Kawaii Kon 2008: The Recap April 23, 2008

We had another successful outreach event at the 2008 Kawaii Kon. The Kawaii Kon is basically a convention where anime and manga fans come together to meet and greet industry celebrities and other fans.  This year we were able to get funding from our Friends group for an outreach table.

At the convention we passed out free stuff (read here, leftover summer reading incentives) and talked about library services.  Many folks were happy to get goodies from us, and we were happy to bend their ear about library services.  A great idea that one of the other librarians came up with this year was a prize drawing for a gift bag.  The entry forms for the prize drawing gave a good idea of how many folks we were actually talking to amidst the hubbub.  The winners of the gift bags were quite enthusiastic about winning and those who didn’t win got other good stuff from us.  Of the goodies that we passed out, the buttons that we laboriously made were the best received.  Folks were happy to show us their library card in exchange for a 2.5 inch button featuring various manga and anime characters.

The coolest thing to me is the folks cosplaying (dressing up as anime/manga characters).

Here’s my favorite cosplayer: Kon.  I ran up to this guy and asked if I could take a picture of him.  Then I barraged him with questions about his costume.

Me: How long did it take you to make your costume?

Kon: 1 month.

Me: What is it made out of?

Kon: Foam, material, paper plate (for the bellybutton).

Me: It’s awesome!  Nice job.

Kon was really nice, and he’s already planning for his costume next year.  I can’t wait to see what it will be.

Another draw to the convention are the artists and vendors.  If you have an affinity for things anime/manga related the convention is a dangerous place to be.   You can spend your money in a multitude of ways.  I personally have a weakness for cute things and the Kawaii Kon has many a cute product.  From commissioned art pieces to t-shirts to Gothic & Lolita costumes, the Kawaii Kon has many a way for you to spend your weekly allowance or in my case my weekly allowance and a half.  I’ll be paper bagging lunch for the next couple of weeks.

I saw this table and couldn’t resist!  I bought a couple of octopi from this craftster and wish I bought a cupcake and a kitty.  I hope she’s there next year!

Photo by Cindy Ellen Russell of the Star Bulletin http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/21/news/photofinish.html

The “S” Word in YA Literature November 21, 2007

The “s” word in young adult literature is not the synonym for fecal matter, rather it’s that oh so snide remark that you and I have probably heard one too many times, slut. I’m not saying that anyone has ever called me a slut, but I’ve heard the term hurtfully used enough in my life to think of it as one of those pejoratives where there needs to be a movement to reclaim it. In Laura Ruby’s Good Girls the protagonist and her friends seem to get about as close to reclaiming the word as they can when they dress as virginal brides to the prom.

I recently read Sara Zarr’s Story of a Girl which also deals with this particular issue. What strikes me both in Good Girls and Story of a Girl is that neither girl is the dictionary definition of slut, rather they are mislabeled and maligned as such because of a specific event that changes their lives.

Webster.com defines slut as:

Main Entry:

slut

Pronunciation:

\ˈslət\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English slutte

Date:

15th century

1chiefly British : a slovenly woman

2 a: a promiscuous woman; especially : prostitute b: a saucy girl : minx

Audrey in Good Girls is photographed in an intimate situation and this photo circulates throughout school ruining her “good girl” reputation. Deanna in Story of a Girl is caught by her father making out with a guy in the backseat of a car. Neither girl is in a “committed” relationship and thus they are open to attack from their peers.

 

So here’s my little rant. Is sexual liberation limited to those who are 18 and older? Are we promoting literature that maintains the status quo where young women can have sex in stories but only if they’re in committed monogamous relationships? Good Girls and Story of a Girl do a great job of questioning the term slut and applaud both Laura Ruby and Sara Zarr for their brave stances. I can imagine that they’re getting a fair share of flack for their scrutiny of societal conceptions. Anyway, I’d like to write more, but my thoughts still aren’t totally fleshed out.

 

Hip Librarians September 23, 2007

Here’s a link to a very interesting New York Times article published in July, on gen-x librarians. I can totally identify! Are you a hip librarian?