Catholicism

I'm a Librarian Again!

Lacey Louwagie

Aug 4, 2014 • 2 min read

One of the best jobs I’ve ever had was as a teen services librarian for a rural library. It was incredibly fulfilling, as working with youth is often rewarding, not to mention FUN, and I got paid to know lots of stuff about Young Adult Literature. On top of that, it was a part-time position, which meant I could balance it with my freelance work and still keep my primary clients happy.

Leaving that job was one of the hardest parts of moving away after I got married; I worked in a circulation position in my new city for a little over a year, but it just wasn’t the same. When I was offered a reporter position with a national news agency, I quit the library and wistfully wondered if my library days were over.

Well, they were NOT over. In addition to retaining a relationship with my beloved rural library, I am now the owner of a Little Free Library! I’m back in business as a part-time librarian!

From left to right: My dad, who built and installed the library, my husband, and me.

A closeup. — A closeup (come on, you know you want to try to read the book spines!).

Included in the library are copies of both my books, Hungering & Thirsting for Justice and Rumpled (which is still free on Kindle through tomorrow!)

And as if this book goodness isn’t enough, over the weekend I received a copy of Living True: Lesbian Women Share Stories of Faith, the book for which I wrote my personal essay “Where I First Met God,” which I then submitted to Unruly Catholic Women Writers. Unruly found a publisher first, so my essay went into Living True as a “reprint” despite being written specifically for that collection. Publishing is funny that way.

The production on Living True is absolutely gorgeous, and it was worth the wait. My only qualm is in the subtitle, since the anthology includes stories by queer Catholic women who don’t identify as lesbian per se — my essay is about the experience of being bisexual and Catholic. I guess that’s why I’m glad places like the Religious Institute are specifically addressing bi invisibility.

Still, it’s a blessing that a book addressing the lives of queer-identified Catholic women exists, and I can’t wait to read it. First, however, I will be finishing my re-read of my friend Marie’s book, Plover Landing. So many books, so little time!