The creators of Peg + Cat, the popular PBS television show and book series, came to Central Library for a special storytime today as the last event of JetBlue’s Soar with Reading initiative at Queens Public Library.
JetBlue’s BookDrop book vending machine, which dispenses free books for kids ages 0-14, has been in front of the Children’s Library Discovery Center this summer, and has given away thousands of free books to library customers. As part of the Soar with Reading initiative, the library held three storytimes, including a reading of an Avengers book by major league baseball player Todd Frazier and a kickoff event with children’s author David Ezra Stein. In addition, the library hosted a careers panel for teens that featured JetBlue’s CEO Robin Hayes as well as crewmembers including a pilot, a recruiter, a manager of crewmember experience, and an infight team leader.
Today’s guests, Peg + Cat creators Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson, met when both were working on the show Wonder Pets. They teamed up to create the award-winning show about a girl named Peg and her cat who solve problems using math. At the storytime, about 200 people listened as the two read Peg’s Messy Room and sang songs accompanied by a ukuele, including the show’s theme song and the problem-solving song. Peg’s Messy Room was available during the first wave of vending machine books; many Peg + Cat books are available now at the library.
Not only were the book and show creators at the library—Peg and Cat themselves also made appearances, posing for pictures with children and their families. The authors took questions from the audience, explaining that every Peg + Cat episode consists of a story that kids can relate to as well as math. In addition, Oxley shared that her own cat, which often sat on her desk while she was trying to work, was the inspiration for the character Cat. Aronson explained that the creators like the show to appeal to grownups as well as children because he thinks it’s more fun if everyone’s watching together.
Storytime guests received giveaways that included a Peg + Cat book. Thank you to JetBlue for a wonderful summer of letting our imaginations soar with reading.
All Queens Public Library locations will be closed on Saturday, August 31; Sunday, September 1; and Monday, September 2 for the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Library materials can be returned 24/7 at more than 40 QPL locations and renewed by phone at 718-990-8508 or online.
Digital materials are available for download, even when we're closed—including thousands of free eBooks, audiobooks, eMagazines, songs, movies, and videos!
The Queens Public Library team at the 2017 Run the River 5K.
Queens Public Library is once again partnering with the Randall’s Island Park Alliance for Run the River, a 5K race on Randall’s Island!
Whatever your experience or background, you can run with us to help protect the waterways, wetlands, and recreational areas of Randall’s Island Park on Saturday, September 21 at 9:30am.
Studies show that an hour of running can add seven hours to the length of your life! Running reduces your stress, improves the health of your heart, and helps ease symptoms of depression. Even kids benefit from running—it builds their endurance for other sports and activities and helps them do better in school.
At Run the River 5K, you’ll enjoy beautiful scenery, a post-race party, a children’s fun run, prizes, and giveaways. It’s a great activity for novice runners, seasoned racers, and families who want to stay active and boost their fitness together in the great outdoors.
Plus, Queens Public Library patrons will receive $5 off the registration fee when they register at https://nycruns.com/races/?race=run-the-river-5k with the special promo code FRIENDOFQPL5. (You must create a NYCRUNS account to register.)
And if you need help getting ready for the race, the Randall’s Island Park Alliance is hosting Open Track Nights with a running coach at Icahn Stadium every Thursday at 6pm; visit https://randallsisland.org/events for more information.
We’ll see you at Randall’s Island this September for a day of running and family fun!
Running Advice from Dennis Walcott
Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott (in cap) has joined the QPL team for each of its Run the River campaigns. Walcott is an avid runner, and offers these suggestions for people running with us this year at Randall’s Island Park:
- “Stay within yourself and run at the pace that you feel comfortable with.”
- “Use the environment of Run the River to motivate yourself. The racecourse is unconventional and very compelling.”
- “Enjoy the ambiance of Randall’s Island Park during the race. It really is one of New York City’s most unique natural environments. It’s easy to remember that we’re also running to help protect and support the park.”
- “Above all else, enjoy this wonderful community of runners and have a great time!”
