As I write this column, my senses are overjoyed by the sights and sounds around me – not to mention my coffee that smells quite nice beside me. At our Delaware Main and Powell Branch libraries, we have chicks! The eggs that were introduced to each branch at a program three weeks ago have hatched.
The chicks are part of an outreach program brought to us by Bring the Farm to You – a nonprofit that helps teach farm life to children. The chicks hatched on Wednesday and Thursday this past week and they have been peep-peeping away ever since. They will be picked up by Bring the Farm to You this coming Wednesday and they will become part of their educational outreach efforts.
Other than hearing the peep-peeping of the chicks, we now have all the artwork to see around the entire Delaware Main Library for the Student Art Showcase. This is one of my favorite times of year at the Library because I am surrounded by beautiful art created by talented youth.
In conjunction with the Delaware Arts Festival, the local high schools in Delaware County – Delaware City, Buckeye Valley, Olentangy, Big Walnut, Buckeye Valley and Village Academy – are all invited to display their students’ artwork at the Delaware Main Library.
New this year, the showcase has set up one week early, so you can view the art now through the Monday after the Delaware Arts Festival. The Arts Festival puts together a committee of jurors to award first place through third place and “Best of Show” awards to the students. Library staff also join in on the fun and vote for the top three places in “Staff Choice.”
It’s nearly impossible to miss the 400+ pieces of art as you walk through the front door of the library. They consist of water colors and graphite to metal and woodworking. The pieces are as small as glass-blown earrings and as large as a life-size portrait.
The Student Art Showcase will be gone by May 21 as the teachers come in to clean up and return the art to their students. However, the Arts Festival committee also awards three college scholarships for students graduating high school and enrolling in a visual arts degree. This year’s three scholarship winners will have their work featured at the Delaware Main Library the entire month of June. The winners will split a scholarship pot of $20,000. What an amazing way for our community to support these budding artists.
There’s certainly plenty to bring you in to the library in the coming weeks. While you’re here, pick up one of our new and featured titles.
“Little Faith” by Nickolas Butler. A moving, reflective novel in which a mother’s involvement in religious extremism threatens her child’s life. Inspired by real events, this is a thoughtful look at faith, love, family, and community. Read it for the beautifully depicted rural Wisconsin setting, fully developed characters, and descriptive writing.
“Queenie” by Candice Carty-Williams. Starring young Jamaican British Queenie, who finds herself in a downward spiral after a relationship ends. Dating disasters (the white men she meets tend to fetishize her) and impulsive decisions spell trouble, but Queenie has friends to lean on, and she eventually takes control of her mental health.
“When All Is Said” by Anne Griffin. Maurice Hannigan, 84, sits at a bar and toasts his loved ones, none of whom are present. With each toast he makes, Maurice dives deeply into his personal history, noting both the changes in his life and in his home of County Meath, Ireland. Great for fans of reflective, family-oriented novels that span decades.
“That Time I Loved You: Stories” by Carrianne Leung. A compilation of linked short stories by Canadian author Carrianne Leung, who makes her U.S. debut with this book and uses suburban Toronto in 1979 as her setting. It stars June, the young daughter of Chinese immigrants, and other members of her community, many of whom are affected by racial and social prejudice.
