Friends:
Being at home and not traveling has given me this sense of “nesting.” I love my home and enjoy cooking and cozying up with a good book. But then there’s sometimes “too much of a good thing.” Last week, I was terribly sick, sneezing, wheezing, snuffling and puffling on my inhaler. I was in bed most of the time and read lots of books but I did not venture outside the entire week. I was feeling a little (a lot) claustrophobic and in need of a new environment. So I decided to recharge my creative battery at my local library!
I have fond memories of the West Bank Regional Library in Jefferson Parish. It’s the library that began my career as a storyteller. It’s the library that reignited my passion for writing children’s books. It’s the library that provided me with books that taught me the art of storytelling and children’s book publishing.
Well, the library suffered major damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The library fell in disrepair and she slumped under roof leaks and itched with a moldy rash. Imagine my surprise when yesterday, I walked into the “new” library, fresh from renovation. She stands tall and proud, boasting new furniture, a better-organized floor plan, and free Wifi. She has an air of vibrancy she never projected post-Katrina. There are multiple outlets for laptops and other electronic devices. And there are cool self check-out machines. The children’s area is pretty with colorful chairs and tables and a magnificent two-story castle! Eliana loved it and climbed to the top, pretending to be “Rapunzel.”
I even found my picture books at the library! To think that ten years ago, I gazed wistfully at the shelves, hoping one day that my books would be found next to “Tomie dePaola.” And today, it is a reality (de Las Casas is indeed next to dePaola).
I couldn’t think of a better place to work and do the final edits to my upcoming book, There’s a Dragon in the Library (Pelican Publishing, Spring 2010). There’s a castle in the library in my book and there’s a REAL castle in my local library! How fitting and serendipitous, I think. My book’s life began in a library and continues its life in the library. So for the past couple of days, I lounged at the library, loving the stacks. I even checked out a couple of books (okay 10 if you want to get technical).
Libraries are still wonderfully magical to me…
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
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