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In this episode, we hear a panel discussion with the cast of Leslie M. Scott-Jones’ radio play Thirty-Seven. We also talk about what we’ve been reading. Abby and Abby talked about poetry Orexia by Lisa Russ Spaar Guillotine by Eduardo C. Corral Next, we hear a recording of a virtual panel discussion with local playwright Leslie M. Scott-Jones and the cast of her recent radio play, Thirty-Seven. Synopsis of Thirty-Seven A young Black man wrestles with the decision to get involved in the Movement for Black Lives. Armed with intelligence well beyond his 8th grade education, we follow his journey through the everyday struggle of being Black in america. Seth, played by Jamahl Garrison-Lowe, has been told that his entire existence is inconsequential, and he knows that to be a lie. Now he must decide what to do about it, weighing his physical safety against his emotional and spiritual well being. While he ponders these thoughts, he must also survive long enough to put thought to action. Cast Jamahl Garrison-Lowe as Seth Cornelius Jefferson Bibi Mama as Lillian Martin Wood J.J. Johnson as Arthur Johnson Megan Randall as Caroline Genovese Andy Davis as Paul Dorden   Video recording of the panel Find recordings of past JMRL programs here: JMRL’s Youtube channel   Follow JMRL’s progress through the tiers of the JMRL COVID-19 Response Plan.  For branch details: Central Crozet Gordon Avenue Greene County Louisa County Nelson Memorial Northside Scottsville COVID-19 Response and Available Online Resources If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website. 

In this episode,  Abby and Abby talked about reading Jacqueline Woodson’s: Brown Girl Dreaming and Red at the Bone We also mentioned several of her other books and recommended further reading. See jmrl.org/samepage for more information. Find recordings of past JMRL programs here: JMRL’s Youtube channel Follow JMRL’s progress through the tiers of the JMRL COVID-19 Response Plan.  For branch details: Central Crozet Gordon Avenue Greene County Louisa County Nelson Memorial Northside Scottsville COVID-19 Response and Available Online Resources If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast and the Same Page community read initiative are made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website.   

In this episode, we’ll hear from Christy Rotman, life skills coach from UVa. She explores the elements of effective goals, and introduces a framework called WOOP — helpful for predicting likely obstacles and crafting plans to overcome them. In just over 30 minutes, you’ll be energized and inspired!  Abby and Abby talked about reading: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi  At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop Next, we hear the audio from our recent program on goal setting. Thank you Christy for your thoughtfully researched presentation!  Email us to join JMRL’s new Accountability Club to help you stick to your goals in the new year! Find recordings of past JMRL programs here: JMRL’s Youtube channel Follow JMRL’s progress through the tiers of the JMRL COVID-19 Response Plan.  For branch details: Central Crozet Gordon Avenue Greene County Louisa County Nelson Memorial Northside Scottsville   COVID-19 Response and Available Online Resources   If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website.   

In this episode, we’ll hear Abby and Abby interview Clare Ruday from the Blue Ridge Health District. They discuss services, the pandemic, and the health district’s recent name change.  Abby and Abby talked about reading: The Enchanted Hour by Meghan Cox Gurdon Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (with plans to take on Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell this year.) Next, we hear our recent interview with Clare Ruday from BRHD. Thank you Clare for joining us! BRHD website Local Health Department locations and hours Sign up for the BRHD newsletter Clare talks about reading: The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman Email us to join JMRL’s new Accountability Club to help you stick to your goals in the new year! Find recordings of past JMRL programs here: JMRL’s Youtube channel Follow JMRL’s progress through the tiers of the JMRL COVID-19 Response Plan.  For branch details: Central Crozet Gordon Avenue Greene County Louisa County Nelson Memorial Northside Scottsville  COVID-19 Response and Available Online Resources If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website.   

