readergirlz is a literacy and social media project for teens, awarded the National Book Foundation's Innovations in Reading Prize. The rgz blog serves as a depot for news and YA reviews from industry professionals and teens. As volunteers return full force to their own YA writing, the organization continues to hold one initiative a year to impact teen literacy. All are welcome to "like" us on Facebook!
Every year, Guys Lit Wire lends its platform to host a book fair for Ballou. Working with librarian Melissa Jackson and her students, we build a wish list of titles they need and then ask the internet to buy a book (or 2) (or more) and send some joy their way. It's quick and it's easy and for book lovers in particular, it's a no-brainer.
We all know that books matter to kids, and we all know why buying books for teens who do not have wide access to them is a smart investment in our world's future. For Ballou, the school fund for book purchases is not large and as a Washington Post article showed earlier this year, the dollars for books in DC often go to wealthier neighborhoods. Also, when they get money schools like Ballou are often not able to purchase the sort of fun or seemingly frivolous titles that teens would really to read.
That is where the Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Ballou comes in. We buy the books the kids ask for, plain and simple.
The mailing address is already set-up for checkout and there are nearly 400 books to choose from with a price range that starts under $5. We do hope you will find a book that you want to send to Ballou and help us fill their shelves with the titles these kids want so very much to read.
Don't let it stop there. If you know of a library, school, shelter, or hospital that's in great need of books and other items, give back. Rally up your co-workers, patrons, students, and friends, gather donated items (new or gently used), and donate them to your chosen organization or charity. Share your good fortune and good spirits with others.
If you were not able to rock the drop yesterday due to time, weather, or other such uncontrollable things, don't fret - you can totally drop a book today, this weekend, whenever time allows! When you do, leave us a comment here at the readergirlz blog or on Facebook, and tweet @readergirlz with the hashtag #rockthedrop - and include a picture if you took one!
You can also participate on a larger scale, if you'd like, by
donating a bunch of books to the place or cause of your choice. Visit a
local shelter, a school, a library, a children's hospital, and ask if
they take donations. Once you've gotten the okay, gather up new or
gently used books from your friends, family, classmates, and co-workers,
add the bookplates, tuck in some bookmarks, then drop the books off!
You can also donate books to826NYC, a non-profit organization that assists young writers between the ages of 6 and 18 as well as the awesome folks who teach them. If you'd like to send them books, here's the address:
826NYCAttn: Joan Kim c/o: readergirlz Rock the Drop 372 Fifth Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215
During yesterday's tweets and texts, we heard about World Book Night, which is happening on April 23rd. Learn more about that, and see if an event is happening in your neck of the woods.
Is this the first time you've heard of Operation Teen Book Drop? Anyone anywhere in the world may participate. It's free, it's fun, and it's global. Want to learn more about it? Click here!
There are over 1,200 students currently enrolled in Ballou Senior High School in Washington, D.C.
There are approximately 1,150 books in their library.
Less than one book per student. Unbelievable. The American Library Association (ALA) standard is 11:1, not 1:1. Let's help fill Ballou's library with wonderful books, both fiction and non-fiction, and of every genre!
Once you have made your selections head to "checkout" and you will be prompted to inform Powell's if the books were indeed bought from the wishlist. This lets the store know to mark them as "purchased" on the list. After that you need to provide your credit card info and also fill in the shipping address. Melissa Jackson, LIBRARIAN Ballou Senior High School 3401 Fourth Street SE Washington DC 20032 (202) 645-3400
It's very important that you get Melissa's name and title in there - she is not the only Jackson (or Melissa) at the school and we want to make sure the books get to the library.
Spread the word! Share the links to both the wishlist + to Colleen's post at GLW through email, Facebook, Twitter, and blogs so we can get this library PACKED!
Don't let it stop there. If you know of a library, school, shelter, or hospital that's in great need of books and other items, give back. Rally up your co-workers, patrons, students, and friends, gather donated items (new or gently used), and donate them to your chosen organization or charity. Share your good fortune and good spirits with others.
It seems like I've been talking about this book all summer, but ADIOS, NIRVANA by my friend and fellow Seattleite Conrad Wesselhoeft is now here!
I didn't even know Conrad until recently, but I'd heard such good things about his writing from our mutual friend Molly Blaisdell, who said we should be friends. We read each other's books, and so we are! We even just did a panel together at Third Place Books in Seattle.
ADIOS, NIRVANA is powerful, poetic, funny, and...savory. As in, you want to savor the flavor of it as you read, and taste each and every nuance. And one of you will get to win a copy (details below).
