Spill the Tea, Not Your Data: Period Privacy Matters
There’s a very specific kind of horror that comes with getting your period at the absolute worst, unexpected, and let's face it: unwanted time. You get it right before first period when you're already at school, or in the middle of plans you were really excited about. It comes when you're at the pool or on a school trip, maybe when you're on a date or in gym class. One second you’re living your life, the next you’re mentally inventorying pads and tampons, checking your outfit, and asking a friend to do the universal “can you look at the back of my pants?” inspection like it’s a military…
April, in the City
Hi Teens, it’s Young Adult Librarian Shelda here.April always feels like a secret being told in two languages at once. It's National Poetry Month, where we play with words, and Earth Month, where we care for our home. In NYC, nature isn't some far away forest you need a car to find. It’s scrappy, it’s persistent, and it’s honestly kind of the main character.I wrote this poem for the dreamers, the bus-riders, and the sidewalk-watchers.The City’s Secret SongThe sidewalk cracks are opening wide, With tiny emerald worlds inside. While sirens hum a frantic tune, The flowers wake…
Digital Spring Cleaning: Refresh Your Online Life
Love in Brooklyn: What It Means This February and Every Month
Hey BKLYN Future readers, it’s Young Adult Librarian Shelda here.February usually comes with heart shaped candy, playlists full of love songs, and a lot of talk about romance. But in Brooklyn, love doesn’t show up in just one way. How people experience romance, affection, and connection is shaped by culture, community, family, and personal choice.If you’ve grown up in Brooklyn, you’ve probably seen this firsthand. Love here isn’t only about dating. It often looks like family gatherings that last all day, music playing in the background, food being shared, and people checking in on each other…
New Year, Same You: How to Grow at Your Own Pace
Every January the internet repeats the same script about reinvention and fresh starts, like everyone's supposed to wake up on the first with a totally different personality. It can feel like a lot, especially if you already have enough going on with school, family, friends, and just trying to stay balanced. The truth is: nothing about growing has to be dramatic. You can stay who you are and still change in ways that feel real.Brooklyn shows this in its own way. The city doesn't transform overnight. Things shift slowly. A mural gets painted and suddenly the block feels brighter. A bodega…