After a multi-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the conference will reconvene on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at the Northampton Center for Arts.

Jeffers, a novelist, poet, essayist, and scholar, commands an impressive portfolio. 

She has published five books of poetry, including The Age of Phillis, which reflects a decade and a half of dedicated research into the life of Phillis Wheatley Peters, the first African-American woman to publish a book. The work garnered critical acclaim, including recognition from the National Book Award in Poetry, The Los Angeles Times Book Award, and the NAACP Image Award for Literary Work: Poetry.

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is her debut novel and also won her widespread praise. It was chosen for Oprah’s Book Club, recognized by President Barack Obama in his 2021 Book Recommendations, and acclaimed by numerous esteemed publications including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and NPR.

Since its first iteration in 1987, the WriteAngles Conference has been a celebrated gathering for writers in Western Massachusetts. Originally sponsored by the local chapter of the National Writers Union, the conference operated independently and was run by a committee of dedicated volunteers for many years. Last year, the committee handed over the management and running of the conference to the Straw Dog Writers Guild.

Known for its roster of renowned keynote speakers over the years, including Elinor Lipman, Jonathan Harr, Ann Hood, and Patricia Smith, the conference continues to create a platform for writers to share, learn, and inspire.

The WriteAngles Conference aims to attract a diverse array of writers who love language and are open to exploring its myriad forms. The organizers have expressed a commitment to writing that illuminates the complexities of our world, aiming to create dialogue, incite change, and heal wounds. 

This year, the conference also includes the Abel Meeropol Social Justice Writing Award, paying tribute to writers whose work centers on social justice. Jeffers will be the recipient of this year’s award. 

The award finalists are Carmen Maria Machado, Shanta Lee, and Cameron Awkward-Rich.

In anticipation of its 2024 return, the WriteAngles Conference warmly invites all writers — established, emerging, and aspiring — to be a part of this gathering. More information about the conference is available from the new conference website at www.writeanglesconference.com. The event promises a riveting exploration of the written word.

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They are Vida James, Regine Jackson, and Syki Barbee (L to R in the photo above).  One writer will be named the 2022-23 Fellow in March. 

The Fellow will receive a $3000 grant from Straw Dog Writers Guild to be used for writing-related expenses, access to mentors who can offer assistance with writing needs identified by the Fellow, a professional author website, valued at $1,500, sponsored by Valley of Writers, membership to Straw Dog Writers Guild for two years, and other benefits.

Syki Barbee of Springfield MA is a first-generation college graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and specializations in Professional Writing and Technical Communication & Creative Writing from UMass, Amherst. She is passionate about the centralization of BIPOC characters and characters from other underrepresented communities in literature. 

Born and raised in Springfield, MA, Regine Jackson loved reading as a child. Her mother worked as a clerk and page at different libraries in the city and would always bring books home – from manga to Diana Wynne Jones. Regine grew up wanting to write characters in those worlds; characters who looked like her and who she could relate to. 

Vida James is a Nuyorican social worker from Brooklyn, NY. She is a Delaney Fellow in the UMass Amherst MFA Program for Poets & Writers. She is the winner of the 2021 St. Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artists Award and a 2021 Cara Parravani Memorial Award in Fiction. Her writing has been supported by Tin House, Bread Loaf, and VONA/Voices. She has work appearing in Story, New England Review, Epiphany, and elsewhere.

The Emerging Writer Fellowship was designed to support women of color and gender-expansive writers of color based in Western Massachusetts at the early stages of their careers. The Fellowship was created to help emerging writers negotiate barriers that may prevent them from accessing mentorship and pursuing publication of their work. In 2022-23, the second cycle of the Emerging Writer Fellowship Program, the genre is fiction.

This year, the selection panel was made up of writers Kaija Langley, Aqueela Culbreath-Britt, and Fungai Tichawangana. Speaking on behalf of the panel, Tichawangana said that a number of the writing samples submitted by the applicants made intriguing reading. “We received some great writing samples and it made the selection process enjoyable. There was quite a leaning towards speculative fiction, which resonates with trends we are seeing in publishing.” 

The finalist will be named at the beginning of March.

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The Awards recognize achievement in five categories of literature written by current residents of the Commonwealth and published in 2020.

“The Massachusetts Book Awards is a perennial reminder of the enviable talent of the many writers living and working in the commonwealth,” said Sharon Shaloo, Executive Director of Massachusetts Center for the Book. “During yet another extraordinary year, the MassBooks are both timely and resonant.”