Welcome, Conrad!
*****
ADIOS, NIRVANA is about a teenaged poet-musician who survives the first anniversary of his twin brother’s death with the help of a dying blind man, the best group of “Thicks” a guy could ask for, a demanding school principal who wants him to play the “pussiest song in the world” at graduation, and one very special guitar.
Holly Cupala: Tell us about the origins of ADIOS!
Conrad Wesselhoeft: I stumbled upon this quote in a newspaper column: “In darkness, it slowly came to me that what happens to a man isn’t nearly as important as how he meets it.” The author of the quote was Victor Riesel, a labor journalist who was blinded when a mobster flung sulphuric acid in his face.” I jotted Riesel’s words in my journal, then added, spur of the moment: “Story about a young man who becomes a stenographer/writer of a blind man’s life, and in so doing exorcises his own demons.”
In 2007, my agent, Erin Murphy, asked to see some of my ideas for future projects. I sent her a long list. The idea for Adios was buried near the bottom, barely an afterthought, yet it was this idea that spoke loudest...
Let's give a cheer for the success of the TBD Wish List! I heard from Colleen at Guys Lit Wire that ALL 772 BOOKS WERE PURCHASED! A total sellout, in the very best way. :~)
You all ROCKED THE DROP!
Ojo Ecino Day School and Alchesay High School have new books descending on them daily now as Powell's delivers.
Here's to Colleen who built and maintained those lists and twittered her fingers off. Here's to Guys Lit Wire and the special help of extra tweets from celebs like Neil Gaiman. And here's to you. Many of you were able to buy multiple copies.
If you have any suggestions for next time around, leave them in the comments for us! Otherwise, do a little dance, rgz!
Colleen is winding down the TBD Wish Lists over at Guys Lit Wire. Check out her amazing post about the tribal schools receiving their shipments. Over 600 books have been purchased! Here's what she said after chatting with the librarians:
"No one expected so many books, not one of them thought so many people could be so generous to children they never met and would likely never know. It just all seemed too good to be true.
How awesome is it that you could prove them wrong in such a lovely way."
There may still be time to jump in and make a difference yourself if you haven't yet. Bravo!
PS. Neil Gaiman just tweeted the TBD Wish List AGAIN (Wednesday), so Colleen is leaving the lists up until Friday. Go, rgz, go!!!
Many hands devoted themselves to helping readergirlz get books into the hands of Native teens living on tribal lands: GuysLitWire, YALSA, If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything, publishers, and the many librarians, teachers, and champions of YA and Native teens who helped us make this project a reality!
Welcome to the TBD 2010, Post-Op Party! Did you Rock the Drop? Did you hit the TBD Wish Lists? Then join us here at the top of the hour.
And if you weren't able to drop a YA book in your community with 100 authors across the country, jump into the conversations anyway and celebrate the 10,000 new books donated by our beloved publishers. Today in honor of Support Teen Literature Day, those books fell into the hands of teens on tribal lands.
*squeeeee* You guys are doing GREAT! Over 100 books purchased at the TBD Wish List in 24 hours! You have Guys Lit Wire running around over there. Way to go, ladies! The books are dropping on Ojo Encino and Alchesay High School, adding to their tribal school libraries.
Colleen has constructed amazing lists and a beautiful post at Guys Lit Wire, so be sure to check it out if you haven't yet. Here are the photos she chose to share from American Youth. Beautiful.
And here are her speedy instructions for purchase:
"First, hit the Powells site and on the upper right click on "wish list". From there you will be prompted for the email address of the list owner. Type in "guyslitwire@gmail.com". You will then be given the choice to select either Ojo Encino or Alchesay. Once you are looking at the lists (which contain hundreds of titles) you can make your selection of a new, used, or sale copy. After your done and ready to make your purchase you will be asked to confirm that you are buying books for a certain wishlist. Checking those boxes will keep the lists up to date and prevent books from appearing as unsold even after they were purchased. Now all you have to do is enter the mailing addresses, and here they are:
Mary Nickless Ojo Encino Day School Librarian HCR 79 Box 7 Cuba, NM 87013 (505) 731-2333
Marilyn Hill Alchesay High School 200 Falcon Way Whiteriver, AZ 85941 928-338-4848"
So there you go. Read, reflect, and reach out for TBD 2010, rgz!
"The Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Boys to benefit the teens held in the LA County Juvenile Justice system is still rocking along! We really appreciate all the help we have gotten thus far and hope that folks will continue to share the link and let those who are unfamiliar with our project know about what we are trying to accomplish. Please read my earlier post on our partnership with InsideOut Writers in LA and how to access the Powells Wish List. Did a book change your life? Well now's the time to pay that literary favor forward."
