SLBAM Needs West Coast Members!

The Street Literature Book Award Medal Committee (SLBAM), a regionally-balanced committee, is looking to add two (2) West Coast librarians to the committee for selection of the best of urban literature for libraries in 2015. The committee seat is an open-term assignment.

If you'd like to serve, please send your nomination in the form of a CV/resume to irvinv@hawaii.edu by October 15, 2015.

Thank you for your interest and support!

MissDomino: Street Lit Writers MUST Be Heard

MissDomino: Street Lit Writers MUST Be Heard: A must-read article by Chicago-based librarian and street lit expert, K.C. Boyd. Just click on link to access article.

Street Smart: Urban Fiction in Public Libraries

Today I presented a webinar with the Public Library Association entitled, "Street Smart: Urban Fiction in Public Libraries". In this presentation I traced the history of street lit, characteristics of current-day street lit, and a plethora of resources for the genre. I've embedded the presentation below:

                    

                Street Smart: Urban Fiction in Public Libraries from Vanessa Irvin Morris

Save the Date! Street Lit Webinar May 15th

REGISTER: http://www.ala.org/pla/onlinelearning/webinars/streetsmart

REGISTER: http://www.ala.org/pla/onlinelearning/webinars/streetsmart

In the Margins Committee Looking for Members

In the Margins Committee 

What is it? A group of Librarians under the umbrella of Library Services for Youth in Custody seeking out and highlighting books: preschool through adult fiction and non-fiction titles of high-interest appeal to boys or girls, ages 9-18 who may fit into one or all of the following categories:

• multicultural (primarily African American and Latino)
• from a street culture
• in restrictive custody
• reluctant readers

What does it do? The committee will select and review the best books of the year, specifically for the population listed above. Titles of interest may be unusual, possibly unreviewed, have multicultural characters, dealing with difficult situations including (but not limited to) street life, marginalized populations, crime, justice, war, violence, abuse, addiction, etc.

Blog featuring highlighted titles: YA Underground, a School Library Journal (SLJ) column will run reviews every other month or so through-out the year. Please see: http://www.slj.com/2013/01/books-media/collection-development/ya-underground-books-for-teens-you-might-have-missed/ for an example. 

The final list will be decided upon by this committee and also run in SLJ. Books will be put on the Library Services for Youth in Custody website. 

We have openings for a few positions. If interested,  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDZqR1RIQ0FQOGJkVTRJcmZoVWVfN1E6MQ#gid=0

Committee membership and requirements:

• research and nominate titles that are self, independently and small press published,
• research and nominate titles of interest from all publishers 
• provide written review of books, and read for special content for detention facilities
• read all nominated titles
• work with or do outreach to teens in custody and/or from street culture.
• get feedback from at least 3-10 teens on each title
• actively participate in email discussions
• meet 4-6 times a year via video conferencing and/or in person

For more information, contact Amy Cheney at ajcheney@mac.com

Paul Langan: Librarians Most Needed Now

Image Source: http://nyti.ms/f7yHjW, 03/29/2011.

Bluford Series creator, Paul Langan, is passionate about writing relatable stories for urban youth, and the importance for librarians to support what urban youth read. His message:

"My goal is clear: to write stories urban youth enjoy and want to read. Period. I have bumped up against those who dismiss my work and the work of other writers trying to do what I do--as if BOOKS are more important than THE PEOPLE who read them. 

I have seen the destruction and the hubris of those who worship at the altar of "high literature" and think of anything else as unworthy of the classroom. As a result, they deny students an experience with text that those students WANT TO HAVE. And considering many students have limited access to books for myriad reasons, this dismissal may forever discourage young readers from participating in the world of the written word. This is arrogant and harmful and unacceptable--and avoidable. 

As educators we must listen to our students. They are the focus of our efforts--and far more important than the literary canon (which has its own historic and cultural biases that smarter minds than my own have documented). 

If we want urban students to think reading is relevant, we must show readings that ARE relevant. And if we present youth with books that ignore or discount them, we shouldn't be surprised when youth discount and ignore books. Adults pick and choose the texts that speak to them. Why can't young adults do the same thing? 

