# March is Women's History Month
Every March, we are encouraged to study and reflect on the vital role of women in American history and to celebrate the contributions of historical trailblazers. It's also a great time to uplift all of the contemporary female leaders in the arts, sciences, government, business, and technology who have followed in their footsteps and to confront the issues they continue to face in those fields.
Of course, women and girls in the United States and around the world are still breaking barriers by both adding their voices to important issues and debates and by following their interests and dreams.
Jacksonville Public Library has an AMAZING collection of books featuring stories and information written by and about people from varied backgrounds, races, ethnicities, life experiences, and viewpoints. Throughout the month, the Library will highlight books in our collection by and about women and girls including here on our blog, through book displays in your local library, and via reading challenges for all ages on Beanstack.
# Library Programs
# Junior Lit Chat: Angela Dominguez
Moving into your middle school years can be challenging. That's where middle-grade fiction and characters like Stella Diaz come in! Described as charming, empowering, and thoughtful by School Library Journal, Booklist, and more: This series by award-winning illustrator Angela Dominguez is based on experiences from the author’s own childhood. Meet the author Thursday, March 7, from 4-5 p.m. live at the Webb Wesconnett Library.
Please note: This program is intended for kids ages 5-12 and their families. A limited number of copies of Stella Díaz Leaps to the Future will be given away to participants, first come, first served.
This program is part of Celebrate Reading Week, a citywide celebration of the power of reading, with events and programs happening in libraries and locations across Jacksonville from March 3-9.
# Screening Room: Women of Mystery
Watch and discuss the film Women of Mystery: Three Writers Who Forever Changed Detective Fiction with discussion leader and bestselling mystery novelist J.D. Allen Tuesday, March 26, at 5:30 p.m. at Regency Square Branch. Released in 2000 by New Day Films, Women of Mystery explores the writing of Sara Paretksy, Sue Grafton, and Marcia Muller. Allen is best known for the "Sin City Investigations" series that was nominated for the Shamus Award.
# Teen Lit Chat with Bethany Baptiste
Bethany Baptiste grew up in Jacksonville where she thrived on southern food and stories. Now, she is a preschool inclusion specialist by day and a young adult SFF novelist by night. If she’s not writing an inclusion support plan or a story, she does retail therapy in Florida bookstores and takes scheduled naps with her two chaotic evil dogs. Spend time with Bethany as she talks about her much-buzzed-about debut YA book, The Poisons We Drink on Wednesday, March 27, at 4:30 p.m. at Brentwood Branch!
Note: Teen Lit Chat is intended for a teen audience. Fans over the age of 18 are more than welcome to attend but the interview questions and discussion will be crafted with teen readers in mind.
# You May Also Like
# New Digital Collection Just Added: Cora Cane Papers and Photographs
Cora Cane (1868 - 1910) was a businesswoman, nightclub and bordello owner, writer and journalist who resided in Jacksonville in 1896 until her death in 1910. She was the common-law wife of novelist Stephen Crane. Jacksonville Public Library is home to a collection of photographs of Crane and other notables, her residence, etc. as well as some of her correspondences. A photo book of the Court, a brothel operated by Crane, is also included.
Browse the Cora Crane Collection
# Book Recommendations
We love to share selections that demonstrate the range of our collection all year and we encourage you to explore these books with us this month!
# Little Learners (ages 0-5)
# Elementary Age (ages 6-10)
# Middle Grades (ages 11-14)
# Teens (ages 15-18)
# Adults
# Attention River City Readers:
Are you participating in Mayor Deegan's River City Readers challenge? Through the Beanstack app, children and their caregivers will be able to log their reading minutes with an individual goal of reading at least 20 minutes per day, and a citywide goal of reading 300,000 minutes in 2024. At the end of the year, the city’s top young readers will be given prizes!
# Join the Challenge
- Go to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Download and open the Beanstack Tracker app.
- You can also register and log your reading minutes on the Beanstack website at https://jaxpl.beanstack.com.
- Using the Find a Site search bar, type Jax Library or River City Readers
