We hope you will join us this month for our special events that pay tribute to the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
We also have suggestions below for great books and movies about Dr. King.
All Queens Public Library locations will be closed on Monday, January 20 for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. You can return library materials 24/7 at more than 40 QPL locations and renew them by phone at 718-990-8508 or online.
Book Picks for Teens and Adults
Special Events
2020 & Sunny Dreams: A Jazz Dance & Poetry New Year Celebration
The New Year is here! Let’s celebrate! Join Kristin D. Takyi and Goussy Célestin for a performance of jazz dance and poetry, in honor of and inspired by many luminaries, including Louis Armstrong and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In dance, music, and spoken word, we will light up the New Year with good thoughts and positive vibes!
Thursday, January 9
5:30pm
East Elmhurst Library
***
MLK, Jr. Activities
Join us as we remember Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tuesday, January 14
4pm
Woodside Library
***
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Poetry Writing Program
Join us for our poetry writing program. Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday with some poems that can help us to remember this very special man whose life and beliefs have made such an impact.
Tuesday, January 14
4pm
South Hollis Library
***
Gates of Equality with Urban Stages
Children ages 6-12 will hear the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as told from his speeches and writings. Space is limited.
Wednesday, January 15
4pm
Arverne Library
***
Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Craft
Children ages 6-12 will learn about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s peaceful approach to equality for all humans. They will also create a craft. Children younger than 8 should be accompanied by a grown-up.
Wednesday, January 15
4:15pm
Baisley Park Library
***
MLK Jr. Day Craft
Children ages 5 and up, come to the Forest Hills Library for a story and craft celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.! Preregistration is not required, but the program is limited to 16 children and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Get your ticket at the Children’s Room reference desk before the start of the program. Early arrival is strongly encouraged.
Thursday, January 16
4pm
Forest Hills Library
***
Adult Book Discussion
We will discuss the book "The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.," edited by Clayborne Carson. Books are available for check out at Bay Terrace Library.
Friday, January 17
10:30am
Bay Terrace Library
***
Martin Luther King, Jr. Quiz
Come and learn about Martin Luther King, Jr. and all that he did! There will be a quiz for ages 7 and up.
Friday, January 17
4pm
McGoldrick Library
***
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Program
Enjoy a reading of a book about Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and use your creative skills to create a banner or sign.
Friday, January 17
4:30pm
Langston Hughes Library
***
His Dream: A Look at the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Join us to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with two film screenings. 11AM—"King in the Wilderness" (2018): Through personal stories of the people who were around him, this documentary follows Martin Luther King, Jr. during the last years of his life. 1PM—"Selma" (2014): The true story of courage and hope that changed the world forever.
Saturday, January 18
11am and 1pm
St. Albans Library
***
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Featuring Freedom Fighters
In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Children's Library Discovery Center presents our annual "Freedom Fighters" program.
Saturday, January 18
1pm
Central Library
***
Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Unity Project
Children will create a craft project that is meant to unify our community, then they will learn about the hero Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy.
Wednesday, January 22
4pm
Queensboro Hill Library
***
Dream To Read
The second annual "Dream to Read" is in commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday. All are invited to a reading of various books to instill the love of reading. This program is sponsored by the Friends of Rosedale Library. Refreshments will be provided through generous funds from Council Member Donovan Richards.
Saturday, January 25
2pm
Rosedale Library
***
4 Little Girls: Moving Portraits of the American Civil Rights Movement
Filmmaker Keri Edge explores Birmingham in 1963 with this exuberant dance performance by the Edge School of the Arts (ESOTA) with a special appearance by Omar Edwards and his youth ensemble of aspiring foot musicians, A·Tone·Meant, set to an experimental documentary film that infuses historical authenticity and contemporary dance choreographed to spoken word and '60s protest songs to retell the horrific story of the four young black girls murdered in the Alabama church bombing in 1963.
