![Jamberry by [Degen, Bruce]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51f8qn6H35L.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
My water story goes something like this: Growing up, my sister, our cadre of cousins, and I bopped around from one relative’s home to the next. While we may have gotten into a few pickles, our summer story was mostly sweet.
When the berries ripened on the Seattle river banks, all of our relatives from my granny to my aunts and uncles to the tiniest of cousins would pile into a variety of boats and barges and float down the river, stopping along the way to harvest the wild berries. When our buckets were filled, we returned to Granny’s house for an intense jam session. It wasn’t unusual to see bramble-scraped arms, berry-stained mouths, and paraffin-dipped fingertips. And smiles. Dozens of smiles that lasted all year long as we popped open our coveted jars of summer-fresh jam.
It might be why I can recite Bruce Degen’s Jamberry, as if it were a Shakespeare original.
Do you have a unique or interesting water story? Or one steeped in tradition like a good cup of tea? Has water (or the lack thereof) played an important role in your life? If so, Meinders Community Library would love to hear from you.
As a host community for the traveling exhibit of We Are Water MN this summer, we are gathering stories that convey your relationship to water. We are looking for 10-15 individuals who would like to share their water-related experiences through an interview that may make up part of the exhibit.
The interviews will take place between Wednesday, February 26 and Friday, February 28, and should be scheduled by the end of next week.
What are we looking for? Ways water has impacted you. If you are interested in sharing your story, please fill out the form below and let us know how to best reach you. If we can make it work, we will schedule you for an interview. Your voice is important to us, and your stories matter–no matter how big or small, or sweet or sour they may be.

Getting a solid head count on who lives where helps the government disperse funds appropriately. According to our training on the 2020 Census, Minnesota receives $15 billion per year for programs such as Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Federal Transit Grants.


This morning, the Youth Media Awards were announced at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia. This event is basically the library world’s version of the Oscars and I eagerly await this day every year. Here are some of the award-winning books available at Meinders Community Library.
