July 23, 2026
No Comments
Dr. M.A. Dewey is celebrating Christmas in July with a special screening of the 1964 cult classic “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.”
Period Poverty Awareness Week: Q&A With FREE PERIOD Author Ali Terese
Rachel Marsh
Rachel is the Digital Marketing Coordinator at the New Orleans Public Library, as well as a children’s author. Keep an eye out for Rougarou Magic, her debut middle grade novel, coming Fall 2024.
May 20 – 28, 2024 is Period Poverty Awareness Week, a.k.a. the perfect time to read “FREE PERIOD” by Ali Terese. This middle grade novel follows best friends Helen and Gracie as they stand up for period equity at their school with the goal of stocking free period supplies in every restroom.
Here’s the synopsis:
Helen and Gracie are pranking their way through middle school when a stinky stunt lands them in the front office — again. Because nothing else has curbed their chaos, the principal orders the best friends to do the unthinkable: care about something. So they join the school’s Community Action Club with plans to do as little as humanly possible.
But when Helen is caught unprepared by an early period and bleeds through her pants — they were gold lamé! — the girls take over the club’s campaign for maxi pads in bathrooms for all students who menstruate. In the name of period equity, the two friends use everything from over-the-top baked goods to glitter gluing for change. But nothing can prepare them for a clueless school board (ew), an annoying little sister (ugh), and crushes (oh my!).
As Helen and Gracie find themselves closer to change and in deeper trouble than ever before, they must decide if they care enough to keep going . . . even if it costs them their friendship.
Even though FREE PERIOD is a work of fiction, lack of access to period supplies is an issue that affects real kids and adults. According to a 2021 survey, 84 percent of respondents reported they or someone they know missed classes due to something period-related, and over 1/3 of low-income women report missing work or other events due to lack of access to period supplies.
In 2021, nearly 1 in 4 students struggled to afford period products in the United States.
The goal of period equity is to make sure everyone has the basic supplies they need to participate in daily life. It’s different than equality, as Helen boldly tells a member of her school board in FREE PERIOD: “Equality would be me casting a spell to make your son have a period every month, too. Equity means me getting the products I need so I can sit next to him in class when I have mine.”
If you or someone you know needs period supplies, you can find them in the restroom at any New Orleans Public Library location. Or, pick up a month’s supply at Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library.
If you need to know more about two pranky BFFs making their school a better place, enjoy this Q&A with author Ali Terese:
Q: What made you want to write about periods?
A: I felt so much shame and physical pain about my period as a child that I had no idea how I was going to talk about it in a positive way as a parent. And we’re just not going to live like that anymore, right?! So I started to explore the issue as a storyteller and kept coming back to an image of laughing with my friends in middle school and asking each other is this normal, do you have a pad, can you see my pad in these pants, if I wear this long t-shirt to cover my pants will everyone know that I have my period in the first place? Ahhhhhhh! The friendship story of FREE PERIOD where kids not only fight for maxipads in school bathrooms, but also have tons of fun and support each other, was the result of that exploration.
Q: It seems like period equity has gotten a lot of buzz in recent years. As a kid, it never would’ve crossed my mind that schools should provide period supplies like they do for toilet paper (even though it seems so obvious!). Now, we have Period Poverty Awareness Week, advocacy organizations, and more. What do you think contributed to this change?
A: I think we have students to thank for this monumental change that is happening in American culture to bring periods out of the shadows and treat them as a normal part of our daily lives. A lot of times adults don’t think about how periods affect kids at school, how they get or pay for pads, or the mental cost of worrying about whether you’ll get the care you need. So students have had to stand up for their own rights. In just a few years, we’ve gone from kids collecting pads to help each other out and demanding that their grownups finally do something to half the states in the country either requiring pads in some bathrooms or providing some funding. What an incredible example of how youth-led, collective action can shape the future!
Q: If I’m a middle schooler who wants to get involved in period equity, where should I start?
A: The simplest way to start is to ask what period resources are available at school and the other places you spend time. Grab some graph paper and do a pad census!
Are there period products stocked at no additional cost in all bathrooms? Are there supplies that students can take home? Is there a public budget for products or do the nurses and custodians have to work with non-profits to get them? Is menstrual health covered in health class for all students? If you have period questions, who can you go to for evidence-based answers? Do students feel comfortable talking about their periods at school? With their parents? With their pediatrician? Who else is interested in this issue in your circle of friends and rhombus of frenemies?
Once you understand the local landscape, you can talk to your grown-ups about connecting with non-profits like The Alliance for Period Supplies and PERIOD. that have resources about advocating for change with local decision makers and can connect you with organizations already taking action on this issue where you live. Also check out the Resources page on aliterese.com for lots of free and fun activities to break the ice and chat things out over a maxi-pad cupcake while you crochet uteruses together.
Q: As a Library employee I have to ask, what’s your favorite thing about your local public library?
A: A list is in order!
- Feeling welcome! It is a place where you’re allowed to be no matter who you are. Since I was a little girl, no matter where I was, I knew I would be OK at the Library. When I walk into a library today, I feel like a weight is lifted from my shoulders.
- Discovering new books! I live for themed displays and our local library has four as soon as you walk in the door and more throughout the building. I always leave with something new that I never would have found on my own because of the wonderful work the librarians do to show us how the collection fits together.
- The librarians! I am very much a “we loved this book what would you recommend next” patron, and OMG they always have something great for us to read! Is there anything better than a librarian coming around their desk saying I know just the thing on their way to the stacks? Swoon
Q: Tell us a little about your writing process. Where do you get your ideas? How do you turn them into novels?
A: I start with a question.
“What if best friends who were chaos monsters had totally different experiences with periods?” kicked off the book that would eventually become “FREE PERIOD.” And then I fast draft. I write like the wind, no looking back. And then REWRITE FOR YEARS lolololol. But like Gracie I find a blank page terrifying so while she’ll draw a cupcake and a rainbow to break up the white abyss, I’ll fill it with words that can be revised, amped up, trashed, whatever so at least I have something to work with. I am also extremely lucky to be part of a wonderful group of writers who read each other’s work and always ask the impossible question: is this too easy for your characters?
Oof, because it almost always is and then we go back to rewrite because the emotional growth and funny hijinks come from when we really challenge them.
Q: The book is written with dual points of view—chapters alternate between Gracie’s and Helen’s perspectives. What were some ways the girls’ voices were different from one another? What was your favorite part about each girl’s POV?
A: I write in terms of energy when I’m in each character’s point of view.
So when I was writing Gracie, I thought of her as a hedgehog on her way to a garden party who shows up super late because she got distracted by her adorable reflection in a pond. I bring that feeling to whenever I’m in her head and asking what would Gracie do and say here? My favorite part of writing her POV was tapping into Gracie’s creativity. This is a girl who doesn’t stop herself by worrying about what people will think in advance. Sure that means Gracie makes lots of mistakes, but she can also do things beyond her wildest dreams because she allows herself to follow them in the first place.
Helen’s energy I thought of as an orange tabby cat napping in a sunspot who you know is going to pounce on you, but you’re not sure if it is to rip your throat out or for scritches. My favorite part of writing her POV was when her insides go all mushy because she does have this enormous heart even when she’s keeping up that hard exterior. Sometimes it is the angry, self-sufficient girls who need the most care and grace, and I think that is totally Helen.
Q: Did you have a middle school BFF? Tell us a little about her.
A: She was (and is) a brilliant, complicated, incredibly creative human being who laughs big and loves even bigger. One day we wore matching bathrobes to school with bright red lipstick smeared all over our faces and no one even said anything. That is the perfect distillation of our friendship even if I’m still not exactly sure what it means three decades later.
July 15, 2026
No Comments
The Library is seeking volunteers to help curate the 2026 class of Crescent City Sounds, the only music streaming service exclusively made up of New Orleans-based artists.
June 24, 2026
No Comments
The New Orleans African American Museum is the newest addition to the the Library’s Culture Pass Program, which allows cardholders to access local attractions for free.