K.C. Boyd is the lead librarian for East St. Louis School District #189 and Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago. She maintains active social media pages to engage with other librarians. Boyd began blogging about street literature after seeing a student read an adult street literature book. Street literature depicts stories set in urban neighborhoods and experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1960s and 1990s. It can be challenging to use in libraries and schools due to objections over content but also engages and challenges readers.

1. with K.C. Boyd
February 29, 2016

4. East St. Louis School District #189
East St. Louis, Illinois
Wendell Phillips Academy High School
Chicago, Illinois
K.C. Boyd
Lead Librarian
East St. Louis School District #189
East St. Louis, Illinois
My Favorite Social Media Pages
Twitter: @Boss_Librarian
Instagram: @Boss_Librarian
Pinterest: BoydKC
ALA Think Tank
Black Caucus of the American Library Association

5. Public Librarians
School
Librarians
Collaboration

6. Sherman Park Branch
- Located on the south side of
Chicago in the West Englewood
neighborhood
- Sherman Park Branch opened
October 18, 1937.
- The branch is named for John
B. Sherman, founder of the
Chicago Stock Yards.

8. First began using the genre with my 6th,
7th and 8th grade students after catching a
student reading an adult Street Literature
book.
Began blogging about Street Literature
because of the lack of critical reviews.
(i.e. School Library Journal, Booklist,
Publisher’s Weekly etc.) and other
librarians requested my opinion about the
books.
Some authors now publish books for adult
and teen readers.

9. Street Literature
Street Literature is a literary genre "where the stories, be
they fiction or nonfiction, are consistently set in urban,
inner-city enclaves. Street Literature of yesteryear and today,
by and large, depicts tales about the daily lives of people
living in lower income city neighborhoods. This characteristic
spans historical timelines, varying cultural identifications,
linguistic associations, and various format designations."
Dr. Vanessa Irvin
The Readers' Advisory Guide to Street Literature, 2011
Street Literature Book Award Medal
http://www.streetliterature.com/p/slbam.html

10. THE HISTORY OF STREET LITERATURE
Maggie Girl of the Streets’ by Stephen Crane in
1892, is considered a Street Literature novel of
it’s day.
The genre experienced a resurgence during the 60’s
with novels written by IceBerg Slim, Donald Goines,
Chester Himes and Claude Brown.

11. THE HISTORY OF STREET LITERATURE
Authors of the genre experienced difficulty having their books
published, many opted to self-publish and sell their books
independently.
Many professional reviewing sources, librarians and educators
discredited early publications of books within the genre because
of the self-publishing, poor editing, and content.
Years later, books written by many of the top writers within the
genre are now published by major publishing houses and the
books are critically reviewed

12. THE HISTORY OF STREET LITERATURE - HIP HOP MUSIC
During the early 1990’s, Teri Woods,
Sister Souljah, Omar Tyree,
and Shannon Holmes help usher in a new
generation of readers of the genre
Stringer, Nikki Turner, K’wan, Treasure Blue and Wahida Clark
books are now top sellers.

13. Courtesy of the Christian Science Monitor
Why Street Lit.
The stories reflect the communities that the students
reside in.
The stories are relatable and describe the struggle and
life experience of today’s tees.
The stories serve as cautionary tales.
The stories are complex and challenge advanced and
struggling readers.
Challenges Using Street Lit.
Parents, teachers and community members dislike of the
genre.
Library selection policy must reflect the use of the books
for middle and high school readers.
Identifying good stories.
Circulation issues i.e. damaged books, lost/stolen books

15. Sara Sayigh
Teacher-Librarian
DuSable High School
The DuSable Library has been staffed by a
teacher-librarian since 1935
http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-public-
fools/2015/12/who-lays-off-librarians-cps-thats-
who/

16. Courtesy of the Chicago Teachers Union