More than ever, mental health needs all of the support! We sat down with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Western Slope to discuss the amazing FREE resources NAMIws offers our community. Program Director Leslie Kent and Executive Director Kevin Barclay share the history of NAMI, what tools NAMI offers to help individuals and families with mental illnesses, and upcoming services for 2021.

Visit namiws.org to discover free support groups, education, presentations, and more.

Need direct support from Nami? Contact NAMIWS at 970-462-3989 or NAMIwesternslope@gmail.com

Discover Mesa County Libraries mental health resources:

https://guides.mesacountylibraries.org/covid19/health

The Mask You Live In - Watch for FREE with your library card:
https://mcpld.kanopy.com/video/mask-you-live

THE MASK YOU LIVE IN follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America's narrow definition of masculinity.

Pressured by the media, their peer group, and even the adults in their lives, our protagonists confront messages encouraging them to disconnect from their emotions, devalue authentic friendships, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflicts through violence. These gender stereotypes interconnect with race, class, and circumstance, creating a maze of identity issues boys and young men must navigate to become "real" men.

Experts in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, sports, education, and media also weigh in, offering empirical evidence of the "boy crisis" and tactics to combat it. The Mask You Live In ultimately illustrates how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of boys and young men.

Prepare to have your hearts warmed! It's the season of giving and Mesa County Libraries and Grand Valley Catholic Outreach have come together for the eleventh consecutive year of community connection. Catholic Outreach Volunteer Coordinator Ellen Riemer and Mesa County Libraries Head of Collection Management Betsey Dick sat down with us to discuss the uplifting history of providing well over 1,000 gifts to local underprivileged individuals through The Giving Tree. For those wanting to participate in The Giving Tree 2020 visit https://www.dreamlist.com/for/mcpldgivingtree now through December 5, 2020 and grab a virtual tag! Fulfill the gift request and return the unwrapped gifts via curbside service at the Central, Clifton, Fruita, Palisade, or Orchard Mesa library locations. For questions about The Giving Tree, please contact Betsey at 970-683-2404 or bdick@mcpld.org Looking for some sweet deals this year but also want to support local businesses with your holiday shopping? Visit https://mesacountylibraries.org/librarydeals/ and check out what local businesses provide discounts when you flash your library card! Fulfilling a gift request via Amazon? Order through smile.amazon.com and select Grand Valley Catholic Outreach or the Mesa County Libraries Foundation as your charity so a portion of your order is donated back into your community! For more information on how to support Grand Valley Catholic Outreach, whether it be donating in-kind contributions, socks, gloves, hats, NEW underwear, men's pants, or other items to their clothing bank, visit www.catholicoutreach.org/ or call (970) 241-3658.

It's the spookiest time of the year and we invited two special guests to discuss double murders, elevator ghosts, supernatural activities, the valley curse, and casket caves! A special thank you to Bob Silbernagel, author and journalist, and librarian Ike for joining us on this creeeEeepy episode!

Resources mentioned in this episode:
• Historic Adventures on the Colorado Plateau by Bob Silbernagel (available for checkout on our catalog)
• Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection - https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/
• Spooky movies available to stream online for free with your library card – mcpld.kanopy.com/category/38153
mcpld.kanopy.com/video/missing-411
• Book Sale to benefit Friends of Mesa County Libraries, 9 am - 2 pm Friday, October 30, 2020 - ALL SALES CASH ONLY. First Congregational Church, 1425 N. 5th St. (across from Grand Junction High School).

Isolation is bad for everyone. Health-wise, isolation is the same as smoking 15 cigarettes every single day.

Since March 2020, we’ve all experienced some of the negative effects of isolation. What we don’t realize is that sense of loneliness we’ve felt for a few months is actually many people’s everyday lives.

