Last Call: Stuffed Animal Slumber Parties Are Reason 8,032 Why We Love Libraries
Yes, I'm still on the constant search for cute, clinging to any sliver of joy that may fight its way to the front of my hellscape Twitter feed. Fortunately, I came across one of those elements today, and it's the cutest thing I ever heard of.
This week an economics professor came under fire in a (now-deleted) Forbes essay that stated that libraries should be replaced by Amazon bookstores, somehow completely missing the point that libraries are, in fact, free, as well as valuable community spaces for people of all incomes.
I love my local Chicago Public Library (Sulzer Branch, represent!), but today on Twitter people were posting about a library benefit I had never heard of. Apparently, some local branches host stuffed animal slumber parties, in which kids drop off their toys for the night and the librarians take pictures of the good time they're having on their overnight. So now I can't stop looking up stuffed animal slumber party photos on Twitter and Instagram. Just when I didn't think I could love libraries any more than I already do. [Gwen Ihnat]
On Amy Winehouse, seven years later
Gwen found some adorable stuffed animals to share; I present instead 5,000 words about a tragic pop star. Sorry, I promise a ray of sunshine tomorrow.
But I love Amy Winehouse's music, and I'm a fan of Leslie Jamison's writing. So when I saw that Jamison had written this piece analyzing our collective fascination with Winehouse's self-destruction—seven years after the singer's death—I dove in. It's a longread (literally, it's hosted by longreads.com) but it's a worthwhile piece of reading for any Winehouse fan. [Kate Bernot]