Here are the winners:

Fiction Award

Fiction Winner

The Bear (Bellevue Literary Press) by Andrew Krivak of Somerville. This fable about seeking harmony with nature by Earth’s last human inhabitants – a father and daughter – has lessons of love, loss, family and survival. 

Fiction Honors 

• Inheritors (Doubleday/Penguin Random House) by Asako Serizawa of Brookline 
• The Yellow Bird Sings (Flatiron Books/Macmillan) by Jennifer Rosner of Leverett

Fiction Long List

• The Boy in the Field by Margot Livesey (Harper/HarperCollins)
• Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel by Julian K. Jarboe (Lethe)
• Fabrications by Pamela Painter (Johns Hopkins UP)
• Impersonation by Heidi Pitlor (Algonquin Books)
• Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston (Tor/Macmillan)
• Monogamy by Sue Miller (Harper/HarperCollins)
• Popol Vuh by Ilan Stavans (Restless Books)
• The Resisters by Gish Jen (Knopf/Penguin Random House)
• Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin (Celadon Books/Macmillan)
• Separation Anxiety by Laura Zigman (Ecco/HarperCollins)
• Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay (William Morrow/HarperCollins)

Non-Fiction Award

Non-Fiction Winner

How to Make a Slave and Other Essays (Ohio State UP) by Jerald Walker of Hingham. This collection of powerful essays about growing up, parenting and writing as a Black man in America deftly combines humor and anger in the author’s personal and cultural observations.

Non-Fiction Honors 

• Cross of Snow (Knopf/Penguin Random House) by Nicholas A. Basbanes of North Grafton 
• What Can a Body Do? (Riverhead Books/Penguin Random House) by Sara Hendren of Cambridge

Non-Fiction Long List

• Bright Precious Thing by Gail Caldwell (Random House/Penguin Random House)
• Demagogue by Larry Tye (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• Finding Sanctuary by Barry Van Dusen (Mass Audubon)
• Full Dissidence by Howard Bryant (Beacon)
• A Furious Sky by Eric Jay Dolin (Liveright/Norton)
• Is Rape a Crime? by Michelle Bowdler (Flatiron Books/Macmillan)
• Money for Nothing by Thomas Levenson (Random House/Penguin Random House)
• The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart (Bloomsbury)
• Say I’m Dead by E. Dolores Johnson (Lawrence Hill Books/Chicago Review)
• The Smallest Lights in the Universe by Sara Seager (Crown/Penguin Random House)
• Spirit Run by Noé Alvarez (Catapult Books)

Poetry Award 

Poetry Winner

When My Body Was A Clinched Fist (Black Lawrence) by Enzo Silon Surin of Swampscott. A debut collection about coming of age in New York during the 1990’s, it describes the poverty and violence of that time and place with eloquence and sensitivity.

Poetry Honors 

• Now It’s Dark (Wesleyan UP) by Peter Gizzi of Holyoke 
• Women in the Waiting Room (Black Lawrence) by Kirun Kapur of Amesbury

Poetry Long List

• Between Lakes by Jeffrey Harrison (Four Way Books)
• Field Light by Owen Lewis (Dos Madres)
• First Generation by Krikor Der Hohannesian (Dos Madres)
• Geode by Susan Barba (Black Sparrow/Godine)
• Land’s End by Gail Mazur (U of Chicago P)
• Listen by Steven Cramer (MadHat)
• Mesmerizingly Sadly Beautiful by Matthew Lippman (Four Way Books)
• On Earth Beneath Sky by Chath pierSath (Loom)
• Petition by Joyce Peseroff (Carnegie Mellon UP)
• Teaching While Black by Matthew E. Henry (Main Street Rag)
• Wonder and Wrath by A.M. Juster (Paul Dry Books)

Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature Award 

Winner

Flamer (Holt Books for Young Readers/Macmillan) by Mike Curato of Northampton. In this debut graphic novel, the author shares his own heartbreaking and triumphant personal journey with humor and compassion, offering hope for young readers struggling with self-discovery and acceptance.

Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature Honors

• The Degenerates (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster) by J. Albert Mann of Charlestown 
• Trowbridge Road (Candlewick) by Marcella Pixley of Westford

Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature Long List

• Beheld by TaraShea Nesbit (Bloomsbury)
• The Colossus of Roads by Christina Uss (Margaret Ferguson Books/Penguin Random House)
• Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon (Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/Simon & Schuster)
• Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk (Dutton Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House)
• Illegal by Francisco X. Stork (Scholastic)
• The Maps of Memory by Marjorie Agosin (Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/Simon & Schuster)
• Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan)
• Sources Say by Lori Goldstein (Razorbill/Penguin Random House)
• The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts (Owl Hollow)
• This Book Is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books/Quarto)
• Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles (Wednesday Books/Macmillan)

Picture Book/Early Reader Award

Picture Book/Early Reader Winner

Wherever I Go (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster) by Mary Wagley Copp of Westport. This fictional story of a family in a refugee camp in Ethiopia captures the innocence and joy of childhood while portraying the courage, hardship and dreams of refugees everywhere.

Picture Book/Early Reader Honors

• Seven Golden Rings (Lee & Low Books) by Rajani LaRocca of Concord 
• Zero Local: Next Stop: Kindness (Candlewick) by Ethan Murrow and Vita Murrow of Jamaica Plain

Picture Book/Early Reader Long List

• Be You! by Peter H. Reynolds (Scholastic)
• The Bear in My Family by Maya Tatsukawa (Dial Books/Penguin Random House)
• Cozy by Jan Brett (Putnam’s Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House)
• Geeger the Robot Goes to School by Jarrett Lerner (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster)
• Hound Won’t Go by Lisa Rogers (Albert Whitman)
• How Long is Forever? by Kelly Carey (Charlesbridge)
• I am the Storm by Jane Yolen & Heidi E.Y. Stemple (Rise x Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House)
• A Kid of Their Own by Megan Dowd Lambert (Charlesbridge)
• Lali’s Feather by Farhana Zia (Peachtree)
• River Otter’s Adventure by Linda Stanek (Arbordale)
• You’re Invited to a Moth Ball by Loree Griffin Burns (Charlesbridge)

Judges

The Judges for the 21st Annual Massachusetts Book Awards were:

• Rachel Alexander (Peabody Institute Library, Danvers)
• Cindy Erle (Shrewsbury Montessori School Librarian)
• Karen Kosko (Cambridge Public Schools Librarian, ret.)
• Amy Lewontin (Northeastern University Library)
• Michael J. Moran (Western Mass Library Advocates, Palmer)
• Katie Nelson (Beverly Public Library)
• Josh Newhouse (Bourne High School Librarian/Media Specialist)
• Molly Riportella (Walpole Public Library)
• J. D. Scrimgeour (Salem State University)
• Renee Wheeler (Leominster Public Library)
• Staff and Consultants of Massachusetts Center for the Book

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“A library is a living force for education and culture,” said Commissioner Karen Traub. “On behalf of the Board of Library Commissioners, I congratulate Littleton on this achievement.”

The old Reuben Hoar Library was part of a shared town complex housed in a former school building. The brand-new standalone building sits behind the former site. It includes a larger children’s room and dedicated young adult space, quiet study rooms, community meeting space, a local history room, and space for reading that overlooks the wooded area behind the library. The new building is also fully accessible, and expands the library’s footprint from 16,000 sq. ft. to 23,000 sq. ft.

In addition to the MPLCP grant and funding from the town, the Friends of the Library raised $1 million from 498 local businesses and residents who donated. Littleton Town Administrator Anthony Ansaldi called the library, “A beautiful facility that residents of Littleton will enjoy for generations to come.”

The MPLCP was first funded by a state bond authorization in 1987. Since then, it has helped more than 250 communities plan, build, renovate and/or expand their public libraries. MPLCP projects are currently underway in the following communities:  Grafton, Marlborough, Medford, Sharon, and Sherborn. Projects in Dartmouth, Erving, Hadley, Norwell, Roxbury, and Weymouth were recently completed.

You can find out more about the program on the MBLC website and the Building Literacy podcast.

Release – MBLC

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Thousands of Massachusetts residents rely on libraries for internet access. There were an average of 15,000 internet sessions every day in public libraries during 2019.

When COVID-19 hit and many libraries closed their doors, patrons were left without the internet access they needed to participate in remote schooling and telework.  Libraries stepped up with outdoor library Wi-Fi, but a more user-friendly solution was needed, especially during the winter months.  

