Learning | Maya Angelou

Dr. Maya Angelou's estate has published a new book of her work, entitled The Complete Poetry.  

The book includes the poems we already know and love, like, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," "And Still I Rise," and "Phenomenal Woman." 

It really is a book to be savored.  I've picked it up a dozen times since I checked it out yesterday. I open the book to a random spot to read a poem, maybe one I already know, or one that is new to me. I marvel at her ability to find the right words and rhythm, to conjure up images, moments, and moods.

Artistic interpretation of And Still I Rise:
LaSalle Mural (New Orleans)
from
Derek Bridges' photostream on Flickr.com.
Some rights reserved.

I was surprised and selfishly pleased to find it on the new book shelf at my branch. Most of you are aware that Dr. Maya Angelou has a Stockton connection; her mother, Vivian Baxter Johnson, lived here for many years. Dr. Angelou's books are especially popular in this neck of the woods.

I had heard of the book, but considering that this is National Poetry Month, and April 4 would have been her eighty-seventh birthday, AND there's a new United States Postal Service Forever stamp honoring this great lady, I really expected that The Complete Poetry of Maya Angelou would already be checked out.

Speaking of that postage stamp, if you are free on the morning of Saturday, April 11, you may wish to head over to the Maya Angelou Southeast Branch Library for a very special occasion. 

There will be a dedication ceremony for the Maya Angelou stamp at 11 a.m. 

The short ceremony will include artistic performances by students of
Aspire Rosa Parks Academy, Stockton. Refreshments will be available, and you will have the opportunity to purchase commemorative items related to the stamp, with an option for a special souvenir cancellation.

Need help finding the Maya Angelou Southeast Branch?  Here's a link to the branch's web page; you will find a link on that page with a map. The Maya Angelou Branch is located at 2324 Pock Lane, Stockton CA 95205. 

Teens Only | One Name, Two People

Maybe you've heard of this book -- The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. It's about two guys -- both named Wes Moore and born blocks apart in Baltimore, Maryland -- and the very different paths their lives take.

In the review from Publishers Weekly, the reviewer says this: "Two hauntingly similar boys take starkly different paths in this searing tale of the ghetto...Moore writes with subtlety and insight about the plight of ghetto youth, viewing it from inside and out; he probes beneath the pathologies to reveal the pressures -- poverty, a lack of prospects, the need to respond to violence with greater violence -- that propelled the other Wes to his doom. The result is a moving exploration of roads not taken."

This is such a powerful book with an incredible message. The library has several copies of this book, and if you need further encouragement to pick up this book and give it a read, I've got some really great news.

The Other Wes Moore is THE featured book at a special book club for tweens and teens this summer: #ReinventStockton Summer Book Club with Councilman Michael Tubbs. The #ReinventStockton Book Club will meet Wednesdays from 3-5 pm at the Maya Angelou Branch Library. The book club will run from June 12 through July 31, 2013. Registration is not required, but check out a copy of the book soon and be a part of this transformative discussion!

The Maya Angelou Branch Library is located at 2324 Pock Lane in Stockton. To learn more about the Angelou Library, click here.

This is an opportunity to be a part of something really special. Join us at the #ReinventStockton Summer Book Club.

See you there!