Families visit the Northern Marianas Center for the Book/Joeten-Kiyu Public Library at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
(JKPL) — An estimated 200,000 book lovers joined the Library of Congress National Book Festival in person on August 24, 2024 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. This year’s festival theme “Books Build Us Up” celebrated the transformative power of books in all of us. Every year, the National Book Festival brings together best-selling authors, poets and illustrators with thousands of readers for book talks, panel discussions, book signings and other engaging activities from across the country and beyond to celebrate reading, literacy, authors, and community.
The Northern Marianas Center for the Book: Joeten-Kiyu Public Library stepped up at the Roadmap to Reading/Great Reads from Great Places floor by proudly displaying the official book selections for 2024, representing the Northern Mariana Island’s local literary heritage. The titles chosen are:
• Children/Youth Title: Hafa Sinentete-mu? by Adora Jay San Nicolas. Illustrated by Xander Creations. Written in Chamorro with English translation, edited by the Chamorro and Carolinian Language Policy Commission and the Carolinian Affair’s Office, and published by the Lady Diann Torres Foundation through the Language in Literacy Young Author’s Program.
• Adult Title: The Rope of Tradition: Reflections of a Saipan Carolinian by Lino Olopai with Dr. Juliana Flinn, published by the Northern Marianas Humanities Council in collaboration with the Children of Our Homeland Project/Joeten-Kiyu Public Library.
Joeten-Kiyu Public Library Director Erlinda Naputi at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Dressed in Chamorro mestisa-wear with a tropical backdrop featuring our CNMI flag, a beach scene and an ancient Chamorro latte house, Team JKPL show-cased the warmth and hospitality of our islands at the National Book Festival. From sharing information about our local books, our islands, our people, our language, and our culture, Team JKPL was represented by Library Director Erlinda C. Naputi, Technical Services Librarian Beth Demapan, Library Assistant I/Employee of the Year Caitlyn Crisostomo, Library Assistant I Kaleina Reyes, and Administrative Officer III Vincent Sablan. Thousands of visitors commented about how beautiful the people of the Northern Marianas were and expressed their interest in visiting the CNMI. Here are a few of the comments our visitors shared:
1) “You are all amazing! You all look so beautiful!”
2 “I have to look into going to [Saipan]. Your island looks so beautiful!”
3) “I like your booth. It’s very pretty. I like your outfits. You stand out!”
4) “Where is the NMI? I would love to visit! What is your language? Thank you for coming here!”
5) “I was gonna say, I love you guys!”
6) “I love your booth! I am a science teacher! You guys are all cheery!”
7) “Why didn’t I know about you guys before? Have a good day!”
8) “Thank you for traveling here!”
9) “Thank you for coming all the way here!”
10) “I would love to visit the Marianas!”
11) “Safe travels back! Thank you for coming all the way here to visit!”
12) “You are all so pretty!”
13) “I loved learning about the Northern Marianas and the current literary scene.”
14) “I love your attire, your people, and your display!”
15) “I have a lot of friends who are teachers. I love the Marianas!”
16) “It gladdens the heart to see you all here — represent!”
17) “Your booth is very beautiful! I love it!”
18) “Thank you. I appreciate you. Thank you!”
19) “I love how friendly you all are; how far you’ve traveled to get here; the unique books you have selected; and the beautiful attire you are wearing!”
20) “We will come visit your warm island one day!”
21) Thank you for flying here! Thank you! Thank you!”
22) “Thank you! Your cutouts are great!”
23) “Your booth is so beautiful!”
24) “Thank you! I love the beautiful water you have!”
25) “My husband grew up on Saipan in the 1950s.”
26) “Your group is really nice and approachable!”
27) “I want to live on your island! I love your backdrop!”
28) “You have the best decorated table!”
29) “I enjoyed the fact that the Marianas are represented.”
30) “Great job!”
31) “I love your flowers (mwar)! Thank you!”
32) “You all look so beautiful! This is the best booth by far!”
33) “This is such a pretty booth!”
34) “Nice to have you here!”
35) “You have one of the best booths!”
36) “Northern Marianas is the best booth! How cool are your islands!”
37) “I enjoyed learning about your books about the Northern Marianas culture and I support your people!”
38) “Your Northern Marianas group is amazing! We used to live in Hawaii! We love your booth!”
39) “You guys have the most decorative booth!”
40) “I am going to visit the Northern Mariana Islands!”
41) “I love your dress! I love the Northern Marianas!” (10)
42) “I love how the U.S. territories are represented here. It is amazing how you all traveled here!”
43) “Your stickers are so cute!”
44) “You all look so beautiful!”
45) “Thank you for being here!”
46) “This is the BEST booth!”
47) “It is so great that you are here! Thank you!”
48) “You have the MOST aesthetically pleasing booth!”
49) “We need the books in our U.S. libraries.”
50) “I loved the energy and the colors of your booth!”
51) “I loved the friendly people.”
52) “You have a beautiful island and your outfits are beautiful!”
53) “I enjoyed your kindness and your local attire.”
54) “You are all so beautiful!”
55) “Beautiful Booth! I love your booth!”
56) “This booth is amazing! Thank you! You guys win!”
57) “This is the best booth!”
58) “I didn’t know about the Northern Marianas! Thank you for sharing with me about your islands. Now, I know something new!”
59) “I love learning about the territories! The Northern Marianas is only three hours away from Japan!”
60) “I enjoyed seeing all your books!”
61) “My girlfriend wants to go to Japan. I would love to go to the Northern Marianas. I want to go fishing. I talked to you guys last year! Thank you so much for coming here! Have a great day!”
62) “Northern Marianas is the nicest booths I have seen!”
63) “I feel as if I am in the tropics — at the Northern Marianas! I love your display!”
