Support Your Local Librarians

Dang. Another librarian has been laid off.

As nearly everyone who knows me knows, I love libraries. Countless times over the years I've said, "Libraries are the one thing I don't mind paying taxes for." (Road repairs, as inconvenient as they are, are a close second.)

So it was somewhat heartbreaking when the Covid-19 pandemic came along and our local Duluth library was closed, with. large percentage of the staff laid off. I've been going to the library 2 to 3 times a week for decades, and I got to know many of the library staffers by name. I even wrote the beginning of a short story about an old man who went to the library because he had no friends and was kept alive by the kindness shown him by librarians.

Worse still, was running into one of the laid off front desk staffers on the street and finding out that these dedicated workers were not only laid off, but now had no medical insurance. During a pandemic! This was all last spring and who knows how long it will continue? 

So it was with great dismay that I received the following email from Roz Warren, a writer whom I'd met via Medium, the ad-free blogging platform developed by Ev Williams, co-creator of both Blogger and Twitter.

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What's up with you? After 21 wonderful years, my library job is kaput. But I'm still writing library humor.  Library Bingo for the Pandemic Era. 

I’m an editor. Apparently I’m also a crybaby. 

I Always Tip. A Lot. Even if the Service Sucks. 

15 Signs That Your Partner is Thinking of Voting Republican. 

The One Sentence that is Guaranteed to Make Your Editor's Eyes Roll.How Are You? What's the Right Answer to this Polite and Meaningless Question? 

Whenever I write about having Meniere’s, at least one person tells me that reading it has caused them to realize that they probably have it too. (Hopefully, that won’t be you.)

Ko-fi is a way for writers to ask readers to support them by throwing a little spare change their way.  I decided to see  whether this little fundraising gimmick actually works. 

I'm a Frivolous Writer in Serious Times. Is There Something Wrong with That? 

20 Funny Names For Your New Turtle. 

Life is What Happens When You're Looking at Your Phone. Ever Wonder What You're Missing?  This is one of my  most popular essays. It ran years ago in the Inquirer. I just updated it and posted it on Medium. 

Everybody Doesn't Love My Book. What the Hell's Wrong with Them??

R.I.P. Diana Rigg. You rocked my world.

I don't expect you to read all of these. But even if you read just one, THANK YOU FOR READING ME! 

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Here's my interview with Roz. If you're a publisher looking for an entertaining write, check her out. 

As for our other librarians, let's pray the doors will open soon. We miss you.

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