When scholars and librarians legitimize Street Lit as an art form and literary genre, you increase the likelihood that such books will be taken seriously. And, in turn, you increase the likelihood that students hungry for these books will get them and start reading, thinking, reflecting and perhaps writing their own. 

There is much madness among policy makers in school today. Librarians are bearing the 

brunt of it--and are endangered at a time they are most needed.

Paul Langan is currently the Young Adult Fiction Editor at Townsend Press, the publisher for the Bluford Series, as well as a host of education materials for K-12 and college.

(Part 3 of 3): Making Literacy Connections Via Street Lit: One Scholar's Incredible Work

In this last installment of Dr. Richardson's interview, he discusses his work with pairing incarcerated teen boys with college attending males. Dr. Richardson also shares his ideas on how librarians can be reach out and serve inner-city teens, particularly low-income boys.

StreetLiterature.com: Your research pairs incarcerated males with college attending males. In what ways have you observed reading serving as a bridge of personal, social, and/or cultural understanding and/or edification between the young men? In other words, what have been the most salient outcomes from your work thus far? Any outcomes related to public and/or school libraries?

The most salient outcomes have been increasing the critical thinking skills of the young brothers we work with. Far too many children and adults lack critical thinking skills. The schools have basically destroyed the critical thinking skills of children because the curriculum is geared towards improving scores on standardized tests.

That kind of curriculum encourages and reinforces rote thinking. The kids become almost robotic in their thought process. They’re merely expected to regurgitate what they have memorized and I emphasize memorized. We give youth the tools to deconstruct the world around them.

Once our kids leave from under our tutelage we expect them to be critical thinkers. They should be asking why? How? Then we expect them to do the analysis and provide a solution. We have some really deep conversations about the dumbing down of hip hop. They totally get it.

They know what music is garbage and what music provides mental nourishment. When we have ciphers and they get to spit their lyrics, their word play epitomizes that they are critical thinkers. Our children are street scholars. They can break the street and society down better than most sociologists, they just need the tools. Their brains are the toolbox. We just need to give them the tools to fill it.

StreetLiterature.com: How do you see libraries best serving lower income city children and teens (particularly boys) in their authentic, original ways of reading, writing, and multimedia?

Libraries have to find innovative ways to become cool to low-income boys. That can happen in several ways. One way is libraries can partner with organized youth sports leagues where study halls at the local library become a mandatory part of whether they kids play.

For example, I coached in a youth basketball league in East New York, Brooklyn, where we had a mandatory study hall. There were plenty of Saturdays that I had to monitor the study halls. Boys could not play in the games if they did not participate in the study hall. I also observed this approach used in other youth basketball leagues in New York City. The leagues would require that each player attend study hall once a week at the local library and the coaches were required to monitor it. Coaches I worked with definitely participated.

To expand on this approach to involve the library, one day of the week could be reserved for study hall at the library where coaches replace practice with a study hall. Once kids get into the routine of going to the library and know that they won’t be able to play unless they attend the library study hall, kids will eventually become accustomed to going to the library.

A story I'd like to share: when I was younger I played football for the Northwest Bantams in Philadelphia, and there was a library directly across the street from the field where we practiced. If the coaches had had study hall there or lectures we were required to attend, I would have probably been more interested in the library. The saddest part of this story is that I have never been in that library and it was no less than 50 feet from where I played football for two years.

There is a certain perception of librarians that they are not cool, but that’s not true. However the onus is on librarians to change that stereotype. Librarians have to step outside of their comfort zone and silos. Times have changed. Librarians have to get out there on the ground and get their hands dirty. Get out into the community and see what’s going on. Find out what boys like and don’t like. You have to meet them where they are, that is the first principal in providing any social service.