Saturday, January 25
3pm
St. Albans Library
***
Go Far, Go Together: The Day Harlem Saved Dr. King
This is a multimedia, theatrical reenactment that depicts the day, over sixty years ago, when Dr. King was nearly stabbed to death on September 20, 1958 at a book signing on 125th Street in the heart of Harlem.
Monday, January 27
6:30pm
Central Library
Book Picks for Kids
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. (foreword by Coretta Scott King; paintings by fifteen Coretta Scott King Award and Honor Book artists)
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. (illustrated by Kadir Nelson)
The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. (selected by Coretta Scott King)
My First Biography: Martin Luther King, Jr. by Marion Dane Bauer and Jamie Smith
Free at Last! by Angela Bull
The Cart that Carried Martin by Eve Bunting and Don Tate
Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Raúl Colón and Paula Yong Shelton
We March by Shane W. Evans
My Brother Martin by Christine King Farris and Chris Soentpiet
March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World by Christine King Farris and London Ladd
Martin Luther King, Jr. by Josh Gregory
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Civil Rights Leader by Grace Hansen
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by Lisa M. Herrington
Martin Luther King, Jr. by Kitson Jazynka
My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King III and AG Ford
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo and Brian J. Pinkney
I Am Brave: A Little Book about Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos
I Am Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos
The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Johnny Ray Moore and Amy Wummer
The Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Ira Peck
Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and Bryan Collier
Martin Luther King, Jr. by Lucia Raatma
Martin Luther King...and the Fight for Equality by Sarah Ridley
Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Dream and You by Carole Boston Weatherford and James Ransome
Book Picks for Teens and Adults
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr.
I Have a Dream and Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Trumpet of Conscience by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Where Do We Go From Here by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Companion (selected by Coretta Scott King)
The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. (selected by Coretta Scott King)
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson)
A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson and Peter Holloran)
A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson and Kris Shepard)
A Time to Break Silence: The Essential Works of Martin Luther King, Jr. for Students (introduction by Walter Dean Myers)
A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches (edited by James Melvin Washington)
I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World (edited by James Melvin Washington)
The Radical King (edited by Cornel West)
My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King and Barbara Reynolds
The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Perspectives on Modern World History) by Noah Berlatsky
The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Valerie Bodden
The King Years by Taylor Branch
Burial for a King by Rebecca Burns
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Encyclopedia by Clayborne Carson
Waking from the Dream by David L. Chappell
The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Jacqueline Ching
April 4, 1968 by Michael Eric Dyson
I See the Promised Land by Arthur Flowers and Manu Chitrakar
Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life by Marshall Frady
An American Death by Gerold Frank
The Life and Death of Martin Luther King, Jr. by James Haskins
Becoming King by Troy Jackson
Life Magazine: Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. by Charles Johnson and Bob Adelman
My Time with the Kings by Kathryn Johnson
Kennedy and King by Steven Levingston
March: Book One, Book Two, and Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
Martin Luther King, Jr. (Routledge Historical Biographies) by Peter J. Ling
The Murkin Conspiracy by Philip H. Melanson
Orders to Kill by William F. Pepper
Killing the Dream by Gerald Posner
Who Killed Martin Luther King? by James Earl Ray
Redemption: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Last 31 Hours by Joseph Rosenbloom
Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides
King: Pilgrimage to the Mountaintop by Harvard Sitkoff
Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Final Year by Tavis Smiley
Chasing King's Killer by James L. Swanson
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Let Freedom Ring by Michael Teitelbaum and Lewis Helfand
Martin Luther King, Jr.: A King Family Tribute by Angela Farris Watkins and Andrew Young
Movie Picks
Been to the Mountaintop (2006)
Boycott (2001, PG)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Perspective (1994)
Freedom on My Mind (1994)
History Kids: Martin Luther King, Jr. (2018)
I Am Not Your Negro (2016, PG-13)
In Remembrance of Martin (1986)
Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013, PG-13)
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970)
King in the Wilderness (2018)
The March (2013, TV-PG)
March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World (2008)
Martin's Big Words (2005)
Men of Peace: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela (2009)
Our Friend, Martin (1998)
Roads to Memphis (2010, TV-PG)
Selma (2014, PG-13)
Selma, Lord, Selma (1999, PG)
We Shall Overcome (2009)
You can remember all of the exciting things that happened at the Library this year with the top twelve Queens Public Library Magazine articles of 2019!
