I Don’t Think I Realized That Sexual Attraction Was Really The Way It’s Portrayed In Stories Until

This is one of the big reasons why I am a librarian.

As a library worker, there’s something I want to say to you.

You do not have to apologize for the books you choose to read.

At all.  To anyone.  You owe nobody any explanations; you need no excuse or “good reason” to be reading the book.

You do not have to be ashamed for wanting to read “bad” books.  You wanna read Twilight?  We got Twilight.  Need a banal, cookie-cutter-plot mystery or thriller?  Those are always fun.  Our regulars check them out by the towering stack.  Ask Betty for recommendations; she’s read them all.  50 Shades of Oh Fucking No?  We’ve got it, we even got it in large print.  Have fun.  Check out the rest of our porn too.  Oh, and the sex manuals are a MUST if you want to “experiment” yourself.  Don’t be afraid to ask; they’re here for a reason.

Want to read a book written by a huge asshole everyone hates and agree was a monster?  Yeah, we have those.  No, we don’t think you’re an asshole for wanting to know what was actually written in there, or judging things for yourself.

You are not too old for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Babysitter’s Club, or Captain Underpants.  You are not too young for Sherlock Holmes.  There’s nothing wrong with a boy reading The Princess Academy or Sweet Valley High.  There’s nothing wrong with a girl being into The Hardy Boys or Artemis Fowl instead.

You do not have to pull the shame face and offer me an excuse when you check out your books.  I don’t care if I got so angry at that book I threw it against a wall when I read it: you have the right to read it, and enjoy it if it’s enjoyable for you.  THAT’S WHY THE LIBRARY HAS IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.  If we only stocked pure, unproblematic literature everyone approved of, by authors of unquestionable virtue, we wouldn’t have any books at all.  Or music.  Or movies.  It would be utterly fucking boring.  And it certainly wouldn’t be a library.

I just realized that I forgot to post yesterday!  I had it planned out and just ... spaced.

Anyway, now that I'm done beating up myself (with e. e. cumming’s help), I'm ready to take on the world.  If you're sequestered, this may be a good time to add some color to your life!  Yesterday’s poem was I Shall Paint My Nails Red by Carole Satyamurti.

For today's poem, if painting your nails isn't acting out enough, try some Dangerous Coats by Sharon Owens.

I’ve heard about several apps designed to help people who are depressed, considering self harm, anxious, etc.  Unfortunately, I can’t track down any of the names right now.  If you have recommendations, please spread the word!

Listen up. There is literally an app that can help you avoid self harm and I don’t know why we aren’t talking about it.

Calm Harm can be tailored to your needs and will provide strategies to help you get past those crucial moments of wanting to harm.

It’s also totally FREE.

once again, it’s called CALM HARM

I laughed so hard I woke up the cat.  Now he’s staring at me, trying to decide whether he needs to be concerned about this.

I laughed a lot. (x)

I’m not sure I’d want to do that to Mothman.

reblog if you ARE JEWISH, if you SUPPORT JEWISH PEOPLE, or if you WANT ALL NEONAZIS TO BE CARRIED OFF BY MOTHMAN

Pride dragons (part 1) -- SWOON!

The pride dragons are back for pride month again (now with more bc there was a few I didn’t get around to last year heck)!! Happy pride month everyone!!!!!!!!!

(Part 2) (Stickers available Here) (Last year’s posts: X X )

I'm doing my best to keep libraries free, queer, and weird!

Thank you!!

I know so much of the pre-election messaging is like VOTE!!! VOTE!!! IF YOU DON’T VOTE YOU’RE A MONSTER!! and that can get tiring after so many elections. So I want to take a moment after this election to say: so many of you clearly did get out and vote, despite not always having the most inspiring options, and with SO much on the line 18-29 year olds specifically helped win some of the most important and impactful races across America. So from one of the many “just vote” scolds on the internet: thank you!!

Sometimes, it’s useful to say, “I’m queer,” instead of getting into the full list of all the ways I don’t fit the supposed defaults for gender, sexuality, relationships, etc.

you are allowed to identify as queer. you don’t need to be ashamed of being queer.