New Horizons for our ReadThenWrite Program and Students
“I got to tell my story in my own way… with help.
That was the best part [of ReadThenWrite].”
The 2013-2014 school year was monumental for ReadThenWrite. The program doubled in size, reached new school populations, and transformed 240 students from across Chicago into polished, published authors.
This month, we’ve selected four stories to share with you that are as diverse as the students in our programs: Lokeemion, a 10th grade student from John Hope, writes about his incredible bond with his grandmother; Andrew, a 6th grader from Pilsen Community Academy, shares his experience with the ever-pesky Mario Brothers; Jessica, a 10th grade student from Chicago Talent, offers a powerful story about her first year of high school; and finally, Daisy, a 7th grade student from Fairfield Academy, teaches us a thing or two about friendship.
It’s been an incredible year for our young authors. We are tremendously proud of their work and grateful to every volunteer who helped coach them through the writing proess.
Would you like to volunteer with ReadThenWrite in the fall?
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We're Hiring Program Fellows!
Fellows are part-time team members who must have daytime availability, commit to serving from September-May, and be passionate about creating engaging literacy experiences for students from all over Chicago.
The application deadline for both positions is July 31st.
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Seeking Guest Illustrators
As a part of this summer's
Publishing Academy, we are welcoming guest illustrators to help our young novelists truly visualize the characters they create. As an illustrator, you will conference with students (7th-12th grade) as they describe their main characters - push them for details, that's the point! - and then have a chance to bring them to life on paper. If interested in this opportunity, please email volunteer@open-books.org and include sample work.
Wednesday, July 9 | 10am-12pm
Open Books Literacy Center | 213 W Institute Pl, Suite 207
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Open Book Club Reads Going Clear:Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief
 Created by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology is one of the most debated religious movements of the 20th century. Despite critics who claim the group is cultish, litigious, and intolerant, Scientology has grown its worldwide membership and enjoyed an especially prominent place in Hollywood, with famous actors such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta speaking publicly about their committment to the religion.
In Going Clear, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright presents a neutral examination of Scientology, including interviews with current and former members and an analysis of the relationships that various Hollywood insiders have with the organization.
Join us on Tuesday, August 12 at 6 pm for what is sure to be a lively discussion about Going Clear. And keep up to date with Open Book Club's future selections by joining us on our Meetup page!
P.S. We'll see you on July 8th for Defending Jacob!
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Book Banter: On Indie Bookstores
With Chicago Independent Bookstore Day around the corner on July 12th, Kevin reminds us why indie bookstores are as valuable as the shoppers who keep them in business:
"Independent bookstores are for passionate, engaged, and caring members of society with curiosity and opinions about the written word. They are for people who view both their own growth as people and relaxing escapism as valuable. They are for people who want a meeting place for ideas and opinions. They are for people who are curious and engaged. They are for people, like you and me, who want to be connected to an important discovery or an old favorite we might have forgotten in the busy day to day. They are for those who want to be connected. Period."
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Open Books at the Pilsen Flea Market
The Chicago Urban Art Society (an exhibition + creative-use space in the Pilsen community that hosts the 2nd Fridays Art Walk) will host a pop-up artisan/vintage/handmade Flea Market on 3rd Sundays of the month this summer and Open Books Pilsen will be there selling hundreds of affordable used books!
July 20th
August 17th
September 21st
9 am - 3 pm
Cafe Jumping Bean
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Grateful Book Grant Recipients
York Center/Stevenson Schools, which runs a summer library program to support continued reading after the school year is finished, recently received a book grant from our Book Worm Angels program and wrote us this incredible thank you note!
"We wish to extend a very sincere and appreciative Thank You from the York Center/Stevenson Schools community for the recent grant of 1,000 books to support the Summer Library Program. When we brought the books back to school after our pick-up at the Pilsen warehouse, we decided to unpack a few of the books to evaluate them. We were in awe of the selection! We eagerly decided to continue to unpack ALL the boxes, organize the books and allow students to view the books as a way to promote the Summer Library Program."
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OPEN BOOKS BUZZ
@Jacqamuffin: Thank you Lizzy from @OpenBooks for recommending Good Omens! It's my new favorite book!!
@KateLShields: Guess what's coming in August? Could it be my 2nd book drive for @OpenBooks ? Yes it is! Start stacking your extra books, more details soon!
@lizteaching: Thank you @OpenBooks for donating books for my classroom! Appreciate your generosity!
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COMING UP
Every Thursday
10 am
Defending Jacob
July 8
6 pm
July 11
6 pm - 10 pm
July 12
10 am - 7 pm
Race Day!
July 20
July 20
August 5
6 pm
Going Clear
August 12
6 pm
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CHICAGO INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY
Open Books River North
will feature:
- Storytime for young readers at 10:30 am
- A special tasting and signing at 2 pm (see below!)
- Other prizes and discounts throughout the day
213 W. Institute Pl.
Saturday, July 12
10 am - 7 pm
Post a pic of your purchases and tag us with #OBBookHaul!
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DO YOU LIKE PIE?
Paula will sign copies of her cookbook, The Book of Pie, and have samples for you to try!
213 W. Institute Pl.
Saturday, July 12
2 pm
Copies of The Book of Pie will be available for
in-store purchase.
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JOIN OUR
ASSOCIATE BOARD
Our Associate Board is an energetic group of young professioinals joined together by a love of literacy. Looking for a chance to support the cause? Join us!
Info Session
August 5th at 6 pm
Open Books River North
213 W. Institue Pl.
RSVP at
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JULY VOL-STAR
July's Vol-Star is Katelyn Cohen. When she's not playing music throughout the city, Katelyn lends an expert hand at our Creative Writing field trips.
Learn more about the first book that Katelyn ever read, and what food she'd eat for the rest of her life if she could, by clicking here.
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CHILDREN'S BOOK GIVEAWAY
Meatheads is partnering with us to celebrate reading by sponsoring a Free Book Giveaway and Storytime for Kids at their Roscoe Village location!
Saturday, July 12
10 am - 12 pm
3304 N. Western
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OPEN BOOKS NAMED RUNNER UP FOR BEST CHARITY
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Meet Noah, Our New Marketing Manager!
You’ll be hearing a lot from Noah Cruickshank, our new Marketing Manager, as he'll be overseeing newsletters, social media, space rental, partnerships, and other outreach on behalf of Open Books.
Best-selling author Sarah Paretsky’s former personal assistant, Board President of the Chicago Writers Conference, and aspiring author, Noah brings a wealth of knowledge about the book industry and writing community to Open Books.
Read more about Noah and his path to Open Books here.
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Meet Nell, Our New Volunteer Coordinator!
Actually, many of you may already know Nell, since she was our ReadThenWrite fellow for the 2013-2014 school year! After spending last year working directly with our program team and volunteers, Nell is uniquely suited to take on the role of managing Open Books’ fantastic corps of volunteers – from those who coach our students to those who staff our store, and everyone in between.
Nell is a native New Yorker who loves to ride her bike, paint watercolors, and chat about her specific literary obsessions. Learn more about Nell and read an excerpt from her current favorite book, Nabokov’s Pale Fire, by clicking here.
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