Here are some of the new books coming to the Library for adults, children, and teens, from graphic novels to mysteries to U.S. history.
July 9, 2019
Wilder Girls (YA)
by Rory Power
This stunning debut novel, starred by both Booklist and Kirkus, explores the friendship between three girls quarantined in a boarding school isolated on an island—and what happens when one of them disappears. The risks that the main character takes to find her missing friend teach her the truth about the situation at the school.
July 23, 2019
Soul of Stars (YA)
by Ashley Poston
This sequel to Heart of Iron is a sci-fi adventure featuring Ana, the former empress of the Iron Kingdom who most think is dead, as she and a group of misfits try to reclaim her kingdom while protecting the world from the force known as the Great Dark.
July 23, 2019
Home for Erring and Outcast Girls (adult)
by Julie Kibler
This novel follows the life of a contemporary university librarian as she uncovers the history of a home for downtrodden women, including the life-changing friendship between two young mothers who met there in the early twentieth century.
July 30, 2019
Someone We Know (adult)
by Shari Lapena
New York Times bestselling author Shari Lapena asks how far someone will go to protect their secrets in this novel about a teenager breaking into houses—and accessing his neighbors’ computers. When someone is murdered, the gossip about what has been happening in the neighborhood reaches new levels.
August 6, 2019
The Turn of the Key (adult)
by Ruth Ware
The New York Times bestselling author’s fifth book is an update on The Turn of the Screw. This thriller explores the impact of “smart” technology on our everyday lives and presents us with a murder to solve, as the live-in nanny maintains her innocence in a letter from prison to her attorney.
August 13, 2019
Your Brain Needs a Hug: Life, Love, Mental Health, and Sandwiches (YA)
by Rae Earl
From an author who overcame anxiety and an eating discover comes a guide to living healthily and well. This advice book is full of coping strategies and tips on navigating mental health, social media, family, and friendships—and it offers them with a dose of humor.
August 13, 2019
The Memory Police (adult)
by Yoko Ogawa
In this unsettling novel, acclaimed author Yoko Ogawa explores the power of memory—and the consequences when those in power try to erase it. A novelist tries to hide her editor and keep him safe in this gripping story of people trying to hold on to the past in a society whose leaders are determined to take it away.
August 13, 2019
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian (YA)
by Rick Riordan and Robert Venditti; illustrated by Orpheus Collar and Antoine Dodé
This graphic novel was starred by Kirkus. As the prophecy about sixteen-year- old Percy Jackson begins to unfold, a clash for civilization takes place in Manhattan, where the Titans seem invincible against the half-bloods. This is the graphic novel adaptation of the fifth and final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
August 13, 2019
The Oysterville Sewing Circle (adult)
by Susan Wiggs
New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs returns with a story confronting one of the thorniest issues of our society: domestic violence. The main character returns to her hometown with the challenges of raising two orphans and coping with all of the changes that have happened since she left for a glamorous career in Manhattan.
August 27, 2019
Pumpkinheads (YA)
by Rainbow Rowell; illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks
This graphic novel is the latest book from New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell. Two friends, who meet each fall at their seasonal jobs in a pumpkin patch, are faced with their last season together and must decide how to say goodbye.
Books about U.S. History
July 9, 2019
The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford & Thomas Edison’s Ten- Year Road Trip (adult)
by Jeff Guinn
For nearly ten years in the early 20th century, business titan Henry Ford and inventor Thomas Edison spent their summers touring the country together in an automobile at a time before road trips became a common phenomenon.
July 9, 2019
To the Future, Ben Franklin! (children)
by Mary Pope Osborne
In this Magic Tree House book, two children go back in time to meet the Founding Father—only to discover that the inventor is very intrigued by their tree house.
This blog post was written by NYPBeHealthy Wellbeing Coach Maria Biondi, RDN, CDN.
A lot of people want to be healthy; however, finding a good place to start may seem challenging. Adding just a few more steps into your day can be beneficial for the body as well as the mind. It can also become something people look forward to rather than feeling it is a chore or obligation.
