Dear Librarians, One of my fondest memories from my childhood in Accra—Ghana’s capital—is going across the street from the apartment building we lived in, to a makeshift library that was part of a row of stores. The library was about the size of a bodega. Against one wall were shelves of books and on the […]
Dear librarian, First let me say how grateful I am for your interest in my second novel, The Shadow of Perseus. As with my debut novel, Daughters of Sparta, one of the aims of my writing is to turn subjects which can feel lofty or esoteric into stories which are instead accessible and relatable on […]
Dear Librarians, You’re the heroes of Mother Daughter Traitor Spy, my first stand-alone novel. Without you, it simply wouldn’t exist. Let me explain. First, I wouldn’t and couldn’t have written a single book without librarians and without libraries. My hometown library—and one librarian in particular—nurtured my love of books and reading. I remember her putting a copy […]
Dearest Librarians, It was an intergalactic star cruiser. A massive feat of human engineering with impossibly tall ceilings promising a lifetime of adventures. Just by stepping inside, one was instantly transported to alien planets. My hometown library is etched into my brain as this otherworldly vessel, forever seen through the eyes of a four-year-old falling […]
Continue reading "A Letter to Librarians from Katelyn Monroe Howes"
Dear Librarians, Living in New York, trying to write a novel, the library become my sacred space. In the mornings, I would pack my bookbag like I was going to the office and set off for the soothing hum of the library. Since I was young, I’ve been drawn to the library’s atmosphere. The sweet, […]
Dear Librarians, Like most lucky childhoods, mine was spent reading. Mostly this was because I enjoyed it but also, it was the only thing to do: my parents worked constantly, and as expatriate Americans doing business abroad, they believed that all meetings should take place in bistros. However, English language books were not as easy […]
Dear Librarians: You may not know the extent of your impact on someone when you make a reading recommendation or offer encouragement, but I am here to tell you that the librarians I’ve met throughout the years changed my life. An avid reader and writer since childhood, I spent many cherished hours at my local […]
Dear Librarians, My People, I owe you everything. I learned how to read in a library because I spent every Saturday morning there, usually by myself. Every Saturday morning, my father would announce that he needed to go to the barber’s. But since he was bald from the time I was born, I think what […]
