SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

October 11, 2015 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Sunday Reflections: That Time I Sat and Soaked in the Glorious Words of Roxane Gay

October 11, 2015 by Karen Jensen, MLS   Leave a Comment

badfeministI don’t know how I became aware of Roxane Gay, but it probably has something to do with working on the #SVYALit Project and Christa Desir and Carrie Mesrobian. A lot of my life has been learned and changed by working with Christa Desir and Carrie Mesrobian on the #SVYALit Project to be completely honest. But somewhere along the line, I began following Roxane Gay, author of the book Bad Feminist.

This week I am staying in Ohio to work my library job, and yes my life is weird. But this week was also OLC, the Ohio Library Conference. And my direct supervisor is also an OLC committee member and so when she said I want you to go to OLC on Thursday I said yes, because that’s what you do when your boss wants you to do something. It turns out that Thursday was also the day that Roxane Gay was speaking, so I chalk the day up as a win.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

In fact I also got to talk to authors Adam Silvera (More Happy Than Not) and Jasmine Warga (My Heart and Other Black Holes), which made the day even more of a win.

But listening to Roxane Gay, it was like sitting in a room full of thoughtful and reflective truthbomb after truthbomb. As she spoke, I couldn’t stop Livetweeting what she was saying. I thought that she came across as kind, gracious, humble, yet empowered and confident and challenging. She also read three or four of her essays and they were funny, insightful and sometimes charming. At the end of the day I stood in line to have a copy of the book signed and I couldn’t decide who to have it signed for: Myself, The Teen, Thing 2 . . . so in the end I asked her to sign it to all three of us and proclaimed, “maybe it will be our family heirloom” to which she replied, “well there’s no pressure there for an author.” We then went on to talk about what her favorite Channing Tatum movie is . . .

For me one of the main takeaways from everything that Roxane Gay was saying is that I didn’t have to be a perfect feminist – none of us are – but that you just have to keep trying. Recognize that each of us – you, me, the people you pass along the street – are not any one thing. I am not just a woman. I am not just a librarian, a mother, a wife – I am all of the these things and more. And my experience of events – even the same types of life events – are different than yours and that’s okay. There is no one universal experience, there is no right way to respond. And she demonstrated time and time again in her words that feminism is caring about all people, all of them, not just women.

And “She’s The Man” is probably the best Channing Tatum movie, in case you were wondering.

 

Live Tweeting Roxane Gay at #OLC15//

Storify by
TeenLibrarianToolbox
Fri, Oct 09 2015 13:58:48

Edit

Live Tweeting Roxane Gay at #OLC15

  1. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    I am listening to @rgay read from BAD FEMINIST!!!! Right now!!!

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 17:33:30

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  2. Reading about privilege - @rgay http://t.co/zK9G5Gr9eR

    Reading about privilege – @rgay pic.twitter.com/zK9G5Gr9eR

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    ·

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 17:35:56

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  3. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “Life is hard really for everyone” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 17:38:03

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  4. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “The acknowledgement of my privilege doesn’t erase the way I am marginalized” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 17:38:55

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  5. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “I hate knowing history, it ruins things” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 17:49:52

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  6. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “I’m a bad feminist because I’m inconsistent and I objectify Channing Tatum” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 17:50:39

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  7. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “I don’t want to be treated like shit just because I’m a woman” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 17:58:08

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  8. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    Feminism must be inclusive. We have more than one identity – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 17:59:18

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  9. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    People of all ages are afraid to claim feminism because it labels you as a man hater and outside the main. It’s the stigma. @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:01:17

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  10. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “People have to change, feminism doesn’t. The label is fine.” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:01:49

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  11. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “Privilege isn’t an accusation, it’s a statement of fact. So much of it is inherited. You don’t have to apologize, just consider it.” @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:03:01

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  12. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    @rgay next book is called Hunger and it is about trauma and the body, what is it like to be obese . . .

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:04:01

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  13. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    All privilege means is that you acknowledge what you have and what it costs others. – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:04:58

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  14. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    On trigger warnings: it’s too hard to anticipate what will trigger someone. We should be making students uncomfortable. @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:08:00

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  15. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    Bk recs: Age of Innocence, Laura Ingalls Wilder, James Baldwin, Possessing the Secret of Joy, Zadie Smith, Michael Chabon – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:09:37

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  16. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “There was no care in how she wrote about others” – @rgay on The Help

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:10:41

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  17. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “I think you can write about others and their differences, you just have to take care in it” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:11:26

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  18. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “Sometimes people just need you to bear witness and acknowledge that bad things happen” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:12:46

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  19. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “You don’t have to open yourself to atrocity every moment of every day, but be aware of the state of the world” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:13:26

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  20. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “It’s okay to have boundaries” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:13:50

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  21. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “We have more in common than we have differences” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:14:20

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  22. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    “No one experience is universal.” – @rgay

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:14:47

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  23. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    @iSmashFizzle – @rgay just said you were a smart, upcoming feminist who was going to do amazing things at this conference I am at!!!!

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:17:31

    ReplyRetweetFavorite
  24. TLT16

    TeenLibGhoulbox@TLT16
    You guys @rgay was so good and if you ever get a chance to listen to her you should go

    Thu, Oct 08 2015 18:20:03

    ReplyRetweetFavorite

 

Filed under: Sunday Reflections

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

July 2022

Sunday Reflections: What Do We Mean Both Sides of the Holocaust?

by Karen Jensen, MLS

June 2022

Sunday Reflections: On being a Librarian and a Christian parent to an LGBTQ kid with a uterus in 2022

by Karen Jensen, MLS

August 2021

Sunday Reflections: Endings and Beginnings

by Karen Jensen, MLS

July 2021

Sunday Reflections: In Which TLT Turns 10 and I Reflect

by Karen Jensen, MLS

November 2020

Sunday Reflections: We Promised Them Democracy

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Who’s Published the Most Newbery Winners in the Last 25 Years?

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

That Flag: An Interview with Tameka Fryer Brown

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Monkey Prince Vol. 1: Enter the Monkey | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Webcast Results

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

The Value of Innocence for BIPOC Students, a guest post by David Mura

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Looking Ahead: Our 2023 Preview

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Board Book Evolution: No Longer 'Just for Babies'

21 Books About Children and their Names

The Human Rainbow | Dr. Ibram X. Kendi on Antiracism

Pronouncing Kids’ Names Correctly Matters. Here’s How to Get it Right.

8 YA BookTubers To Watch Right Now

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023