Dear Librarians and SinC Members, In this issue, award-winning author Alma Katsu highlights the Summer Scares program, which is a collaboration between United for Libraries, Booklist, Book Riot, and the Horror Writers Association. The program promotes horror fiction to public and school library staff. Details about the 2022 Summer Scares program can be found on the Book Riot website. The Summer Scares resource page can be found here. I am also pleased to announce that the April Doris Ann Norris We Love Libraries grant winner is the Cedar Springs Public Library in Cedar Springs, Michigan. Please see details below. |
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Library Programming: Summer Scares By Alma Katsu I’m here to tell you about a wonderful program that helps authors of a particular genre connect with libraries all over the country, and perhaps one which Sisters in Crime might consider duplicating. The program is Summer Scares, and it’s a collaboration between United for Libraries, Booklist, Book Riot, and the Horror Writers Association (HWA). It’s designed to promote horror to library workers so that they, in turn, can promote horror titles for all ages to their patrons. I’ve been involved with it for two years—last year, when my novel The Hunger was one of their featured adult titles, and this year as the author representative on the committee. Here's how it works: the committee chooses three titles each in adult, young adult, and middle grade categories, which are then promoted throughout the library community through various programs. The program provides write-ups and reading guides of the selected titles, and facilitates contact with these authors, who are invited to do library events. What makes the program work is that it’s a joint effort that leverages not only the reach and expertise from HWA but also librarians associated with Booklist, Book Riot, and United for Libraries. The work is done by a core group of dedicated and indefatigable librarians who also happen to be horror fans: Becky Spratford, Reader’s Advisory Specialist in Illinois, chairs the Summer Scares panel, is currently the Secretary of HWA, and co-chair of the HWA Library Committee; Konrad Stump, a librarian in Missouri and co-chair of the HWA Library Committee; Julia Smart, an editor at Booklist and middle grade specialist; Kelly Jensen, an editor at Book Riot and YA specialist; and academic librarian, Carolyn Ciesla. It’s also a key part of HWA’s outreach to librarians, which includes a full day of programming at HWA’s annual conference, StokerCon. From my perspective, Summer Scares has been a wonderful experience. As an author, it’s gotten me exposure at countless libraries and enabled me to speak (virtually) with library patrons in towns and cities I’d never otherwise connect with. Speaking for HWA, it’s an opportunity for the genre to show the full range of writing that’s going on today. |
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Alma Katsu is the award-winning author of seven novels in two genres, historical horror and spy thrillers. Her historical horror has been nominated multiple times for both the Stoker and Locus Awards and her latest, The Fervor (GP Putnam’s Sons), a reimagining of the waning days of WWII, has been called “a stunning triumph” (Booklist, starred) and “a must-read for all” (Library Journal, starred). Red Widow, her first spy novel, was a NYT Editors’ Choice and has been optioned by FOX for a TV series. It was also recently nominated for Best Hardcover Thriller by International Thriller Writers. (Photo credit: Evan Michio) |
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The We Love Libraries April 2022 Winner: Cedar Springs Public Library! |
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Library Director, Kamey Krum-Howe, dressed as Scooby-Doo’s Velma Dinkley, is on the case. With help from the rest of the gang, she’s pictured with books by Sisters in Crime member authors: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau, Fallout by Sara Paretsky, I Know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen, and The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny. |
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Cedar Springs Public Library serves approximately 33,000 patrons. As an independent library, it does not receive any funding from a larger library system. The fascinating history of how the library has been funded was described on the WLL application. “The Library was built from the ground up thanks to generous donors and donated products and services from the community and local businesses. The Cedar Springs Public Library dates back to 1881 when the Ladies’ Library Association was organized. This group, comprised of ladies living in Cedar Springs, established a library of sixty volumes, housed in the Congregational Church. In 1936, membership dues were 25 cents. Bake sales, dinners, ice cream socials, box lunch parties, and plays were used over the ensuing years to help raise money for books. Finally, in 1941, the town fathers approved the institution of property tax, and as the village began to grow, so did the coffers of the library.” The $500 We Love Libraries grant will be used to purchase new fiction and nonfiction books for the library’s collection. |
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How Can Your Library Win a We Love Libraries Grant? Does your library need materials? Do you have a great idea for a library program? Apply for the We Love Libraries award! Find grant details and the brief grant application on our website. A WLL winner of $500 is selected every other month. |
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Do you have a great idea for an article in We Love Libraries News? Submit your ideas and suggestions to Susan Hammerman, Library Liaison at librarian@sistersincrime.org |
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To find out more about all SinC offers, including live webinars, please visit our website. Thank you for all you do for your communities. Sisters in Crime loves libraries. Best wishes and happy reading! -Susan Hammerman
Library Liaison Susan Hammerman, a former rare book librarian, is the Library Liaison and coordinator of the We Love Libraries program. Susan writes crime and neo-noir short stories. Her stories have been published by Mystery Magazine, Dark City Mystery Magazine, Blood and Bourbon, Mondays are Murder, and Retreats From Oblivion. |
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WLL and WLB News Editor: Gail Lukasik’s latest book, White Like Her: My Family’s Story of Race and Racial Passing, was named one of the most inspiring stories of the year by The Washington Post. She is also the author of the Leigh Girard Mystery series and the stand-alone mystery, The Lost Artist. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, such as The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, and The Georgia Review. Gail appeared in the documentary, History of Memory, which is available on Amazon Prime. |
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Here's a spreadsheet with our members' books. This month's releases are in a separate worksheet. Sort the spreadsheet by author name, location, title, or release date. |
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Of interest to you or your patrons: |
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Sisters in Crime hosts LIVE webinars each month. Webinars last 60-90 minutes depending on the topic and the audience questions! These webinars are open to all. |
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Looking for diverse books? For many years, SINC has curated Frankie’s List, an extensive list of crime novels by people of color and other marginalized groups. Frankie Y. Bailey, building on work by the late Eleanor Taylor Bland, began to compile a list of published Black crime writers over a decade ago. Frankie has expanded the list to include other WOC and LGBTQ+ authors. Here’s a link: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/FrankiesList |
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Sisters in Crime is the premier crime writing association focused on equity and inclusion in our community and in publishing. Our 4,500+ members enjoy access to tools to help them learn, grow, improve, thrive, and reinvent if necessary. They also gain a community of supportive fellow writers and readers, both peers to share the peaks and valleys of writing, and mentors to model the way forward. |
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