Jen Nails It

Every weekday since my school closed, we've had to check in online by filling out this Google form. Today is day 29 of remote learning, and every one of those days, I've been able to click "Healthy." This is very high on the list of things that I take for granted.

One of our school counselors is sending me beautiful library-themed affirmations every day of National Library Week (thanks, Kirsten!). This one I thought was brilliant. When I was working toward my MLIS (received in December of 2018), there were so many important conversations that were fascinating to engage in. We talked about tech and how it's making libraries evolve and redefine and re-evaluate. We talked about the inequities of access to information, among all communities, all over the world. But I think that one of the most intriguing conversations that I remember for me was around the idea that people/patrons have the right to information that is FALSE as much as they have the right to information that is TRUE. At first that sounds really weird. But what we were talking about, essentially, was interpretation. And context and how someone's environment and lifestyle and experience influences the information that they are engaging with. We talked about how it...

Camped in our living room And in Lovell Canyon over spring break Marshmallows and candles Peppermint chocolate bars I hugged and squeezed the Nuggets hard Groping for lost time Hefting up steep and uncertain pebbles Eating chicken sausage dogs And dancing fireside to Love Songs

I have a big and beautiful aquarium in my school library (where I am the librarian). Since the school closed, the fish (five little tetras of some kind, I think they are) have been hanging out in there alone, and the maintenance staff has been graciously feeding them for me every week.  Today I was feeling like it was probably a nuisance for the staff to have to take on that responsibility - they are holding down the fort at the school during all of this. So, this morning I called and said I'd come over and pick up the fish and take them home, if that was cool. It was cool, and now I have five fish in my house. I've NEVER had fish in my house. Not when I was growing up, not as an adult. I really don't know what I am doing. In fact, last year was the first year that the aquarian was brought into the library, and through the course of the year, I think that over a dozen fish died because it turns out I am a terrible fish mother! Too much food, perhaps, or maybe when one f...

One of my best divorced mom friends I met four years ago at the amazing divorce support group on Monday nights from 7:00-9:00pm (rain or shine) at the Lutheran church on Sandhill and Trop. If you are struggling through any stage of a divorce you should check it out once we can go back outside and into the world. Kary has been a public school teacher in Clark County for over 20 years. She is one of the most independent, kind, and generous people, and one of the most creative and talented artists I have ever met. For the past three-and-a half years or so, we have been getting together to write and have wine and food, and talk about everything. We use the method from Pat Schneider's guide Writing Alone and with Others . To sum up: -we get a prompt or two to get us started thinking -set a timer for eight minutes and then each write independently -we read aloud to each other what we wrote down -after each of us reads, the other one tells the writer what they noticed and reme...

 Social distancing at its best at Lee Canyon .

First home hair cut.

Just missing the library right now. On March 13, when all faculty were called into school to take home essential items before the official campus closure, I walked into my office (our small school library) and wrote this poem: Corona the books became old friends again had always been there holding me into my seat buckling me in for safety always there watching me fail overdirect students or underdirect suggest a title that didn't fit her personality that didn't pique his doing it all wrong after 10 years of teaching students 18 years of teaching, period spines watching me fail while urging me to keep moving momentum of the plot reminding me to mine my shortcomings nudging me to open open open and remember I'm a story too with rough edges and imperfections a character's hates another's true love you do this you wake up and you're a story being watching and nurtured read spines sending you the nerve to keep at it until she takes ...