1. Physical Health: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity. You can choose some days of moderate activity and some days with more vigorous activity. Examples of moderate exercise include brisk walking, gardening, or leisurely biking. Vigorous exercise usually makes you sweat, such as running, swimming laps, or jumping rope. Exercise has been linked to lots of health benefits, such as a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and several types of cancer. It may help control blood sugars and improve overall sleep. Some studies have even linked exercise to reducing joint pain. My recommendation: Start small. You can try tracking your current activity level with a smartphone or fitness tracker. Once you know your current average, try tacking on an extra 1,000 steps until that step goal becomes your average; then increase again until that goal is reached.
2. Mental Health: According to a recent study published in January 2019, any kind of movement can contribute to reducing the risk of depression. Karmel Choi, a clinical and research fellow, noted that even replacing 15 minutes of sitting with 15 minutes of walking, stretching, or taking the stairs could improve mood. It may also help reduce anxiety and tension by releasing mood-boosting endorphins to the brain. You can try a relaxing form of adding steps into your day, such as yoga or a meditative walk.
3. Adding Steps Can Be Creative And Fun: Adding more steps into your day does not need to be monotonous or something you set aside specific time for. Make it a part of your routine. Consider opting for the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, setting a reminder to walk in place every 30-60 minutes at your desk, or parking farther when heading to work or shopping. You can make it a social activity like signing up for a salsa class with friends, starting a lunchtime or evening walking group, or participating in a team intramural sport. Start by deciding your favorite type of movement (i.e., walking, swimming, dancing, etc.) and focus on how to increase that movement into your week. You may find you are having a lot of fun while you increase your daily step count!
Resources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/moreevidence- that-exercise-can-boost-mood
https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/exercise-aneffective- prescription-for-joint-pain
NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, located in Flushing, New York, is a community teaching hospital affiliated with Weill Cornell Medicine, serving Queens and metro New York residents. The 535-bed tertiary care facility provides services in 14 clinical departments and numerous subspecialties. For more information, visit nyp.org/queens.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 1, 2019
CONTACT: pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov, (212) 788-2958
IN HISTORIC EXPANSION OF CENSUS 2020 OUTREACH EFFORTS MAYOR DE BLASIO INVESTS $1.4 MILLION IN CITY’S LIBRARY SYSTEMS
NYC Census 2020 Will Fund Efforts Across Entire System, with Priority Given to Approximately 90 Branches Serving Historically Undercounted Communities
NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that NYC Census 2020, the City’s first-of-its-kind census outreach and engagement campaign, is investing more than $1.4 million in an unprecedented partnership with New York City’s three public library systems – the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queens Public Library – to count every New Yorker in the upcoming 2020 Census.
Funding libraries to conduct census outreach and provide internet access will be a critical component of NYC Census 2020’s campaign to combat the fear and disinformation resulting from the specter of the now-defeated citizenship question, as well as bridge the digital divide that has left hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers without regular, reliable access to the internet.
The funding being announced today is one of the cornerstones of the City’s overall historic $40 million investment in census outreach, organizing, and public awareness, which includes a large community-based grants program, a field operation, as well as innovative, robust, and multi-lingual media and marketing efforts.
“New York City has been on the front lines of the resistance against the Trump Administration and ensuring every New Yorker gets counted is central to our fight,” said Mayor de Blasio. “We cannot let the federal government silence our diversity of voices. Our partnership with the public library system will help all New Yorkers stand up and be counted.”
“You might think we’ve come a long way since the three-fifths compromise, but when it comes to the Census, make no mistake: the Trump Administration thinks it’s 1820, not 2020. We’re not going to let them use this critically important civil rights exercise to erase us from the map, which is why every one of our major public institutions, from hospitals to housing, and to the 90 library branches serving our most undercounted neighborhoods will be leveraged to get every New Yorker counted next year,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Phil Thompson.
