Jada Pryor had wanted to live in Fairhope, Alabama, for a long time. She made it her goal 16 years ago when, during a visit to the coastal town, she saw one of Rick Bragg’s books in the window at the Page & Palette bookstore.
“He is my all-time favorite author,” Jada said, “and seeing (that book in the window) felt like a sign that my search was over” for the place she was meant to be.
Seven years ago, she finally made that goal a reality when she moved from Colorado to Fairhope with her three kids, Jubilee, Lazarus, and Gloryana. They were 9, 5, and 2 when they arrived in their new town. Jada was eager to raise her kids in a “place that felt like magic” and was determined to make Fairhope their “forever home.”
She was thrilled to finally follow her dream but quickly realized that she faced a new challenge she hadn’t been prepared for.
“I knew absolutely no one upon arriving in Fairhope,” Jada said. “Despite loving the town with my whole heart, and knowing it was where we were meant to be, I struggled initially with feeling like I didn’t quite fit in. I wanted my babies to feel safe and at home here, and I knew they were homesick.”
Everything changed when the family went to the Fairhope Public Library.
“Just Get to the Library”
Almost immediately, my kids were clapping, singing along, and just being themselves for the first time since we’d arrived.I felt safe and free to just relax and take a deep breath.
-Jada Pryor on bringing her 3 kids to a Fairhope Public Library children’s program
Jada has always loved books and libraries. She grew up in Southern Illinois and has been a writer since she was a kid.
“I walked to my local library and spent entire days there reading . . . knowing I’d found my place. To this day, when I go back home for a visit, I love to pick up books and see my name scrawled on the old library cards in my 10-year-old handwriting.”
So when she and her kids found themselves floundering in their new town, she thought “just get to the library.”
She expected that her family would “find our way through stories,” but they found something much more: the library became their “sanctuary.”
From their very first visit, the library staff made sure the whole family felt seen, safe, and supported.
”It was almost the first day that all the librarians just took us under their wing here,” according to Jada.
Julia Gray, who was the library’s Youth Services Assistant at the time, started personally inviting them to library storytimes immediately.
“Ms. Julia was our North Star during our earliest days in Fairhope,” said Jada.
Soon after their first visit, Ms. Julia encouraged them to come to a performance by the Ugandan Children’s Choir, an event that changed everything for Jada.
“Almost immediately, my kids were clapping, singing along, and just being themselves for the first time since we’d arrived. It was sitting there, in the story hour room with the twinkly star cut outs on the ceiling, that I first got the feeling that I could do this. I could make it here.
“I felt safe and free to just relax and take a deep breath.”
More than just a place to breathe, the library also offered practical help. When Ms. Julia learned that the family was homeschooling, she told them about the library’s study rooms and other free resources.
“(Ms. Julia) gave me a lot of encouragement. She was like, ‘You can do this. We’ll help you here.’”
Jada also praised Casey Williams, who is now the Youth Services Department Head.
“Ms. Casey just came in and allowed them (the kids) to be them. She’s so sweet, kind-hearted, and welcoming. She keeps her door open and lets my kids come in to talk with her about their favorite series and present ideas about activities to add to the calendar. She is such a force for the community and its kids.”
“We Can Always Be Ourselves” at the Library
The Pryors are an extraordinarily kind and loving family. At one point during our video interview, Gloryana (now 9) was a little nervous speaking on camera. Lazarus (now 12) reached out and held her hand, giving her the confidence she needed to open up more. It was easy to see how the gentle encouragement from the library staff was a game-changer for the family.
Each of the kids has unique interests and talents. Jubilee, now 16, takes after her mom as a big reader who also loves to write. Her confidence as a writer has grown over the years directly because of the library staff.
Shortly after they moved to Fairhope, Jubilee started writing a newsletter and showed it to Ms. Julia. The librarian started displaying Jubilee’s newsletters in the library, so other kids could take copies home to read.
