Save My Liberry!

A friend in New Jersey just alerted me to this article in the New York Times about how Ray Bradbury made an appearance last weekend in my home town of Ventura, California, doing a benefit talk for the local library. This is significant to me for two reasons. One, I did not know the library was even in danger (though I suppose they all are at this point, aren't they?) and the H.P. Wright Library played a huge part in my childhood. It was not far from our house and I would ride my bike down there after school or on weekends, and hang out and read all the Anne of Green Gables books and all of the Oz books. I loved hiding out in that place. Sometimes my friend Meg would come, and after we were done looking at books we would go to Taco Bell and share a tostada before riding our bikes back home. I just have distinct, fond memories of the library. I really hope it doesn't get shut down, even though I don't live there any more.

The second thing that's amazing about this whole thing is just the fact that Ray Bradbury - Ray Bradbury! I didn't even know the man was still alive - thinks the Ventura library is important. That's pretty cool. Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of my all-time favorites. I remember when we read that book in high school. My teacher assigned us pages to read for the next day, as teachers do - "Read through Chapter X for tomorrow." - and he had us stop at the end of a chapter right in the middle of some amazing cliffhanger, like, there was no way we weren't going to keep reading to see what happened! So we got to class the next day, and John (the teacher) says, rather smugly, "Okay, so who was able to stop reading at that point?" and we all sort of chuckled, and this one kid raised his hand, and we all rolled our eyes at him, because, wanker.

Anyway, I'm sending a check to the library today. If anyone else is interested, here's the info!

Save Wright Library

P.O. Box 403
Ventura, CA 93002
(make checks out to Save Wright Library)

Ventura County Star article about the fundraising efforts