Once the kids make it to the library, the librarian has to make it an engaging place for them to want to come back. Now that approach could include inviting guest speakers such as popular rappers. I’m from Philadelphia, so to bring a rapper, such as a Meek Mill, Freeway, or Cassidy (all native Philadelphians) to the library to discuss how reading is instrumental in the way they create their rhymes would be very relatable to the kids in the community from which I come.

I believe that Cassidy attended Central High (note from StreetLiterature.com: Central High School is a nationally ranked high-achieving magnet school) which is one of the top schools in Philadelphia. Just by listening to Cassidy's lyrics, particularly his metaphors, you can tell that he is a critical thinker. To invite home-grown artists and performers to the local libraries: Libraries can be hip hop.

Librarians have to step into the 21st century. Kids have Facebook, Twitter and 2 Chainz. They are not just going to show up at the doorstep of the library. Whatever the method is for getting them there, I believe it has to be incentivized. Dr. Roland Fryer, a young Black male Professor at Harvard, has shown that providing low-income youth with incentives can improve academic performance. So if a library wants to reach out to boys, provide incentives such as free tickets to professional basketball or football games, and for those who come consistently, they can be made eligible to be in a raffle for prizes. Creative librarians are effective librarians.

StreetLiterature.com: Thank you Dr. Richardson for sharing your research and insights with us. While this blog appears quiet on the surface, I am sure that you have given many subscribers fresh ideas about the possibilities for working with lower-income teen boys in order to enhance their reading interests and tastes. Thank you so much!

This is the last installment for Dr. Richardson's interview. Feel free to comment and ask questions. We'd really like to get a meaningful discussion started about serving city teens in libraries.

VIDEO: YA Urban Fiction Featured on FOX News in Chicago

Urban Fiction gets African American teens excited about reading
: The story and characters don't have to be familiar for a reader to get lost in a good book, but everyone likes to see their experiences in a story.

VIDEO: Connecting Street Lit in the Classroom

Library Media Specialist, K.C. Boyd, from Chicago, IL, published a student-run video newsletter for her school, Wendell Phillips Academy High School. In this installment, there is a segment that shows how street lit is used successfully in the classroom. Time: 07:23 //

"Behind the Paws" - S1 E1 from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

SLJ Positive Book Review for Readers Guide to Street Lit

From School Library Journal, July 2012:

MORRIS, Vanessa Irvin. The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Street Literature.168p. appendix. bibliog. index. websites. CIP. ALA. 2012. pap. $48. ISBN 978-0-8389-1110-5. LC 2011029685. 

Morris sets out to help public and school librarians gain an understanding of the content and history of street lit. In her introduction, she reiterates the need for this literature wherever there is demand, whether the collection is for teen or adult readers. She calls for librarians to be both knowledgeable about the genre and to be readers of it, and advocates for them not to judge or dismiss its fans. Morris sets the record straight that street lit is about more than drug dealers and domestic violence. It focuses primarily on African American characters and is about life and survival in inner-city, lower-income areas. She compares the genre to other early survival-story novels such as Daniel Defoe’sMoll Flanders and Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities. She suggests series titles, individual titles, both fiction and nonfiction, and lists a few Christian teen-friendly series. The book discusses the appeal, characteristics, the structure of the genre, and mentions themes and subgenres, YA recommendations, and tips for selection and readers’ advisory. In this comprehensive book, Morris provides excellent input to aid in collection development and includes a list of publishers.– Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ

Review Source:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/reviews/professionalreading/894713-320/professional_reviews_july_2012.html.csp#.UACA_l33Zd0.twitter

Top Picks for Summer Reading: Graphic Novels with African American Characters

From School Library Journal, check it out:
Top Picks for Summer Reading: Graphic Novels with African American Characters

Chicago Teens Use Nooks to Read Street Lit Books

Chicago Librarian Media Specialist, KC Boyd, has a book club of high school students who read Street Lit. As part of a grant project, KC has introduced the teens to reading their books on the Nook. The video below shows the students talking about their book club and reading experiences. Enjoy!

Presentation: Street Literature in the 21st Century

Greetings;

Today, May 10, 2012, I presented a presentation entitled, "Street Literature in the 21st Century" at the Maryland Library Association's Annual Conference held in Ocean City, MD.

