Meet Me In The Stacks

Spooky stories and terrifying old poetry read to you by Anthony, who is very boo-kish indeed. First up is The Haunted Dock by Clara Le Grand, which was a Spooky Scibbles Writing Contest winner last season. Spooky Scibbles is a writing contest sponsored by the Library and the Comox Valley Lifelong Learning Center for young writers. Second is Til Death Do Us Part by Tim Maleeny, because long term relationships can be horrifying. And third is The Raven by Homer Simpson, ummm.... I mean Edgar Allan Poe.

This episode is a good egg for sure. Darby talks with Gabriola Island blogger and educator Claire from Bitchin' Chickens about all sorts of chicken topics. Then Nathan rules the roost at chicken trivia. There's definitely nobody here but us chickens today! Episode links: Bitchin' Chickens blogFacebook page blog postThe Thinking Chicken YouTube channelRooster AllliesRoovolution And books you'll be interested in if you liked the episode: Let's All Keep Chickens! Under the Henfluence: inside the world of backyard chickens and the people who love themThe Woefield Poultry Collective Remember to tell your peeps about the show!

Nathan talks with Vancouver Island-based Amanda Swinimer all about seaweed. She has a BSc. that involved taking an algae physiology couse and harvests seaweed to eat. She also has written The Science and Sprit of Seaweed for adults and The Science and Superpowers of Seaweed for kids. You can find them here in the library. Pro tip from Darby: don't brandish bull kelp as a whip unless you are prepared to whip yourself in the butt (or face!) accidentally.

It's a Sea & Cedar Storytime episode! Nathan gets piratey to set some beach vibes. Enjoy work from the Winter, 2024 edition of Sea & Cedar with local writers. Featured writers: You can READ this issue of Sea & Cedar online or in print. You can also SUBMIT your own work here.

Was it Really Murder? Big crime comes to a town too small to merit even that title in Murder Rides a Gale Force Wind. Beloved West Coast author and artist Yvonne Maximchuck is best known for her slices of BC marine life written with friend Billy Proctor, but has turned her hand to writing a murder mystery! Yvonne reads from the book to whet your appetite and then chats with Darby. Check out more about her writing and art, including purchasing her books at her website: https://www.yvonnemaximchuk.com/ You can borrow some of her books from the library here.

Have you always wondered what SOGI stands for but didn't want to ask the angry people with the signs by the side of the road? Nathan thinks maybe you have. He conducts an investigation with the help of Scout from SOGI 1, 2, 3. Find some SOGI-inclusive books for children and teens here.

Join us in our first sponsored episode! Buster and Barnfather's Children's Cigarettes are the perfect pairing for this educational look at Vancouver Island University's Canadian Letters & Images Project with Dr. Stephen Davies. See the project here at https://www.canadianletters.ca including some famous Canadian guest readers! You can help the project financially by donating through the VIU Foundation, which is a tax-deductible donation. If you have wartime letters, postcards, etc. you can lend them to the project as per the directions here.

Nathan gets a bit down/realistic about climate change with some special guests. First he talks to Teegan Walshe from Fridays for the Future in Qualicum, which is an ongoing school strike for climate justice. (Back in Nathan and Darby's day, people skipped school to smoke pot or buy candy.) Second, he talks with Lucy Grainger of FireSmart BC. You can learn more, including the free fire assessment mentioned, at FireSmartBC.ca. Books on the topic of Climate Optimism selected by our Librarians can be found here. Books mentioned by Teegan: The New Climate WarThe Future We ChooseSaving Us

Ex-high school investigative journal turned Library Manager Stephanie interviews Library Manager Monica about Freedom to Read Week, which we observe from Feb. 18-24 this year. Tune in for this interesting library values conversation on this still very relevant topic. Further reading: Library's curated listsFreedomtoRead.caherehereStatement on Intellectual Freedom and Libraries

Nathan tests his Manager Stephanie's trivia prowess in today's episode. Can you beat Stephanie at trivia? Peter Parker Gretzky thinks you can in one section for sure. Winners will of course receive FREE BOOKS FOR LIFE! If you did not win, you will also receive free books for life, but only real Alex Cross titles. Redeemable at your local library branch.

We are feeling very educational today. So today is the day you learn a new acronym! LAC stands for Library and Archives Canada and we are really nerding out with Julie Anne Richardson from LAC. Ever wondered what the Library and Archives of Canada does? Or how Canada preserves its written and recorded culture? Or what animal noises Nathan's former bandmates can make? Listen to find out the answers to these questions and more... Check out Library and Archives Canada, where to do your Legal Deposit form if you made something they want to collect, and you can listen to Jordan Venn's Phosphorescence song on Bandcamp.

How do YOU feel about honking like a goose for people? If you're very comfortable, perhaps you are our next guest! Meet Naomi Steinberg, storyteller and author. There are no spoilers, just enjoy the voyage... *HONK!*

Enjoy your literary adult storytime with these Sea & Cedar magazine readings! Works included: Storyteller Spirits & Tuesday's TideHedgerow & MossFlame Girl Snake Spur RoadPlanting OnionsPop-Up Grebe Spell for Skookumchuck Narrows You can READ this issue of Sea & Cedar online or in print. You can also SUBMIT your own work here. A limited number of PRINT copies are also available for purchase! Email seacedarmag@virl.bc.ca to place an order (for pick up only at any VIRL branch). Cost is $15 + GST per copy.

Do paper (or "pbooks", if you will) have a place in this world anymore? Will reading an ebook lead to buying unneeded items on the internet and generally ruin your health? Nathan and Darby duke it out. Can they come together on the topic, or will the excitement of the debate rhetoric prove to be too much? Find out on this impassioned episode.

Spurred on by our special guest, Nathan reflects on whether he is "award winning" for a brief, awkward moment. Then Quadra Island dwelling and Order of Canada winning poet Jan Zwicky (and lovely human being) does a special reading of her essays and poems. From this, she dives into a discussion with Darby about climate change and accepting the mess we seem to be in. If you're feeling stressed out about climate change, chill out with some exquisite poetry and feel admiration for the boundless energy of nature in this moment. If that still doesn't work, Jan and Darby suggest growing garlic and making garlic scape pesto, which is very good on pizza. You can get started with our Vancouver Master Gardeners' help here. Failing the garlic cure, you should get chickens.

Casey talks with Ottawa based bisexual author Ruby Barrett. She is the author of The Romance Recipe, a queer rom-com featuring Amy and Sophie possibly adding the non-FDA approved ingredient of "love" into their restaurant food. Publisher's Weekly calls it "a down-to-earth queer romance". This episode was recorded at our live Pride Month event with Ruby Barrett. Check out some other LGBTQ2+ reads here on our Pride Month page. Queer books are great to read all year round!

Not for sensitive ears! There are a lot of words that start with different letters, but mostly "F". Get ready to feel like a kid looking up bad words in the dictionary! (Tee hee.) Nathan talks about all of the books with the eff word in the title. Apparently this kind of title is helpful to us all. And then there is some profanity trivia for you!

Nathan gets to reuse his accordion rendition of our theme to welcome you to this second special episode of Sea & Cedar magazine readings! It's like a literary adult storytime for you, really. Works included: Orca CafeWest Coast Mornings: the viewTracks You can READ this issue of Sea & Cedar online or in print. You can also SUBMIT your own work here.

Does your family have war stories? Are they shared or unspoken? Join blues musician George Halpern for his father's action-packed war story from his book From School to Sky: Joseph's Tale of War. You can borrow his book here or find out where to purchase it here. See photos here. This event was originally at the Nanaimo North Branch in early 2023.