WCLS describes next steps for Birch Bay Vogt Library Express

Whatcom County Library System deputy director Michael Cox, r., and representatives from Osborn Architects Inc. during a recent visit to the Birch Bay Vogt Library Express.

By Michael Cox, WCLS deputy director A public library for Birch Bay – a decade-long dream of many residents – will soon become a reality. Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) staff are in the final planning stages for a 1,700-square-foot library within the existing structure of the former Vogt home at 7948 Birch Bay Drive … Read more

WCLS offers sensory kits

Whatcom County Library System Logo

April is Autism Acceptance Month, and the Whatcom County Library System is taking part by rolling out sensory kits at all county library locations. The kits include essential items to support the sensory needs of autistic children and adults during library visits. Items in the sensory kits are recommended by the University of Washington iSchool … Read more

Book Buzz: Daughters of Riga

Cover image of "Daughters of Riga" by Marian Exall

Daughters of Riga by Marian Exall Bellingham author Marian Exall trades mysteries for historical fiction with her newest title, “Daughters of Riga,” which follows the lives of several women whose lives crossed paths in Latvia during World War II. While so much has been written about the Blitz in Britain and the occupation of France and … Read more

Ep. 46: Cynthia French and A Forest of Words

A Forest of Words header image

A Forest of Words webpageA Forest of Words Poetry Reading and Celebration, Friday May 10, 2024, at Ferndale Library Books by Robert LashleyPoetry Evening with Robert Lashley, Friday April 17, 2024, at Deming Library Books and Authors mentioned in this podcast Bands mentioned in this episode: The Bigfoot Poetry Festival

Book Buzz: This Is the Honey

Cover image for "This is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets" edited by Kwame Alexander

This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets; edited by Kwame Alexander In 2020, poet Kevin Young, current director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and poetry editor for the New Yorker, published “African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song.” Young’s 1,110-page anthology is a comprehensive array of Black poets from … Read more

Book Buzz: The Night Parade

Cover image of "The Night Parade: A Speculative Memoir" by Jami Nakamura Lin

The Night Parade: A Speculative Memoir by Jami Nakamura Lin “Maybe this isn’t a story about ghosts, but a story about telling a story about ghosts.”  This genre-defying memoir uses multiple storytelling traditions to make sense of mental illness, motherhood, and grief. Jami Nakamura Lin, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at seventeen, has always … Read more

Book Buzz: Brutalities

Cover image of "Brutalities: A Love Story" by Margo Steines

Brutalities:  A Love Story by Margo Steines   Since she was a teenager, Margo Steines has been drawn to risk and self-inflicted suffering. Substance use, an abusive relationship, and careers as a dominatrix and a welder in high-rise buildings are all stops on her lifetime tour of pain—both physical and emotional. Even after she settles into … Read more