February 2023 Dear Librarians and SinC Members, I am pleased to announce the February We Love Libraries Winner is the Braddock Carnegie Library in Braddock, Pennsylvania! We Love Libraries grants are awarded every other month. Find the link and further information about the award below, along with the terrific article by award-winning author and SinC National Board Vice President, Kelly Oliver, about her favorite library, the Green Hills Library in Nashville. |
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Access the World with One Card by Kelly Oliver |
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Almost twenty years ago now, I moved to Nashville to take a job at Vanderbilt University. Back then, I was a hold-out who refused to get a cell phone, Blackberry (Remember those?), e-reader, or have internet at home. When I needed to get on the internet, I went to the Green Hills Library. An urgent research question or need to check e-mail would send me to the library at all hours. The Green Hills Library was my home-away-from-home. It made my solitary life as a scholar and writer feel more social. I would sit in a cubicle typing away on the library computer next to strangers on either side of me—strangers doing research for school or fun, or watching YouTube videos and movies with headphones on, sometimes laughing out loud. Then I’d peek over to see what was so funny. Every Sunday, my hubby and I would go to the library, even if we didn’t need to use the internet (although you can always find some excuse to use the internet). Of course, we checked out books. But our main mission on Sundays was to choose an audiobook that we would listen to together. That’s when I discovered the Amelia Peabody mystery series, which would become the inspiration for my own cozy Fiona Figg Mystery series. On any given day, we also found lovely surprises—live music, a theater performance, story time, yoga or tai chi classes, educational lectures, or book signings by our favorite authors. With just one library card, we could access entire worlds. |
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Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of three mystery series: the seven-book suspense series, The Jessica James Mysteries; the three-book middle grade kids’ series, Pet Detective Mysteries; and the four-book historical cozy series, The Fiona Figg Mysteries, inspired by those trips to the Green Hills Library. Currently, Kelly is the Vice President of Sisters in Crime. When she’s not writing novels, Kelly is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. |
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We Love Libraries Winner: Braddock Carnegie Library Association! |
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Adult Services Manager, Dominic Igiebor, is pictured with a selection of Sisters in Crime member authors’ books, adorned with googly eyes, playing all the roles in a crime scene. |
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The Braddock Carnegie Library was the first Carnegie library built in the United States. The library is housed in the original building from 1889, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The library serves a community of 14,000 people, and per the WLL application, the $500 WLL grant will be used to purchase large print materials and audiobooks for the library’s satellite location in the Senior Community Center, “where the patrons are avid mystery and true crime readers.” |
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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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Write for We Love Libraries News! Do you have a great idea for an article in We Love Libraries News? Did your library put together an excellent display of mysteries that you would like to share? Submit your ideas and suggestions to Susan Hammerman, Library Liaison at |
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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. 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 appeared in Mystery Magazine, Dark City Mystery Magazine, Blood and Bourbon, Retreats From Oblivion, and the Stories (Within) anthology. Website and Twitter |
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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. Her fifth mystery, The Darkness Surrounds Us, a Gothic, historical mystery, will be released in Fall 2023. Website: www.gaillukasik.com |
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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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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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