September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. Started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson, it was later expanded to a full month under President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The period also coincides with independence anniversary celebrations in several Latin American countries. We wanted to take the opportunity to draw… View more
By Programming Librarian Meredith Crawford Don’t every let anyone tell you graphic novels don’t count as reading, or that they’re only for younger readers. Whether you’re a graphic novel enthusiast or newcomer to these illustrated stories, here are five great titles published in the last year. These recommendations are from a virtual program in our Read Woke series. Full… View more
Read the book before the film hits your screens! These children and young adult stories were recently acquired for film or television adaptation. Check them out before everyone else does and stay off the holds list. Written by Stephanie Perkins for a young adult, horror-loving audience, There’s Someone Inside Your House was purchased by Netflix… View more
It seems impossible it is already August, but before we know it, it will be back to school time. Community Engagement Librarian Sarah Voels created this list of books for people looking for good reads for children as they get ready for a new semester. Picture Books Time for School, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle… View more
People often perceive library summer reading programs as aimed at children, but the staff of the Cedar Rapids Public Library want patrons of all ages to get excited about reading, not just in the summer but year round. So we wanted to share some July new book releases for adults that we hope will get… View more
The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture by Grace PerryPublished June 1, 2021. Social Science. A longtime contributor to The Onion and The Reductress, Perry turns her pen to the 2000s pop culture she grew up on. In a time when queer representation was largely missing from mainstream media, she recounts finding it… View more
The month of June is marked by the end of the school year for most students, the beginning of summer, and Pride Month. While often associated with a time for celebration, it is important to honor its history. The first Pride events were held in New York City in June 1970 on the one year… View more
Asian and Asian American authors and characters represent a wide variety of stories and cultures. Asia is, of course, an enormous continent home to a wide-ranging experiences and identities. It would be a mistake to look to Asian culture as a homogenous identity. Instead, we celebrate a variety of cultures and creators during Asian/Pacific Islander… View more
April is National Poetry Month, and Librarian Kim Martens-Tyo gathered this list of recommended titles that are currently part of the Library’s collection or are on-order. All were published in 2020 or 2021, and they represent a diverse range of voices and poetry styles, from a collection documenting African American poetic history (African American Poetry:… View more
Lata D’Mello, Co-Director of Programs at Monsoon Asian and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity, spoke with Librarian Meredith Crawford for the latest installment of the Cedar Rapids Public Library’s Read Woke discussion series highlighting organizations and books that center marginalized groups. The conversation followed the March 16 shooting in Atlanta that killed eight, including six women… View more