In this episode, we hear a recording of a presentation on Seasonal Affective Disorder. We also talk about what we’re reading. Abby and Abby talked about reading: The Enchanted Hour by Meghan Cox Gurdon The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke Next, we hear a recording of an event that took place earlier this month, Combatting the Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder. Does the cooler weather bring along depression? What about a post-holiday slump? This presentation offered an overview of Seasonal Affective Disorder, its biological underpinnings, and treatment options. It was led by Cali Caldwell, BSN, RN, who will graduate in May as a Psychiatric Mental-Health Nurse Practitioner.  Email us to join JMRL’s new Accountability Club to help you stick to your goals in the new year! Find recordings of past JMRL programs here: JMRL’s Youtube channel Follow JMRL’s progress through the tiers of the JMRL COVID-19 Response Plan.  For branch details: Central Crozet Gordon Avenue Greene County Louisa County Nelson Memorial Northside Scottsville COVID-19 Response and Available Online Resources If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website. 

In this episode, we talk about our reading resolutions for the new year. We also talk about what we’re reading. Abby and Abby talked about reading: After the Flood by Kassandra Montag Kid Gloves by Lucy Knisley Next, we hear talk about our reading resolutions: Put down books we’re not enjoying Read Coretta Scott King Award Winners Read more nonfiction books Read a book the past 12 decades, one a month starting with 1910s in January. Complete the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge (printable PDF) Read every day Read more books with characters named Abby (we recommend finding books with characters that share your name!) Join us in JMRL’s new Accountability Club to help you stick to your goals in the new year! Find recordings of past JMRL programs here: JMRL’s Youtube channel Follow JMRL’s progress through the tiers of the JMRL COVID-19 Response Plan.  For branch details: Central Crozet Gordon Avenue Greene County Louisa County Nelson Memorial Northside Scottsville COVID-19 Response and Available Online Resources If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website. 

In this episode, we hear about some upcoming programs and discuss our favorite books that we read this year. We also talk about what we’re reading. Abby and Abby talked about reading: Highfire by Eoin Colfer Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan When Life Gives You Pears by Jeannie Gaffigan Next, we hear about two upcoming programs: Ask a Genealogist on December 9 at 7pm Vegan Baking on December 12 at 1pm We also talk about our favorite books that we read this year. Abby D. mentioned: The Fifth Trimester by Lauren Smith Brody Kid Gloves by Lucy Knisley Go to Sleep (I Miss You) by Lucy Knisley Pax by Sara Pennypack Clap when You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo  The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen Baby Beluga by Raffi Abby C. mentioned: The Resisters by Gish Jen (previously mentioned on Season 3 Episode 17) A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow (previously mentioned on Season 4 Episode 1) Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice Trinity Sight by Jennifer Givhan (previously mentioned on Season 3 Episode 8) In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan  Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (previously mentioned on Season 3 Episode 5) Find recordings of JMRL programs here: JMRL’s Youtube channel Follow JMRL’s progress through the tiers of the JMRL COVID-19 Response Plan.  For branch details: Central Crozet Gordon Avenue Greene County Louisa County Nelson Memorial Northside Scottsville COVID-19 Response and Available Online Resources If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website. 

In this episode, we hear a guided workshop from earlier this year called Breathing for Health.  We also talk about what we’re reading. Abby and Abby talked about reading  Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone and Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes (and mentioned the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge and Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors by Rudine Sims Bishop) The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (and mentioned Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice) Next, we hear a recording of a virtual event from earlier this year called Breathing for Health. This guided breathing session is led by Cecilia Baum JMRL’s Youtube channel Video recording of this event Follow JMRL’s progress through the tiers of the JMRL COVID-19 Response Plan.  For branch details: Central Crozet Gordon Avenue Greene County Louisa County Nelson Memorial Northside Scottsville COVID-19 Response and Available Online Resources If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website.

In this episode, we hear a recording of a panel on virtual learning and homeschooling. We also talk about our reading. Abby and Abby talked about reading Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream by Blair Imani The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris which had elements that reminded Abby of the film Life Is Beautiful. She also mentioned Heather Morris’s follow up, Cilka’s Journey. Next, we hear a recording of a virtual panel that took place in October featuring a discussion with homeschooling  and virtual learning tips. Panelists include Sheila Chrobak, Maggie Williams, and Jennifer Ferguson, who are experienced in homeschooling and virtual education and whose professional backgrounds lend valuable expertise to the discussion. Our colleague Wyn also joins the panel to discuss their own experience as a homeschooled learner.  JMRL’s Youtube channel Video recording of this event Follow JMRL’s progress through the tiers of the JMRL COVID-19 Response Plan.  For branch details: Central Crozet Gordon Avenue Greene County Louisa County Nelson Memorial Northside Scottsville COVID-19 Response and Available Online Resources If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website.   

