Abby B.

  • #BookBingoNW2021 Sports

    Still struggling to find the right book for your Sports Book Bingo square? Never fear, your intrepid Seattle Public Library sports librarian has some suggestions for you, whether you’re a diehard sports writing fan, or have never picked up a book about sports before in your life. Confession time: despite serving as the Library’s sports… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2021 BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color) Food Writing

    Need a suggestion for your BIPOC Food Writing Book Bingo square? Expand your reading (and eating) palette with these tasty, filling and thoroughly engrossing memoirs and cookbooks!* Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner Noted indie rock musician Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) has penned a heartfelt and captivating memoir about growing up Asian American in a predominantly… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2020: Nature

    Today we unveil yet another Book Bingo category: nature. As someone who loves the outdoors as much as I love reading, I’m very excited for this square! Whether you’re a nature lover or not, here are some different ways to find a book that best suits your reading interests: Think Local: If you’re taking daily… Continue reading

  • BookBingoNW2019: DIY (Do-It-Yourself)

    You may not have heard the term DIY before but you’re likely familiar with the concept. Do you grow your own herbs? Cook? Make small home repairs? Knit? Sew? Change a flat tire on your bicycle? Well that means that you do it yourself (DIY). And any book that teaches you how to make something… Continue reading

  • Book-It’s BEHOLD THE DREAMERS: Beyond the Theatre

    Imbolo Mbue’s thought-provoking and compassionate 2016 novel Behold the Dreamers follows the experiences of Jende and Neni Jonge, Cameroonian immigrants who are pursuing the American dream in New York City on the cusp of the 2008 financial crisis. Book-It Repertory Theatre’s adaptation of Mbue’s BEHOLD THE DREAMERS, adapted and directed by Myra Platt, runs June… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS: Beyond the Theatre

    Seattle Repertory Theatre presents TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Nia Vardalos, adapted from the book by Cheryl Strayed from May 17 to June 23, 2019. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books and films to enhance your experience of the show. Before she wrote a runaway bestselling memoir of solo hiking the Pacific… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN: Beyond the Theatre

    Seattle Repertory Theatre presents NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN by Christina Ham from April 26 to June 2, 2019. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books, music and films to enhance your experience of the show. Nina Simone’s “Four Women” is a haunting, critical exploration of racial stereotypes and the legacy of slavery… Continue reading

  • DIY Holidays: Crafty Gifts and Gifts of Food

    Today is Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season and historically the busiest shopping day of the year. If the idea of battling frenzied crowds for the latest must-have doo-dad makes you want to pull the covers over your head and never come out, we have an idea for you – make… Continue reading

  • Rocktober!

    Ah, October . . . one of my favorite months of the year. Leaves are turning glorious shades of red, orange and gold, delicious wild mushrooms are abundant in the woods, and it’s finally cold enough to break out all my hand-knit scarves and hats. Plus October has the best holidays . . . Indigenous… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s MAC BETH: Beyond the Theatre

    Seattle Repertory Theatre presents MAC BETH, adapted from Shakespeare’s play and directed by Erica Schmidt, from May 18 to June 17, 2018. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books, music and films to enhance your experience of the show. In MAC BETH, playwright/director Erica Schmidt reimagines Shakespeare’s classic tale of intrigue and… Continue reading

  • Bird Week: Put a Bird On It!

    Bird Week: Put a Bird On It!

    The Seattle Public Library is partnering with the Seward Park Audubon Center for Bird Week, April 23-30, in celebration of the center’s 10th anniversary and the National Audubon Society’s 2018 Year of the Bird. Long before Portlandia made it a meme, artists and craftspeople have been adorning their work with birds. One of the earliest… Continue reading

  • Book-It’s THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO: Beyond the Theatre

    Book-It’s THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO: Beyond the Theatre

    Book-It Repertory Theatre presents THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO by Junot Díaz, adapted and directed by Elise Thoron, from April 19 to May 6, 2018. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this resource list of books, music and films to enhance your experience of the show. The history and culture of the Dominican… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2017: Art and Artists

    What is art, anyway? Merriam-Webster defines it as “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.” With such a broad definition, there are many different directions readers can go with this particular Book Bingo square. Here are a few strategies for filling this square: Fiction A few authors,… Continue reading

  • Pride Month: Queer Cinema by Queer Directors

    “There have never been lesbians or gay men in Hollywood. Only homosexuals.” With this final despairing statement, gay film historian and activist Vito Russo ends The Celluloid Closet, his landmark study of representations of LGBTQ people in film. When Russo first published The Celluloid Closet in 1981, he could not imagine that over a decade… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s WOODY SEZ: Beyond the Theatre

    Seattle Repertory Theatre presents WOODY SEZ by David M. Lutken from January 6 to 29, 2017. Librarians at The Seattle Public Library created this list of books, CDs and DVDs to enhance your experience of the show: Seattle Rep’s WOODY SEZ: Beyond the Theatre Playwright and musician David Lutken brings a folk legend to life… Continue reading

  • Musicians We Lost in 2016

    2016 was a brutal year for musicians and their fans. Things started out badly with David Bowie leaving us in January, then got worse when Prince suddenly died in April, and became seriously heartbreaking with Sharon Jones’ untimely death in November. There’s still 5 days left in 2016, and I’m a little terrified that we… Continue reading

  • Seattle Repertory Theatre’s “brownsville song (b-side for tray)” – Beyond the Theatre

    ~posted by Abby B. When high school senior Tramaine (“Tray”) Berry Thompson is killed by a random act of gun violence, his family and friends seek hope and resilience in their memories of his vibrant, all-too-brief existence. Stories like Tray’s are sadly all too common in America today. In fact, playwright Kimber Lee was inspired… Continue reading

  • Black History in Seattle

    ~posted by Abby B. At the library, every month is Black History Month. We get questions and requests for African American history, culture and fiction throughout the year. In honor of the nationally recognized celebration, we’re shining a spotlight on Black History in Seattle. Here are some great resources to explore if you want to… Continue reading