The Mesa County senior population needs quality nutrition and socialization. Amanda DeBock, Program Manager of Meals on Wheels Mesa County, sat down with Bethany and Emmi to discuss how this SCL Health sponsored-program changes lives right in our neighborhood. This mostly senior-volunteered program delivers over 500 meals a DAY to individuals 60+.

Enjoy this uplifting episode and learn about how Meals on Wheels Mesa County has pivoted their services to continue providing healthy resources to our seniors with frozen meals, contactless deliveries, and new partnerships with local food banks.

For more information on how to volunteer, look at the menu, make a donation, or just learn more about Meals on Wheels Mesa County, visit http://mealsonwheelsmesacounty.org/

Thank you to Amanda and SCL Health for sitting down with us for an energetic conversation!

Mesa County Libraries resources for seniors:
Senior Living Guide: https://guides.mesacountylibraries.org/seniorliving
Book Delivery Services: https://mesacountylibraries.org/services/words-on-wheels-books-by-mail/

It's finally here! Virtual Comic Con at Home runs October 1 - October 31, complete with: 

►Now - Oct 22 Comic Con Art Show: visit our Central Location to see the art in person, or see our Facebook album)

►Oct 1 - 31 All Ages Graphic Novel Reading Challenge (register now) Prizes include: mystery bags filled with graphic novels, Comic Con swag, local gift cards, and much more!

►Oct 2 - 9 Comic Con Take and Make (available while supplies last)

►Oct 6 at 2:00 p.m. Comic Con Story Time via Zoom

►Oct 7 at 10:00 a.m. Comic Con Story Time in Spanish via Zoom

►Oct 7 at 6 p.m. Vintage Toys with Artist in Residence Evan Curtis via Zoom (registration required)

►Oct 8 at 10:00 a.m. Comic Con Story Time via Zoom

►Oct 10 Cosplay Contest video release on social media

►Oct 16 at 4:00 p.m. Comic Con Teen Trivia via Zoom (registration required)

Visit mesacountylibraries.org/comiccon for all the details for Virtual Comic Con at Home!

Check out the NPR Coronavirus Comic mentioned in this episode here: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/07/811616161/kids-around-the-world-are-reading-nprs-coronavirus-comic

Listener discretion is advised for this episode. Trigger warnings are listed below for each banned book discussed.

1:50 - 9:45 Perks of Being a Wallflower, 13 Reasons Why: Suicide
10:10 - 18:38 The Hate U Give: Death, shooting of a black student by a white policeman
18:45 - 34:40 George: Transgenderism
35:00 - 44:40 Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Content frightening in nature (spooky!)
44:45 - 52:08 Prince & Knight: Teen Suicide, LGBTQ+
52:16 - 1:04:00 No trigger warning! A great discussion on how banned books influence reading.

Censorship is whack, yo. Mesa County Libraries strives to ensure our patrons always have access to resources they need and want, and works to expand our collection to include and represent diverse voices. Throughout history, books discussing varied topics have been challenged or banned from library shelves. Banned Books week is a celebration of the freedom to read, draws attention to books that have been banned and challenged, and highlights persecuted individual. We at Mesa County Libraries are no friends of censorship, and encourage our patrons to read outside of your comfort zone by picking up a banned book and expand your world view! Thank you to Andy, Andrea, Trevor, Rachel, Logan and Elise for joining us on the podcast to discuss some of their favorite (or not so favorite) banned books. You can find all of the books discussed in this episode and many banned and challenged reading lists on our catalog at mesacountylibraries.org. To read more about WHY each book has been banned or challenged, visit marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks

Banned Books mentioned in this episode:
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - recommended by Andy
Th1rteen r3asons why by Jay Asher
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - recommended by Andrea
George by Alex Gino - recommended by Trevor

Check out the Our Diverse World booklist and Banned and Challenged YA Books at mesacountylibraries.org!

Have you ever read an article from The Onion and laughed? Have you then observed a family member share that same article on Facebook, believing it was fact? How do you politely let her know what she's sharing as "truth" is actually satire?

