About me
(AnnMarie Kolakowski, formerly hurtado)
Writing and reading have always been my passions, so it was natural for me to become a librarian. Being a librarian is THE BEST. I love inspiring others to be creators, thinkers, and lifelong learners.
I teach writing workshops and hands-on science workshops. I select various kinds of materials for the library and supervise pages and volunteers. I created a bilingual reading program called Lucha Libros, and wrote an article about it for The Horn Book Magazine. And I do a lot of storytimes!
(To see what I've been doing recently at the library, click here.)
I led the development of a collection of iPads and educational apps for my library. This has led to additional projects like presenting at a virtual conference for librarians, writing an article for LA Parent on finding great iPad apps for kids, and also led to my iPad programs being mentioned in several books for librarians: Becoming a Media Mentor and Using Tablets and Apps in Libraries.
From my work with children as well as raising two beautiful children of my own, I've found inspiration to write books for librarians, for teachers, and for kids. My first book, 36 Workshops to Get Kids Writing: From Aliens to Zebras, published by ALA Editions, gives librarians and teachers a year full of weekly writing programs all ready to go. It's now available for purchase from the ALA Store.
Currently I am working on some WWII related projects, and in 2020 I published an article about Hans Scholl, the young German freedom fighter who lost his life for speaking out against Hitler. I am at work on a graphic novel about him and his sister, Sophie Scholl.