This World Read Aloud Day, we invite our Global Community to ponder on the question, "What Would the World be Like if Everyone Could Read?" Above, view some responses from adults to children alike, and hear their perspectives on how reading could transform the world for the better. Then, it's YOUR turn! Share your written responses and video links with LitWorld on Facebook (facebook.com/litworld) and Twitter (twitter.com/litworldsays)! We'd love to share on our website! We look forward to hearing what you have to say!
LitWorld Takes A Stand Against Tucson Book Banning
Nineteenth-century German Jewish poet Heinrich Heine wrote in his 1820-1821 play Almansor, "Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen": Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people.
In the wake of yesterday's incredible "Internet Blackout" over the disturbing SOPA and PIPA bills, we are left thinking deeply about censorship. Recently, Tucson banned a set of books that represent the diverse community that makes up this country. We at LitWorld are outraged by the actions being taken in Tucson. These books share important lessons, theories, and ideologies, and banning them in school is an injustice to our students. We embrace the diversity of our country, and we believe that all stories have the right to be heard. Our students deserve an education that allows for the representation of a diverse cultural history that reflects the beauty of our multi-ethnic society.
As we officially take a stand against the Tucson book banning, we encourage you, our community, to go out and support the 7 books that are being banned:
Critical Race Theory, by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic
500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures, edited by Elizabeth Martinez
Message to Aztlán, by Rodolfo Corky Gonzales
Chicano! The History of the Mexican Civil Rights Movement, by F Arturo Rosales
Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, by Rodolfo Acuña
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, by Paulo Freire
Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years, by Bill Bigelow
Please buy copies of these books today, encourage your friends to do the same, and spread the message that book banning is no way to teach our children.
We hope you will stand with us in protecting our students' rights to access these important, groundreaking books that will fuel their education.
Beautiful Stickers to Help Spread the Word, and a Generous Donation
Our friends at Customized Stickers, a family owned and operated company that makes custom stickers, decals, and labels, printed the beautiful stickers shown here on notebooks we gave to our LitClub members during our trip to Kenya this past summer, and this winter they suprised us with a generous in-kind donation of magnets!
A special thanks to the team at Customized Stickers for reaching out to us and contributing to the LitWorld story...
LitWorld's World Read Aloud Day is Back and Better Than Ever!
On March 7, let's celebrate the power of stories and inspire a movement.
793 million adults worldwide lack basic reading and writing skills. This World Read Aloud Day, the globe will connect like never before. Let us together read and share to advocate for the power of words and stories.
The World Read Aloud Day countdown starts now!
Be sure to Register and check out our Activities and Recommendations where you can download our WRAD badge, flyers, worksheets, recommendations, certificates, and more to help spark your World Read Aloud Day preparations and celebrations!
Be sure to check out all the World Read Aloud Day links on the right-hand side, learn about our Signature Event at Books of Wonder in New York City, where there will be exciting workshops and special guest authors all day long on March 7. Read about our WRADvocate Ambassadors who will spearhead WRAD efforts in their communities and act as liaisons to local citizens, and visit our WRAD Blog for detailed profiles on our WRADvocates and for tips on how to spread the word about the big day. Sign up for a LitWorld Video Chat if you represent a group of students who would like to connect with a special guest reader, or if you are an author, blogger, poet, or other community leader who would like to read to a classroom, and check out our Live Orange Broadcast Series Event and our World Read Aloud Day Event on Facebook.
1/17/2012: Live Orange Broadcast Featuring New York City's Most Acclaimed Spoken Word Artists
Our Live Orange Broadcast Series is back to start 2012 off on a powerful note! On January 17th, 2012 at 7PM, we are airing our first Live Orange Broadcast of the year with an episode entitled "The Raw Power of Words: The Art of Spoken Word in the Classroom". To RSVP, and to find more details, please visit the RSVP page here.
In this spoken word edition of the Live Broadcast, we will be interviewing New York City's Youth Poet Laureate of 2012, Ishmael Islam, who will be joined by internationally renowned spoken word performance artist and HBO Def Poetry Jam Veteran Kelly Tsai. Both artists are highly involved with Urban Word NYC, an organization dedicated to elevating youth literacy and voice through the poetry and hip-hop movement. In this broadcast, our guest poets will share their perspectives on their literary art form, how they use it to engage their audiences and students in the classroom, and how spoken word gives one the ability to connect with words in ways other mediums can't.
Hosted by Literacy Expert and LitWorld Executive Director Pam Allyn, this episode will give insight in how spoken word poetry can be used as a teaching tool to empower students.
Things to describe Ishmael 'Ish' Islam: Poet, MC, filmmaker, graphic artist, the coolest nerd, and Brooklyn bred. The nineteen year old multimedia artist is currently in his third year of college, and already has taken an array of steps to become a profound artist of his generation. He's one of the 2010 Brave New Voices slam champions (as seen on HBO) through the Urban Word NYC youth poetry movement. He's a 2011 Knicks Poetry Slam Third Place winner, produced an award winning short film Departure from a Love in 2009, and has a one man show entitled The Self Spell. Ish is also one half of Brooklyn hip-hop duo HumUni (hyoom-yoo-ni). Most recently, he has become the 2012 Youth Poet Laureate of New York City. However, Ish feels all the accolades won’t be as fulfilling as his ultimate goal. With creativity, humility, and a good heart, to contribute to the progression of social consciousness and culture not only for his native Brooklyn, but one day the world at large.
About Kelly Tsai: Spoken word artist Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai has been featured in over 450 performances worldwide at venues including the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the House of Blues, the Apollo Theater, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and three seasons of the award-winning “Russell Simmons Presents HBO Def Poetry.” The author of Inside Outside Outside Inside (2004), Thought Crimes (2005), No Sugar Please (2008), and the CD’s Infinity Breaks (2007) and Further She Wrote (2010), Tsai has shared stages with Mos Def, KRS-One, Sonia Sanchez, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Amiri Baraka, Harry Belafonte, and many more. (www.yellowgurl.com)
RSVP NOW: Click here to access the RSVP page