Congratulations to our One Book One Town Writing and Mixed Media contest winner: Maddy.

Congratulations to our One Book One Town Writing and Mixed Media contest winner: Locked by Piper.

Locked

 Hello,
 How was your day they said,
 With their ear to ear bright smile
 I answer with a lie
 I reciprocate that smile, ‘good’
 The tough friend can’t tell people the truth
 The tough friend is embarrassed to show friends the truth

 I’m the tough friend
 The friend that can’t be weak
 The friend that hides everything under a pillow
 The same pillow I whimper under twice a year
 Speechless.
 I write,
 I open the document that carries my secrets
 The document that feels like a friend I trust,

 Poetry.
 It all works,
 Behind the locked door,
 In the one place I feel I can express myself
 Alone I feel safe to share,
 Nothing leaves the page
 The nights cry
 I form my tears into verses
 The verses that will always be concealed

 The mascara running down my face
 Dripping on the pillow,
 Flip it over, no one cares,
 that's what I feel everyday,
 Hidden,
 Hidden, is what I feel
 They say talk to someone,
 Who can I talk to except for the poem page in my phone

 My emotions fill
 But like a full glass
 It has to spill soon
 But I can push it deeper
 I can’t let anyone know
 Even though, the poems grief,
 Begging to be let free
 but I’m not ready
 They're safe here
 I can’t be known as the weak friend
 In the open air people can judge.

 Friends spill their glasses,
 tell me their secretes,
 Knowing they won’t get anything in return
 And they can’t tell I’m broken in,
 From the mask covering myself
 I always have a smile on my face,
 Still I keep theirs private
 In fears that one day I’ll open up,
 Mine won’t be the secret of my life anymore,
 It will just add to the story of my life,
 But hidden is my life,
 The life I know,
 The life that is viewed as safe

 The phone dies, the poems locked
 The secret no one can hear,
 Locked.
 Locked from fear of no one understanding the pain,
 The page poured my emotions on last night.
 Locked away
 I rise with the sun,
 As I read the stanzas back
 The words flow
 The page got my point
 The page that gets me the most,

Congratulations to our One Book One Town Writing and Mixed Media contest winner: A KWeen Dethroned by KWeen.

 A KWeen dethroned:

What brings me joy, also disrupts my peace. My expressions of dance often tire my feet. In song, my voice is heard yet my lyrics are bleak. If I am to be made strong, why am I painted as being weak? In a most critical time in the world, my options still seem oblique. When will it be my time to express myself unharmed and freely? 
How can the world be free to roam, when we have to pay to live? How can we be equal when most don't have the resources from the tree of knowledge; What do you suppose I feed my kids? Why do I seem to gain a fool's wisdom while inheriting senseless self destruction? Is this what this whole isolation is about? If so, it's a concept I'm not in love with. Do I pray? What's the point? Do I complain? Who will listen? Do I explore finding another way? I'm just drained. Go away, maybe I'll stay in my bed today and accomplish absolutely nothing.

 KWeen 

Fairfield Public Library has a new podcast! The staff at the Fairfield Public Library love to read and our new monthly podcast will showcase what we are reading and what we are looking forward to in the near future.

In our first episode, we talk about our 2021 One Book, One Town selection, Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam. You can listen below. Don’t forget to subscribe for more episodes!

https://anchor.fm/fairfield-public-library/episodes/Ep–1-OBOT-2021-Punching-the-Air-eql6d4

If not, there’s plenty of time to read the book before our virtual author event on March 2 at 7:00 pm.

Visit the link to register: https://bit.ly/2MkCnV8

Reserve a copy of the book today: https://bit.ly/38Yz1Q0

#OBOTFairfield2021

This is the signature event of Fairfield’s One Book One Town 2021 celebration! Join us for a wonderful evening with the authors of Punching the Air, Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam. The story of a tragic event leading to an unjust imprisonment and the impact it has on family and community, Punching the Air shows how strength can be found in the power of art and poetry. Ibi Zoboi is a New York Times bestselling author; Dr. Yusef Salaam, of the Exonerated Five, is a poet, prison reform activist and inspirational speaker.

Registration for this virtual event is required. Attendees will receive login information prior to the event. Please call (203) 256-3160 with any questions. Sign up here: https://fplct.librarymarket.com/events/virtual-one-book-one-town-author-event-ibi-zoboi-and-dr-yusef-salaam