Authors, Librarians-Unite

Ken Foster, another author living in New Orleans, has landed on his feet in Atlanta. He’s started a blog called Here Is New Orleans: “If you have any images or original art, or essays or poems to share, please email me.”

Karen Spears Zacharias passes word from Janis Owens about efforts to supplement the fundraising efforts of the Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA). “We’re also looking into the idea of sending books to the relief sites and have contacted two publishers for children’s books specifically… As for the libraries, I’ve been in contact with several library directors, who are wildly enthusiastic and think it’ll mean the world to the libraries on the Gulf to know we’re behind them.”

Here, too, we have an update, from the American Library Association. The Texas Library Association’s Executive Director Patricia H. Smith writes:

TLA has a Disaster Relief Fund, which we are expanding to collect donations for libraries in the Gulf Coast area as well as for libraries providing support for the evacuees. In addition to checks by mail, we will be accepting online donations beginning early next week. One hundred percent of all donations will be sent to the state library
agency or library association in the state of the donor’s choice. TLA is also developing a plan to accept book donations for shipment to the affected states at an appropriate time, and more information will be available soon. Write to TLA, 3355 Bee Cave Road, Suite 401, Austin, TX 78746-6763; 512-328-1518 (voice); email pats@txla.org.”

That’s just one of the relief efforts America’s librarians have launched; click on that ALA link for news of similar projects, many dealing with more than books. Houston’s library system, for example, got Xerox to supply them with keys to the copy machines so refugees can get copies of FEMA applications quickly and freely, while Memphis is making computers available for online applications.

2 September 2005 | uncategorized |

Will Horror Authors Write for Relief?

Michelle Belanger, author of The Psychic Vampire Codex, “the definitive book on the modern vampire subculture,” is calling for contributions to an anthology of original horror fiction to be called The City Lies Dreaming, “a book that will evoke and celebrate all the reasons why New Orleans has been a Mecca to those of us who are drawn to the shadows.” She’s aiming to have a $25 trade paperback available by December with all proceeds to be donated to the American Red Cross.

2 September 2005 | uncategorized |