May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. While no singular book could fully reflect the diversity of the Asian American experience, we hope that this selection will highlight current Asian American representation in the pages of a good book. 

The term Asian American was first coined in 1968 by University of California graduate students and activists, Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka; Asian American wasn’t just a convenient umbrella term: by uniting those subgroups linguistically, it also helped unite activists in their fight for greater equality. To read more about this history, check out this article from Time Magazine in 2020.

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. While no singular book could fully reflect the diversity of the Asian American experience, we hope that this selection will highlight current Asian American representation in the pages of non fiction and literary works that speak to identity, family, and more.

April marks the month where we celebrate the importance of poetry in our lives. National Poetry Month was created in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets as a way to bring about awareness and appreciation of this genre. At the CSW Library, we celebrate recent collections by poets of color who contribute, through their art form, to our collective consciousness about the racialized body, gender, sexuality, and what it means to be human in this world. This short list of selections features African American poets, Latinx and Indigenous writers, and their intersections: be they female, LGBTQ+ and more. Read more deeply about the titles here.

April is Arab American Heritage Month; the CSW Library hopes you will celebrate 5 authors from our collection who share the rich diversity of the Arab American experience in the United States. These stories feature themes that include faith, gender, sexuality, mixedness, and more. 

Arab Americans have ancestry in one of the world’s 22 Arab nations, which are located from northern Africa through western Asia. The people of these nations are ethnically, politically, and religiously diverse but share a common cultural and linguistic heritage.

Located on the mantle above the fireplace in the library, Heavy is a display that's both literal and figurative. These books explore complex community narratives about the African American experience--some require some serious heavy lifting as the reader, and some actually require a bit of muscle to lift.

Located in the magazine flat at the back of the library, this display features six titles by women of color who have made contributions to civil or political life in the United States, as well as expanded our understanding of the intersections of race and gender, in honor of Women's History Month 2021.

Located in the red New Books case to the left of the fireplace in the library, this display includes titles that are brand new to our collection, never been read (we actually don't recommend or endorse kissing any books. You know, love in the time of 'rona.) and feature unconventional love stories, sweet endings, and plots that bend toward the romantic.

Located on the mantle in the main library space, Small Sips: short, succinct stories without commitment features long form essay pairings that pack a serious thematic punch: from gender to art, climate, and borders, these short reads will provide lasting insights without taking much time to absorb.

Located in the Klutchman hallway, this display celebrates Black History Month 2021. Take a closer look at stories of the Black family--featuring a range of experiences that celebrate a family’s excellence, ancestors, malleability, triumphs, identity struggles, and in some cases, its direct impact on history and culture. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are 10 titles that provide access opportunities for every member of our community--from memoirs that deftly weave family experiences with racism, coming of age, and gender identity to denser, academic works that connect the family to the political.

Located in the magazine flats in the main library space, this selection of books features #OwnVoices fiction with Black protagonists on one side, and non fiction, essays, and poetry written by African American writers on the other. The CSW Library hopes that you engage with fiction by and about African Americans during Black History Month--immerse yourself in those worlds. Also, navigate to our BOOK of the WEEK feature to see four fiction titles that center the Black family this month. 

Located in the Magazine Flats at the back of the library, this display celebrates Native American Heritage Month 2020: Contemporary Indigenous Writers. Take a closer look at the breadth of fiction written by Indigenous authors today; these stories encompass a wide variety of genres including horror, dystopia, poetry, science fiction, historical fiction and more.

Located in the Magazine Flats at the back of the library, this display celebrates Native American Heritage Month 2020: Indigenous Writers of non-fiction, as well as political thought and commentary on contemporary Native issues.

Located on the mantle above the fireplace in the library, this collection of fiction novels features wicca, witchcraft, spells, and all things witchy. Fun, spooky, clever, there's something in each of these for everyone this Halloween season.

Located in front of the last row of non fiction stacks at the back of the library, this display features a collection of stories and novels set in other worlds or with fantasy and sci fi themes by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

October is LGBTQIA? History Month. 

Located in the back magazine flats, the display features books new to our collection that are either by queer authors of color or prominently feature people of color within the greater gay rights movement. You will find memoirs, an illustrated history, and even short stories and poetry.

Absorb a story or two ahead of National Coming Out Day, which is on October 11.

As part of Latinx Heritage Month 2020, the CSW Library has curated a list of titles by Afro-Latinx writers spanning Puerto Rico, Brazil, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, and more. This list features short stories, historical novels, YA adaptations of classic literature, and novels in verse.

To see if a title is still available for check out, browse the collection.

Located in the front window of the library by circulation, this display features books about voting, its history, and its place in American life as we head into a historic presidential election on Nov. 3.  

Located in the front window of the library by circulation, this display features seven titles rooted in fantasy--reality is bleak these days, so why not dive head first into a new world?

This display is located above the library's fireplace on the mantle. It features five new memoirs to our collection that take an intimate look at a moment in time in the writer's life.

From books to screen adaptations. Learn your favorite series’ origin story by picking up one of these titles.