Burlingame Reads 2021
Featuring: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler + Supplement: Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown
Burlingame Public Library is proud to announce our community Book to Action program “Burlingame Reads,” running March-July 2021, with support from California Center for the Book, and with Community Partners Citizens Environmental Council, Sustainable San Mateo County, Farming Hope, San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto, and Nethra Samarawickrema and Yuri Zaitsev of the Listening Lab.
With these titles, we aim to spur discussions and action around themes of environmental justice, equity, and community care, as we consider Butler’s speculative fiction and how we can address concerns locally. We invite Teens and Adults to join us for this series!
Find other related titles on our booklist:
Book Giveaway
All giveaway copies of Parable of the Sower and Emergent Strategy are spoken for. You can sign up to be notified about events and resources with this interest form: https://forms.gle/qnnMKT2K69VQmXPFA
Additional copies of the books are available to borrow in the catalog at https://burlingame.bibliocommons.com/, or as e-books and e-audiobooks at https://pls.overdrive.com/ , thanks in part to funding from California Center for the Book.
We hope you will engage with the content in some way in the spirit of the program's aims to READ DISCUSS ACT.
Past Events
Available recordings for past events will be included below, or can be found on our Burlingame Reads YouTube playlist.
Burlingame Reads Kickoff Poetry Event Featuring Poets: Alan Chazaro, Janel Pineda, Randy James, and Greer Nakadegawa-Lee
California Center for the Book Presents:
A Conversation w/ Josh Tickell
Join us for a conversation with Josh Tickell, environmental thought leader and award winner director and author of Kiss the Ground. The event will explore ways Californians can come together and make both individual and collective change for a more sustainable future. Find more details on Kiss the Ground and streaming options at https://kisstheground.com/ , or check out the book at https://burlingame.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2585875076.
Book Discussions on Parable of the Sower

Recording unavailable, but discussion slides, notes, discussed resources are linked below. Discussion #1: Years 2024, 2025, 2026
Wednesday, April 14th : https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xyXft0qrs9xn1K3QvvsjaeLrbPKcmiPlA7eWK7V5-xg/edit?usp=sharing
Discussion #2: Year 2027
Wednesday, April 28th : https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1opbtLB8sLG5XRuTrReloCcEyh9gLKAp2EObKeCitX6o/edit?usp=sharing
Book Discussion on Emergent Strategy

Recording unavailable, but discussion slides, notes, discussed resources are here, with notes in the notes section of the slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_zS_4R_VjHijo76_LIC77pPFinemcsmo5MBx1BfBXRk/edit?usp=sharing
Emergent Worldmaking: A Conversation on Constructing the Writing Life of Octavia E. Butler
w/ Lynell George and Dr. Ayana A.H. Jamieson
We are excited to host Lynell George, Author of Hugo-Award-Finalist A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky, in conversation with Dr. Ayana Jamieson, Founder of the Octavia E. Butler Legacy Network, for a discussion of Octavia's works, archives, and ideas.
Recording via YouTube Playlist listed above.
Listening Lab Workshops for Community Care
Join us for these virtual workshops on communication with Nethra Samarawickrema & Yuri Zaitsev of The Listening Lab!
Self-Care for Community Care: Listening for Our Needs and Learning How to Meet Them
Tuesday, May 25th
Making Requests and Saying No: Learning our Capacities and Boundaries as a form of Community Care
Tuesday, June 1st
Watercolor Workshop: California Native Plants
w/ Roan Victor
Learn basic watercolor techniques, color mixing, and practice brush control for painting foliage and plants.
Suggested materials:
-Watercolor paper - Cold press
-Round watercolor brush #6 or #8
-Basic set of watercolors
Environmental Justice in our Backyards
Featuring Kevin Madrigal of Farming Hope, Ken Chan of the Housing Leadership Council, and Wendy Chou of Acterra
ABOUT:

The Burlingame Public Library is one of 35 California public library jurisdictions participating in Book to Action 2021, funded by the California Center for the Book.
Book to Action is a program of the California Library Association, supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
De Libro a Acción es un programa de la Asociación de Bibliotecas de California, apoyada enteramente o en parte por el Instituto de Servicios Bibliotecarios y de Museo de Estados Unidos conforme a lo dispuesto por la Ley de Servicios Bibliotecarios y Tecnología, administrada en California por la Bibliotecaria del Estado.
Thank you to our Community Partners:
Sustainable San Mateo County http://www.sustainablesanmateo.org/
Citizens Environmental Council https://www.cecburlingame.org/
Farming Hope https://farminghope.org/
San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto http://www.sanmateocountypoet.org/
Nethra Samarawickrema and Yuri Zaitsev’s Listening Lab https://www.listenuplab.com/
You can find our full press release here: