martes, 29 de enero de 2019

jueves, 24 de enero de 2019

El regreso de la Piloto

La columna de Vivir en El Poblado


Los que nos fuimos lejos terminamos por no ser de ningún lado. Hace treinta años me fui de Medellín, porque tenía la sospecha de que Cartagena sería un lugar más propicio para hacer literatura. Hace veinte años me vine al país del sueño, porque en Cartagena tenía que relegar la literatura a las horas fatigadas de la madrugada. Aquí estudié, soy profesor, y después de muchos ires y venires encontré unas condiciones  que me permiten ganarme el pan y tener tiempo para escribir sin tener que vivir de lo que escribo. 

jueves, 10 de enero de 2019

Marilla Waite Freeman: A Life in Pictures, Letters, Articles and Manuscripts

Available in Amazon




A “goddess”, a “fire starter”, a “free spirit”, Marilla Waite Freeman (1870-1961) was determined to make libraries the “power house of society”, and to use literacy as the key for the pursuit of happiness. She was like a rock star. Artists revered her, entire communities were indebted to her enthusiasm, the small boys on the street would recognize her as “the library lady”. For seven decades she embodied the spirit of librarianship.
Marilla obtained a degree in Literature from the University of Chicago (1897) and a Law Degree from the University of Memphis (1921).  She was devoted most of her life to promoting the appreciation of poetry and worked for libraries in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New York and Cleveland, where she was librarian of the second largest public library in the country
Nothing seemed alien to her interest. In addition to her many influential articles on general and reference librarianship, she wrote about censorship, the role of libraries in war times, hospital libraries, adult education, the film industry, and the relationships between the libraries and their communities. Her many achievements and distinctions also included being a contributing writer to the Encyclopedia Americana, being the First Vicepresident of the American Library Association and receiving a Distinguished Service Medal on the 50th Anniversary of the University of Chicago.
After her death, Marilla fell into oblivion. For almost five decades her legacy stayed in the shadows. But now she is back to business and ready to be the inspiration many people need. It is time for the Library Lady to become the living legend she was meant to be.