Spring 2017 Update: Do More 24, "Tajon," New Partner, and New Readers
The teens of Beacon House will celebrate their new book, "The Day Tajon got Shot" on Tuesday, May 30.
Do More 24
We’re turning three this summer! We’ve published 25 books and worked with over 200 young writers from 5 different non-profit partners. To celebrate, we are participating in 2017 United Way Do More 24 Campaign, the area's biggest 24-hour online fundraiser, on June 8 from 12:00 AM – 11:59 PM. You can make an advance donation starting May 25. All you have to do is log on at www.domore24.org/npos/shout-mouse-press and donate!
As always, we are grateful for your support.
New Book: The Day Tajon Got Shot
We're about to release our most ambitious project yet.
Join us on Tuesday, May 30, 6-8 p.m. at the Brookland Busboys & Poets to celebrate the launch of The Day Tajon Got Shot, a powerful new novel-in-stories authored by ten teen girls at Beacon House.
This project began in March 2015 when writers were inspired by the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. They began with one central question: What really happens in a community when a black youth is the victim of violence by police? Each writer takes on the perspective of a central character – the victim, the police officer, the witness, the parent, the friend, the officer's kids – and examines how it feels to be a human being on all sides of this event. Their stories thoughtfully explore issues of race, violence, loyalty, and justice in a community torn apart but seeking connection.
Join us to be the first ones to get your hands on this powerful new book!
- Meet the teen authors and hear about how and why they wrote.
- Hear dramatic readings of scenes from the book by professional actors.
- Discuss the role of teen voices in the new civil rights movement.
RSVP Required.
New Partner: Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)
We are thrilled to announce our brand new partnership and exciting new book project with the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)!
LAYC offers a variety of programming to low-income youth of all backgrounds. This summer we will begin a month-long workshop with their Latin American Youth Leadership Council, a passionate group of young people dedicated to social justice in their community. The workshop, led by a team of talented teaching artists with experience illustrating and devising comic books, will result in a graphic memoir collection confronting the current climate of xenophobia and changing the narrative about America's immigrants.
This project is timely, ambitious, and a much-needed additional to current national discussions about who we are as a country. We are so proud and excited. Stay tuned!
We would like to thank the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for generously helping to fund this project.
New Readers: 3,000 Kids Reading A to Z: The Real DC!
Help us celebrate our largest sale yet! Thanks to the generosity of the SHARE Fund, 3,000 copies of the hit children's book A to Z: The Real DC by the teen tutors of Reach Incorporated will soon be in the hands of DC's youngest readers!
Through a unique collaboration with Inner City Inner Child (ICIC), a DC-based early education nonprofit, books will be distributed to every child reached by ICIC's extensive programming across the city. ICIC is also developing curriculum to accompany the book and will be using these resources to train early childhood educators about the value of culturally-relevant reading materials. Wow!
We are so proud of these teen authors for creating such a meaningful book, and we're thrilled that educators, funders, and nonprofit partners across the city are actively amplifying that impact. Thank you, and congratulations, authors!!
Ballou Story Project IV, a Success!
Left: performers bring Ballou Story Project to life. Right: Writers discuss what it was like to write for the stage.
Ballou Story Project took the stage last month through our partnership with Young Playwrights Theater and it was a major success! Students and supporters filled the school’s auditorium on April 13 to watch five professional actors from YPT bring the impactful stories of students to life. After the show, writers joined actors on the stage to talk about their experiences writing for the stage, and community members shared their responses to the play. There were tears, cheers, and so much love in the house! Thank you to the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities for sponsoring this project, and to all who made it such a moving evening!
Also help us celebrate: Due to the power of this play, we received THREE requests for encore performances! We can't wait for the students of Ballou HS, Hart MS, and Kramer MS to watch Ballou Story Project LIVE this spring. Stay tuned for photos.