Calvin Coolidge Library at VTSU Castleton

04/13/2022

The American Library Association has come out with its list of the most challenged books of the year. See the list and inform yourself about these attempts at censorship in the U.S. and what you can do to protect intellectual freedom. http://ow.ly/q7Vp50IJ6wt

02/14/2022

Happy Valentine’s Day, Spartans!

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
We made a love heart out of ,
just for YOU.

Happy ❤

01/13/2022

We haven't actually moved any books, but these are strange times indeed. We'll feel less strange when we have our Spartans back on campus next week! Travel carefully, stay well!

10/29/2021

Happy Halloween from your library staff, especially Stephanie Traverse, pictured here, full of Halloween spirit!

04/30/2021

(Photo credit: Ashley Haguewood)
Continuing to highlight the topic of we would like to introduce you to Ebony Stewart. She is a slam poet artist that tours internationally. In her work she illustrates her life experiences as a black woman. Spotlighting the topics of sexuality, race, gender and mental health. Ebony is also pursuing her license as a clinical therapist. She hopes people will relate to her poems and encourage dialog about these important subjects.

Watch Ebony perform her poem “Mental Health Barz” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIGWWPwJlNY

Watch Ebony perform her poem “Transparent” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FbwwwqC3mI

Learn more about Ebony Stewart on her website: https://ebpoetry.com/index.html
For more information, contact your library! VT Tech & CCV – Hartness Library: https://hartness.vsc.edu NVU – Samuel Read Hall Library & Willey Library: https://libraries.northernvermont.edu Castleton – Calvin Coolidge Library: https://www.castleton.edu/library

04/28/2021

For the last week of we would like to highlight the topic of mental health since we are approaching May which is . The first poet We would like to present is Neil Hilborn. He is a College National Poetry Slam champion. He got his degree in creative writing at Macalester College and is also the co-founder of a Macalester literary magazine called Thistle. In a lot of his work, he illustrates what his life is like living with his mental illnesses. Neil became noticed online when a video of him at a poetry slam reciting his poem “OCD” became viral.

Watch this TEDTalk to hear Neil talk a little bit about his story and read his most famous poem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIKzBjbOK9M

Listen to Neil read his poem “You Can’t Be Depressed” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7tX28xzOvQ

Learn more about Neil by visiting the website: https://buttonpoetry.com/neilhilborn/
For more information, contact your library! VT Tech & CCV – Hartness Library: https://hartness.vsc.edu NVU – Samuel Read Hall Library & Willey Library: https://libraries.northernvermont.edu Castleton – Calvin Coolidge Library: https://www.castleton.edu/library

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Can a poem change the way we talk about mental health? Neil Hilborn...

04/23/2021

Continuing our week of highlighting Indigenous poets this , allow us to present Joy Harjo, the current U.S. Poet Laureate and the first Native American appointed to the role.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harjo is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and belongs to the Oce Vpofv (Hickory Ground). Her award-winning work includes nine books of poetry, two children’s books, two memoirs, and seven music albums. Her most recent book of poetry, American Sunrise, was published in 2019. Her Poet Laureate Project, entitled “Living Nations, Living Words,” is an interactive Story Map and a Library of Congress audio collection of work by Native American poets.

Learn more about Joy Harjo and her work on her website: https://www.joyharjo.com/
Explore “Living Nations, Living Words”: https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/living-nations-living-words/
Listen to Joy read and discuss her poetry during the virtual National Book Festival 2020: https://www.joyharjo.com/videos/joy-harjo-2020-national-book-festival

For more information, contact your library!
VT Tech & CCV – Hartness Library: https://hartness.vsc.edu
NVU – Samuel Read Hall Library & Willey Library: https://libraries.northernvermont.edu
Castleton – Calvin Coolidge Library: https://www.castleton.edu/library

04/20/2021

(Photo Credit: Cheryl Savageau from https://cherylsavageaublog.wordpress.com/about/; Joseph Bruchac by Eric Jenks from https://www.josephbruchac.com/)

This week for , we are exploring Indigenous poets. To start this week, we are acknowledging that our institutions are on the traditional territory of the Abenaki Nation.