64) “You guys are beautiful! Where were you when I was little? Thank you!”
65) “Welcome to DC! It is great to see you all!”
Team JKPL at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Great honor
“We are excited to participate in the National Book Festival’s Roadmap to Reading,” said Library Director/Director of the Northern Marianas Center for the Book Erlinda C. Naputi. “It is a great honor to represent the Northern Marianas in our nation’s capital. The National Book Festival is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the power of reading and connect with thousands of book lovers from all over the country. We are especially humbled that coming from such a remote island in the Pacific, we were able to make a difference and leave a lasting impression of the beauty and splendor of the Northern Marianas. We hope that our presence here encourages many to come visit our islands and learn more about our people, our language, our culture. Congratulations to our 2024 Book of the Year authors Lino Olopai and Adora Jay San Nicolas. Thank you to my hardworking team for your dedication and commitment to literacy.”
Team JKPL with Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Cyndee Landrum.
During the 2024 National Book Festival at the Washington Convention Center, representatives from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Marianas staffed tables to promote their book selections and other literary works reflective of their unique locations. The area at the convention center where the 56 tables were assembled is called the Roadmap to Reading. This activity has been a part of the festival since 2002.
The National Book Festival is made possible by the generous support of private- and public-sector sponsors who share the Library’s commitment to reading and literacy, led by National Book Festival Co-Chair David M. Rubenstein. Sponsors include: Institute of Museum and Library Services, The Washington Post, General Motors, James Madison Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. To learn more about the National Book Festival, please visit https://www.loc.gov/events/2024-national-book-festival/
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov/.
Visitors are all smiles at the JKPL booth at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
NMI selections
All NMI Selections for the Center for the Book are available for check-out at the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library.
• Hafa Sinentete-mu? by Adora Jay San Nicolas. (2024 Official Selection Children/Young Adult). Illustrated by Xander Creations. Written in Chamorro with English translation, edited by the Chamorro and Carolinian Language Policy Commission and the Carolinian Affair’s Office, and published by the Lady Diann Torres Foundation through the Language in Literacy Young Author’s Program. To purchase a copy of this book, contact the Lady Diann Torres Foundation via email ladydianntorresfoundation@gmail.com/.
• The Rope of Tradition: Reflections of a Saipan Carolinian by Lino Olopai with Dr. Juliana Flinn. (2024 Official Adult Selection) published by the Northern Marianas Humanities Council in collaboration with the Children of Our Homeland Project/Joeten-Kiyu Public Library. To purchase a copy of this book, contact info@nmhcouncil.org or call (670) 235-4785.
• Bweletáál Wischiirá, eew kkol Refaluwasch – The Stick Dance, A Carolinian Tradition by Jude Litulumar (2023 Official Selection Children/Young Adult). To purchase a copy of this book, contact the Lady Diann Torres Foundation via email ladydianntorresfoundation@gmail.com/.
• Saipan: A Brief History by Don Farrell (2023 Official Selection Adult) To purchase a copy of this book, contact donfarrelltinian@gmail.com or the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library (670) 235-7318.
• “I Duendis: The Duendis” by Cielo Long (2022 Official Selection Children) A story of a young girl named Rita who goes missing on Tinian and suffers the consequences of disobeying her mother. Written in Chamorro with English translation and published by the Lady Diann Torres Foundation’s Language and Literacy Young Authors Program.
• “Marmalade’s Exciting Tail (Book One of The Marmalade Series)” by Katrina Manning (2022 Official Selection Young Adult) Manning’s first book, Marmalade’s Exciting Tail, is set in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. It is a modern story of Claire Young, a Web developer who recently broke up with her fiancé. Planning for a fresh start, she starts packing to move to another city for an intriguing job offer when her cat escapes and runs away. Claire cannot imagine losing her furry best friend, so she does the first thing that comes to mind — she asks her ex-fiancé, Kirk, to assist her in the search.
• “The Fundamental Issues Affecting the Northern Mariana Islands” by Jose S. Dela Cruz (2022 Official Selection Adult)
The Fundamental Issues Affecting the Northern Mariana Islands discusses in greater detail the political arrangement between the United States and the Northern Marianas. It highlights and discusses some of the fundamental issues affecting the Northern Marianas as a self-governing commonwealth within the American political family. The first set of issues includes its geographical isolation, small land area, small population, lack of natural resources, and lack of capital required for economic development. The second set of issues relates to local self-governance and matters of qualification and competence of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands public officials, both elected and appointed. In order for the CNMI to succeed as a self-governing commonwealth, several fundamental matters have to be addressed and issues related to such matters have to be corrected by its leaders.
State affiliate
Northern Mariana Islands Center for the Book or NMICB is a state affiliate of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. NMICB promotes literacy and a love of books, reading, and libraries throughout the state, celebrating the Northern Marianas’ robust literary heritage. The NMI Center for the Book is under the direction of the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library-NMI State Library, which seeks to preserve the CNMI’s cultural heritage by connecting people, libraries, and government to the resources and tools they need to succeed and to build a strong community. The NMI Center for the Book encourages, develops, and promotes an appreciation for books and the bridges they create across the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands — Saipan, Tinian, Rota and the Northern Islands. The NMI Center for the Book builds partnerships with library professionals, educators, authors, publishers, and booksellers who provide support to our shared mission of promoting a love of literature and lifelong learning throughout the CNMI. NMICB is administered by the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library-CNMI State Library, an independent program under the Office of the Governor.
Enjoy JKPL’s free resources by visiting www.cnmilib.org/. Like/follow JKPL’s Facebook page @joetenkiyupubliclibrary, Instagram @joetenkiyupubliclibrary, TikTok @jkpl670, X (Twitter) @JoetenKiyu, and YouTube: joeten kiyu public library. For more information, call (670) 235-7322/7318.
