Many Feet on the Ground = A Movement
Breezy, Colleen & Jacob stopped to visit the Street Books library and have a conversation. They have been camped at the Occupy Portland protest for the past week, and reported that things were going well. They spoke of being disappointed by some of the media coverage and its tendency to focus on the less organized fringe elements of the movement. They said that Portlanders continue to show up bearing gifts of food and supplies. "You won't go hungry," Jacob said.
Colleen Took Blink
She's been meaning to read the popular Malcom Gladwell book, and was glad to see it in our collection. In Blink, Gladwell looks at the human tendency to make snap judgements -- the 2-second blink idea. And a whole lot of other interesting ideas. He's the master at weaving many disparate-seeming ideas together into one cohesive one.
All Signs Point to Yes
When the question was, do people living outside need a library? Is it really something that will help? The answer was yes. When we wondered, will people step up and help finance our fall & winter library, the answer was yes! (we met our $4,000 goal in 2 weeks, and people continue to donate to the kickstarter campaign -- as of this writing, we're at $4, 724. We have 68 hours remaining to hit $5,000. If you know of others who have been meaning to donate to Street Books, please spread the word). We began our fall library on Wednesday, October 5th. Skidmore Fountain was emptier than usual, and a crisp wind skittered the autumn leaves across the square. Several of our regular patrons came to find us, to check out new books and catch up. Passersby paused to study the collection, and to offer help. Sarah Mirk from The Mercury stopped by to say hello, and a man named John Scaife asked what he could do to help the project. He's a retired electrician who lives downtown, and he said he'd help us with our search for downtown book storage. Thanks, John.
And thanks, all of you, for your support of our Street Books project. We will continue to run our twice weekly library shifts (details on location/days/times will be announced next week), and each week we'll keep you posted on the unfolding stories of our patrons. Happy fall!
Caitlin Took Kiss of Death
She passed through with her son, Halo, and partner Hobbs. Great to see the father/son again, and happy to meet Caitlin. Enjoy the book.
Halo Took a Garden Scratch & Sniff Book
We met Halo with his dad this summer, and at the time we didn't have any books for children. We started carrying books for kids that very week, and now, months later, it was great to cross paths with Halo again, and give him a book. He was very cozy in his lion suit, and glad to get a book.
Ben Chose Orwell, McCarthy
He went with George Orwell's autobiographical novel, Down & Out in Paris & London. In it, Orwell describes a period of his life living in the slums of Paris, very poor, washing dishes and begging for food. The characters in his book are colorful and quirky, and offer insight into the experiences of people living in poverty . Ben also chose Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men. I told him that it wasn't exactly upbeat reading he was checking out this week, and he said that was okay. He can always swap them next week for some kind of literary palate cleanser.
Pamela Came Chose One Steamy, One Scary
It was great to see Pamela again after our 2-week break in September. She was bundled up against the fall chill, and chose a romance by Nora Roberts, and a thriller by Patricia Cornwell.
Mycol Saves the Day!
Here's a great example of how the connections with people made through Street Books endure -- and often serve to bail us out of tight spots. This past July, Mycol came by the Park Blocks and we had a great conversation. He talked about how he'd been without housing in the past, but now has an apartment. He talked about his new interest in gardening and farming, and when I asked him if he had a book request, he said he'd love to get a raw foods book. Street Books volunteer Beth Chapman found him a perfect book called Living Cuisine, and the next week we looked for him at the shift. And the next week, and the next. We didn't see Mycol again. Until Wednesday. I was standing in the Field Work space, temporary home to the Street Books bicycle, wondering how I would get it down from the wood platform in the window. I'd already emptied it of books, so it would be light enough, but wrangling the tricycle down by myself was going to be impossible. Then out the window I saw Mycol. I ran to the front door and called his name. "Wow, good memory," he said. He was very happy to help me set the bike library down out of the window, and even happier to get his copy of Living Cuisine, which had been riding around in the library all of August. So here's to Mycol, and here's to the connections made this summer with all of our patrons. We thank them for their participation and all the ways they have helped us.