I just bought Jacqueline Woodson's Locomotion for the teens. It's awesome having the chance to contribute. Just visiting the Wish List is very interesting. So many are affordable, btw.
You know we love our guys over at GuysLitWire. So let's get the word out about their project full of heart and merit! Check this OUT! And get involved right now. Bravo, GuysLitWire!
"Today we start the first two week Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Boys to help the teens incarcerated in the LA County Juvenile Justice System. They have no books - at all - and they need them; they need them desperately.
There are currently about 50,000 incarcerated juveniles in the U.S.....About 300 of those kids (between the age of 12 and 18) are enrolled in voluntary classes through the InsideOut Writers Program. InsideOut is the GLW partner in the Book Fair for Boys.
The Book Fair for Boys is built around a wish list at Powells Books.We have put together what we think is the beginning of a library that will be available for any teens using the classrooms in the LA County system.
GLW intends to build a longterm relationship with IOW and run book fairs on a semi annual basis. We also have invited IOW to assist the boys in submitting book reviews to our site. We hope in this way to show them that their opinions are valued and to also give them a bit of writing and publishing experience.
You access the Book Fair for Boys list through the main wish list page. Enter our email: guyslitwire@gmail.com From there you can survey the list on one page and after you have made your selections, here is the mailing address:
Eve Porinchak IOW 5850 Brookline Lane San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
The Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Boys will run for two weeks and we invite everyone who buys a book to please comment on our site or send us an email and let us know your first name, where you are from and what you bought so we can run a list of how the Fair is going.
Hit the wishlist, buy a book and please, let us know what you think of the Book Fair for Boys."
Go to it, rgz! Rock this drop for Guys Lit Wire and incarcerated youth!
It’s finally here and now everyone can participate! Help rgz raise awareness of Support Teen Literature Day with YALSA on April 16th by participating in Operation Teen Book Drop (TBD ’09). Grab a label from our website and get ready to leave a book in your community. Then party it up with us at the Post-Op Party with authors and readers from around the world. This is the same day that rgz, GuysLitWire, and YALSA are dropping 8,000 books to hospitalized teens across the country. And where are the new YA books coming from? AMAZING publishers who have the heart to continue to give in our tight economic times. Bravo, publishers! We heart you!
The postergirlz have selected these amazing works to accompany Impulse:
* Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson * Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabb * Alive and Well in Prague New York by Daphne Grab * Candy by Kevin Brooks * Thirst by Mary Oliver * Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas
We are testing software for rgz LIVE! at our blog. Upcoming chats include the Operation TBD Post-Op Party and LIVE chat with Ellen Hopkins. Stay tuned for full details!
Here’s to Operation Teen Book Drop ’09. Contact us at divas@readergirlz.com. Thanks for joining the movement to read, reflect, and reach out!
READING STIMULUS PLAN FOR HOSPITALIZED TEEN PATIENTS
LAUNCHES JUST IN TIME FOR “SUPPORT TEEN LIT DAY” APRIL 16
Despite economic downturn, generous publishers have donated
thousands of young-adult books for readergirlz, Guys Lit Wire, and YALSA
to deliver to teens in America’s top pediatric hospitals
March 17, 2009 (Seattle, Wash.) – Teen patients in pediatric hospitals across the United States will receive 8,000 young-adult novels, audiobooks, and graphic novels next week as readergirlz, Guys Lit Wire, and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) celebrate the third annual Support Teen Lit Day on April 16.
In its second year, “Operation TBD” (short for Teen Book Drop), puts free booksdonated by 18 book publishers into the hands of many teens most in need of escape, inspiration and a sense of personal accomplishment. Books with exceptional characters and fabulous stories can provide just that for teens and their families dealing with difficult, long-term hospital stays.
At a time when philanthropic giving is down, readergirlz co-founders have been inspired by overwhelming industry support for Operation TBD. “readergirlz is always looking for innovative ways to connect teens with literature, “ said Dia Calhoun, co-founder of readergirlz and acclaimed young-adult author. “We’re honored that publishers have supported this goal by giving so liberally this year.”
Operation TBD also aims to encourage all teens to choose reading for pleasure as a leisure activity, over other entertainment options. Inciting the broader teen community to participate in Operation TBD in its drive to spur reading on a national scale, readergirlz has launched a trailer on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/readergirlz) inviting teens and YA authors to leave a book in a public place on April 16. When visiting www.readergirlz.com, participants can download bookplates to insert into the books they’ll leave behind, which explain the surprise to the recipient and tell them to read and enjoy.
