Each Fall is marked by annual events focused on literacy.
First up, the Vancouver Sun’s Raise a Reader campaign is on Wednesday, September 25.
Pick up a newspaper, perhaps sold by a local celebrity, and support literacy improvement in B.C.
Word Vancouver, formally known as Word on the Street, takes place September 25 to 29.
The event still culminates with the Sunday events at Library Square which will include Poetry Slam performances, authors and exhibits.
The Vancouver Writer’s Festival takes place October 22 to 27.
David Sedaris is among the authors scheduled to speak. We have a few of his short story books in the library.
Come on in and check one out!
In Other Words…
The more you read,
the more you will know.
The more you learn,
the more places you’ll go.
Dr. Seuss
Author JJ Lee visits Writing 12
Last week author JJ Lee spent two days with the Writing 12 class, giving his insights into writing.
JJ’s first book, a memoir, The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son and a Suit has been short listed for the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non Fiction and the Governor General’s Award for Non Fiction.
JJ’s essay ELLE First: You are Beautiful for Elle Magazine won gold for best short feature at the National Magazine Awards.
JJ writes a monthly menswear advice column for the Vancouver Sun and is often heard on CBC. He is currently working on a series about fashion in the James Bond flicks, in honour of the 5oth anniversary.
During his time with the class, JJ imparted some advice “…drill down to the heart of a story… A story without reflection is not worth reading…” and a few writing tricks as well “be a ‘was’ killer and find the power word”.
Here is a link to a video of JJ telling a true story of his role in a tram crash in Australia – worth a watch – enjoy!
We have JJ’s book in the library.
Banned Books – Check one out!
What do Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies have in common? All books these books have been banned in other parts of world but are required reading here in Canada. 100’s of books have been banned for a variety of reasons. Some reasons are depicted above. Click here for a list of Banned and Challenges Classics. Come in and challenge yourself to read a banned book!
In Other Words…
Every burned book
enlightens the world.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Word on the Street
Looking for something to do this coming Sunday, September 30?
Head down to the 18th annual Word on the Street National Book and Magazine Festival, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. at Library Square and CBC Plaza.
Word on the Street has grown into a three day event, ending with a jam-packed Sunday full of author readings, exhibits, and performances with literary twists.
In the past I have met Roch Carrier, who autographed my copy of The Hockey Sweater, and watched Baba Brinkman perform The Cantebury Tales in his hip-hop style.
Among the authors this year are W.P. Kinsella, author of Shoeless Joe and past B.C. Teen Choice Stellar Award Nominee John Wilson author of And in the Morning and Four Steps to Death, as well as a performance by a Vancouver Youth Poetry Slam team from the Vancouver Youth Theatre.
Check out the Word of the Street website
for a complete list of authors, performers and exhibits.
In Other Words…
Reading is a conversation.
All books talk.
But a good book listens as well.
Mark Haddon
author
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night
Kindles are Here!!!
This year we are venturing into the world of e-books. The library currently has 10 Kindles for borrowing. Collectively there are 33 titles available in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Social Issues, Historical Fiction and Classics. FYI the very popular Hunger Games and Game of Thrones series are available.
We do take requests.
BOBing Up Again!
As we start off the year with our BOB reading blocks, I have reposted the ‘all about BOB” post – it’s BOBing Up Again!
BOB stands for Bring on the Books. It is Sutherland’s name for USSR, a block of time dedicated to Uninterrupted Silent Sustained Reading.
I wrote about the advantages of uninterrupted silent sustained reading programs (USSR) or Bring on the Books (BOB) as we call it, in the Library Links blog:
Did you know BOB was named after a real person? Bob Baldwin was a community coach, an inspiration in the manner in which he conducted himself and an example in how he dealt with the cancer that took his life he believed in the dedication of practice and the devotion to learning well. Bob’s son was a student at Sutherland.
As with the skills of the sports Bob coached, practice makes perfect – be it sports, music, cooking, sewing, acting, painting, problem solving, scientific experiments and reading.
BOB was established with the consultation of students, staff and parents.
As educators, we place value on learning opportunities we schedule in the school day.
Did you know reading comprehension is a provincial, district, and school goal?
Did you know Sutherland’s school planning council includes reading as one of its goals?
There are years of research and numerous studies illustrating the benefits of reading. One study showed evidence that 40% of Canadians cannot sufficiently read enough to compete in the job market or complete daily tasks this is the equivalent of 400 Sutherland students. A second study reported students who achieved lower grades spent less time reading than those with higher grades.
Give 20 minutes, twice a week a chance. In the grand scheme of things, 40 minutes is not a lot of time to commit to a skill you will use for a life time. This amounts to 25 hours in a school year – a little more than one day of uninterrupted reading.
Need reading recommendations… check out the booklists under Literature Links
for some out of the ordinary ideas..
In Other Words…
Words and ideas are indeed challenging,
often threatening, things.
They can change the world.
Bryan D. Palmer