The Friends of the Library of West St.Tammany will have a book sale on Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19 from 9:00-4:00 at our building located at 1301 N Florida St. in Covington, near the fairgrounds. We sell books, DVDs, music and audio CDs ,vinyl records and puzzles from .25 -$2.
To celebrate summer, our specials include “Buy 1, Get 1 Free on all CDs and DVDs and books on travel, gardening and cookbooks.
For more information call Debbie Reed at 504-957-5898
Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson; (April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.
She became a poet and writer after a string of odd jobs during her young adulthood. These included fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, Porgy and Bess cast member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator, and correspondent in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. She was also an actress, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Beginning in the 1990s, she made approximately 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” (1993) at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. She was respected as a spokesperson for Black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of Black culture. Her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide, although attempts have been made to ban her books from some US libraries. Angelou’s most celebrated works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics consider them to be autobiographies. She made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes including racism, identity, family and travel. – from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou
The Friends of the Library of West St. Tammany ( FOTL) hope to re-open for business mid-November at their new location at 1301 North Florida Street near the fairgrounds in Covington, next to the LSU Ag Center. Look for the sign on the side of the white building. President Debbie Reed and husband Bob found the new location this past spring.
Books retired from the shelves of the Parish Library system and donated books and media from the community are sold by the non-profit FOTL to the public at low prices. Children’s books are .25, paperbacks are.50, hardbacks, CD’s and DVD’s sell for $1.
The FOTL is a non-profit organization that uses its funds to supplement the Parish Library’s annual budget, purchase equipment, and support projects at the west St. Tammany branches. The FOTL also sponsors the Lizabeth Millard scholarships for college from a pool of student applications submitted by senior students from St. Tammany Parish high schools. The total value of the scholarship is $2,000 for four years.
This year’s recipients were Abigail Herbert from Pope John Paul II Catholic High School in Slidell, who will be attending the University of Southern Mississippi, and Victoria Miller from Mandeville High School, who will attend Southeastern Louisiana University.
Victoria Miller (left) & Abigail Herbert (right)
Scout Troop 119 and other volunteers moved books and furnishings from the previous location in Hadden Hall on Janhke Ave in May of 2019. Jim and Pat Parrie offered a storage place for books and furniture until a new location could be found. Kevin Wallace and his staff at KP’s Construction prepared that new building and the Parish Library maintenance staff installed the donated bookshelves this past summer. Once again, Scout Troop 119 and other volunteers moved the books and furniture from our storage area to the new location in September.
The FOTL are again asking for volunteers to help sort and put books on the shelves. Two free books are given to volunteers for each hour they help. The new building is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00-4:00 for volunteers only to help. Call Alice McNeal at 479-244-0503 or Debbie Reed at 504-957-5898 for more information. For help with donations contact Bob Reed at 504-782-0330.
Visit the French Mix on Lee Lane in historic downtown Covington for contemporary home furnishing, local art, hand made pottery, gift items and accoutrements. Offering beautiful professional gift wrapping all holiday season! 228 Lee Lane in historic downtown Covington, Monday through 10 am – 5 pm, Saturdays 10 am – 5:30 pm and Sundays 11 am – 3 pm.
