Banned Books Week: September 21-27, 2014
(songs by John Denver, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Kris Delmhorst & more!)
Before I discovered music, books were my salvation: a haven from the real world, where stories always resolved and heroes always played to type, except when they didn’t. And I still read voraciously, in long and shortform, genre fiction and non-fiction, though not so much as in middle school, when I would crouch secretive and sly on the carpet of my bedroom, squinting into the spellbound page by the light of the crack in the door.
My relationship with literature has diminished, albeit slightly. But it has also shifted quite a bit. For one thing, the words we read in the 21st century zip through space in memes and moments, making anything more than a skim and dash precious and rare. And although librarians have long held my deepest respect, now they are among my most valuable coworkers: the young guy with the hipster checks and the everpresent Starbucks cup who joined our school last year is my kind of guy, a true friend in a sea of stress, and I trust him intimately as a keeper of the words we cherish, watching as the graphic novel section under his thumb grows to take over the library like kudzu, and the students alongside.
Books are part and parcel of my livelihood, too. I got my start as a media specialist, working hand in hand with the library staff; I’ve weeded entire libraries down to nothing, and served my hours at the reference desk; I even spoke at the New England Association of School Librarians annual conference one year. I teach Communications, and media, and include the printed word as part and parcel of the new media package we explore; I teach English, too, some years, which means literature and language, and delving deep into more than a few of the books on the “perennially banned” list kept by the American Library Association, including 1984, Lord of the Flies, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, and Sherman Alexi’s magnificent coming-of-age story The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
These titles are on the tip of my tongue today: it’s the last day of Banned Books Week, in which librarians, bookstores, publishers and readers around the world celebrate the printed word, and take a yearly stand for access to all, free from the bars of censorship and obscuration. So here’s a mixtape with a topical theme to honor the week gone by; interested literature buffs are also invited to check out our older Covered in Folk features Songs Inspired By Literature and Songs Inspired By Shakespeare.
I Write The Book: A Cover Lay Down Mixtape[zip!]
- Rose Polenzani & Rose Cousins: The Book Of Love (orig. The Magnetic Fields)
- Sarah Jarosz: The Book of Right On (orig. Joanna Newsom)
- Alison Brown: Everyday I Write The Book (orig. Elvis Costello)
- Unsinkable Boxer: When I Write The Book (orig. Nick Lowe)
- Treva Blomquist: I Write The Book (orig. Patty Griffin)
- Tom Corwin & Tim Hockenberry: My Back Pages (orig. Bob Dylan)
- Amy Black: Words Fail You (orig. Kris Delmhorst)
- Ani DiFranco: The Poet Game (orig. Greg Brown)
- Dawn McCarthy And Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy: Poems and Prayers and Promises (orig. John Denver)
Cover Lay Down posts regularly with songs and summations at the intersection of coversongs and the folkways thanks to the generous support of readers like you. Coming soon: new cover EPs and LPs from labels and artists near and far, and a very special feature on a brand new concert series hosted by yours truly!
Category: Mixtapes 2 comments »
September 27th, 2014 at 5:44 pm
Love your posts and was really looking forward to hearing this but unfortunately the zip file link is not working.
[Whoops – forgot to upload it. Should be working now, Paul!]
November 2nd, 2014 at 8:37 am
Peter Gabriel wrote The Book Of Love !
[No, it’s a common misconception, but he didn’t. In fact, he included it on his “I’ll scratch your back…” covers album, which says that he knows he didn’t write it. – boyhowdy]