No Shadow Without Light
San Francisco Public Library, Calif.
Innovation Synopsis
After the presidential election, San Francisco Public Library sought to actively engage people, offering space to contemplate, reflect and think independently and collectively on the local, national and global narratives consuming our society. SFPL brought different communities together with the literary author series No Shadow Without Light.
Challenge/Opportunity
As with much of the Bay Area, authors and artists had been fretting over the unexpected outcome of the presidential election and weren’t sure what to do. So, with our partner Litquake, the library hosted a literary series called No Shadow Without Light, bringing diverse authors and poets together to speak to our nation’s fear, anger and unrest.
Key Elements of Innovation
- Being quick to respond to our community’s interests and needs
- Partnership with San Francisco's preeminent literary organization, Litquake
- The series title comes from the words of Margaret Atwood, “I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no shadow unless there is also light”
- Engaging panelists and noted authors generated by Litquake's broad reach in the literary community
- Bringing levity and humor to serious topics
Achieved Outcomes
The six-part series, featuring panels of journalists, cartoonists, women writers, immigrant authors and environmental activists, was extremely powerful. Each night the auditorium at the Main Library was packed and more than 1,200 people participated in the series. Importantly, this served to engage more politically minded people in the library's literary programs.
