Books Connect Us: June 19, 2020

Through Words Alive’s response to COVID-19, “Books Connect Us,” we are sharing best practices from our 20+ year history to help children, teens, and families use the love of reading to navigate this turbulent time. Here are a few highlights from the past few days. 

Novel Ideas!

For the past few months, you’ve been following the journey of Words Alive’s adaptations to support youth and families through social distancing. Today we are proud to showcase some of the extraordinary work that has come from this turbulent time. 

Novel Ideas is an interactive online gallery of student voices powered by their connection to words, reading, writing, and art. Novel Ideas showcases work from more than 400 students exploring themes of student activism, social distancing, and a love of reading.

We invite you to a docent-led ‘tour’ (via Zoom) of the exhibit to hear stories of these incredible students at such a remarkable time. Sign up for a tour here.

Words Alive + University of California San Diego!

Virtual and remote volunteers are stepping up to support Words Alive in amazing ways during social distancing.

We recently partnered with the Center for Student Involvement at the University of California San Diego to host a two-week long volunteer-a-thon. Students participated in service projects enhancing our curriculum, translating materials to reach more communities, and outreach to help connect with more teachers and families. We want to extend a special thank you to the Words Alive volunteers who also facilitated each project!

 If your company or group are looking for virtual service opportunities, please contact Robyn.

New Curriculum Books!

Words Alive launched the Page Turners program last fall so volunteers could help review and identify which books we should read with our students. We are excited to announce the first books to be moved from our Page Turners reading list into our process to develop curriculum so the books can be used in our programs: Islandborn by Junot Díaz, Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Sonia Sotomayor, Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes, and Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles. Thank you to all of the Page Turners who read and reviewed these titles!

 Over 100 Page Turners are helping us decide which books should be taught in our classroom programming! Interested in joining? Click here.

Upcoming (Virtual) Events

Join us for these stories on Story Station every weekday afternoon (2 pm PT on Facebook Live):

6/22: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

6/23: Pass It On! by Marilyn Sadler

6/24: The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems

6/25: I'm Not a Chair! by Ross Burach

6/27: Special Friday surprise!

(Recordings are available on our Facebook page after the reading.)

Trending on #QuaranTEENS

Top stories and activities trending this week on #QuaranTEENS:

1. Book Cover Challenge

2. Create a Playlist 

3. Storytelling to Make Sense of the World

Donate Here to Support Words Alive's COVID-19 Response!

Words Alive Welcomes New Hire

Words Alive continues to grow, and as we expand, we are continually building our team. In that vein, we are excited to announce our newest team member, Sara Mortensen. Sara joins the Words Alive family as the Office Coordinator, responsible for front desk operations and supports development, events, communications and programs.

Sara is native to San Diego and graduated from the University of California, San Diego with both a B.S. in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Neuroscience and a B.A. in Dance. Previously, Sara worked as a Research Assistant with the Veterans Medical Research Foundation on the QUICK Study, which aimed to quantify how the use of Electronic Health Records in clinical settings affects physician-patient communication. Sara is also a volunteer for The Harry Potter Alliance, a nonprofit organization that works to create positive social change through the power of story. She currently holds the position of Research Team Lead for the Campaigns Department. Sara is very passionate about reading and is excited to be working with the Words Alive Team.

Now, let’s hear from Sara!

Sara, tell us what intrigued you about Words Alive?

I am very passionate about reading and since I have graduated from college, I have been interested in finding a full-time job at a nonprofit organization. So Words Alive seemed like a perfect fit for me! I think that the work that Words Alive does is so important for our community, and I really wanted to be a part of making that happen.

What are you most excited about in your new position?

I am most excited about how much I am going to learn in this position! I'm looking forward to working closely with multiple different departments here and seeing how I can best contribute to the success of Words Alive.

What is your relationship with literacy?

Books have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have early memories of reading, whether it was first learning to read in preschool, helping my best friend learn to read better in second grade, my mom reading Harry Potter with me every night, or discussing what books I'm currently reading with my friends. Literacy has been so important to my personal development and success, and I think that my love of books shapes a lot of my personality. When someone asks me to describe myself, the first thing I say is usually, "I'm a reader!"

And by the way, what are you reading currently?

I am currently reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and I am also listening to the audiobook of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. This is my third time reading The Name of the Wind; it is one of my all-time favorite books!

Currently, there are no employment opportunities at Words Alive, but we are ALWAYS recruiting for wonderful volunteers to work in the classrooms with both other students and families. Check out how to get involved as a Words Alive volunteer! #makereadingmatter #wordsalive.