M. Kate Allen

Superhero Saturday: Meet the Librarian!

For this edition of Superhero Saturday, I'd like you to meet Caitlin Goodhart. She's the Librarian at Broadmor Elementary in Tempe, Arizona.

Here are some questions she answered for me recently:

What's one of your favorite library memories from when you were a kid?
When I was in elementary school in the early 90's I remember our librarian Mrs. Laspada as an amazing teacher. I distinctly remember her showing us the film strip for the book "The Polar Express". I also remember her having a large area in the library where we could snuggle up with a good book. It was a like big wooden box where you could go on top or inside to read.

What's one of your favorite things about being a librarian?
I love saying "yes" when a kid excitedly asks me for a specific book. I love when a child finds a book or series that they love. We should all know the feeling of finding pure joy in literature!

What's a challenge you face as a librarian?
The recent trend of book banning. It's not a new thing but it has certainly ramped up. When I started as a school librarian, I could buy whatever books I saw fit as long as they were age appropriate. Now I have to put them on a list to be vetted and then posted to the community for 60 days. After that I can put the new books out for checkout.

What advice would you give to someone who's interested in supporting librarians?
Go to the library! Libraries offer so much more than books! They have so many free resources and I think every library is magical. Use a local library app! I have too many books (Is that a thing?) and now I use my kindle with the Libby app or the Tempe Public Library app.

What are three of your favorite books?
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
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Have a librarian you'd like everyone to meet? Let me know!

Psalm 129
“Greatly has she oppressed me,”
let me now say;

“Greatly has she oppressed me,
but she has not prevailed against me.”

For you, O Thea,
have humbled the one who acted with cruelty.

She has been brought down
from her throne of might,
she who embraced injustice.

Let her power be like grass upon the housetops,
which withers before it can be plucked;

Which does not fill the hand of the reaper,
nor the bosom of her who binds the sheaves.

In her desolation,
may her stony heart break open,
that she may be touched by your wisdom.

Then may she join me
in claiming your wisdom’s power:
the power to feed, to forgive,
to heal, to create, and to love.
~~~
"Psalm 129”
In Thean Psalter
Thea Press, December 9, 2018
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Detail of "Jitters Coffee Pub,"
watercolor/gel ink mandala, 2026.
Photo/painting © M. Kate Allen
~~~
The Thean Psalter is a feminist, feminine prayer book based on the Book of Psalms. The psalms are organized into morning and evening prayer over thirty days so that the entire book can be prayed individually or communally over the course of a month. The Thean Psalter cultivates an intersectional thealogical approach and serves as a resource for those who seek to pray using feminine images of the Divine in a feminine voice. Theanism, from which "Thean" is derived, finds its roots in the Greek word, "Thea," which means "Goddess."

Visit patreon.com/mkateallen for more writing, art, and patron-exclusive content.

Theme song: Freedom by Jon Batiste

Writing sprint: Free-write for 4 minutes.

Are you a pirate? If so, I have a hidden treasure trove for you to seek out. Bring your quill and inkpot and join me for three writing exercises in this episode of Write On Wednesday (WOW), featuring Wijaya House in Tempe, Arizona.

The Write On Wednesday series is a nod to Woden, also known as Odin, who is the chief god in Germanic and Norse mythology. He is known to have two ravens, Huginn ("thought") and Muninn ("memory"), who fly all over the world to bring him stories from different places.



You'll find this and other Write On Wednesday episodes, plus patron-exclusive content, at patreon.com/mkateallen .