Beyond Books: A Library’s Story (Guest Post by Kimberly Behre Kenna)

-A pair of bronzedoors weighing in around 2,000 pounds

-An 12,500 squarefoot octagonal rotunda, paved with marble, mosaic floor tiles designed in

Paris

-A fifty foothigh dome illustrated with eight paintings of the evolution of bookmaking

 

Onecould argue that the historic James Blackstone Memorial Library in my hometownof Branford, CT, is inherently flush with stories thanks to these magnificentdetails. Every time I visit, something new speaks to me, and I wonder…

 

Howdid they create those enormous doors, and what do the pictures on them signify?

Howmany people worked on the tiled floor, and how long did it take to makeeverything line up so perfectly?

Wasn’tit scary to work on such detailed paintings so high up?

 

Theanswers to my questions, or lack of them, provide sparks for shelves full ofstories. The library is a simmering cauldron for ideas, and for this I amforever grateful. Let me explain.

 

-Eightmedallion portraits

 

Whilewriting my new middle-grade novel, Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm, someof the first clues to nudge me out of a stuck spot came when I looked up at thelibrary’s dome. Two of the eight New England authors depicted in medallionscalled to me: Harriet Beecher Stowe whose book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, waschallenged for being anti-slavery and Ralph Waldo Emerson whose ideas aboutindividualism in Self Reliance were criticized for going against thetraditions of organized religion. In Jett’s story, these authors offer herclues about recovering a controversial missing book. Above the portraits, thebookmaking paintings illustrate how words and stories evolved and were shared,first as verbal retellings and much later, in print. In those scenes, voicesbecome elevated…as far as we can tell from the pictures. These dome paintingsremind Jett that the creation of books is and was a worthwhile challenge, butlater she also comes to understand that books can be challenged, and voiceserased.

 

-127years of serving as a vibrant community center

 

TheBlackstone Library is in my genes. It was my mother’s escape when she was achild. With two parents and four siblings sharing a small home, she cravedquiet time, and every day she walked to the library to get it. On her way,she’d stop to chat with the nuns at the church across the street. JettJamison and the Secret Storm grew in part from these story seeds, and theWisteria Library is modeled on the Blackstone. Though fiction, Jett’s story wasinspired by facts: a girl finds peace at a library, a nun she befriends helpsher problem-solve, and books become not only a means of escape but also a wayto survive the present.

 

-13granite front steps, each 33 feet wide

 

Thesemassive steps leading to the library’s front entrance speak to me ofchallenges, both past and present, that threaten the very ideals a librarystands for: community, diversity, and education. Through the years, librarieshave had to be resilient in order to adapt and evolve. In my story, when Jettdiscovers that the book promising to quiet the creepy voices in her head hasdisappeared off library shelves, she must bravely explore new ways to heal.

 

-40by 50 foot auditorium with superior acoustics, housing a wooden stage set in acircular niche

 

OnAugust 12th, I’ll launch Jett Jamison in this auditorium andconverse with the youth services librarian about censorship, silenced voices,and the power of joined voices. The Wisteria Library is Jett’s safe space untilshe witnesses troubling events demonstrating the unreasonable pressure facinglibraries and librarians today. This place that was sacred to Jett becomes yetanother victim of injustice, and she decides to right the wrong. Along the way,she must grapple with her own silenced voice as she allows buried memories ofabuse to rise into her consciousness. As a childhood trauma survivor myself, Iwonder how my life would’ve been different if I’d had access to books withcharacters like me. Now that I’m an author, I get to remedy that. In my book,someone finally starts a vital conversation with Jett, and it is in the librarythat Jett releases her secret and tells her story. Kids need to read booksabout the challenges they live with. Librarians can help them make thoseconnections. Libraries provide a platform for promoting dialogue andunderstanding.

 

Tothe eye, the James Blackstone Library appears quite elaborate. But to me, itsstory goes much deeper. It speaks of something extremely simple, the magic ofdiverse voices, and it’s up to all of us to embrace this gift.

 

After years as an adolescent and family counselor, and then as a fifth grade teacher of ecology and language arts, Kimberly Behre Kenna transitioned to fiction writing. Her debut middle-grade novel, “Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade” (Regal House/Fitzroy) was a finalist and received Honorable Mention in the 2019 Tassy Walden New Voices in Children’s Literature Competition. “Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm” (Black Rose) is her second book, also middle grade fiction. Connect with her at www.kimberlybehrekenna.com
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