Volunteer Zeynep Sunbay often works in the Friends Library Store at Central.
Looking for Volunteer Opportunities
Zeynep Sunbay arrived in Portland from Istanbul as a new bride in August, 2010 with a Master’s in Psychology, but no license to work in the U.S. Unwilling to remain idle, she looked for volunteer opportunities, found the Friends on Craigslist, and by November she was a prized volunteer at the Friends Library Store in Central Library.
She has always loved bookstores for the peace and diversion she finds there. The reward for her long commute from Hillsboro is “being around books, wonderful people, and other volunteers who read and care about their library.” Zeynep is an excellent salesperson who is always looking to improve herself and her surroundings. She is also very competitive and has won every FOL membership contest in which she has participated!
A Typical Volunteer Day
Her typical volunteer day begins with Zeynep looking around the store as if she were a customer (which isn’t hard because she does a lot of shopping there herself – mostly unique cards and treasures from the 50% off cart). She displays books that might interest customers, especially the regulars whom she gets to know. Seeing books taken to loving homes makes her very happy!
Thoughts of Portland
Asked what she likes about Portland, Zeynep gave this thoughtful answer, “What I like most about Portland is that it doesn’t take itself seriously! It’s a modest city, with its people, its buildings, its friendliness to pets and love of nature. From the point of view of a foreigner who has been to quite a few big cities in the U.S., Portland is the warmest. Though not usually in terms of the weather!”
Recommended Turkish Authors
Like most avid readers, she keeps a long list of books that includes classic literature, contemporary Turkish authors, and nonfiction such as Charlotte Joko Beck’s Nothing Special: Living Zen. When asked about Turkish authors, Zeynep’s first mention was Orhan Pamuk who won the Nobel Prize in 2006. She said, “His latest novel, The Museum of Innocence once came to the store and I shelved it thinking that it wouldn’t be long before I pointed it out to a customer or a volunteer. I sold that book by the end of my shift to one of our members!
Latife Tekin is another author who has had her work translated into English. I highly recommend her books, which are not hard to find. Finally, Berji Kristin’s, Tales from the Garbage Hills would be a great place to start if you want to begin exploring modern Turkish writing.”
Visit Zyenep at the Friends Library Store
The Friends Library Store has many special volunteers and we are lucky to have Zeynep Sunbay! She is a delight! I hope you’ll take the opportunity to visit the store and meet her.
