Krishni Schaefgen Burns (University of Illinois, Chicago)
This paper will introduce Calliope’s Library: Books for Young Readers, a curated collection of classically inspired book recommendations for young adults and children of all ages based in North America. Calliope’s Library was founded in 2021 and its prototype website was funded through an Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities grant (April 2021). The paper will explain the impetus behind the project, introduce Calliope’s website interface, and suggest some ways to use the collection as a pedagogical and outreach resource.
Calliope’s Library recommends all kinds of children’s literature, from board books to be read to toddlers to “New Adult” novels marketed to college-aged adults. The parameters of the collection were conceived to be as inclusive as possible. The Library incorporates books set in or inspired by ancient Mediterranean cultures, most prominently those of Rome, Greece, Egypt, and the Levant, as well books that engage with Mediterranean adjacent cultures like Mesopotamia and Roman Britain. Additionally, Calliope’s Library encompasses both historical and mythological reception. The collection is primarily fictional, but some nonfiction volumes are included, particularly those that present the past in innovative, multimodal ways. Our Mythical Childhood has generously permitted Calliope’s Library to link its entries to corresponding entries in the Our Mythical Childhood Survey.
Books may be recommended by multiple reviewers of different backgrounds and experiences, including young readers themselves. Potential readers may search for books by content, type, and reviewer. These differing perspectives keep the collection current and engaging while mitigating the pressures that come with expectations of academic rigor.
Calliope’s Library’s target audience is the public rather than scholars: parents, teachers, librarians, and young readers. Its main goal is to increase interest in the ancient world and its study through popular fiction. The collection ranges from well-known texts such as Rick Riordan’s international best-selling series Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2005-2009), lesser-known texts such as Anne Ursa’s The Cronos Chronicles (2006-2009) and out of print texts such as Naomi Mitchison’s Sun and Moon (1973). The website is designed to facilitate finding “read alike” books to keep readers engaged with classical subject matter beyond the best sellers list and expose them to the wealth of ways that ancient subject matter can be reinterpreted in the present.
In addition to developing general interest in the ancient world, Calliope also seeks to promote books with diverse casts of characters to highlight the diversity of the ancient world. Potential readers can filter the collection to find books with racially and ethnically diverse characters, LGBTQA+ and gender diverse characters, ability diverse characters and neurodiverse characters. In addition, the collection includes books in several languages other than English: French, German, Italian, Latin, Polish, and Spanish, both translations and original language material, to increase the collection’s accessibility.
The paper will end with a brief description of future plans to develop the project’s audience and expand its features to include a weekly blog of featured books, thematic recommendations, and pedagogical resources.