Since I was but a wee girl, I’ve tended to associate groups and people with different sights, sounds, smells, and media that I consumed. Even if I can’t place a person or things as far as where I know them, I usually can place where in my life I’ve seen, heard, or smelled something or someone similar which will then jog my memory of where I know them from.

I have no control of my associations! My parents have asked why I associate certain movies, music, and movies with them, and I have no clue!

Speaking of my parents that is where I will begin!

My dear mother hates hearing this, but she is the reason I got heavily into body modification and was oh-so goth as a teen. She had a gold tooth and multiple ear piercings, and her favorite color was and still is black on black on black! She was one of the only mothers I saw as a small kid who liked what she liked and wore what she wore, and I thought that was cool...until I was teen of course! Yet, I still aped her style.

Titles that instantly conjure my mom in my mind:

• The Piercing Bible by Elayne Angel
• New Jack City (1991)
• Bodies of Subversion by Margot Mifflin
• Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche (2022)
• The High Desert by James Spooner

Now, late-night or early morning drives, especially in the passenger seat, always conjure up memories of the school and work pick-ups and drop-offs my mom did for the whole family.

• janet. by Janet Jackson
• The Very Best of Aretha Franklin-- the 60s by Aretha Franklin
• Donny Hathaway by Donny Hathaway

Mrs. Linda Harrison is why I went to library school and became a librarian! Mind you, at that point in my existence, I already had a graduate degree from Tennessee State University and just wanted to be done with school. However, Linda pointed out that up to that point, I had worked in libraries far longer than where my major would have taken me, and only used my degree tangentially. She was correct, so here I am! So, for Linda, I think of very classic and timeless sophistication.

• Dick Tracy (1990)
• Carmen Jones (1954)
• Letter from Burmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.
• A Library by Nikki Giovanni 

Music

• Billie Holiday’s Greatest Hits by Billie Holiday
• Kathleen Battle at Carnegie by Kathleen Battle
• Brava Jessye- The Very Best of Jessye Norman by Jessye Norman
• Moving On Up a Little Higher by Mahalia Jackson

I met Carlos (right) when I was a library page-- 17 years ago! Many of the pages I worked with then are still NPL employees or returning to NPL from years-long hiatuses. He’s very into fitness and wellness and probably unknowingly inspired me to care just a smidge more than I did about living in relative wellness past 30. Most of the books I associate with him are cookbooks, and I realize I have no idea if he cooks! 

• Rise and Run by Shalane Flanagan
• House on Haunted Hill (1999)
• Equilibrium (2015)
• Point Break (1991)
• Daria: The Complete Animated Series (2010)

The Music: 

• Very Necessary by Salt-n-Pepa
• Fashion Nugget by Cake (Going the Distance)

Syreeta (left) was/is my favorite supervisor. She was very good at giving our team a sense of direction and purpose. I was delighted but saddened when I flew our branch coop and became a manager. She has a cool and calm personality, and her style is inspiring.

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) (Scene: Eye on the Sparrow ft. Lauryn Hill and Tanya Blunt)
Nope (2022)
The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monae

The Music

• Supa Dupa Fly by Missy Elliot 
• Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
• The Chief by Jidenna 
   

Bassam is our Be Well coordinator. He is very much about creating and caring for one’s community. He provides me and my EP peeps with hygiene and self-care items, pamphlets, and flyers. He champions putting good words into action and embodies the restorative justice model of holding oneself and others accountable while providing others with a sense of safety and compassion. He also learns and develops strategies to facilitate the former two.

Bassam is currently helping Edmondson Pike realize our dream of having a community garden! Bassam alongside our intrepid circulation department have drummed up much support from the South Nashville community to help sponsor our garden. While hurrying and waiting, Bassam has participated in other EP endeavors, such as the Tennessee Environmental Council’s Tree Day order pick-up event.

• Atlanta (2016-2022)
• Us (2019)
• Octavia’s Brood by Walidah Imarisha (Editor) & adrienne maree brown (Editor)
• Get Guerrilla Gardening by Ellen Miles
• Aeon Flux: The Complete Animated Collection (1991-1995)

The Music

• In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson
• Telegram by Bjork
• Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence by Glassjaw
• The Bedlam of Goliath by The Mars Volta
• The Ugly Organ by Cursive