"Our three library systems are the foundation of the City's cultural and civic ideals," said Vicki Been, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development. "For countless families, libraries serve as trusted sources for information, services, and programming. With this plan, we will encourage civic engagement and improve New Yorkers' access to the census and related resources."
The partnership between NYC Census 2020, led by Director Julie Menin, and the three public library systems, will enable libraries to expand and better leverage their existing capabilities to assist New Yorkers to complete the census form, which will be online for the first time. The funding will support activities across the three library systems, with priority given to the approximately 90 branches that serve historically undercounted communities.
“Our job is to get every New Yorker counted in next year’s census, and we’ll only be able to do our job by partnering with the libraries, which serve as among the most trusted voices in communities across the city. With this investment, together, we will combat the fear and disinformation about the census created by the Trump Administration, and also bridge the digital divide that could create barriers for New Yorkers to stand up and be counted in next year’s census, no matter where they live or what language they speak,” said NYC Census 2020 Director Julie Menin.
“The enormous success of IDNYC, one of the City of New York’s most successful public programs to date, would not have been possible without our close and extensive partnership with the city’s three library systems,” said Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “Libraries are central hubs to immigrant New Yorkers who rely on the library systems every single day to get access to critical services and programming, citizenship classes, and access to the internet, among so much else. We are proud to be partnering with NYC Census 2020 to fight the Trump Administration’s attempt to use the census as a tool to harm immigrant communities, and we look forward to working closely with our sister agencies, community-based organizations, and all of the city’s public institutions to ensure a fair and complete count in next year’s census.”
NYC Census 2020’s funding will cover:
- Technology: libraries will be able to significantly expand the ability for New Yorkers, especially those lacking internet access, to participate online in the census as a result of investments in laptops, tablets, and other similar technological solutions;
- Training and translations: the libraries’ front-line staff will be trained and equipped to help New Yorkers from all backgrounds gain access to information about the census, with a focus on priority branches;
- Operational support: extended library hours will be funded in priority neighborhoods to convene census-related activities, such as informational sessions and periods of time when New Yorkers can access the internet to participate in the census;
- Marketing: library-specific messaging will be created to reach local communities in dozens of languages, and to raise awareness about libraries’ role in the decennial census; and
- Personnel: civic engagement staff will be brought on to engage New Yorkers on the census and activate grassroots interest across the library systems.
By resourcing a large, trusted, citywide network of local institutions, the City is significantly expanding its capacity to ensure that all New Yorkers participate in the 2020 Census, which will help determine the allocation of more than $650 billion in federal funding, in addition to the apportionment of seats to states in the House of Representatives (and, thus, the Electoral College, as well).
Current population change estimates indicate that New York State could lose up to two congressional seats following the 2020 Census, making a complete and accurate count a top priority for the City, which has historically been significantly undercounted compared to the rest of the country. In 2010, New York City’s self-response rate to the census was just 61.9%, with the national self-response average being 76%.
“This investment in the City’s public library system will help ensure New Yorkers have easy to access help and guidance at public libraries as the 2020 Census proceeds. Because this is the first Census with an online response option, we need to make sure that those affected by the digital divide get the same opportunity to respond. As a longtime advocate of a fair and accurate Census count, I look forward to continue working with the Mayor and other NY elected officials to help ensure every New York resident is successfully counted,” said Congressman José Serrano.
“Hundreds of billion dollars and fair political representation are at stake in the upcoming 2020 Census. We won’t ensure a complete and accurate count without a robust outreach strategy. Brooklyn is considered the hardest to count of all 62 counties in New York, which is why we launched the #MakeBrooklynCount campaign last year. I applaud Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Menin on this forward-thinking move to enlist libraries in the fight to make all New Yorkers count,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams.
“The City Council commends Mayor de Blasio and NYC Census 2020 for making this essential investment in libraries. New York City's three public libraries systems serve as trusted community anchors in every neighborhood. In our city where nearly 30 percent of the population lacks internet access, they will play an outsized role in bridging the digital divide to ensure that families who don’t have internet access at home, often in hard-to-count communities, can be counted in the 2020 Census. The Council’s 2020 Census Task Force and all our members look forward to partnering with libraries to ensure we get a complete count in 2020,” said Speaker Corey Johnson.
