psychology teacher who
enjoys being a librarian because it gives her a chance to connect people
with books that they will love reading. Cathy Belben, Librarian
Burlington-Edison High School Library
Updated May 2007
Ms. Belben's Building
Blog
Cathy Belben, librarian at Burlington-Edison High School,
is a WSU and WWU graduate and a former English, Spanish, and
psychology teacher who
enjoys being a librarian because it gives her a chance to connect people
with books that they will love reading.
Ms. Belben is frequently mistaken for her close friend and fellow teacher, author Jennifer Bradbury (her YA novel SHIFT will be published in the summer of 2008!). Here they are at Homecoming 2004.
In her spare time, Ms. Belben enjoys bicycling, lifting weights, writing, spending time with her boyfriend and her nephew, Thomas, working on her house, doing art projects, and traveling in her Vanbulance.
Ms. B. also organizes a BEHS team, Kiss My Tiara for the annual Ski to Sea Race in Whatcom County. She likes reading, too (of course). Her favorite books are Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas, Naked by David Sedaris, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Vision Quest by Terry Davis and The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker. She also loves anything written by Sarah Vowell, Barbara Kingsolver, Sarah Dessen, Chris Crutcher, Chuck Klosterman, Steve Almond, and Bill Bryson. Her favorite magazines are ReadyMade, Mental Floss, Paste, and BUST.
Ms. Belben is a short story and freelance non-fiction writer whose work has appeared in Cicada, English Journal, Spleen, Moss Grows Everywhere, Point No Point: A Blue Moon Reader, The Bellingham Weekly, Northwest Family Magazine, Stringtown, Medium, The Book Report, Knowledge Quest, , and on Chris Crutcher's website. She writes articles for librarians as well which have appeared in Washington State Library Media Association's journal, Medium; and in the WLMA/OLMA conference journal, Interchange. Click below to read her stories and articles.
MS. B.'S TELEVISION SCRIPTS
Ms. Belben left BEHS for the 2005-06 school year to write for the TV show
Veronica Mars.
You can read an interview about her experience here. Besides writing Veronica's online diary and doing other
random writing and research for the show, she participated in the breaking of
the stories for the 22 episodes of season 2 and co-wrote three scripts.
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February 2006:"I Am God," Veronica Mars episode 218. Co-written with Diane Ruggiero. |
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October 2005: "Ahoy Mateys," Veronica Mars episode 208. Co-written with John Enbom. |
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September 2005: "Blast from the Past," Veronica Mars episode 205. Co-written with Phil Klemmer. |
LIBRARY/READING ARTICLES and RANDOM WORKS OF NON-FICTION
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Summer 2007. Recommended Summer Reads. Chuckanut Reader. |
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January-June 2007: Great Reads for Writers. Writers on the Rise. |
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December 2006: Great Reads for Writers. Writers on the Rise. |
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November 2006: On Not Querying. Writers on the Rise. |
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October 2006: Great Reads for Writers (column). Writers on the Rise. |
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October 2006: CSLibrary: Creating a True Crime Collection. Knowledge Quest. |
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October 2006: Death Becomes Her. BUST Magazine. |
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September 2006: If You Liked Rats Saw God.in The Big Book of Teen's Reading Lists. |
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Spring 2006: Reading Behind the Screen. Chuckanut Reader. |
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Spring 2006: Our Lady of Crash and Burn. Bicycle Paper. |
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February 2006-present: Great Reads for Writers (column). Writers on the Rise. |
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December 2005: A School Reads Fast Food Nation. VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates.) |
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November 2005: I Make Stuff Up. Bellingham Weekly. |
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October 2005: Recycle Yourself: (After)Life on the Body Farm. Bellingham Weekly. |
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Fall 2005: The Books I Couldn't Leave Without. Chuckanut Reader. |
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Spring 2005: Dr. Phil Goes to the Library. WLMA Medium. |
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June 2005: All Around the World(s) with Alma Alexander. Entertainment News Northwest. |
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May 2005: Bellingham Playwright in National Spotlight. Entertainment News Northwest. |
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April 2005: Matchmaking in Minutes. Entertainment News Northwest. |
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March 2005: A School Reads Fast Food Nation.Chuckanut Reader. |
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March 2005: Carving Out a Spot for Beauty in Fairhaven. Entertainment News Northwest. |
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February 2005: Bold and Bright in Bellingham: Meet Artist Karen Theusen. Entertainment News Northwest. |
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Winter 2005: Fish! In the Library. WLMA Medium. |
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January 2005: Michael Deeb's Trip Back in Time. Entertainment News Northwest. |
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December 2004: Based on a True Story. Smartwriters.com. |
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October 2004: Who Do You Want to Be Today? Entertainment News Northwest. |
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September 2004: Expanding My Writing Repertoire. Writers on the Rise. |
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September 2004: Ten Ways to Start a New Year in the Library"; WLMA Medium. |
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September 2004: Capital T Spells Trouble: Ten 'Dangerous' Books and Why Teens Need Them. Smartwriters Journal, Smartwriters.com |
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August 2004: Maggie's Fury: A Blend of Old and New. Northwest AMP. |
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July 2004: Books, Buns, Bifocals...and Bikinis.( published as "You Go Girl.") School Library Journal. |
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June 2004: An Altruistic Afterlife; Rhapsody in Writing. |