Now, Jubilee has written plays that have been performed in the library’s children’s department, and she’s one of the library’s teen volunteers. (Stay tuned for another article all about the Fairhope Public Library’s teen program and the extraordinary Ms. Allyson, the Teen Services Librarian).
Jada said of Jubilee’s transformation, “I watched as my girl stepped into who she was based on the support she felt in those walls and from the librarians who had become like family.”
Lazarus has enjoyed coding classes at the library, attended Lego events, and gets encouragement for his love of anime and his personal writing projects.
“I just like how we can always be ourselves there, and my whole family has something they love to do there,” wrote Lazarus of the library.
”Once, I wrote a poem and they put it up out front. We always read the stories they put up out there, and this time something I wrote was outside. I like how Ms. Casey talks about One Piece (a popular anime series and manga) with me, and Ms. Allyson likes all my favorite things, too. They let us play games on the computers, and I’ve met a lot of friends there over the years in the coding classes and Pokémon clubs.”
For young Gloryana, it’s the library’s art programs that win her heart. She loves the library’s art station, which features a different activity each month. Jada added that these free art projects are a huge help to her as a single mom.
Gloryana wrote: “I love the art station because there is always something new to make, and I feel relaxed when I sit there drawing or creating something. It’s fun because they have all the supplies and you can take whatever you make home. I loved when we got to make mouse houses for Christmas and Ms. Julia displayed them all over the library.”
The whole family lit up any time they talked about the mouse house project. It was clear that the library staff has created memories that the Pryor kids will carry throughout their lives.
“My Therapy and Getaway”
In addition to watching her children thrive, Jada also enjoys the Fairhope Library as a personal oasis.
“After visiting the Fairhope Library all those years ago, I set a picture of it as the screensaver on my computer,” Jada said. “I had never seen a library that was so beautiful and inviting.”
She would look at that photo and dream of “curling up in a chair (in the library) with a pile of books.”
Now, that dream is a regular reality.
“I have done that very thing a million times since coming here and still feel a rush of magic every time I walk in. On the days when I need to reset and feel like myself again, I go, just me, and walk around. I read the magazines and pull books from different sections and just stay as long as it takes. It is my therapy and getaway, as a single Mom, to take time there, just for me.”
As a professional writer, Jada often gets work done at the library. She draws inspiration from the books in the library’s collection, as well as the visiting authors the library brings in. She’s friends with many of the library’s staff, volunteers, and regular patrons, so the library is also a place where she can talk to other adults and build her personal relationships.
“For me particularly, (this library) is just magic. But also the fact that it is that separately to so many different community members and children? It blows me away.”
A Safe Place and Oasis
I’ve told the kids, if we’re downtown, if we get separated, just go to the library.Or if you’re with your friends at an event downtown, and you get separated or you get scared—go find Ms. Allyson. Get to the library.
-Jada Pryor on how the Fairhope Public Library is a safe place for her family
Jada loves that when her kids walk into the library, “everyone they see will know them by name or direct them where to go. It is such a safe place and oasis for us.”
Jubilee agreed that the library has always provided an oasis for the family.
“When we first moved here and it felt like when we were finally getting on our feet, COVID happened,” Jubilee said. “Even during that, even if we just came to pick up books really quickly, (the library) was like a safe place for us.”
The library functions as a home base and safety net for the family.
“I’ve told the kids, if we’re downtown, if we get separated, just go to the library,” Jada said. “Or if you’re with your friends at an event downtown, and you get separated or you get scared—go find Ms. Allyson. Get to the library.”
It’s more than just the children’s and teen staff, though. Jada says that “everyone here creates that environment. I never feel worried when I come in here.”
Between living in various places and traveling, Jada has visited a lot of libraries. While she’s loved them all, only the Fairhope Public Library has felt like a “home away from home.”
“I cannot stress enough what it means to me and to my kids. I know that it will continue to be a place of refuge, growth, and learning as they grow and one day raise their own families. And I will never grow tired of curling up in the place that I dreamed of doing so.”