The Bright Lights Book Project: Senator Lisa Murkowski’s Visit
Contributed by Alys Culhane
The call came on a Friday afternoon. Gerri Sumpter, Lisa Murkowski’s Wasilla-based representative, called and informed me that Senator Murkowski would be paying the Bright Lights Book Project a half hour visit the following Monday.
All was in readiness when Murkowski and her entourage walked in the door. I had a plan. I’d first provide her with an overview of our program, then during a site tour, focus on the BLBP Books to Villages Program. This was because Murkowski had been instrumental in getting the BLBP a 2024 Congressional Directed Spending grant.
Upon her arrival, Murkowski and company strode into the room and made a beeline for the children’s books and then began peering inside the labeled banker boxes. I refrained from saying that the boxes contained classified documents.
The Alaska Senator’s subsequent questions indicated that she was a book lover, and also that she saw literacy in Alaska as being critical in terms of having an educated citizenry.
I sensed that if I was to give Murkowski the tour, and talk about the book project, I’d need her undivided attention. So, I spoke up, saying that I wanted to show her around.
Murkowski pulled herself away from the BLBP free books library cart and turned in my direction. Her brown hair hung loosely over her shoulders, and she was dressed casually. I noted that curiosity and interest had replaced the hard-working senator’s no-nonsense expression. She was, in my mind, no longer Sen. Murkowski, but Lisa, a kindred spirit.
I gulped and then gave my elevator speech, noting that the BLBP mission is to get free books into the hands of appreciative readers, and that our mission is envisioning the power of literacy to change lives.
I next pointed to the cooler beside the side door entrance and mentioned that we’d recently partnered with Kid’s Kupboard; they provide lunches to children on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
Time was of the essence, which was why I refrained from telling Lisa that in the past week we’d been a visible entity in our community, having passed out books and Save the Date information to those participating in the City of Palmer’s Trick or Street and Mat Su College’s Hall-o-ween events. I may have mentioned that the BLBP had, the previous Tuesday, hosted a Leap into Literacy Day at the Palmer Train Depot, and along with our partners (some of whom included The Palmer Lions Club, The Palmer United Way, Fireside Books, and Kid’s Kupboard), provided attendees with information about literacy-related services.
I instead focused on the nuts and bolts of the Books to the Village Program, first showing Lisa the area in which we screen, sort, clean, and categorize books, then showed her where they go (onto shelves) once they are categorized.
We made our way to the back room, where I’d been boxing up and storing the books going to the villages. Pete further explained the process by which he weighs and labels the books, adding that he drops them off at the Palmer Post Office. Having now provided her with the nuts and bolts in regard to our program, and in particular, the Books to the Villages program, we finished the nuts-and-bolts portion of the BLBP distribution tour.
What followed was a brief, but fruitful discussion, one in which all presents began brainstorming with a focus on our working with other literacy-related partners. I said that we had twice attended the Science of Reading Symposium and Read on the Fly’s Reading Rendezvous. Lisa mentioned our connecting with Alaska’s Center for the Book, which I said was on my to-do list.
Lisa then mentioned that in the past, Alaskans had gotten discards from the Library of Congress, and she subsequently had them sent to Alaskan villages. Hearing this, my jaw dropped, for I envisioned my going to Washington D.C. and, with a group of honor students, selecting books that we’d then prepare for shipping back to Alaska.
As we slowly made our way back to the side entrance of the BLBP distribution site, I stopped next to the Kid’s Kupboard cooler and gave Lisa a folder with information about the BLBP and an anthology entitled Wheels on Ice. I explained that my essay, entitled, “The Things this Bicyclist Carried,” was about my bicycle trek from Fairbanks to Valdez and added that along the way, I pulled a trailer full of BLBP books. Lisa opened the book to the bookmarked page and began reading.
Lisa’s words before heading off to her next appointment were, “Alys, you are making a difference.” My response was, “And Lisa, you too are making a difference.”