(That's right, it was such a busy and eventful year for us, we couldn't pick just ten!)
From our Black History Month passport challenge to our first robotics competition for kids, from the launch of our new name and our Renewed Promise to the Public to our JetBlue Soar with Reading vending machine, from a hip hop monuments exhibit to the opening of our new library at Hunters Point, relive our best moments from this year.
You can also catch up on new books that are at the Library with articles about their authors, some of whom visited us this year, including Kwame Alexander, David W. Blight, and Wayétu Moore.
For additional library news, book recommendations, and more, read all of our back issues.
Here is the full list of 2019’s top articles:
- Sarah Smarsh: An Experience That All People Deserve (January/February 2019)
- Wayétu Moore: Working Towards Representation in Literature (March/April 2019)
- Walking Through Queens: Helina Cheung’s Passport Challenge Journey (May/June 2019)
- Queens Library Goes Public as We Renew Our Promise to Our Customers and Communities (May/June 2019)
- Kwame Alexander: Books Should Be Both Mirrors and Windows (May/June 2019)
- Empowering Young Robot Builders (July/August 2019)
- Small NYC Museums Worth Visiting This Summer! (July/August 2019)
- JetBlue Brings Soar with Reading Program to Queens Public Library (September/October 2019)
- Don’t Miss These Hip Hop Monuments at the Library! (September/October 2019)
- Hunters Point Library is Open! (November/December 2019)
- A Conversation with David W. Blight, Author of Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom (November/December 2019)
- Margaret Wilkerson Sexton: A Calling That Will Take the Edge Off (November/December 2019)
George Ford, a pioneering children’s book illustrator who received the first Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration, reflects on his life in publishing and growing up in the immigrant community of Brownsville, Brooklyn. Ford visited Langston Hughes Library this year to give a talk, emphasizing that the library is always the best place to start if you want to learn new things about yourself.
“I explored new worlds in the library on Stone Avenue, finding not only books but music from all over the world on recordings and tape,” he recalls.
Ford, who is in his nineties, says that before 1950 discrimination against blacks in hiring, renting, or selling houses in certain neighborhoods also applied to jobs in publishing. “No black characters appeared and no blacks were hired,” he says. Ford’s first job was with a greeting card company, where he drew Santa Claus and scenes for Christmas cards.
In 1965, he was encouraged by a Brooklyn Public Library executive to contact Mel Williamson at Viking Press, who was the only black art director at a major book publisher. Ford says that Viking’s editor-in-chief, Velma Varner, was very responsive to the push for more racial diversity in their children’s books. “I was not famous and I did not have a portfolio of printed samples of published work, but I did have lovingly done drawings of two well-known personalities and two of children from my neighborhood–each of a different race,” he says. Williamson encouraged and affirmed Ford’s talent.
Ford says he is very proud to have received the first Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration: “I did not take it as a personal triumph, but rather as a symbol of our collective black pride. It also suggested to me that perhaps I had been successful in creating a work, Ray Charles, that was of great inspiration to black children.”
As an illustrator he has “always admired the expansive and heroic world created in the paintings of N.C. Wyeth and the urgent, restless, and unsettling paintings of Jacob Lawrence.” Ford also commends Brian Pinkney and Javaka Steptoe for “having developed their own distinctive styles after growing up under the influence of such legendary talented fathers as Jerry Pinkney and John Steptoe.”
Today, he says that a noticeable development in publishing has been the rise of independent publishers, such as Just Us and Lee and Low, whose lists are “specifically aimed at and represent racial and ethnic so-called minorities.” It is because of them, he believes, that “a black art student today can realistically expect to pursue a career portraying black life in children’s books.”
