A LIBRARY IN THE "TIRED HEART": Selvagem Droplets in the “Reading Experiences” of the Baixada Fluminense

The "Reading Experiences" project consists of a series of meetings aimed at sharing reading and storytelling methods that bring community libraries closer to their local communities. The invitation for Veronica to participate in the project came from Nathalia Cabral, a member of Baixada Literária, who met her during the workshop for leaders and coordinators of community libraries in the state of Rio de Janeiro at the Instituto Tear [Tear Institute], in 2025. 

In light of the challenges posed by the internet and the changing ways we access knowledge, Veronica presented a proposal that seeks to restore reading to a place of beauty and enchantment through dialogues with Droplet 1 - “Sun traverses all” and Droplet 2 - “Where life arises”. The Selvagem Droplet is an animated series accompanied by notebooks with suggestions for sensitive activities, designed to be shared and adapted for different ages and contexts. “Droplet was the starting point because it is a sharer of worlds and cosmologies,” said Veronica. 

Alongside the Droplets, the works shared by Veronica were “Amália” by Roberta Malta and Gohanna Tomé Souza, “Fora onde?” [Outside where?] by Tania Grillo, and "Ideas to Postpone the End of the World” by Ailton Krenak—books that go beyond words, using images and imagination to create overflowing expressions. In “Amália,” the names of plants and their drawings must be read, just as in “Fora onde?,” where the illustrations create new layers of meaning. Meanwhile, “Ideas to Postpone the End of the World” even with only written words, draws upon intimate and collective repertoires, bringing forth scenarios in which imagination and reality are constantly crossing paths. 

“When you talk about the Droplets and bring up the Sun to discuss life on Earth, you’re automatically talking about plants, which appear in ‘Amália,’ and about our relationship with life, as explored in ‘Fora onde?,’ which challenges the idea that there is no such thing as an ‘outside.’” In the part where the Droplet talk about our hands, the responsibility for what we do is highlighted, which resonates with ‘Ideas to Postpone the End of the World,’ which is about this world that reached a stage where it can no longer sustain its habits, at a point of no return, but which shows how we can create movements so that this end of the world is at least colorful and enchanted for the beings who inhabit it,” said Veronica.

In Jardim Pernambuco, an area that once housed the largest landfill in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the Nilo Sérgio Community Library was born out of the strength of the community itself and the close-knit bond formed around the local soccer team “Coração Cansado” [“Tired Hearth”]. Next to the field, an old bar was transformed into a space for reading, welcoming visitors, and socializing, where the shelves once filled with bottles are now lined with books, the floor was covered with rugs and cushions, and the walls were painted in new colors. Everything was built by the community members themselves, especially the women. 

The library has not only created a new ecosystem of relationships among children, youth, and adults, but has also become part of the environmental ecosystem itself. Located near rivers that, due to the impact of construction and paving, are prone to flooding, water flows into the library but is protected by the soccer field, which acts as a natural drainage system, absorbing the water like a sponge. Thus, the field has naturally created a nurturing and safe place, where reading, reflection, and a supportive atmosphere now flourish.

With the exception of “Ideas to Postpone the End of the World,” which is already part of the libraries’ collections, all the books—including the Droplets notebooks—were donated and are now part of the collections of the libraries in the Baixada Literária Network. At the end of the activity, all participants had lunch together and were deeply moved by the power of staying together as a collective—an idea that Selvagem Droplets embodies, that life is built through presence and connection. 

Now, the next step is to return with more activities centered on the Droplets and continue to amplify the impact of this gathering which started from a weary heart and brought together many hearts willing to act, create, and dream together.

Photos: Veronica Pinheiro