Information Literacy and Digital Literacy sound like big, scary, words the average person wouldn't use. But when it comes down to it, Information Literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.

In a digital age where information is being shared quickly and without second thought, we need to build up our Digital Literacy, which the ALA defines as: “the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.”
Basically, using technology appropriately and effectively.

Bethany and Emmi sit down with frequent guest and Librarian Ike to discuss misinformation, disinformation, confirmation bias, and maybe the most important ways to combat the spread of falseness and intent to harm: Fact Checking and the CRAP Test (no, seriously).

Mesa County Libraries is always available to assist patrons in finding facts and evaluating sources. Visit mesacountylibraries.org, email us at ask@mcpld.org, or call 970-243-4442 for more information.

We're back with Season 3, baby! Evan Curtis, our fall 2020 Artist in Residence, is offering both virtual and in-person programs! Learn how to do stop motion animation, create sound effects, and enjoy a virtual tour of his vintage toy collection. Visit mesacountylibraries.org and check out our event calendar for all of Evan's Artist in Residence programs, and visit him during his Meet and Greet hours from 4 - 6 p.m. every Thursday August - November.

We have so many excellent goodies for our Children and Teen patrons! Every Friday we're releasing a craft Take and Make kit and an instructional video on our social media pages for you to follow along. You can pick these kits up at any of our locations, and even schedule to pick one up when you pick up your holds curbside! Call 970-243-4442 to schedule your Take and Make pickup.

Bethany is joined this week by TJ Smith and Chandler Smith, founders of Creative’s Landing, to discuss Riff for Relief - a music initiative tied to West Slope Startup Week that highlight the region’s incredible music scene, while raising needed funds for the many artists who have suffered financial hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode also features musician W.ill. of Wowzers, a good vibe jazz hip hop trio participating in Riff for Relief!

Riff for Relief is from 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m., Thursday, July 30, 2020. This free show will involve prerecorded Mini Desk sessions, a live Singer Songwriter Round, Special Guest and Headliner. The music will be accompanied by an art gallery with a percentage of proceeds going to the Grand Valley Music Relief Fund. Visit westslopestartupweek.com/music/ to reserve your in-person seat at Mesa Theatre, or watch the livestream event on Creative’s Landing’s Facebook page at facebook.com/Creatives-Landing.

GoFund Me to support local artists: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/riff-for-relief

Featured Musicians:
The Show:
Mini Desk Prelude (PRERECORDED)
- El Camino Burnout
- Suckafish
- Valley Curse
- Wave 11
- Wowzer

Singer Songwriter Round (LIVE)
- Dave Mensch
- Talya Dewey (of Rizzo)
- Morgan Crouse (of Southside Highway)

Special Guest (LIVE)
- Cosmo

Headliner (LIVE)
- Still House String Band

Welcome to Community Conversations! A series of conversations Mesa County Libraries staff has with passionate and informed community members. On our first ever Community Conversations episode, Bethany and Emmi sat down with the Tremaine Jackson, Head Football Coach at Colorado Mesa University. Hired in late 2019, Coach Jackson has navigated a wide variety of changes not only related to how he adapted running practice of a team of 100+ players due to COVID-19, but on a community level opening up a dialogue of being uncomfortable, participating in peaceful protests, and raising the acknowledgement of racism in the Grand Valley. Settle in for a conversation about race relations and bias and how we as a community can use our resources to learn, discover, create, and connect with everyone around us. Thank you Coach Jackson for an educational, kind, and much needed conversation!

For more information about resources mentioned in this episode, visit mesacountylibraries.org. Find the Mesa County Oral History Project on our website at https://mesacountylibraries.org/mcohp/, and be sure to stop in our Central Regional History Room to review "Hooded Empire: the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado" by Robert Goldberg, to learn important and relevant history about the roots of racism in Colorado. For more books about Race in America, visit https://mesa.marmot.org/.