Reading is an important part of his work as illustrator. As he explains, “I could not illustrate a book without soaking up the meaning of it by reading—and rereading—the manuscript, as well as everything I can find out about the subject of the book.”
Ford, an avid reader, advocates that people surround themselves with others who will lift them up. He believes that “people who really appreciate you will help you to appreciate yourself for who you are” but also that “confidence in yourself is necessary to achieve anything.”
“Honor your personal thoughts and feelings, even if others don’t agree with them,” he says.
Here is the Library's holiday schedule for the end of December 2019. (Please pay special attention to our opening hours on December 24 and 31. Happy Holidays!)
All Queens Public Library locations will close at 1PM on Tuesday, December 24.*
- Central Library and Flushing Library will open at 9AM on Tuesday, December 24.
- Our other branches will open at 10AM on Tuesday, December 24.*
All QPL locations will be closed on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25.
All Queens Public Library locations will close at 1PM on Tuesday, December 31.*
- Central Library and Flushing Library will open at 9AM on Tuesday, December 31.
- Our other branches will open at 10AM on Tuesday, December 31.*
All QPL locations will be closed on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020. Happy New Year!
* Queens Public Library for Teens, at 2002 Cornaga Ave. in Far Rockaway, is closed on December 24, December 25, December 31, and January 1.
These shoppers look happy to be on Jamaica Avenue during the Jamaica Day sales in October 1957. This is one of the many images available from Queens Memory.
Queens Memory, a project supported by Queens Public Library and Queens College, and focused on collecting personal histories, photographs, and other records, has been awarded the 2019 Debra E. Bernhardt Annual Archives Award for Excellence in Documenting New York’s History by the New York State Archives and the Archives Partnership Trust.
The annual Archives Awards program, which takes place every October during American Archives Month, recognizes outstanding efforts in archives and record management work in New York State.
Since its inception in 2010, the Queens Memory project has collected more than 500 oral histories of residents, ranging from teens to people in their nineties and hailing from over 50 Queens neighborhoods, digitized over 17,000 items, including photos and various documents, and produced a podcast featuring the highlights from its oral collections.
Thanks to Queens Memory and other projects awarded this year, “New York’s documentary resources will be well managed, appropriately preserved and effectively used for generations to come,” State Archivist Thomas Ruller said in a statement.
Browsing the Queens Memory collections is like time-travelling through the vital and diverse neighborhoods of the borough and personal stories of their residents.
They include interviews with immigrants from more than 23 countries who have found their new home in Queens, such as a story of an Indian woman struggling to adjust to a new culture or an interview with two brothers coming from generations of jewelers in Uzbekistan. A separate section is dedicated to food and culinary traditions in Queens.
The project also documents how Queens has changed over the years, featuring memorabilia from two historic World’s Fairs, and pictures of rural Queens from the early 20th century and of Bayside, home of the U.S Army base at Fort Totten, during World War II.
It shows Long Island City decades before its skyline has filled with newly built residential towers and photos of shoppers in Jamaica in the 1950s, when the neighborhood had three department stores and was a booming commercial hub.
The legendary 5Pointz mural space at Davis Street in Long Island City. This picture was taken in July 2013, four months before the building was whitewashed, and can be found in the Erwin Ma Photographs Collection.
Site visitors can learn about the rich history of hip hop culture in the borough from QPL Hip Hop Coordinator “Uncle” Ralph McDaniels and other DJs, and see a series of photos taken by photographer Ken Harris, a Queens resident documenting various historic events.
It also includes an extraordinary collection of oral histories dedicated to the LGBTQ community, including an interview with Council Member Daniel Dromm who discusses what Jackson Heights’ gay culture was like in the 1970s.
In most cases, the program relies on local residents to submit their materials that hold important personal meaning and tell significant stories about their lives.
During community scanning events, held at branch libraries and other community spaces, residents can have their materials scanned. They take the original material back home, while its digital copy becomes part of the Digital Archives at Queens Public Library, with collection highlights displayed on the Gallery page of QueensMemory.org. The oral histories and videos are posted to queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com.