I am providing the presentation here to share with you.

Street Literature in the 21st Century

View more presentations from Vanessa Irvin Morris.

YA Librarian Luminary, Michael Cart, Speaks On Street Lit

Greetings;

In case you haven't heard, YA Librarian Leader, Michael Cart, spoke in a podcast on March 04, 2012, about the veracity of Street Lit in the library. He calls it "a genre that doesn't get enough respect." He also spoke positively about graphic novels and manga. To listen to his podcast (time: 09:28),

Or visit: http://www.infoblog.infopeople.org/2012/03/micahel-cart-takes-a-look-at-the-world-of-hip-hop-lit/

Michael Cart via: infoblog.infopeople.org

SLBAM Committee Reconvenes to determine 2nd Street Lit Book Award Medal

Greetings!

Just want to give you a headsup that the Street Lit Book Award Medal (SLBAM) Committee has reconvened and is busy reading, researching and going through the nomination process to bestow the 2012 Street Lit Book Award Medal for street lit books published in 2011.

We also need YOUR help! If you have a title(s) that has been popular at your library, post a comment below and we will add the title for nomination consideration.

The categories this year are:

Non-Fiction / Biography (Adult)

Fiction (Adult)

Young adult fiction (YA)

Emerging Classic (to acknowledge previously published works that continue to be in popular demand by the reading public)

The awards for these categories are scheduled to be announced by March 15, 2012.

For last year's awards, see: http://www.streetliterature.com/2011/04/2011-street-lit-book-award-medal.html

SLBAM Committee Mission:

The Street Lit Book Award Medal Committee comprises of a group of professional librarians and library staffers who volunteer to serve on the committee for a 2-year period, from across the U.S. and beyond, if possible. These professionals invariably work on the front lines of librarianship and work with Street Lit and its readers in public, school, and academic libraries. The Committee collects, researches, discusses, and nominates titles based on library patron popularity, book club interest, and overall reception of the story as a valuable addition to the Street Literature genre. Three rounds of nominations results in winners for the previous year's publications.

Guest Post #1: Interview with Urban Fiction Author, Reverend Harry Williams

By Amy Cheney, M.L.S.

I can’t keep Harry Williams’ books on the shelf at my library! His book covers are dynamic, attracting my reluctant readers. Even though there is implied violence, the stories also depict a person struggling to change his life. This kind of balanced representation enables me to easily purchase and defend Mr. Williams’ books on the shelves of my lockdown institution in California.

Harry Williams, reverend and author

For example, one teen patron named Jacobo, 15, says of Williams' books: “They’re cool, interesting. There’s action, shooting, gangsters, money, drugs, but positive stuff, too. I could relate to how dangerous the neighborhood was and how you could switch your life around. You don’t have to sell drugs, you can go to college.”

With my students so attuned to Williams’ titles such as Straight Outta East Oakland (2008) and Straight Outta East Oakland II: Trapped on the Track (2011), I wanted to find out more about the preacher who writes and publishes urban fiction:

Amy: Tell us about your background and how you know the streets so well.

Williams: I grew up in Asbury Park, NJ.  As a young person, I was blessed with many life advantages.  Both of my parents had master's degrees and they were able to send me to private school. I became the first black editor-in-chief of my high school's newspaper.  S.E. Hinton's book, The Outsiders, prompted me to write my first book (which never saw the light of day).

After I graduated from high school, I made some negative choices.  Like many young people, I laughed when my parents told me that my choice of friends could impact my destiny.  I moved back to New York City when I was 21 and lived there for close to ten years, involved in the hip hop scene and lived through the height of the crack epidemic of the 1980s.  I have never smoked crack in my life but I saw friends become addicted to the monster.  I saw what happens when automatic weapons arrive in the hood by the crateful. 

Amy: Your website mentions a life changing moment.  Can you give us the details?

Williams: When I was 23 years old, I became a Christian.  My entire focus in life changed virtually overnight.  Someone told me that God had a plan for me.  I wanted to know what that plan consisted of. 

