No Fair! No Fair! And Other Jolly Poems of Childhood by Calvin Trillin is our feature for POETRY OUT LOUD.  This children’s poetry book celebrates the contemporary topics of childhood everywhere, inspired by the author’s real-life experiences that are familiar to children today.

This FIRST CHAPTER FRIDAY reading is Eve Silver's teen debut. It offers gaming fans a romantic thrill at a breakneck pace... it will pull you headlong into the high-stakes world of Eve Silver's teen series The Game; book one in the series tossed teens in and out of an alternate reality where battling aliens is more than a game—it's life and death! Science fiction lovers will devour this book!

POETRY OUT LOUD recites a very relevant poem by Audre Lorde.  First published in 1978, the poem speaks about the unjust action of a white cop, who mercilessly shot and killed a ten-year-old boy in the street.

Join us as we celebrate Haiti Heritage Month with Nick Lake. A first chapter reading of his award-winning book In Darkness. Based on actual events, In Darkness is a historical fiction about a boy trapped beneath the rubble of a ruined hospital In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake: thirsty, terrified, and alone. 'Shorty' is a child of the slums, a teenage boy, who has seen enough violence to last a lifetime and who has been inexorably drawn into the world of the gangsters who rule Site Soleil: men who dole out money with one hand and death with the other. But Shorty has a secret, a flame of revenge that blazes inside him and a burning wish to find the twin sister he lost five years ago. He is marked. Marked in a way that links him with Toussaint L'Ouverture, the Haitian rebel, who two-hundred years ago led the slave revolt and faced down Napoleon to force the French out of Haiti.

Join us for NIGHTMARE BEFORE BEDTIME a Storytime series for Adults and Teens.  This installment is a famous short horror story by the American writer Ambrose Bierce.  Told from several different perspectives, the story focuses on a freak fatal accident that is written off as a wild animal attack. But does that description get at the truth of the matter? At least one witness is convinced otherwise. Nighty night...

FIRST CHAPTER FRIDAYS celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Gail Tsukiyama's The Color of Air. From the New York Times bestselling author of Women of the Silk and The Samurai's Garden comes an evocative historical novel about a Japanese-American family set against the backdrop of Hilo, Hawaii. Tsukiyama explores the complicated web of family and the resilient nature of the human spirit, while also shedding light on an important period of Asian history, this time the indentured servitude of Asian people on the sugar plantations that were once Hawaii’s lifeblood.

This POETRY OUT LOUD installment celebrates the love and bond between siblings from every generation – grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles and cousins. Everyone at any age can relate to this wonderful collection of poems as the messages of caring, jealousy, frustration and joy are beautifully expressed. 

Join us for NIGHTMARE BEFORE BEDTIME a Storytime series for Adults and Teens.  This installment is from the mind of surrealist painter Leonora Carrington.  It is the story of two sisters, the return of a dethroned king, and the secrets that we keep from those closest to us. Though written nearly one hundred years ago, Carrington's words possess originality and terror. Nighty night...

Short story selection is from The Complete Stories of Leonora Carrington.

A special Mother's Day episode featuring Robert Munsch's Love You Forever.  The children's book perfectly describes a mother's journey with her kids and no matter what they are loved even if they make her feel a bit loony at times!

FIRST CHAPTER FRIDAYS with Maya Angelou, a renowned author for her autobiographies and various books of poetry, but this remarkable book showcases her culinary talents. In this book, Angelou shares her recipes and related stories behind them - sometimes in a humorous and poignant perspective, but all very detailed on what these recipes meant to her and her family.