In 2017, the program developed a smartphone app for iOS and Android allowing anyone to submit images and audio recordings from their mobile device directly to the project. And as Queens Memory approaches its tenth anniversary, the program will expand its activities organized in 10 community libraries, training their staff to identify historical topics of local interest and making them a theme for public programs and oral history collecting.
“This award is truly an honor. It brings attention to the extraordinary lives of everyday New Yorkers whose personal histories have become part of the historical record we keep for future generations of Queens residents,” said Natalie Milbrodt, QPL’s Coordinator of Metadata Services and the founding Director of the Queens Memory Project (seen below receiving the award on behalf of Queens Memory).
“It is also a tribute to the hard work of our staff at QPL and Queens College, our dedicated volunteers, and our generous community partners," she continued. "Without this large and diverse team, Queens Memory would never be possible.”
Here are some of the new books coming to the Library for adults, children, and teens—from investigative reporting to thrillers to fantasy.
November 5, 2019
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez (children)
by Andrea Beaty
In this picture book, Sofia Valdez’s grandfather injures himself at a local landfill, inspiring Sofia to want to turn the landfill into a park.
November 5, 2019
Kiki & Jax: The Life-Changing Magic of Friendship (children)
by Marie Kondo & Salina Yoon
New York Times bestselling author and tidying guru Kondo brings her method to children, who discover that things are starting to get in the way of their enjoyment of each other’s company.
November 5, 2019
The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness (adult)
by Susannah Cahalan
Kirkus starred this tour de force of investigative journalism by the memoirist behind Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness.
November 5, 2019
The Toll (YA)
by Neal Shusterman
Book 3–and the finale–of the New York Times bestselling Arc of a Scythe series is by the author of more than thirty books and winner of the National Book Award. The novel explores how a world that has conquered death will survive the immortal beings who now dominate it.
November 5, 2019
Winterwood (YA)
by Shea Ernshaw
From the New York Times bestselling author comes a dark fairy tale, the love story between a boy who goes missing in a magical forest and a witch who tries to figure out how he survived. As she investigates, she comes close to unraveling the boy’s own secrets.
November 5, 2019
The Revisioners (adult)
by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
Sexton’s debut novel was longlisted for the National Book Award. In her second book, the lawyer-turned-writer explores relationships between generations of women in the American South, pondering what we receive as our cultural inheritance.
November 25, 2019
Ali Cross (children)
by James Patterson
New York Times bestseller Patterson has sold more than 100 million copies of his Alex Cross series. This new book for children brings the family saga to another generation. Ali, Alex’s son, sets out to find his missing best friend, while his father faces a trial for a crime he didn’t commit.
November 26, 2019
Under Occupation (adult)
by Alan Furst
The master of the historical spy novel returns with a thriller about French resistance fighters during World War II. Protaganist Paul Ricard is a novelist who receives a mysterious document from a dying man whom the Gestapo was chasing.
December 3, 2019
The Sacrament (adult)
by Olaf Olafsson
Starred by Kirkus, this topical novel set in Iceland is a gripping account of a nun’s investigation into misconduct allegations at a school and the ramifications the inquiry has decades later in the life of one of the students.
December 3, 2019
Genesis (adult)
by Robin Cook
New York Times bestselling novelist Cook’s latest thriller examines the use of DNA from ancestry websites to solve crimes–in this case, murders. The book investigates the death of a young social worker that at first seems to be a drug overdose, but upon closer examination, seems suspicious.
Books for Veterans Day
Thank You for My Service
by Mat Best
This humorous memoir from a five-tour Army Ranger who is also a YouTube phenomenon was a New York Times bestseller.
Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future
by Pete Buttigieg
Starred by Booklist, this is the memoir of presidential candidate Buttigieg, who also served a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan as a counterterrorism specialist.
Nancy Cafferty and Dr. Raana Mahmood.
