What's New!

Commemorating the start of Arts Month in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region, Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) is pleased to announce the region’s first Pikes Peak Poet Laureate since 2017. Ashley Cornelius is a nationally recognized and award-winning spoken word poet in Colorado. Her poetry has been featured at TEDx Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College, the Colorado Springs Women's March, Denver Public Library, Colorado Nonprofit Association, as well as on many stages. Additionally, she was the 2018 Women of the World Poetry Slam Colorado Springs representative and competed nationally. A winner of multiple poetry Slams in Colorado Springs, Cornelius was also the Colorado Springs Independent Best of Artist in 2019 and was recognized by the Colorado Springs Business Journal as a Rising Star in 2021. She is sought after across the nation for speaking engagements and workshop facilitation utilizing poetry.

“It is an honor to select Ashley Cornelius to serve as the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate,” said Dustin Booth, project chair and PPLD Manager for The Hall at PPLD (formerly known as Knights of Columbus Hall). “She will be an incredible ambassador for the arts in the Pikes Peak region and her poetry inspires those who witness her work to think deeper about the roles we all play in our community.” Cornelius was selected through a competitive Poet Laureate application and interview process. The Poet Laureate committee contributed to the selection process and included Molly Wingate, Juan J. Morales, Andy Vick, Michael Ferguson, and Susan Peiffer. Cornelius’s four-year term will begin late October. As Poet Laureate she will work closely with the Library District to build a literary arts community through poetry by developing an appreciation of written and performance poetry, as well as inspiring and celebrating poetry and poets in the Pikes Peak region with dynamic programs of engagement, advocacy, and education. “This is an incredible honor, and I am excited to serve as the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate,” said Cornelius. “My intentions are to reach as many people as we can through poetry and storytelling and to be a champion for equity, diversity, and inclusion in our local creative spaces.” PPLD will host an official inauguration ceremony appointing Cornelius as the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate at a celebration on Sat., Oct. 23 at The Hall at PPLD (formerly known as Knights of Columbus Hall), part of the Penrose Library campus in downtown Colorado Springs. The event will start at 6 p.m. and will feature presentations by a few rising stars in the Colorado Springs poetry community, pieces by previous poet laureates, and a keynote presentation by Cornelius.

Celebrate dinosaurs this DINOvember with PPLD! Check out a Dinosaur Storytime and be on the lookout for dinosaurs in your Library! Find the dinosaur at your Library and go to the desk for a prize!

DINO Programs

Dinosaur Resource Center

• When: Sat., Nov. 20 from 11 a.m. - noon
• When: Sat., Nov. 20 from 1 - 2 p.m.
• Where: Library 21c Venue

Celebrate DINOvember with Pikes Peak Library District by attending the Dinosaur Resource Center program for kids ages 3 - 12! Come and learn about these amazing creatures that roamed the earth thousands of years ago.

Take and Make Dinorama

• When: Fri., Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Where: All Library Locations

Make a habitat for a tiny dinosaur and decorate it with all kinds of fun supplies! Name your little dino and make sure to read it your favorite stories! For ages 5 - 12, while supplies last.

Virtual Puppet Show: Dinosaurs!

• When: Mon., Nov. 1 - Thu., Dec. 30
• Where: Virtual

ROAR! Do you want to be a dinosaur? Go back in time and discover the pre-historic steps of the gentle giants, primeval predators and leaping lizards that once stalked the earth. Fascinating dino-facts are revealed as erupting volcanoes, catchy tunes, and life-like puppets make this colossal creation come to life! Presented by the Center for Puppetry Arts. Duration 45 min.

DINOsources

• DINOVember: The Month When Plastic Dinosaurs Come to Life!
• Carnegie DINO-booklist
• DINO-Books in our Catalog!

Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us. “I’m offended”….”How can I explain this to my kid?”….”This isn’t what I believe”….The idea that books that present these challenges should be taken off of the shelves, and the opposing assertion that all knowledge should be available to everyone, is the foundation of librarians’ favorite holiday week: Banned Books Week, Sat., Sept. 26 - Sat., Oct. 2.

Programs and PPLD Resources

Teens Eat: Book-tasting Get ready to sample books and snacks! You will be introduced to four different Banned Books that will each be paired with a related snack. Child and Young Adult Reading List

Banned Books

When you read a book or watch a movie, ever think to yourself “I’m offended” or ”How can I explain this to my kid?” or ”This isn’t what I believe”? Those thoughts are common and every library has something that offends someone. Banned Books Week is about keeping materials available for all – even if they offend someone. The American Library Association honors this tradition by taking the time to educate us all on intellectual freedom. Banned Books Week launched in the 1980s after a rise in challenging and banning controversial materials (including Hop on Pop, by Dr. Seuss).), In short, this is your right to read whatever you want, whether someone else agrees with it or not. So this Banned Books Week, go out and explore without limitations! Read the books that you want to read and find the information that you want to know whether it’s offensive, different, scary, magical, or anywhere in between!

The Top 10 National List The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 156 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2020. Of the 273 books that were targeted, here are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books:

1. George by Alex Gino
   • Reasons: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community”
2. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
   • Reasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people
3. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
   • Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now”
4. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
   • Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
   • Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author
6. Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
   • Reasons: Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
   • Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience
8. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
   • Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes, and their negative effect on students
9. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
   • Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse
10. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
    • Reasons: Challenged for profanity, and it was thought to promote an anti-police message

Check out challenged titles at PPLD.

Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) believes in freedom of information for all and does not practice censorship. The selection of Library materials is predicated on the patron's right to read and freedom from censorship by others. Library materials may be controversial and any given item may offend some person. Selections for the Library are made solely on the merits of the material, in relation to the development of a collection that serves the needs and interests of a diverse population. Community members are always welcome to submit a reconsideration request form for Library materials. Please see our Challenge Materials Policy for more information.