In this episode, we discuss National Novel Writing Month, coming up in November. Casey, a repeat NAACP/JMRL Intern, chats with us about her experiences working at JMRL branches. We also talk about our reading. Abby and Abby talked about reading The Ballad of Song Birds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (a prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy) and mentioned Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Baylon Wyn talked about the following resources for people participating in NaNoWriMo this year NaNoWriMo website JMRL NaNoWriMo events Kick-off Party Tuesday and Saturday Virtual Coffeehouse Wrap Party Scrivener  No Plot No Problem by NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty On Writing by Stephen King Browse a list of books that are great NaNoWriMo resources in our Find It Catalog  Wyn mentioned the following books began as NaNoWriMo projects The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Cinder (and the rest of the Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse Browse a list of NaNoWriMo-Born books in our Find It Catalog  Wyn is reading Heartstopper Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks Date Me Bryson Keller by Kevin Van Whye Next, we catch up with multi-year NAACP/JMRL intern Casey about her experiences at JMRL. During her most recent internship period, she put together a booklist and presentation with a focus on African American Women & Literature. Casey read Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace and mentioned the poetry of Rupi Kaur Follow JMRL’s progress through the tiers of the JMRL COVID-19 Response Plan.  For branch details: Central Crozet Gordon Avenue Greene County Louisa County Nelson Memorial Northside Scottsville COVID-19 Response and Available Online Resources If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website.   

On this episode we hear a recording of an event that took place at the Northside Library earlier this month, So I Married a President: How to Become First Lady in One Easy Step. We also talk about what we’re reading. Originally, this episode was going to cover JMRL’s five tiered COVID-19 response plan, but the local situation developed so quickly that the episode was out of date before it was published, and JMRL is closed until at least the end of March. Find a list of digital resources that you can access through the JMRL blog. Katie read Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener Abby read Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo Next, we hear a recording of JMRL’s Historical Collection Librarian, Miranda Burnett, giving a presentation on several former first ladies, in a program called So I Married a President: How to Become First Lady in One Easy Step. If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Friends of the Library have postponed their spring sale until a not yet determined time. We will keep you updated as we find out more.

On this episode we hear a recording of an event at the Northside Library featuring music and poetry by Richelle Claiborne and Tucker Rogers. We also talk about what we’re reading. Katie read The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin Abby read The Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley Eisenberg Next we hear a recording of Acoustic Soul, an event that took place at the Northside library last month. Acoustic Soul features singer Richelle Claiborne and guitarist Tucker Rogers with an evening of music and poetry. Claiborne, also a poet and actress, shares her process and original works and takes questions from the audience. Rogers plays everything from Bluegrass to Hip Hop and is known for the deep and honest connection he forms with both his instrument and audience.  If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website.

On this episode we talk to Monticello’s Niya Bates about an event she moderated at the Northside Library centered around the largest sale of enslaved people in Monticello’s history. We also talk about what we read. Abby read American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Shane Bauer Katie read Disappearing Earth by Julia Philips   We also hear from Monticello’s Niya Bates, Director of African American History and the Getting Word Oral History Project, about an event held at the Northside Library in January. This event was Roots and Remembrance: From the Descendants of Monticello’s Enslaved Families, which allowed descendants of people enslaved at Monticello to reflect upon and remember their ancestors. Niya is reading: The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates Black Radical: The Life and Times of William Monroe Trotter by Kerri Greenidge A Black Woman’s History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry & Kali Nicole Gross   If you have books you’d like to recommend we read and discuss or reading challenges you’d like to invite us to join, please email us at podcast@jmrl.org. This podcast is made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Library. If you’d like to learn more or join the friends please head to their website.