Phat Fiction Street Lit Book Club launches at Oak Park Public Library

If you have longed to explore urban fiction like Sister Souljah's The Coldest Winter Ever, Dutch by Teri Woods, or Section 8 by K'wan, then this book group is for you. Whether you are a passionate lover of the genre or have a mild curiosity about its characters, our monthly discussions will aim to illuminate and inform. Join us on the fourth Thursday of each month and discuss these novels over light refreshments.

Copies of True to the Game will be available at the Main Library a month before the discussion

Phat Fiction Book Club - Street Lit - love stories
True to the Game by Teri Woods
Thursday, July 28, 2011
7 pm Book Discussion Room, Second Floor, Main Library

YALSA Street Lit Webinar

June 16: Street Smart: Serving Teen Street Lit Readers
Whether your teen population is urban, suburban or rural, they’re talking about street lit. What is this genre and how can you incorporate it into your library? Join Megan Honig, author of Urban Grit: A Guide to Street Lit, for a conversation about street lit. Megan will discuss how to use street lit and why it is important to incorporate it into your library’s collection. Participants will also receive a list of street lit resources.

2011 Street Lit Book Award Medal & Honor Book Winners for 2010 Publications

The Street Lit Book Award Medal Committee is comprised of a group of librarians and library workers from across the U.S. who work with Street Lit and it's readers in public and school libraries. The Committee collected, discussed, and nominated titles based on library patron popularity, book club interest, and overall reception of the story as a valuable addition to the Street Literature genre. Three rounds of nominations resulted in the following winners for 2010 publications:

Winner: Decoded by Jay-Z (publisher: Spiegel & Grau)

Honor Books (in order of scoring):
Damaged by Kia DuPree (publisher: Grand Central)
Welfare Wifeys by K'wan (publisher: St. Martin's Griffin)
The Streets Keep Calling by Chunichi (publisher: Urban Books)
Diary of a Young Girl by Mark Anthony (publisher: Urban Books)

A full write up of the awards with committee comments and committee member bios can be accessed at the Street Literature blog

For more information about the Street Lit Book Award Medal contact, Vanessa Irvin Morris at: vanirvinmorris@gmail.com.

2011 AAMBC Literary Awards Twitter party

Tune in on Sunday, April 11, 2011 for Twitter chats and interviews with authors of the 2011 AAMBC Literary Awards.

Chick Lit Challenge for literature about women of color

The challenge will run from January 1 - December 31, 2011.

Paper, e-books and audio books are all acceptable.

What qualifies as colorful chick lit
- Written by women of color about women of color
- Humorous, snarky or laugh out loud
- A tinge of romance, but not so much that it resembles a Harlequin
- A happy ending
- It's rom/com on paper!
Participants should try to read books from all four categories: Indian, Latina, Asian & African-American

Levels of participation
- Novice: 4 to 7 books
- Amateur: 8 to 11 books
- Queen of Chick Lit: 12 or more books

Coretta Scott King Review Books Donation Grant

If your organization needs books for a collection that brings books to under-served youth, the Coretta Scott King Review Books Donation Grant offers the opportunity to to do just that! Read on...

Urban Fiction on Kindle

ok, I know we are NOT trying to buy everything our little hearts desire in this season of unbridled consumerism (...um, I mean, the holidays). But, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the number of urban fiction and street lit ebooks available on Kindle. Check in with your public library as many of these titles are available for checkout via OverDrive media downloads. So, go ahead, indulge and get your Street Lit on!