Inspiration for Washington library programs comes from many people

Inspiration comes in many forms. We can hear a song or read a book or have a conversation which will inspire us with new ideas.

My inspiration for the Book Club of Letters at the Washington Public Library came from three different places. One place was our 'Covid Disconnect” (my term). The pandemic made us all disconnected physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Another inspiration was LeAnn Kunz's library program, 'Stories From the Recipe Box,” a planned collection of handwritten family recipes and the stories behind them. These will be collected and shared many ways including a printed booklet during the month of March.

Sharing family recipes and history is the epitome of being connected. The last inspiration came from one of our beloved patrons. This woman loves to write letters and she has written to a friend of hers for over 50 years. I think we all have cherished letters from a parent, friend or former beau that we have kept for years.

To bring back the tradition of letters, a patron would read the book, then write a letter to the next patron describing their thoughts on the book. My hope is that ideas and thoughts are shared, pondered and shared again. If you would like to join the Book Club of Letters, call the Washington Public Library at 319-653-2726 to find out the variety of books we are offering for this program.