Spine to Spoon – Victuals: Ronni Lundy’s Appalachian Cookbook
“Spine to Spoon” is a series that digs into our Library’s rich stock of cookbooks and culinary collections. Each month, I’ll pick a book, try it out and write about it. I can’t share my dishes with you, but I’d love to share our books! Follow the “Spine to Spoon” tag to keep up with my kitchen.
Celebrating Gwendolyn Brooks with Revise the Psalm
Even though she lived in Topeka for just over a month, Gwendolyn Brooks was indeed born there. 2017 would have marked her 100th birthday, and towns all over Kansas were alight with celebratory readings, walks and exhibits throughout the year. Beyond the state borders, fresh anthologies and rejuvenated collections were released in honor of the woman who penned some of the most iconic poetry of our time.
Whiskey, Wilde and the Western World: An Introduction to Fenton Johnson
In this 2017 collection, which brings together essays originally seen in Harper’s, NPR, The New York Times and elsewhere, Fenton Johnson provides the reader with a fascinating timeline in the life of an activist. This timeline is particularly gripping because it spans many decades and multiple subjects, including faith, sexuality and family life. Johnson has spent more than thirty years as an outspoken writer and activist for this population, and Everywhere Home weaves us a beautifully-written tale of advocacy and passion.
Mai Der Vang’s Ancestral Ode
I just finished Mai Der Vang’s recently released collection, Afterland, and my ears are still ringing. The residual hum left after reading her haunting poems makes it difficult to let go, even after you put it down.