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Terry Ambrose

Writing is like a good barbecue sauce, if it ain't bold, it ain't worth doing.

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You are here: Home / Archives for literacy

literacy

Two days until the Tucson Festival of Books

March 13, 2014 By Terry Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2014-03-13 at 6.30.06 AMThe Tucson Festival of Books, which is expected to draw in excess of 100,000 visitors this year, has grown into one of the largest book festivals in the country. The event, billed as “where Words and Imagination come to life,” will take place on Mar. 15 and 16 at the University of Arizona campus in Tucson, AZ. Each day, the event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Last year, this was one of my favorite events. Everyone at our booth was warm and welcoming, despite the wild weather—we had everything from snow to warm and sunny. Much like last year, a number of crime fiction authors will be grouped together. I’ll be in Booth #116, but there are plenty of us to visit if you’ll be in the area.

New York Times author interviews
Behind the story of Fear Nothing with Lisa Gardner
Behind the story of Repairman Jack with F. Paul Wilson
CJ Lyons and Broken
Phillip Margolin and Sleight of Hand

All Mystery Authors: Booth #116
Mystery Writers of America: Booth #117
Mystery We Wrote: Booth #110
Sisters in Crime, Desert Sleuths Chapter: Booth #114-115
Sisters in Crime, Tucson Chapter: Booth #113

Each of these booths will have a variety of mystery authors ranging from new voices to Edgar nominees from 2013.

Virtually every genre of books will be represented at the festival. Anyone with an interest in books or writing should attend if in the area. For more information about the Tucson Festival of Books, visit their website at TucsonFestivalofBooks.org.

Filed Under: Books - Featured Tagged With: appearances, crime fiction, literacy

Literacy volunteers find their efforts rewarding

February 7, 2014 By Terry Leave a Comment

Words AliveOn January 2, 2014, Words Alive, a San Diego organization dedicated to improving literacy for ages preschool to adult, received a $10,000 grant from the S. Mark Taper Foundation to support critical literacy programs. Nicole Daniel, Development Manager for Words Alive, said, “This grant will help us implement our programs that foster a love of reading in underserved communities throughout San Diego County!”

New York Times author interviews
Behind the story of Fear Nothing with Lisa Gardner
Behind the story of Repairman Jack with F. Paul Wilson
CJ Lyons and Broken
Phillip Margolin and Sleight of Hand

Included in this programming is now Rolling Readers, welcomed by Words Alive in January 2014.  Words Alive is happy to announce this partnership by continuing the Share Your Love of Reading event next week. She said, “The campaign was started by Rolling Readers a few years ago. Sponsored by Mission Federal Credit Union, It takes place in celebration of Valentine’s Day and Interim Mayor Todd Gloria, Fox 5’s Heather Ford, and Supervisor Dave Roberts are among those participating this year as honorary readers. We will be continuing the read-aloud event as part of our awareness campaign on February 12 & 13.”

Two volunteers who are currently sharing their love of reading through Words Alive’s programs are Sharon Gruby and Rick Seidenwurm. Gruby describes herself as being passionate about children’s literature and works in local preschools. “Developing a love for reading and learning has been the focus of my life,” she said. As an educator for 37 years, Gruby understands the value of developing literacy early on. She added, “General knowledge is that remediation of reading problems after the early years is generally ineffective, so when I found that I could help make a difference, I volunteered to be part of it.”

Seidenwurm works with kids aged 14 to 19 at Choice Summit High. He describes his “beat” as “a one-room schoolhouse in the basement of the YMCA in City Heights serving twenty to thirty kids.”

The school where Seidenwurm teaches is administered by the San Diego County Office of Education’s Juvenile Court and Community Schools system. Students participate in the reading program and monthly book club as an alternative to juvenile detention. “I thought about quitting after my first session at Choice” said Seidenwurm. “The kids were non-responsive, disorderly, and frequently rude to us. It was like pulling teeth to get them to respond with a yes or no, much less venture an opinion. But, there were a few glimmers of hope and the next month’s book was more to their liking and a few of the kids began to participate and told us when the book resonated for them and when it didn’t.”

The initial lack of interest in reading seen by Gruby and Seidenwurm is not unusual according to Daniel. She described how Star Testing measures reading and language proficiency. “Last year, 48% of San Diego students were at or below basic proficiency. Students who are below basic proficiency in third grade are much less likely to graduate from high school. Up until third grade, students are learning how to read. After that, they are reading to learn.”

After several months of working with the kids at Choice, Seidenwurm realized his kids were moving into the category of reading to learn. He found himself spending time with students after the scheduled reading and book club sessions. He said, “Book group sessions are a monthly highlight at Choice and the participation gets better and better. I just facilitated a discussion of a book of early poetry by Tupac Shakur where six of them co-facilitated.”

