Is there enough room in the world for all the things that excite us? Okay – granted, the assigned serial is utterly random, but this little gem is nonetheless incredibly noteworthy:

21st Annual National African American Read-In

In honor of Black History Month and with the endorsement of the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE; of which L Words is a proud member) is once again sponsoring the National African American Read-In, dedicated to celebrating the history of African American literature and further emphasizing the importance of (and joy in!) making reading a lifelong practice.

Originally created by a group of scholars to familiarize readers with great works in African American literature, the event has grown to boast over one million participants internationally, including churches, schools, libraries, bookstores, and other community groups and professional organizations. Participants gather in Read-In groups to experience a variety of African American literature together, from public readings and discussions to media-driven author presentations.

In support of the event, L Words has created an online Read-In group that will be facilitated through this site. For the next 5 weeks, we’ll be reading and writing our socks off! (Not literally, of course – the threat posed to the group by such an interpretation is simply too great to comprehend.) Because this event is in truth another lens from which to philosophically view the literacy debate, participants will be considering the following questions (among many others) with each text selection:

How does this work help us understand the concept of literacy, particularly culturally-specific literacy? In what way(s) can this work help us become better readers/writers/speakers?

After days of debate, the following text list (taken from the Recommended Text List created by the NCTE) emerged for our seminar focus: (Notice the range in complexity of subject matter and overall text)

• Angelou, Maya (1983).  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
• Comer, James P. (1997). “Waiting for a Miracle: Why Schools Can’t Solve Our Problems and How We Can.” (Essays)
• Hill, Patricia (Ed; 1998). Call and Response: The Riverside Anthology of the African American Literary Tradition.
• Hurston, Zora Neale (1990). Their Eyes Were Watching God.
• Jones, Edward P. (2003). The Known World.
• Morrison, Toni (1992). Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination. (Criticism)
• Perry, Theresa, & Lisa Delpit (1988). “The Real Ebonics Debate: Power, Language, & the Education of African American Children.” (Essay)
• Royster, Jacqueline Jones (2000). Traces of a Stream: Literacy & Social Change among African American Women.
• Singley, Bernestine (2002). “When Race Becomes Real: Black & White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories.” (Essay)
• Taylor, Mildred (1984). Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
• West, Cornel (1993). Race Matters.
• Wideman, John Edgar (1988). Sent for You Yesterday.

Obviously, this list is too lengthy to tackle singlehandedly; participants should choose 1-2 works only and be prepared to discuss them, forum-style, with the group. Discussions/presentations/questions should be forwarded to the group every Wednesday by no later than 8:30pm PST.

The group is filling up quickly, and we’d like to keep the size reasonable to ensure thoughtful consideration of all posts. To sign up, email us at info@lwordsediting.com with the subject line reading “Read-In.”

Read-In guidelines mandate that our last post be turned in by no later than March 15, so there’s precious little time to waste. Choose a selection and head to your local library or bookstore today for pickup. L Words will publish the results of our participation and discussion at the conclusion of the Read-In. We are excited to be learning with you all.

Happy Reading!