Literacy/Reading

On May 9, at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), announced a new national reading program, The Big Read, designed to revitalize the role of reading in American public culture. NEA is launching The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Between October 16 and 22, libraries, schools, and bookstores across America will celebrate Teen Read Week, which is now in its eighth year. A national literacy initiative aimed at teens, their parents, librarians, educators, booksellers, and other concerned adults, Teen Read Week was developed by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to focus on the importance of teen recreational reading.

Reach Out and Read (ROR), the 16-year-old national pediatric literacy organization, has been putting millions of books into the hands, strollers, and even mouths, of babies and preschool children to help make reading a part of every healthy childhood.

By Jay Hochstedt of Changing Hands Bookstore

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) recently announced the release of their latest newsletter for Get Caught Reading, the Association of American Publisher's campaign to promote the joy of reading, now beginning its seventh year.

In early July, author James Patterson and Time Warner Book Group announced the debut of the James Patterson PageTurner Awards, annual cash prizes totaling $75,000, intended to single out and support the people, companies, schools, and other institutions that find original and effective ways to promote the excitement of books.

Authors interested in thanking literacy advocates, whether they're booksellers, librarians, or English teachers, typically do so on a book's acknowledgementspage. However, to show his appreciation, bestselling author James Patterson is upping the ante.

The state of Mississippi, while home to generations of literary giants, ranks at or close to last of all state literacy rates and the dollar amounts spent on each pupil in its public school system. High poverty levels and a lack of funding for remediation, materials, and teacher training all contribute to the critical problem.

For the eighth consecutive year, principals and teachers will offer to dye their hair green, be duct-taped to walls, or jump out of airplanes; all-star football players will wear silly, tall striped hats; and governors and mayors will issue proclamations, all to encourage children to pick up a book and read on March 2, the National Education Association's (NEA) Read Across America Day.