Gruby, while dealing with a very different age group, has seen similar progress with her kids. She said, “At the beginning of the year many children are not interested in the books we read, but at the end we see beginning readers, interested listeners and enthusiastic learners. Watching this growth is one of the most rewarding parts of this program. When I walk in the room and am greeted enthusiastically with questions about past books, I know we are reaching the children.”

In 2010, Seidenwurm became so involved with the kids that he started a creative writing program for the kids at Choice. He found that some of the kids were reluctant to write fiction. Seidenwurm described how he got the kids to change their attitudes about writing. “I usually begin with a reading from a novel or short story or talk to them about my travels or my life and then give them a choice of writing prompts and ask them to write a story or essay or poem. They need lots of encouragement just to put pen to paper, but they’ve gotten braver and braver as they’ve learned to trust me, their classmates and themselves.”

As the kids opened up, Seidenwurm experimented by asking them to write a short story about him. Their responses completely surprised him. “One of them portrayed me as the head of a drug cartel, another as a master tagger, and a third as the oldest astronaut preparing to embark on a mission to Mars.”

These volunteers have found their participation in literacy programs to be highly rewarding. Seidenwurm said, “You should volunteer for Words Alive’s teen programs to show these troubled adolescents that there are adults out there who care about them and want to enrich their lives and experiences. And maybe just maybe you will be lucky enough to share an ‘aha’ moment or two as a bonus.”

Gruby added, “I often encourage people to volunteer. Many of those I encounter are retired teachers and I tell them how rewarding the program is to volunteers as well as the children. Not only can they make a difference, it beats going to exercise class every day! I tell them when they see smiles on the children’s faces, they will be hooked. The emergent reading years are the most important and we as volunteers have the opportunity to impart our experiences as well as utilize our creative ideas. Words Alive gives volunteers the opportunity to keep learning by working with stimulating people.”

More information

Words Alive works with schools and school districts to provide literacy programs to approximately 8,000 at-risk teens and low-income children and families each month. Programs are provided monthly and/or weekly based on need. Learn more about Words Alive on their website at www.wordsalive.org.

Filed Under: One Step Ahead - Featured Tagged With: literacy

Looking back at 2013 literacy events

December 27, 2013 By Terry Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2013-12-20 at 8.00.43 AMIn 2013, there were a number of events to help improve literacy in San Diego. The events were sponsored by the San Diego Council on Literacy (literacysandiego.org), Reach Out and Read San Diego (www.rorsd.org), and Words Alive (www.wordsalive.org).

In February, the San Diego Council on Literacy sponsored The Bee. The Bee is a team spelling bee with judges, prizes, and a silent auction. The event provides participants a team-building and networking opportunity. There were celebrity expert spellers, judges, and corporate, nonprofit, and individual teams.

New York Times author interviews
Behind the story of Repairman Jack with F. Paul Wilson
CJ Lyons and Broken
Phillip Margolin and Sleight of Hand
Getting to know Carolyn Hart

The 4th Annual Read and Romp Fundraiser in support of the Reach Out and Read School Readiness Program was held in March. The program, sponsored by Reach Out and Read San Diego (www.rorsd.org), featured book-themed activities designed for children ages two through eight. This event is sponsored annually by the local chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Eat, Drink, Read was another event sponsored by the San Diego Council on Literacy. Held in May, the event brought out local chefs, who prepared unique dishes inspired by their favorite book.

The 10th Annual Author’s Luncheon sponsored by Words Alive was held in November and featured New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman, who has published twenty-one novels, three books of short fiction, and eight books for children and young adults.

Filed Under: One Step Ahead - Featured Tagged With: literacy

San Diego romance writers donate to literacy organizations

December 20, 2013 By Terry Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2013-12-20 at 8.00.43 AMOn Nov. 16, the San Diego Chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWASD) held its annual Literacy Bash. According to Sylvia Mendoza, 2013 President of RWASD, “The annual RWA San Diego Literacy Bash event was sold out to capacity in November. Because of the hard work of the committee, the presentation by NY Times best-selling author CJ Lyons, and the generosity of members and guests, we were able to bring in a good amount of money and turn around and make a donation to not one, but two, local literacy organizations. READ San Diego will receive $500 and Words Alive! will receive $300.”

RWASD members conducted a book signing in conjunction with the Literacy Bash. Sorcha Mowbray, who organized the e-book portion of that signing, said, “The event was a great opportunity for traditional and digital authors to share our love of the romance genre with like-minded readers. It is always exciting to meet readers and interact with them one on one, add to that the ability to support literacy based charities? Total win!”