The library changes lives—as evidenced by the experience of Dr. Raana Mahmood, who recently stopped by the library to show off her new book about surviving sexual abuse in Pakistan.
The book, The Courage to Say No: A Pakistani Female Doctor’s Battle Against Sexual Exploitation, written with John DeSimone, was published in September by Skyhorse.
Mahmood came to the United States fearing for her life—and struggling to get by. She says she faced domestic violence in her marriage and sexual harassment in the workplace, eventually having a nervous breakdown before arriving in New York.
“The library was nearby. I searched through the Internet where I could spend time,” says Mahmood, who was used to going to libraries as a child in Pakistan.
She discovered the Job & Business Academy at Central Library in 2009, where she met Nancy Cafferty, a career coach who helped Mahmood work on a resume, her first in the United States. “She introduced me to a lot of other opportunities and resources. It looked like a door was open to America,” says Mahmood.
“Raana was just trying to get a job and a room that she could call her own, her first small step forward. I feel elated that she found us,” says Cafferty, who Mahmood calls the most supportive person she’s ever met.
Cafferty encouraged Mahmood’s efforts to write a book to tell her story, sharing with her resources and the idea of connecting with a ghostwriter. Years later, the two women reunited at the library to celebrate Mahmood’s success as an author and advocate.
Mahmood, who practiced both gynecology and geriatrics in Pakistan, wants to practice medicine again, so she is currently studying to qualify as a doctor in the United States.
Come to the JBA today to work on your resume and get help with your job search.
Watch our video with Nancy Cafferty and Dr. Raana Mahmood.
Have you heard of Giving Tuesday? It’s a global movement that has unleashed the power of people and organizations over the past seven years to transform their communities and the world.
On December 3, 2019, everyone is encouraged to embrace their generosity and to give, collaborate, and do good, especially in their own community.
If you want to help Queens Public Library continue our mission of offering free access to great programs and services, transforming lives, and building strong communities in Queens and New York City, we hope that we can count on your support on Giving Tuesday!
Here’s how you can help QPL on December 3:
Our #GivingTuesday 100 Gift Challenge: We are asking 100 people to make a special, tax-deductible gift of any amount to the Queens Library Foundation on Giving Tuesday. If you would like to be one of those 100 donors, visit https://queenslibrary.org/givingtuesday on December 3.
Create a Facebook Fundraiser: Visit the Queens Public Library Facebook page and click on the “Create Fundraiser” button near the top. Select “Queens Library Foundation Inc” to create a fundraiser for the Library and share it with your friends. Plus, Facebook will match $7 million in donations first come, first serve on December 3, starting at 8 am ET! For more information about Facebook fundraisers, visit https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers.
AmazonSmile: If you shop online during the holidays through AmazonSmile, you can choose the Queens Library Foundation and your purchases will help support the Library. For more information about the AmazonSmile program, go to http://smile.amazon.com/about.
Share our social media posts: Visit our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages on December 3, and share our posts and tweets about #GivingTuesday with your friends and followers. It’s an easy way to help spread the word about giving to the Library that day.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Queens Public Library, and we hope that we can rely on you on Giving Tuesday!
Queens FEASTS is Queens Public Library’s FREE training program to provide knowledge, tools, and resources to people who want to start and run their own food businesses in Queens.
Several talented students have graduated from Queens FEASTS, and we’re very pleased to share their holiday recipes with you!
PS: Until this year, Queens FEASTS was known as Jamaica FEASTS. We also have graduates' recipes from last year, and we hope you will enjoy those too!
Gul Gula (Guyanese Fried Donuts)
from Nellie Dimont, Spice Shanty
“As a young child, the holidays were a time when family from all corners would come together to celebrate with festive music, lots of dancing, and a wondrous spread of delicious food,” says Nellie Dimont, the personal chef who describes her catering business Spice Shanty as “a journey into the world of Caribbean cuisine with a bite of spice.”
