THE VALLEY’S LGBTQ+ LIBRARY

SINCE 2020, THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY LGBTQ+ CENTER HAS GARNERED MORE THAN 200 BOOKS

words & photo by mckenna scherer

THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY CENTER HAS MOVED AROUND QUITE A BIT OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, and with the pandemic, it has frequently shifted its hours, too. Now settling into August, the Center, 505 S. Dewey St., is open most days of the week and also by appointment for whatever needs folks reaching out may have – including access to the Center’s library.

The library is dedicated to connecting Valley residents to diverse works by LGBTQ+ writers in order to recognize, celebrate, and share their voices from throughout history and all over the world, as is explained in its mission statement. Matt Klein, vice president and head of the library and resources at the Center, launched the library in 2020.

However, due to several relocations and the COVID-19 pandemic, the library was operating mostly remotely throughout 2020 and 2021, even arranging times to drop books off at people’s doorsteps. Now, people of all ages can stop by the Center to check out anything from the library, which has more than 200 publications.

The library has graphic novels, cookbooks, poetry, nonfiction, children’s books, and more, most of them available thanks to donations from various places, like its local authors’ section, whose authors donated many of their own books themselves.

“We’ve been very conscious of trying to build up a wide variety,” said Charles Payseur, vice president and head of operations. “I think it’s important to show people all the different stories that queer creatives tell. It’s cookbooks, poetry; It’s everything.”

Klein also pointed out not all of the library’s books are about LGBTQ-specific topics either, though all of its publications come from LGBTQ+ authors. “(The books) don’t always have to be about queer-specific stuff,” Klein said. “Like, there’s one about fermenting food, and the author just happens to be queer and an AIDS advocate.”

Anyone can borrow from the library, and the snug area near the bookshelves offers seating for folks who want to browse for a while and even read there. Items can be checked out electronically or through library slips available at the Center.

The Center has an Amazon wishlist of books for its library and a donation link for anyone who may be interested in supporting.

Follow the C.V. LGBTQ+ Center on Facebook (@lgbtcommunitycenter).

TWO CHIPPEWA VALLEY WRITERS ARE AMONG THE FINALISTS in the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letter’s annual Fiction & Poetry Contest. Each year the contest draws submissions from writers across the state. Winners will be announced Aug. 15, and the winning entries (as well as those of many of the finalists) will be published in the coming year in Wisconsin People & Ideas, the academy’s magazine. Among the 10 Fiction Contest finalists is Tom Pamperin, for his story “In Rock Springs When the Angel Trumpets Sound.” Pamperin, of Chippewa Falls, is a freelance writer and author of the book Jagular Goes Everywhere. Among the 15 Poetry Contest finalists is Bruce Taylor, also of Chippewa Falls, for his poem “Full Disclosure.” Taylor is a professor emeritus of English at UW-Eau Claire and curator of Volume One’s Local Lit feature. Contest winners will receive cash prizes, a reading at the Wisconsin Book Festival in Madison, and a oneweek residency at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point. –Volume One staff