The library has always been a place for knowledge of other places, other times, other worlds; for me, it has also been a place of refuge, a place for poetry and celebration. My book The Black Back-Ups was honored by the New York Public Library, at “The Donnell” branch. I’ve had the opportunity to read at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. I realize that during my time in Connecticut, I’ve visited more than two dozen public libraries, whether as a poet, patron, workshop leader, audience member or as a writer looking for just the place to work for a few hours. I’m ever grateful to poet Bessy Reyna for her “Hartford Loves Poetry” program. I am honored to have been commissioned to write the 125th Anniversary Poem for the Hartford Public Library. Through the life and work of Caroline Hewins, “The First Lady of The Library,” I am reminded that libraries weren’t always open to everyone; I am reminded of what would be lost if we, as a community, ever take the public library for granted.