“My favorite was gul gula, a fried sweet donut made with raisins and flavored with a hint of almond extract. My cousins and I would dance around the feet of our Aunty May, anxiously waiting for her to drain these donuts onto a paper towel so we could eat them nice and hot. As fast as she would prepare them, we would steal them and eat them before she was able to dust them with sugar. I hope you enjoy my recipe!”
Ingredients (12 pieces/serves 4 people)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ⅓ cups evaporated milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract or vanilla extract
- ½ cup white sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar set aside in a mesh sieve for dusting
- 2 cups vegetable or corn oil
Directions
- Add flour, milk, baking powder, egg, raisins, vanilla or almond extract, white sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix into a thick batter and let rest for at least 5 minutes. (Your batter can be made 2 hours ahead of time.)
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat to 350 degrees F (5-10 minutes). To test if the oil is hot enough for frying (if you don’t have a food thermometer), place a small scoop of batter into the oil. If the oil begins to bubble around the dough, then it is hot enough and you can begin frying.
- Using two tablespoons, scoop the batter with one spoon and use the other one to help drop the batter into the oil. Add 2-3 scoops of batter at a time. The gul gula will puff up and rise to the top of the oil.
- Using a slotted spoon (wooden or metal), turn the gul gula in the oil until they are golden brown, approximately 2-4 minutes on each side. If the donuts are cooking/browning too fast, lower the heat and cook them more slowly.
- Place donuts on a plate covered with a paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Dust donuts with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm.
Please prepare all recipes at your own discretion; Queens Public Library is not responsible for accidents, allergic reactions, or illnesses that occur because of preparation.
Posts in This Series
Queens FEASTS is Queens Public Library’s FREE training program to provide knowledge, tools, and resources to people who want to start and run their own food businesses in Queens.
Several talented students have graduated from Queens FEASTS, and we’re very pleased to share their holiday recipes with you!
PS: Until this year, Queens FEASTS was known as Jamaica FEASTS. We also have graduates' recipes from last year, and we hope you will enjoy those too!
Vegan Red Velvet
from Julie London, Sweetly Inspired NY
“The inspiration for my food business is my love of desserts and great meals,” says Julie London, the owner of Sweetly Inspired NY, her independently operated baking and catering business.
“Being a lifelong Queens resident, I know that the borough of Queens (as well as the whole city) is rich with international culture. During the holidays in our household, we enjoy many dishes, however due to food allergies there have been some restrictions for some of our guests. But this Vegan Red Velvet has become a staple on our holiday table, since it is dairy-free and delicious to both vegan and nonvegan guests. I hope you enjoy it!”
Ingredients (serves 8-16)
- 2 cups plus 4 tablespoons cake flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup vegan buttermilk (1 cup of coconut or nondairy milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice; see directions below)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 bottle of vegan food coloring (29 ml; McCormick’s is vegan)
- Vegan Cream Cheese Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter (Julie uses Earth Balance)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla (or flavoring of your choice; many flavorings are vegan)
- 3 tablespoons nondairy milk (Julie uses coconut milk)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift flour into a bowl, then add the other dry ingredients to the flour.
- Make Vegan Buttermilk: mix coconut or nondairy milk and lemon juice together. Let sit for a few minutes until it thickens/curdles.
- Add buttermilk, vanilla, olive oil, white vinegar, and food coloring to dry mixture. Mix for approximately 2 minutes, removing any lumps.
- Place mixture in two prepared (greased with butter or nonstick spray and dusted with flour) 6-inch or 7-inch pans.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes; use a knife to check the center of the cakes. If it comes out clean, they are done.
- Let cakes cool completely on cooling rack, then frost.
- To Make Icing: add powdered sugar, vegan butter, flavoring, and milk together in a bowl, and whip until they are incorporated (evenly mixed). Add more milk or sugar to reach desired consistency.
Please prepare all recipes at your own discretion; Queens Public Library is not responsible for accidents, allergic reactions, or illnesses that occur because of preparation.