During the visit of the first floor, I noticed a study room with glass walls. Inside a man sat, concentrated, in front of a notebook and a large, colorful candy jar which immediately caught my attention. Our guide explained that he was Mathieu Blais, the current “writer-in-residence”[2]. Writers who participate in this project “find the library and its users to be very inspiring for their writing,” said Martin Dubois, manager of library services of the City of Longueuil. “The residence also prompts them to be very disciplined because they have to respect the agreed schedules and to be in the room. They are less distracted than being at home” [3].

Mathieu Blais, writer-in-residence at work. Photo Courtesy of Corrado Di Tillio.

The project was launched five years ago by the Conseil des Arts de Longueuil, an institution which supports the development and promotion of arts (literature included) in Longueuil. The Raymond-Lévesque Public Library is a natural partner, together with a local bookstore, ALire, which provides a grant to the author. By the way, “partnerships” was the topic of this year’s MetLib Conference. After attending many presentations which explored how “almost anyone can be a partner” in Québec and in other regions of the world [4], I could then see with my eyes a real ongoing partnership.

Writers respond to a call for proposals which are examined by a jury. In addition to the 25 hours per week in the library during a two month period, the writer also commits to a series of activities, such as seminars about literary writing. “Not all the authors are comfortable interacting with people […]” Dubois said. “Users are often shy to meet the author because they are afraid of bothering him”. [5]

And the candies? “They are my source of inspiration,” Blais said to me.

References

[1] Regarding its space for teens (“Soda”) read Sarah-Ann Brisson, Teens at the Brossard Public Library: A Necessary Adaptation of Space and Services, in “Feliciter”, Issue #6, December 2014, vol. 60, p.23-25.

[2] Mathieu Blais was born in Montréal in 1979. His website is http://mathieublais.ca

[3] Martin Dubois’ e-mail to the author, July 19, 2017.

[4] Quotation by Kimber L. Fender, from her presentation Howdy partner! Developing library/community partnerships, delivered on May 2, 2017. All the presentations are available at http://metlib2017montreal.org/en/downloads/ . The IFLA MetLib Conference is the annual conference of the IFLA Section on Metropolitan Libraries.

[5] Martin Dubois’ e-mail to the author, July 19, 2017.

The post Writer-in-Residence Project at Québec Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Currently, there are two programs exploring the writer/library relationship. They began in this past fall and both hope to continue in the future. Both the Public Library of Cincinnati’s “Writer-In-Residence” program and the “CHP in the Stacks” residency program from publishing company Coffee House Press (CHP) plan to offer stipends to selected writers to work in libraries and publicize their available resources.

Cincinnati Public Library hopes to show support for local writers and help to highlight their work through their residency program. The chosen writer will be given a monetary stipend and in turn will be required to teach a writer’s workshop, participate in library promotions, and speak at no less than four community events representing the library. Thanks to a donation from a local philanthropist, the library plans to continue the writer-in-residence program for three years.

Coffee House Press hopes that their writer-in-residency program will inspire other libraries to follow suit and collaborate with local writers. We’d love to hear about more writers-in-residency programs hosted by public libraries. If you know of one, tell us in the comments.

Sources

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/09/industry-news/libraries-welcome-writers-in-residence/#_

The post Writers-in-Residence at the Public Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.