“New York City’s libraries are an integral part of each neighborhood, providing expansive services and programs for New Yorkers who often have few resources. I’m glad to see the Census Office recognize the importance of libraries in our communities and in achieving a full census count in 2020 by allocating them funding from the historic $40 million investment our city is making for Census outreach,” said Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Co-Chair of the Council’s 2020 Census Task Force.
“Libraries are located in many of the hardest-to-count neighborhoods of New York City, and in some cases are the only places where New Yorkers can access a computer or City services. Given that the census this year is prioritizing online responses, it is essential that we recruit libraries into the overall census outreach effort. With less than a year to go, this funding will prove critical,” said Council Member Carlos Menchaca, Co-Chair of the New York City Council’s 2020 Census Task Force.
“Our public libraries are safe spaces where families visit and receive services of many kinds. I applaud the de Blasio administration for investing in the public libraries and for partnering with the Census 2020. It is vital that communities of color are counted during the current federal government’s political climate. This partnership will give access to technology, support the Census 2020 application, and provide civic engagement tools at a new capacity to all of New York City’s residents.” said Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa.
NYC Census 2020’s investment in the libraries builds on a successful partnership model, as libraries have consistently delivered results on critical City initiatives, such as IDNYC. As a founding partner in this initiative, libraries served as key platforms to enroll New Yorkers in IDNYC, which today boasts an enrollment of more than one million New Yorkers.
“With the approach of 2020, we are reminded of the vital role the census plays in our democracy and the importance of being counted once every decade,” said Linda E. Johnson, Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO. “As one of the most trusted and democratic institutions in the borough, Brooklyn Public Library is where every individual can be counted and the information they submit will be confidential and secure. We look forward to partnering with the Mayor and Census Director Menin and thank them for their leadership and support."
“Public libraries are uniquely positioned to help ensure New Yorkers are accurately counted in the upcoming and vitally-important 2020 Census,” said NYPL President Anthony W. Marx. “We are safe, trusted, welcoming centers of civic life, located in every neighborhood and working to make knowledge, opportunity, and technology available to all people, including and especially our most vulnerable neighbors. As the Census is reliant on digital technology this year, our roles in closing the digital divide and welcoming all people regardless of background are more important than ever. NYPL is so proud to partner with the City and do its part to keep our communities strong and make sure all New Yorkers are heard.”
“The City of New York has long recognized that public libraries are its most trusted, open and democratic institutions,” said Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “A complete count is a matter of equity and inclusion, yet many people feel uncertain and marginalized, especially in our immigrant communities. Serving the most diverse place in the country, with branches in many of the hardest-to-count census tracts, Queens Public Library is ready to make sure everyone is represented no matter who they are or where they come from, and we look forward to working with the City and our community partners to make this happen.”
“We're thrilled to see the City of New York working with libraries across all five boroughs to ensure every New Yorker is counted in Census 2020. Libraries are safe spaces and community hubs for much of immigrant New York, and library involvement in census outreach ensures that trusted community partners will be on the frontlines of the get-out the-count efforts across the city, especially in bridging the digital divide for the first-ever digital census,” said Steven Choi, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition. “A fair and accurate count of residents is vital to assuring our fair share of federal funds for the benefit of all New Yorkers.”
“As an organization committed to ensuring African descendant people—historically the most undercounted group in our nation’s census—are fully represented, we applaud the City’s decision to provide resources to its libraries to bolster participation in the 2020 census. Libraries are lifelines in many of our communities, providing knowledge, training and technology to bridge educational gaps and the digital divide. These disbursements will help libraries reach vulnerable families and encourage their participation. Fully funded, comprehensive outreach efforts like this one are the only way to ensure that everyone is counted and that our communities receive their fair share of federal funding and representation,” said Lurie Daniel Favors, Esq., General Counsel and Acting Executive Director, Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College.
“CPC applauds the inclusion of census support for libraries across New York City and celebrates the enhanced services provided in historically undercounted communities. Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) New Yorkers continue to grow in numbers and should be accurately counted in the 2020 Census,” said Wayne Ho, President and CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC). “In order to overcome language barriers, close the digital divide, and raise Census awareness and urgency, community-based organizations and libraries must have the resources and continue to be close partners in promoting a full and fair count for all New Yorkers.”
“Today’s announcement demonstrates that the City of New York takes seriously the idea that in order to get all New Yorkers counted in next year’s census, partnerships with trusted local voices will be the answer. Whether it’s through libraries or faith-based institutions, it is crucial that census outreach meets people where they are in their everyday lives. We applaud Mayor de Blasio and NYC Census 2020 Director Menin on their commitment to funding the libraries, and, on behalf of the largest interfaith census coalition in the city, we are proud to partner with them to achieve a complete and accurate count,” said Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director of FPWA.
“We’re at serious risk of a 2020 undercount due to the late start in funding outreach efforts, the prolonged effort to include a citizenship question, and apprehension around online submissions,” said Katie Leonberger, President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Resource Exchange. “By investing City Census resources in outreach and technology that touches all neighborhoods - where nonprofits and our City's libraries are trusted resources - New Yorkers everywhere will be better off and our City—and State—will be a stronger place in which to work, live, and thrive.”
“ABNY applauds the Mayor and NYC Census 2020 for providing funding to the New York Public Library system to help our City earn a strong count,” said Steven Rubenstein, Chairman at the Association for a Better New York (ABNY). “Libraries are trusted cornerstones of our communities. Equipping our local branches with the technology, training and other resources is the right anchor to help New Yorkers feel comfortable in completing their census form so we can achieve an accurate count.”
“Free and open to all, our public libraries are the most welcoming and trusted institutions in the city. We are thrilled that the libraries will receive the support they need to serve as centers of outreach, information, and support to ensure that every New Yorker gets counted in the census,” said Julie Sandorf, President, Charles H. Revson Foundation.
“The city’s three library systems form the backbone of many communities across the five boroughs, and we commend the Mayor and Director Menin for making this smart investment to help ensure that all New Yorkers are counted in next year’s census. We know that trusted voices on the ground — like neighborhood libraries — are going to make a difference. The New York Community Trust and supporters of the New York State Census Equity Fund are proud to partner with the City to ensure that our local investments will augment and align with their efforts,” said Patricia A. Swann, Senior Program Officer, New York Community Trust.
“We are excited to see that the City of New York is engaging closely with communities in its efforts to pursue a fair and accurate 2020 Census. When communities are undercounted, they are left out of proportional political representation and vital federal funds. Initiatives such as this are a critical step in combating inequality by making sure every New Yorker has a chance to be counted,” said Maria Torres-Springer, Vice President, US Programs, Ford Foundation.
“Our public libraries are a vital resource for immigrant and low-income communities. For many New Yorkers, libraries are hubs of learning and for accessing crucial resources like technology, broadband, and support networks. We applaud NYC Census 2020 for resourcing libraries so that they can play an important role in ensuring a fair count in the 2020 census. Make the Road New York's Census Outreach Initiative will work alongside City government and our libraries to ensure a complete count of our communities. Together, we will send the message that low-income and immigrant New Yorkers are Here to Stay and must be counted,” said Javier H. Valdés, Co-Executive Director of Make the Road New York.
“As we approach the first ever digital census, we are happy to see the City of New York investing in safe and secure internet access through our community libraries, which are a cornerstone of many immigrant communities,” said Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director of the Asian American Federation. With over 55,000 Asian-American households lacking internet access, we look forward to working with the library systems to ensure that our communities are aware of all the options available to participating in the upcoming census.”
Pictured above: Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott, NYPL President Anthony W. Marx, NYC Census 2020 Director Julie Menin, and Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO Linda E. Johnson.