Street Books Moves to Field Work
The fine people at Field Work have invited Street Books to live in their front window (at: 1101 SW Jefferson Street), through mid-October. We like Field Work because it's a space that used to be vacant before students from PSU's Art & Social Practice program turned it into a space for socially engaged art and design projects. According to their website, it's a "home base for urban discovery & projects that explore interaction with the public." We here at Street Books value our interaction with the public. Conversations with our library patrons this summer were what made the project so rich and interesting for everyone involved, whether it was comparing notes about a work of literature, or listening to a story from the road. Last week when Sue and I moved the bike library to Field Work, I encountered several of our regular patrons. Tye-Dye said, "Man, where have you been? I waited for you on Saturday, but you never came." I told him we'd taken two weeks off in September to get organized, and he let me off the hook. He said he wanted to turn in the Vonnegut he'd checked out, and find something new. Chris flagged me down and said he was concerned because his graphic novel MacBeth was starting to get pretty banged up in his backpack. I suggested he turn it in on my next shift, if he wanted. These conversations and others that day reminded me of how glad I am that the project will live beyond the summer.
And part of sustaining our project has come in the form of the kickstarter campaign we launched 3 weeks ago. We have been amazed and grateful at how quickly people stepped up to pledge their support to our street library. Between now and October 12, when the campaign ends, we hope to hit our target ($4,000), and then some. Recently some friends suggested that we add a $50 donation level to our kickstarter page, saying that it's a "sweet spot." So we're going to go for it, and add the new level as we enter our third week in the campaign. If you have friends and family that you know have a weakness for the number 50, by all means tell them about our project, and direct them to the kickstarter page. And we thank you again for your support. Stay tuned for more posts, with details about our fall/winter operations.
Street Books Reception, & How the Project Will Live On
Street Books invites you to a reception for our library patrons, book/money donors, and anyone who is interested in supporting our street library as we launch fall/winter operations. As you know, this project was initially backed by a grant from Regional Arts & Culture Council. The reception will be an opportunity for Street Books to thank RACC and everyone else who has contributed their support to Street Books, and to launch the project as its own entity. The reception will be held this Monday at: Mercy Corps Action Center (28 SW First Avenue, next to Skidmore Fountain)
6-8 p.m.
Drinks, Snacks & Marvelous Raffle Prizes, as well as a viewing of Travis Shields' documentary on Street Books
Pamela Took Joining
And she decided to pass on having her photo taken with the book this round, since she's got a terrible abscess in her mouth and was feeling really rotten. Here's to Pamela getting good care, and feeling better soon. She's one of our regular patrons, and plans to be at the Street Books reception on Monday night.
Lonnie Went With Westerns
Including All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy. Lonnie is one of our most faithful patrons, returning his books week after week, and checking out more. Look forward to seeing him at the Street Books reception on Monday, at the Mercy Corps Action Center.
Kris Took a Few Good Books
Everything from A Walk in the Dark to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with a Tolkien thrown in for good measure. Happy reading, Kris, and looking forward to talking with you again.
Kate Chose Big Machine
Donated to the Street Books library by the esteemed Bronwen Bitetti, (a real-live librarian from New York), this book is one she thought our patrons would like. Kate was glad to get it.
Tj Jones-Ravenwolf Shared His Tiny Friend
Tj is an artist, musician and culture bearer, and had a tiny baby squirrel in his front pocket, which he discovered on the sidewalk, and is now feeding with a milk dropper. Great to meet you, Tj.
Ben Stocked Up
He knows that the Street Books library is getting ready to take a 2-week break, before we start our fall operations in October. Dennis LeHane's The Given Day and a copy of Los Angeles Noir should tide him over. Looking forward to seeing Ben at the Street Books reception on Monday night.
Brianna Karp Donated Her Own Book
A memoir about growing up in rough circumstances, in the Jehovah Witness faith, Brianna's book is a story about securing housing, then losing it again. Thanks for the donation, Brianna, and best of luck.
