Emily Mwangi is #TheLibrarian by passion and calling, and a storyteller at heart with over 15 years of experience in the field. She is also the Founder and Director of INSPIRE BEYOND BOOKS which houses Inspire Children and Youth organization, Inspire Coffee and Poetry and the Travelling Librarian, based in Nyeri. She is all about a literate nation but in a fun and engaging way that incorporates storytelling, read aloud, art and music.
She is also a researcher in matters literacy having partnered with different organizations, and trains community librarians as well as help those in need of starting libraries.
We caught up with her for an interview and this is how it went.
What motivated you to start the Coffee and Poetry events?
Coffee and Poetry was started because a lot of our young readers were growing up and were not exactly reading. They had a lot of talent elsewhere. So we simply created a platform to showcase these talents. Over time, it has given them a chance to be seen by the world. We are used to everyone else calling people to come from Nairobi to perform on their stage yet they fail to look within. Given time and space, young people can be truly amazing.
What challenges do young creatives face in Nyeri?
Young creatives face challenges like lack of proper platforms to showcase their talent and enough money to work on their careers. A little known fact is that most people don’t believe in talent or it’s ability to put food on the table.
What can young creatives do to showcase their talents to a wider audience beyond Nyeri and Kenya?
Young people are already great at marketing themselves on social networks. However, they should do this with professionalism. It would really help. Also they should not be afraid of going out there to places and saying “Hey there, this is what I can do. Can I do it here?”
How can one attend the Coffee and Poetry events? What are the requirements in case they would wish to perform during the event?
To attend coffee and poetry, look out for our posters on our social media pages including Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok. The entry fee to our events is only Kshs 150. We also stream online for audiences who are far from us.
To perform, we send out a link on the 13th of every month for a person to register for performances.
What milestones/achievements have you achieved so far?
Despite the challenges from weather, low audience participation to the very fact that we are not funded, we are in our 25th edition. This is all thanks to the creatives and the audience support.
What other programs do you offer, apart from Coffee and Poetry events?
Coffee and Poetry is a child of INSPIRE BEYOND BOOKS. Our core business is literacy in all its forms . Other programs we have include
- Lending books to schools while running story telling programs and training teachers and students on libraries
- Setting up libraries
- Outreach programs to communities for literacy
- We run a fully fledged library
- We do literacy research
- Hook Haven (a safe space for yarn artists to talk while doing crocheting)
- Sip- Chat -Play, an adult networking and fun event
- Camping activities
- Book Club for adults that meets once a month
- And our all time favourite one, The Travelling Librarian unit.
What can be done to promote the spirit of reading, especially in Kenya?
To promote the spirit of reading, let’s make reading fun. Let’s not force issues. Reading has been made into a chore when really it should not. Then, there should be more access to books that are fun to read. I am not talking about curriculum books. Finally, let’s have home libraries where possible.
What is your parting shot?
My parting shot is that, whichever path you choose, do it with your whole heart because it’s not as easy as everyone assumes. It’s not all the time it will make you money but it’s rewards will last a lifetime.