“As a journalist and author,” said Mendoza, “I believe in the power of the written word. Literacy is important because reading and writing well is empowering. It changes lives. Opens doors. Makes dreams a reality. Creates opportunity. And brings readers pleasure and enlightenment.”

Nicole Daniel, Development Associate for Words Alive!, said, “We’re excited to hear that we are a beneficiary of this event. It’s such a natural fit because we’re in the business of creating the next generation of readers. We were honored to be selected by the RWASD board.”

Mendoza added how proud she is of the chapter members. “The generosity of our members at this Literacy Bash is uplifting, the celebration is just plain fun, and we give back to the community’s literacy efforts. I can’t think of a better way to end my year of service as president of RWA San Diego than with all this positive energy.”

More information

Romance Writers of America, San Diego has been around for more than 30 years. It has a strong foundation that is built on professionalism, camaraderie, learning the craft and business of novel writing—and giving back to our community. Learn more at www.rwasd.com.

READ/San Diego is a free literary instruction service for adults 18 years and older. If you are interested in learning more about READ/San Diego, visit them at http://http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/services/outreach/read

Words Alive! opens opportunities for life success by inspiring a commitment to reading. They provide volunteer-led reading experiences for children and youth, education opportunities for parents, scholarships for continuing education, and access, and ownership of quality reading materials. More information is available on their website at www.wordsalive.org.

Sylvia Mendoza is an award-winning journalist and author of “The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas of Passion, Strength, and Success.”  Her website is at www.sylvia-mendoza.com.

Sorcha Mowbray writes erotic romance. Learn more on her website at sorchamowbray.com.

Filed Under: One Step Ahead - Featured Tagged With: literacy

Captain Book makes literacy fun

December 13, 2013 By Terry Leave a Comment

The Treasure Chest Literacy Program started in 2000, when retired theater professor Dr. Morris Pike and Kiwanis Cub of Greater Encinitas charter member Larry Marquardt built six treasure chests, filled them with 40 books each and gave them to the Magdalena Ecke YMCA. By late 2002, Dr. Pike created the good pirate Captain Book who continues to visit classrooms inspiring children to read. (Put your mouse over a slide to view the description).

 

When it comes to making reading enjoyable for children, few are more committed to the task than Morris Pike, who is known to thousands of children as “Captain Book.” In this interview with Captain Book about this San Diego literacy program, the good Captain discussed why he started the program and its accomplishments to date.

“I surveyed the community and concluded that literacy was not only a good cause, but something our [Kiwanis] club could do,” Pike said. “Today, we average more than 70 visits a year to Head Starts, libraries and public school classrooms, we deliver free books to different schools each month for teachers to put in their classroom libraries and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Encinitas selects a teacher of the month to receive a $100 gift certificate for books.”

The Treasure Chest Literacy Program began in 2000 when retired theater professor Dr. Morris Pike and Kiwanis Club of Greater Encinitas charter member Larry Marquardt built six treasure chests, filled them with 40 books each and gave them to the Magdalena Ecke YMCA. By late 2002, Dr. Pike created the good pirate Captain Book, who continues to visit classrooms, inspiring children to read.

More Featured Content
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Broken by CJ Lyons shines
Behind the story of Repairman Jack with F. Paul Wilson

By Christmas 2013, Captain Book will have given away more than 76,000 books to children in need. The target age group for visits is 3-10. Captain Book said, “Most of the children we reach are from pre-school to 3rd grade. We deliver free books to different schools each month for teachers to put in their classroom library.”

The program could not exist without help from the community. The Captain said, “We could not do what we do without help from fundraising events such as pancake breakfasts, comedy night featuring Patti Phillips, gifts from individuals and other Kiwanis Clubs including those in District 37, and grants from City of Encinitas, Camp Pendleton Officers Wives Club, Santa Fe Foundation and San Diego County.”

While the Captain himself is a treat for any child, there are numerous special events conducted throughout the year. “We have Beach Fun Day, go to the Encinitas Holiday Parade,  Oceanside 4th of July Parade, as well as special events at Camp Pendleton and the Marine Recruitment Facility in San Diego.”

Christmas is a very special time of year for the Captain Book, who will visit and give away books at Rady Children’s Hospital, Foster Care Children, and San Pasqual Academy. There is also a Holiday Basket sponsored by the Encinitas Community Resource Center and a selected Head Start will receive gift cards.

More information

Learn more about Captain Book and the Treasure Chest Literacy Program at captainbook.org. The Captain also has written 22 stories for kids which are published on the Country Traveler Online under the name M. Russell Pike and five are on Amazon Kindle. http://countrytraveleronline.com/category/stories/stories-for-children-on-up/.