“Access to reliable internet is an issue of economic, educational, and social equity,” said MBLC Director James Lonergan. “Our statewide hotspot program allows residents to participate in telehealth, remote classes, telework, apply for a job or any other internet related activity in their own home or wherever they feel most comfortable.”

Using $1.5 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the MBLC has developed and is coordinating the statewide program which has dispersed 3,000 hotspots to more than 200 public libraries. The MBLC has created a hotspot map to help users find a library near them where they can borrow one.

“Because we are a small library, the monthly cost of hotspots is prohibitive. The MBLC hotspot lending program has made 10 new hotspots available for patron use,” said Lisa Cheever, Director of Blackstone Public Library. “This allows us to reach the underserved in our community and those affected by the digital equity gap. Paired with the library’s laptop lending program, this Internet access will not only allow patrons to access much needed data and information for school and work, but also alleviate the isolation individuals are still experiencing post pandemic.” 

Mobile Wi-Fi hotspots connect to cellular data the same way a smart phone does to create a secure and reliable internet connection. Hotspots through the statewide program can connect up to 10 devices. Libraries have set their own borrowing requirements but in most cases all that is needed to check out a hotspot is a library card and that the patron be at least 17 years old.

“The hotspots are so easy to use. Once you turn them on – they have the network name and the password right on the menu. I also love how we can mobilize them when the power goes out. Patrons are happy with internet they can take everywhere, giving them access to school, work and entertainment,” said Kelly Depin, Director of Whelden Memorial Library in West Barnstable.

The MBLC will fund the program through September 2022. After that libraries may opt to take over the service if they are able. The MBLC has made state funding to libraries through budget line 7000-9501 a priority in the legislative agenda so that libraries may have the funds needed to continue the hotspot program. More information about this service is available for residents.

While the hotspot program expands internet access for some residents, the MBLC continues to work towards more widespread permanent solutions and has supported efforts by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and OpenCape to ensure that public libraries in underserved areas can offer broadband and Wi-Fi to their residents.

In addition to statewide hotspot lending, the MBLC has used federal ARPA and CARES Act funds through the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop  innovative programs that help libraries, residents, and communities find long-term solutions to challenges that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The MBLC has also provided grants to libraries in hard-hit communities, increased funding to the statewide ebook and audiobook program, and coordinated training in teen mental health support for librarians.

Release – MBLC
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

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The board is providing programs and services that will help their communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health designated twenty communities as hard hit by COVID, including Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Randolph, Revere, Springfield, and Worcester.

According to the Department of Health website, “The 20 cities and towns are those hardest hit by COVID-19, taking into account case rates as well as the social determinants of health and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color,” adding, “Over centuries, discriminatory and exclusionary policies and practices have shaped where people live and work. These factors are part of the social determinants of health and directly impact residents’ health as well as their access to opportunities that promote health.”

A total of $975,000 was given to the twenty libraries, with nineteen receiving a requested $50,000, and one receiving a requested $25,000. This amount is over a quarter of the $3.5 million in ARPA funds that was given to the MBLC through IMLS. The money will be used for a variety of different projects that will help the library and town make the library more accessible, improve technology, undertake outreach services, offer career, skill, and language assistance to the public, provide opportunities to youth in the communities, and train library staff.

In addition to the communities hard hit by COVID, funding was also given to the Perkins Library, Worcester Talking Book Library (located inside the Worcester Public Library – pictured above), and Massachusetts Center for the Book. Each organization is receiving $50,000 and will use it to provide more programming, training, and outreach to residents of the Commonwealth.

Grant Highlights

Lawrence: Lawrence will use funding to complete the “Welcome Center,” a newly outfitted area of the Library with a new welcome desk, tables and chairs, software to effectively organize community resources for dissemination, programs for the community to engage with the Center and the marketing of those program, and childcare for parents who need to set up one on one appointments with a member of the team.

Leominster, New Bedford, and Springfield: These cities will purchase new Outreach Vans, an updated version of the Bookmobile. The vans will allow them to go to neighborhoods around the city and reach people who may not otherwise be able to access library services.

Brockton: Funds will be used to purchase an inflatable planetarium. The library will then create a lending program around it, which will enable elementary schools, middle schools, and organizations in the community to have access to planetarium technology as a community service of the Brockton Public Library.

The MBLC received American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funding through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s approximately 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Their mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. IMLS’ grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive.

Picture: Worcester Public Library by Terageorge on Wikipedia – Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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