“This event is such a special one because it not only raises awareness about teen literature, but it also truly helps those teens most in need. Teens facing illnesses will be able to find an age- appropriate new book to read while in the hospital — teen books matter and not just any old book will do,” said Sarah Cornish Debraski, YALSA president. “Our thanks to the publishers, readergirlz, and Guys Lit Wire. It’s wonderful to unite with these organizations to forward this cause.”
Participating book publishers who have donated books or audiobooks include Abrams Books, Bloomsbury/Walker Books, Candlewick Press, Full Cast Audio, Hachette Book Group, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Hyperion, Milkweed, Mirrorstone Books, Orca Book Publishers, Peachtree Books, Perseus Book Group/Running Press, Random House, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Soft Skull Press & Red Rattle Books, TOKYOPOP and Tor/Forge/Starscape/Tor Teen.
“Putting the right book into the hands of a teen can turn that teen into a reader for life, “ said Suzanne Murphy, VP and Group Publisher, Scholastic Trade Book Publishing. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to help Operation TBD show teens firsthand just how much fun reading can be.”
Pediatric hospitals that have signed up to receive books include Phoenix Children's Hospital (Phoenix, Ariz.), Rady's Children's Hospital (San Diego, Calif.), Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Hospital and Research Center (Oakland, Calif.), All Children's Hospital (St. Petersburg, FL), Children's Memorial Hospital (Chicago, Ill.), UM C.S. Mott Children's Hospital (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics (Kansas City, MO), The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Medical Center in Dallas, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital & Health Center (Tacoma, Wash.) and Seattle Children's Hospital.
“Our teen patients here at Seattle Children’s loved the books donated through the Operation Teen Book Drop last year,” said Kim Korte, Child Life Manager, Seattle Children’s Hospital. “Books are a wonderful avenue for our patients to be distracted from the pain and stress of hospitalization. We are always in need of books and greatly appreciate the generosity of the publishers who donated.”
Everyone who participates in Operation TBD is invited to celebrate at the TBD Post-Op Party on April 16 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time on the readergirlz blog: http://readergirlz.blogspot.com.
About Support Teen Literature Day
For the third consecutive year, Support Teen Literature Day will be celebrated April 16, 2009 in conjunction with ALA’s National Library Week. Librarians all across the country are encouraged to participate in Support Teen Literature Day by hosting events in their library. The purpose of this new celebration is to raise awareness among the general public that young adult literature is a vibrant, growing genre with much to offer today’s teens. Support Teen Literature Day also seeks to showcase award-winning authors and books in the genre as well as highlight librarians’ expertise in connecting teens with books and other reading materials.
About the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audiobooks for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, visit www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390, or email, yalsa@ala.org.
About readergirlz
readergirlz is the foremost online book community for teen girls, led by five critically acclaimed YA authors—Dia Calhoun (Avielle of Rhia), Holly Cupala (A Light That Never Goes Out) Lorie Ann Grover (Hold Me Tight), Justina Chen Headley (North of Beautiful), and Melissa Walker (the Violet series). readergirlz is the recipient of a 2007 James Patterson PageTurner Award.
To promote teen literacy and leadership in girls, readergirlz features a different YA novel and corresponding community service project every month. For more information about readergirlz, please visit www.readergirlz.com and http://readergirlz.blogspot.com, or contact divas@readergirlz.com.
About Guys Lit Wire Guys Lit Wire brings literary news and reviews to the attention of teenage boys and the people who care about them. Working to combat the perception that teen boys aren’t as well read as teen girls, the organization seeks out literature uniquely targeted toward teen male readers in hopes of bringing attention of good books to guys who might have missed them.
After many hours and much love, readergirlz is excited to roll out our joint project with GuysLitWire and YALSA: Operation Teen Book Drop 2009!
Check out the trailer, Lorie Ann's awesome TBD haiku, and the many people who have made this possible: publishers, our project partners, authors, readergirlz postergirlz and allies, and Seattle musician Andrea Wittgens, who graciously donated her song for our trailer.
Stay tuned for the official press release and more TBD fun stuff, coming soon. Spread the word and please re-post!
The week has been postponed because of our elections! So get out and vote!
Amy says, "Meanwhile, the offer still stands to ALL readers to deluge me with their favorite sites, books, media, and hubs for BOYS to cover shortly thereafter."
Thanks also to 
