for me, Gatsby is the best in the list
...
https://lithub.com/the-25-most-iconic-book-covers-in-history/

This Virginia library is getting kids to read . . . through robot companionship.
By Walker Caplan
October 6, 2021, 2:54pm

Parents and educators have tried many different tactics to get children to read—games, star charts, personalized books. Now, Roanoke County Public Library is trying something new, which seems both incredibly effective and a little dystopian: encouraging children to read by having them read to a humanoid robot.

Roanoke County Public Library owns Pepper, an advanced robot which can identify faces, read human emotion, and engage in conversation. (In an interview, Tech Insider asks Pepper: “Should I be afraid of you?” Pepper responds: “Have you seen my Instagram? I’m just plain cute.”) Pepper’s eyes light up different colors to indicate what she’s doing at the time—spinning blue eyes when listening, solid green for talking or thinking, solid white for looking at an object, and solid pink for looking at a human. (This is emphasized in Pepper’s informational materials.) Families can book times for kids to read to Pepper at the library—a program called “My Robot Reading Friend.” (Guys, you could just say Klara.)

One such kid, Sadie Brannen, recommends the experience: “I’ve never read to a robot before,” Brannen told WFXR. “Go to the library. It will be fun because you can read to Pepper, the robot.” Pepper is serving her function!

As Roanoke County’s website states < https://www.roanokecountyva.gov/2046/Pepper > , Roanoke County is the first public library in the United States to recruit Pepper to serve as part of the library’s team. Yes, it feels like technology is catching up to us—we might be seeing more Peppers in libraries in the next few years—but on the bright side, I’d feel more listened to if my conversational partner had spinning blue eyes.
https://lithub.com/this-virginia-library-is-getting-kids-to-read-through-robot-companionship/

This 7-year-old is advocating for more disability-centered books in libraries.
By Walker Caplan October 4, 2021, 11:53am
https://lithub.com/this-7-year-old-is-advocating-for-more-disability-centered-books-in-libraries/

For Sale: Kidney Story. Never Authorized.
Lincoln Michel
https://countercraft.substack.com/p/for-sale-kidney-story-never-authorized

REFERRAL POST- Supply Chain Worries, Robot Readers, and Bad Art Friend: This Week in Book News
https://kobowritinglife.com/2021/10/08/supply-chain-worries-robot-readers-and-bad-art-friend-this-week-in-book-news/

Mystery Week
https://kobowritinglife.com/2021/10/06/mystery-series-week/