Sonya Schryer Norris

On fake memoirs

The worlds of Oprah, public libraries, the publishing industry, and me collided a few years ago when we were all suckered by the same fake memoirist. I’ve adopted memoir as my genre. I’m very sensitive to just how factual you need to be to call your piece memoir, and just how cloudy you need toContinueContinue reading “On fake memoirs”

But she always seemed like such a SWEET girl

So, why have I chosen Snake Lady Librarian as my moniker? I went through a rough patch in my 20s and I adopted the orobouros — a snake eating its own tail — as my personal symbol. It’s a commitment to life, in all it’s ugliness and violence. The orobouros is also a symbol ofContinueContinue reading “But she always seemed like such a SWEET girl”

Milwaukee to Chicago

Me: What do we need to take to get to Chicago? Hubby: 43S to 94W to 394S Me: OK. Hubby: Where are we now? Me: 94 is coming up Hubby: Great, get on going West Me: OK Ten minutes later Hubby (who knows me so well): Where are we? Me: I hate the roads here.ContinueContinue reading “Milwaukee to Chicago”

Red State Joke

My life is pretty siloed. The people I am friends with, the people I go to work with, and the people I go to church with, all have very similar political views. There are some people in my family who are Republicans and I try to be respectful. The main way I do this byContinueContinue reading “Red State Joke”

Sensible shoes are no laughing matter

I have the most boring health problem imaginable: bone spurs and arthritis in my right foot. Yawn. Few people know this about me. Who wants to hear about my feet? No one. Not even me. I’m not even willing to think about my feet, as the following story so clearly demonstrates. My sister-in-law introduced meContinueContinue reading “Sensible shoes are no laughing matter”

When librarians dream big

This is what I dreamed last night. I was on a web development competition team with Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and a few other men. I was the only woman and the only librarian. Google doesn’t hire many librarians, it’s a cultural thing. And many traditional library schools have taken “library” out of their namesContinueContinue reading “When librarians dream big”

Scout and I watch Pioneer Woman

This morning Scout and I are watching Pioneer Woman. She has a cooking show now but before that she was one of the original, early, famous women bloggers. When asked about her family’s privacy, she said, “It’s not what you say, it’s what you don’t say.” I agree. I don’t advertise my real name, althoughContinueContinue reading “Scout and I watch Pioneer Woman”