Suggestions

Isn’t this a great literacy program? If you think so, leave a comment. Also, if you have a favorite literacy program you’d like to see covered here, please let me know with a comment below.

Filed Under: Author Interviews Tagged With: interview, literacy

Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day

December 6, 2013 By Terry 13 Comments

Take Your Child to a BookstoreMystery writer Jenny Milchman started “Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day” (TYCBD) in 2010 when she was visiting a local bookstore each week with her children and realized the positive impact the visits were making on her children. This interview with Milchman and her board members explores their motivation for creating a national day to help parents raise awareness of bookstores for their children. “A book is a portal into other worlds and a bookstore is where you access that portal,” said Milchman.

From a business standpoint, bookstores have been suffering for years. The rise of e-books and online retailers selling books at discount have made it difficult for these small businesses to survive. Another board member, Paul Maguire, who is a children’s book author, said, “This is an event that by nature brings to bookstores an influx of customers who might otherwise have spent their day doing something else. TYCBD establishes a longer-term effect as well. The spirit of the Day, the concept of presenting a trip to the bookstore as an exciting event one can look forward to rather than as a plain old shopping experience, cultivates an attitude of seeing bookstores as special places that provide knowledge, entertainment, and dreams.  It sets bookstores apart as much more special than any other kind of retailer.”

Interview with New York Times Bestselling Authors 

Getting to know Carolyn Hart
CJ Lyons and Broken
Behind the story of Identical with Scott Turow

Beth Miller has worked and volunteered in the arts field for over twenty years. One of her passions is helping children discover the joys of reading. She described why she believes this event continues to grow. “The future of Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is motivated by the organization’s interest in making local bookstores accessible to all children—even ones that live in areas where they may not have strong community ties to their local bookstore or live in a community where the joys of reading, or education for that matter, are emphasized. TYCBD, Inc. plans to target these children by funding field trips for them to experience their bookstores and develop a relationship with their owners, creating a standing invitation for the students to spend time in a place which is a safe and nurturing environment where their imagination can fuel their play.”

Maguire also believes in the future of the event because of his own children. He said, “I have a nine-year-old who is a voracious reader, a five-year-old who is taking a great interest in learning how to read, and a fifteen-month-old who I know will someday be a great reader as well.  In my view, reading of every kind is an activity that provides knowledge. And as I tell my children, knowledge is power.”

All of the board members of TYCBD believe in that ideology. Board member Todd Monahan, a practicing attorney, said he’s experiencing the same thing with his child. “What keeps me going is my personal experience with my own son. He is not even 2 years old and already knows all his letters and numbers, and even some words. He can recite from memory some lines of his favorite books, such as those by Dr. Seuss. It is magical to see a little mind form before my eyes. I know that books will always be an integral part of our lives.”

Monahan added, “TYCBD celebrates and seeks to realize the creative potential within every child. The process of reading is active: the mind participates in and ‘creates’ the story being read, as opposed to simply passively receiving sights, sounds, and story as is the case with other popular media, such as television, movies, and video games. Starting a child reading at a young age creates familiarity with books, and with them letters, numbers, words, and sentences. The more familiar the child is with these things at a young age, the more comfortable that child will be in school. Moreover, once a child realizes the power of his/her imagination, there is no limit to its applicability in all different walks of life. Children who know the value of reading and literacy become adults who know the value of reading and literacy, and will be more likely to pass on what they have learned to others.”

The shared passion of these four young people has helped the program grow rapidly in its first few years of existence. This year, there will be more than 600 bookstores participating in the event. All four board members want to see the program grow to national nonprofit status so they can begin to reach even more children. For Milchman, reaching those children means helping them ignite their own passions.

“There are children for whom a book may be a saving grace, true salvation—they were for me,” said Milchman. “But many great authors, such as James Patterson, David Baldacci and others, are working to increase childhood literacy and reading. The unique role bookstores can play in a child’s life are less focused on, however. Bookstores connect us to our community; they represent real-time, face-to-face encounters, and sensory engagement in an often virtual world. But more than that–bookstores are an Ali Baba treasure lair of jeweled covers and inner illustrations. The sights and smells of a bookstore are not found anywhere else. But it’s the interaction between booksellers who have made books their life’s passion and a child whose passion is just awakening that is most important. We don’t know whose voice may spark what for a child. But my guess is it can be found in a bookstore.”

More information

Learn more about Take Your Child to a Bookstore on their website at takeyourchildtoabookstore.org, where you can also find a map to your nearest participating bookstore. Jenny Milchman’s author website is at www.jennymilchman.com. Paul Maguire’s website is at www.paulmaguireauthor.com.

Filed Under: Author Interviews Tagged With: interview, literacy

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