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Armando Lucas Correa grew up in Cuba and remembers visiting the beautiful building that housed the National Library when he was a teenager as well as different libraries all over his city. A writer whose novels tell stories of the Holocaust, he visited Forest Hills Library this spring as part of its Jewish American Heritage Month programming. “My books are about the Holocaust, about the battles Jewish families fought to stay alive, so being part of the Jewish American Heritage Month programming was an honor,” he says.
Correa’s first book, The German Girl, was written after spending hours inside the library of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Without the access I had to so many original documents there, it would have been a different book,” he says.
His new novel, The Daughter’s Tale, was inspired by Oradour-Sur-Glane, a city in the south of France that the Nazis destroyed, and some of its inhabitants. More than 600 people were killed in the city, and many were burned alive inside the town’s church.
Correa writes in his native Spanish, yet says he’s always thinking about how a phrase or a name will sound in English. He works closely with his English translator, reading the translation and making changes. Collaborating with his editor is also a key part of his process. He learned English in the United States and studied Russian in Cuba.
He writes, he says, because he reads: “If I didn’t read, I would not be able to write. I need to read about an hour before I start writing. It’s the only way my brain wakes up.” Correa reads widely, looking for books from different countries to see what’s being done in his genre of historical fiction.
In response to our Summer Reading theme, "A Universe of Stories," Correa shared that he considers the need for man to create and negate the existence of God to be the most interesting story in the universe.
If there were one life lesson he could impart to his readers, it would be to have compassion and tolerance for others, for those who don’t look, speak, or act as you do, and to accept the differences between us all.
Photo of Armando Lucas Correa by Ciro Gutierrez.
Above: Kids make paper by hand in Week 3 of our Book Creation Workshop.
For the past two years, Queens Public Library Foundation’s Innovation Fund has supported creative initiatives at the libraries with awards of up to $10,000 each. In the Fund’s second year, winning projects ranged from programming for people with disabilities at Glen Oaks, to a multi-branch Robotics League, to podcasting at South Hollis.
Madison Hosack, a children’s librarian at Corona, created an innovative book creation project at the library. The project was designed to change how children and teens interact with books and reading. It also aimed to help young people who were below grade level in reading gain self-efficacy from individual attention.
Hosack worked in collaboration with Grupo Libro Abierto (Open Book Group), an initiative coordinated by local artist Aurora De Armendi. In the series of sixteen workshops, facilitated by local artists and writers, students were able to make their own books and express their original ideas. As Hosack explains, students came to understand how narrative is told through images as they bound their own folios.
Above: A Snake/Flower Book from Week 2 of the program (top); students learned bookbinding in Week 7 (bottom).
In designing the project, she wanted to support Queens Public Library’s mission of cultivating personal and intellectual growth and building strong communities, and she sought to address the library’s strategic goal of advancing literacy and lifelong learning.
Youth ages 8-13 were able to participate in poetry and visual arts exercises as they learned how to make physical books to contain their ideas. One of the project’s goals was to help English language learners develop skills in a low-stress environment. Students did drum-leaf binding, made snake/flower booklets and flexagons, practiced accordion folds, created their own paper from scratch, constructed pop-up books, and developed the content for their books through creative writing.
Hosack hopes to continue the workshops in the future, given their success and popularity in the community. Above all, she emphasizes how this project focused on process over product. We are pleased to share photos of some of the beautiful and inspiring projects that resulted from this approach!
Below: Sequential images and experimental structures from another session of the workshop.
We asked Evelyn Kanter, author of the new NYC guidebook 100 Things To Do in New York City Before You Die, who visited the Forest Hills and Briarwood libraries this spring, for suggestions for the best summer locations in the city.
She shared this collection of small NYC museums worth visiting, all of which are also free!
