Childhood Dreams Can Come True

When I was a child, the only Joliet Public Library branch was the downtown branch at 150 N. Ottawa St. was the only library I knew.

I thought all libraries were old marble and limestone buildings with arched windows. And in this wonderful space, I discovered all sorts of wonderful books to read all the way into eighth grade when we moved to New Lenox.

Picture books. Chapter books. Collections of short scary stories. "The Best Plays Of..." yearbooks, which I discovered in seventh grade, where, between those pages, I was introduced to such stage notables as Moss Hart, Marcel Marceau, and Cecil Beaton, and read wonderful scripts (the top ten were featured). 

You know how some authors dream of seeing their books in Barnes and Noble? Well, as a child, I dreamed of seeing my books downtown in the Joliet Public Library.

I knew both branches had some of my BryonySeries books as part of its local author collection, which WriteOn Joliet helped initiate. And I knew where to find those books at the Black Road branch.

But I didn't know where the Ottawa Street branch displayed the local authors...until one night, when Rebekah and I were leaving the library after editing the WriteOn Joliet radio play.

There they were - right in the middle of the lobby, near the main entrance.

Who says childhood dreams can't come true?