Cheryl Savageau is an Abenaki and French poet. Cheryl’s poetry frequently retells Abenaki stories, and she also describes her bipolar disorder. Joseph Bruchac of the Abenaki Nation is a poet from the Adirondack region of New York; he is involved in environmental education and some of his poems, such as “Transplanting Trees” and “Sun Moves” reflect his interest in nature. Stay tuned for more Indigenous poets later this week!

Listen to Cheryl Savageau speak and read some of her poetry here: https://newcommonsproject.org/savageauvideos/
Listen to Joseph Bruchac speak and demonstrate the significance of drums to Native American culture here: https://youtu.be/OfQGgCPhrlo; you can also hear him read selected poems here at https://www.josephbruchac.com/)

For more information on any of these poets, contact your library!
VT Tech & CCV – Hartness Library: https://hartness.vsc.edu
NVU – Samuel Read Hall Library & Willey Library: https://libraries.northernvermont.edu
Castleton – Calvin Coolidge Library: https://www.castleton.edu/library

04/16/2021

Another Asian American poet that we would like to celebrate this week for is Tina Chang. She is an editor, a professor and the first woman to be named Poet Laureate of Brooklyn. Tina earned her BA at Binghamton University, and MFA at Columbia University. She is currently the Director of Creative Writing at Binghamton. Tina is the author of three poetry collections: Hybrida (W. W. Norton, May 2019), Of Gods & Strangers (Four Way Books, 2011), and Half-Lit Houses (Four Way Books, 2004). If you would like to find more information about Tina Chang and her Poetry, check out her website: https://www.tinachang.com/

Feel free to watch this video of her reading “My Father. A Tree.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo9SoLrTfkM

Tina Chang reads from "The Revolutionary Kiss," a poem featured in her latest collection, Hybrida. HYBRIDA: POEMS, learn more: https://wwnorton.com/books/Hybrida
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb509MkZx8c

For more information, contact your library!
VT Tech & CCV – Hartness Library: https://hartness.vsc.edu
NVU –Willey Library: https://libraries.northernvermont.edu
NVU – Samuel Read Hall Library: https://libraries.northernvermont.edu
Castleton – Calvin Coolidge Library: https://www.castleton.edu/library

Tina Chang reads from "The Revolutionary Kiss," a poem featured in her latest collection, Hybrida. HYBRIDA: POEMS, learn more: https://wwnorton.com/books/Hyb...

04/13/2021

(Photo “Janice Mirikitani” by Nancy Wong, CC BY-SA.) This week for we are celebrating Asian American poets! With so many to choose from, a good place to start is with Janice Mirikitani and Marilyn Chin. Janice Mirikitani (1941--) was born in California. She was interned in a camp in Arkansas during World War II and uses poetry to advocate for women and poor people, as well as addressing war, institutional racism, and more. Marilyn Chin (1955--) was born in Hong Kong and raised in Portland. Not only does she write poetry, she also translates poems by Ai Qing, a modern Chinese poet, and co-translates poems by Gozo Yoshimasu, a Japanese poet.

Listen to Janice Mirikitani read “Bad Women”: https://youtu.be/wvPmygOXHLM
Listen to Marilyn Chin read “How I Got That Name”: https://youtu.be/hhwhtXCEtHk

For more information on any of these poets, contact your library!
VT Tech & CCV – Hartness Library: https://hartness.vsc.edu
NVU – Samuel Read Hall Library & Willey Library: https://libraries.northernvermont.edu
Castleton – Calvin Coolidge Library: https://www.castleton.edu/library

Note: Register to virtually attend the free event, “Remembering Robert Frost,” on April 25th at 4PM! You can find more information and register here: https://bit.ly/3a6Cah8