"The Hispanic Society of America (above) displays one of the largest collections of Velasquez and Goya paintings outside Spain, along with masterworks by El Greco. The collection includes other Hispanic treasures dating from the Bronze Age from Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, and fabrics and intricate tiles from Moorish Spain. The extensive research library boasts more than 250,000 documents from the 1700s to the present, and there are free docent tours on weekends. The impressive columned building resides on a bluff in Washington Heights." (www.hispanicsociety.org)
"Find rare Greek and Roman mosaics, statues, pottery, coins, and other artifacts at The Onassis Cultural Center, tucked in the basement of an office building across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Exhibitions focus on a theme, such as emotions or animals, plus an area devoted to contemporary art by Greek artists. The center also partners with several NYC theater groups to stage performances of ancient and modern Greek plays." (www.onassisusa.org)
"The National Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan (above) houses one of the world’s best collections of Native American art and artifacts from tribes throughout the Americas, from the Arctic Circle to Patagonia. Be sure to look up at the Rotunda, which reminds many of the U. S. Capitol—not surprising, since it shares the same architect. This outpost of the Smithsonian Institution has an excellent Native American art market of handmade crafts each fall, just in time for holiday gift buying." (https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/newyork)
"The Fashion Institute of Technology has its own museum, not surprisingly named Museum at FIT. Rotating exhibits focus on a single theme, such as a particular designer, decade, color, fabric, or item of clothing, such as shoes. There’s also a gallery showcasing the work of current students, who might be the future Halston or Dior." (www.fitnyc.edu/museum)
"In addition to rotating exhibits, the Godwin-Ternbach Museum at Queens College offers walking tours and even private tours of other NYC museums, led by docents. There also are concerts and special family day events throughout the year." (www.gtmuseum.org)
Learn more in Kanter’s book, available at Queens Public Library, and on her website, NYC On the Cheap.
This spring, more than 170 adult students celebrated their accomplishments at the Adult Learner Program graduation ceremony. In a rousing speech, the ceremony’s keynote speaker, Columbia University’s Dr. Christopher Emdin, encouraged the graduates to hold onto all the history of where they came from and combine it with what they’ve learned to make a new future.
“If you erase your past on the path to the future, your future becomes a version that belongs to someone else,” he told them. “Your past is your magic...Everybody else who is out there does not have the magic of your story.”
Graduate Sharon Brady, who earned her high school equivalency diploma from Peninsula Adult Learning Center, spoke of living the majority of her life in poverty and of leaving high school due to financial burdens. Her goal was that her son would graduate college—while she still hoped that she could complete her own education. Now, her son has graduated—and she, too, has fulfilled her dream. She thanked her teacher, whose diligence, she said, transformed her life. She failed math six times, but the teachers never gave up on her. Now, she’s a paraprofessional with the NYC Department of Education and says she owes all of her recent successes to this program, which offers many a way out of what she said are desperate situations.
Alexandra Lopez, from Long Island City Adult Learning Center, explained that she came from Colombia full of dreams, and that thanks to the dedication of amazing educators, today is not the end of her journey but the beginning.
Jeneka McKenzie, who earned her high school equivalency diploma through the Young Adult Literacy Program (YALP), spoke of the need for discipline, commitment, and courage. McKenzie, who immigrated to Queens two years ago from Jamaica, said, “Life is a journey, and sometimes the journey is not what you planned or maybe you didn’t know a plan was needed.” She thanked the extraordinary people who had an unwavering belief in her. McKenzie now works as a part-time employee at the Job and Business Academy and told the audience, “No matter how many times you fail, as long as you never give up, you can accomplish anything.”
Jasmine Saintil-Lucien, an only child from Haiti who is a mother herself, spoke of her dream to become a nurse and her desire to make her parents proud. While taking English classes at the library, she learned of the opportunity to get a home health aide certificate. This was her chance to start her career as a health professional.
All of the speakers credited their teachers’ tireless work for their successes. Congratulations to all of the graduates and thank you to the amazing staff at the Adult Learning Centers and the Job and Business Academy!
Please visit the webpages for our Adult Learner Program, Young Adult Literacy Program, and High School Equivalency Diploma programs if you are interested in continuing your education.