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June 2004: Firefighting Drummer Burns Down Another Kind of House; Rhapsody in Writing. |
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June 2004: 10 Ways to Relax and Rejuvenate This Summer; here and linked via WLMA website. |
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May 2004: Village Books Evolves. Fourth Corner View. |
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May 2004: Book Review of Songs of the Gorilla Nation. Entertainment News Northwest. |
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March 2004: Twenty Books for Young Adults that I Couldn't Live Without, Smartwriters.com. |
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March 2004: Book Review about "Sharing Is Healing, Entertainment News Northwest. |
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Winter 2004: Tips for Teaching Classes Outside the Library; WLMA Medium. |
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October 2003: Ten Ideas for Incorporating Facts and Stats into Your Non-Fiction, Writers on the Rise. |
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October 2003: Jack Gantos: Reaching Reluctant Readers. Smartwriters website. |
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October 2003: Making a Gift of Yourself: Planning and Presenting at Conferences. Teacher Librarian. |
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September 2003: Hey! That's My Bike! Bicycle Paper. (Also read a letter to the editor of Bicycle Paper about this article) |
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June 2003: Maggie's Fury. Celtic Connection. |
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May/June 2003: Lost Treasures of the Dewey Decimal System. Bookmarks Magazine |
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March/April 2003: Creating and Promoting a Natural History Library. Knowledge Quest. |
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March 2003: What Kids Learn from Arts and Crafts Northwest Family Magazine. |
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October 2002: How Librarians Can Promote Physical Fitness (And Why They Should) The Book Report. |
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October 2002: Profile of Virginia Euwer Wolff WLMA Medium and OEMA Interchange. |
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December 2001: Recommended books for holiday reading Northwest Life and Times. |
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Winter 2001: Creating a Leadership Library; WLMA Medium |
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Using memoirs in the library and classroom, WLMA Medium |
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Establishing a staff reading group. WLMA Medium; Spring 2002 |
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Spring 2001: Read her profile of Chris Crutcher here. (Click on "Librarian's View") |
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Profile of Bellingham Firefighter/punk rock drummer Shawn Linville (From Every Other Weekly). |
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Spring 2001: How bicycling can help teach kids about life; Northwest Family magazine. |
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS, CLASSES, and PROFESSIONAL
ACTIVITIES
Ms. Belben has presented at a number of conferences, and is scheduled to
present at a few more in the near future. To contact her about presenting
to your group or class, or at a conference, contact her at
cbelben@be.wednet.edu
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Spring 2007: Ms. B. presents at Highline Community College in Children's Lit Class. |
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October 2006: Ms. Belben presented to students at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. |
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Spring 2005: Ms. Belben taught a community education class on writing creative non-fiction at Whatcom Community College. |
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Spring 2005: Ms. Belben was part of a panel on youth and teen services at the Washington Library Association Conference in Spokane. |
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Fall 2004: Ms. Belben presented a pre-conference session at the annual WLMA conference October 6 in Bellevue on Art in the Library. |
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Fall 2003: Ms. Belben was the WLMA Senior Level Chair-Elect |
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Fall 2003: Washington Library Media Conference, Yakima, "Being a Classroom Teacher While Also Being the Library Media Specialist." |
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Fall 2003: Washington Library Media Conference, Yakima, "Crafts and the Brain." |
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Oct 1-4, 2003: Idaho Library Conference, Post Falls; "Promoting Non-Fiction With High School Students." |
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Summer 2003: NW ESD 189, class, July 14-16, "Selecting and Integrating Non-Fiction Across the Curriculum." |
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Fall 2002: Washington/Oregon Library Media Association Joint Conference; Portland; "Promoting Non-Fiction With High School Students." |
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Fall 2001: Washington Library Media Association Annual Conference; Wenatchee, "Promoting Non-Fiction With High School Students." |
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April 2000: Washington State Counselors Conference; Olympia, co-presented with Laural Ringler: "Library as Living Room." |
FICTIONAL STORIES (copies available upon request)
Ms. Belben is a member of the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
The Richard Stories:
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Serious Repercussions (English Journal April 1996) |
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Lesson Plan from NCTE based on Serious Repercussions |
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Lonely Hanging Around Inside (English Journal April 1997) |
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Short on Strength (English Journal, April 1998) |
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Our Lady of Aluminum (from Point No Point, Spring 1998) |
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Pearls Before Swine (from Moss Grows Everywhere, Fall 1999) |
The Ethan Stories:
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Throw Dummy (Cicada, Spring 2000) |
The Anna Stories:
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The Patron Saint of Membership (English Journal, April 1996) |
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The Third Worst Thing (Spleen, Summer 2000) |
What does a high school librarian do all day? What can she do for YOU? Click here to find out!
You can reach Ms. Belben at
cbelben@be.wednet.edu or (360) 757-4074 ext. 3128
All materials copyright Cathy Belben.