Amy: What is the message you hope people will receive from your books?

Williams: My books are real.  If young people can't relate they will never hear the message.  The message is that the streets are a surefire dead end.  Faith, with education, is a ladder.  Lastly, once you've made it out of the hood, you have to go back to help others have a better life.  The Bible says, "To whom much has been given, much will be required."

Amy: What are your favorite books? Who are you writing mentors?

Williams: Richard Wright's Black Boy and Native Son, along with James Baldwin's works changed my life, especially Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time and Go Tell It On The Mountain.  I was greatly influenced by the father of gangsta fiction, Donald Goines.

Amy: When is your next book coming out? Can you give us a preview of the storyline?

Williams: Straight Outta East Oakland 3: Funk Season - The Return Of Street Life should be released Spring of 2012. "Firstborn" is a college kid, kind of square around the edges, but he has seen the inside of the game. Like many people from the block, he's intensely loyal to his friends.  When one of the members of his clique turns into an enemy and comes out of the pen ready to wage war against the Black Christmas Mob, Firstborn is tempted to go back to East Oakland to try to help his friends. 

Amy: Part 3 of your series sounds like it will be a great read enjoyed by many who relate to characters like Firstborn. Thank you for your time and dedication to telling rich stories about the city experience.

For more information about Harry Williams:
Website: www.revharrywilliams.com
Facebook: Soul Shaker Publishing
Author Interview: http://helpmepublish.wordpress.com

Amy Cheney is Librarian at Write to Read • Juvenile Hall Library & Literacy, San Leandro, CA.

My 100th Post: A video, short-documentary, STREET BOOKS

Isn't it nice to know that there IS such a thing as a "Street Librarian"?

Isn't it great to know that EVERYBODY reads, regardless of ...?

Isn't it also wonderful to know that there is a website called streetbooks.org ...

Book Trailer: RA Guide to Street Literature

"Street Fiction & Inner-City Literacy" | November 30, 2011

Greetings!

You are cordially invited to attend and participate in a book discussion forum entitled, "Reading and the Hood: Street Fiction and Inner City Literacy," where we will be discussing my newly released book, The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature. All the details are below. If you are local to Philadelphia, would love to see you there!

******************************************************************************************

Vivant Art Collection | 60 N. 2nd Street - Gallery Row | Phila, PA

PROGRAM: "Reading and the Hood: Street Fiction and Inner City Literacy"

DATE/TIME: Wednesday, November 30, 2011,  5:30pm - 9:00pm

LOCATION: Vivant Art Collection, 60 North 2nd Street, Gallery Row in Olde City (down the street from The Painted Bride)

REFRESHMENTS: Wine and hors d'oeuvres reception 5:30pm - 6:30pm 

SPEAKERS: CHRISTINA ROSE DUBB of The Philly Spells Writing Lab, CHAD DION LASSITER of Black Men at UPenn, TERI WOODS, NYT Bestselling author and author of foreword to The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature, and VANESSA IRVIN MORRIS, author, The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature

BOOKS: There will be a few copies of The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature for sale and signing; if you have your book, bring it and get it signed!

FREE: This is a free event. On-street parking is free in Olde & Center City on Wednesday nights.

**This program is sponsored by the following organizations: Philadelphia Renaissance Project, Philly Spells Writing Lab, Black Men at UPenn and Vivant Art Collection. For further information, contact, CARL DASH of the Philadelphia Renaissance Project at: carl_dash@yahoo.com or "Carl Dash" on Facebook.

To RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/events/116218215156764/

Thank you for your support and see you there!

Librarians: Why We Do What We Do

"Reading as a kid, The Count of Monte Cristo, at the age of 10: I was feasting on those words...romancing them. Once I read that book, it was a wrap...I started enjoying reading, period. I would sneak off to the library, find a place, and just read." -- Author Treasure E. Blue, October 23, 2011.

KC Boyd, Warrioress Librarian. Used with permission.