The Lunar and Planetary Institute is pleased to announce the release of Discover Earth: Hands-on Activities, a module to support hands-on Earth science explorations in libraries and other places of community learning. Educators are invited to download the activities, supporting reading games, and facilitator resources—all free for educational use—at the Explore! Discover Earth website. For questions or comments relating to these materials, please contact the Explore program team at explore@lpi.usra.edu.

The Discover Earth activities focus on Earth science topics close to home—such as local weather and the plants, animals, crops, and environmental features unique to your region—as well as a global view of our changing planet. There are icebreaker activities, science investigations, weather observations, crafts, and more! The activities are designed to be easy to implement, and they require readily available—and generally inexpensive—materials. The activities are designed for use with audiences in the following four age ranges: 5–7, 8–9, 10–13, and teens. Reading games—customized for ages 5–9, 10–13, and teens—combine book lists and reading logs into take-home adventures that support the hands-on activities. The reading games and reading lists can even be customized to suit your institutions’ resources and needs! The Facilitator's Resources packet includes background information, resource lists, and other information designed to assist you in facilitating the activities.

Discover Earth: Hands-on Activities is part of the STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net), led by the National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space Science Institute. Network partners include the American Library Association, the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and the National Girls Collaborative Project. Discover Earth is supported through a grant from the National Science Foundation. The module was developed for libraries to use in support of the Discover Earth: A Century of Change traveling exhibit, though it may be implemented independently.

Librarians, scientists, engineers, educators, museum staff, and others are invited to join the STAR_Net online community! The website fosters collaboration among professionals who want to provide or support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning experiences in libraries. Please join the online community and share your experiences implementing the Discover Earth activities with your colleagues.

If you or your colleagues will be attending the American Library Association Annual Conference this summer, please consider joining us to learn more about resources and opportunities available to your library through this project. We will feature some of the hands-on activities in the module! “Discover Earth: How to Present Programs about Earth Sciences in Your Library” will be held on Sunday, June 24, from 1:30–3:30 p.m. Hear from public library exhibit hosts and learn about a Community of Practice for librarians and scientists who want to create innovative STEM programs in libraries. Speakers include Paul Dusenbery and Lisa R. Curtis, National Center for Interactive Learning/Space Science Institute; Stephanie Shipp and Keliann LaConte, Lunar and Planetary Institute; Susan Brandehoff, ALA Public Programs Office, and Karen Peterson, National Girls Collaborative Project.

On March 17, 2012, the Des Plaines (Ill.) Public Library held its first after-hours teen program. The “74th Hunger Games” was the joint effort of Youth Services Department Head Stephanie Spetter, Teen Librarian Joanie Sebastian, Web Services Librarian Brodie Austin, and Youth Services Assistant Cheryl Gladfelter (aka the Gamemakers) and the culmination of more than a year of planning. The idea for this program originated from a program that Stephanie saw at the Washington-Centerville (Ohio) Public Library. We kept much of the format the same, but added some changes to put our own spin on it.

The program was from 4–7 p.m. and for grades six through twelve. When teens arrived at the event, they were greeted and told to say goodbye to their loved ones. They checked in and were sent into a room to prepare for the reaping. While the teens anxiously waited to find out in which District they would be placed, three staff members went into another room and sorted them into Districts. Their names were written on a District name tag, which was pulled out of a bowl and read aloud. Teens then sat with their District teammates and waited to be led into the arena.

Once in the arena, instructions were given, and a video message from President Snow (library Director Holly Sorensen) was played. Finally, there was the cornucopia, where teens had a chance to earn bonus points for their District. One teen from each team got to race to the center of the room where a number of cards lay. Each card was for a different event and a different amount of points. Each District had to strategize about which event would be their weakest and try for extra points there. The challenges that they would be facing were:

• “Will it Kill You?” in which teens had to identify edible and poisonous items ranging from pine bark (landscaping chips) to trackerjacker venom (malt vinegar). Points were given for correct answers.

• “Hunting” was a survival scavenger hunt that took place over our entire second floor. Districts had to answer the questions on their list by finding items in the collection. For example, teens had to find a particular book via call number and then answer a question using the index to help find the answer. Points were awarded for different questions based on difficulty level.

• “Survival Skills” was knot-tying. Teens had to tie three knots ranging in difficulty from easy to hard, with a minute for each knot. Each knot was worth a variety of points.

• “Camouflage” was a lot of fun. Each teen had to have their face decorated, in whatever way they wanted. Some teens went full out with jungle camouflage; others kept it subtle and glamorous, like Capital citizens. Points were awarded based on creative use of paint.

• “Weapons Training” was Wii archery. When teens arrived at this task, they each got a chance to get a feel for how the archery game worked before it counted for actual points. Teens had to strategize because the shooter (Katniss) would move farther away from the target after several shots. The Wii game kept score so the final tally was written down.

• “Peeta’s Bakery” gave districts a chance to relax and eat a delicious cookie—after they decorated it as Peeta would have. There were two point levels teens could try for: a District 12 cookie or a mockingjay design.

Once the library was closed, teens were let out into the library to compete in the games. Besides Gamemakers, other library staff (Peacekeepers) helped keep the program running smoothly by helping out at each challenge. A cannon would sound every ten minutes to let teens know to move on to the next event. Once they had completed the challenge, Districts would line up to wait for the cannon to race off to the next challenge. The winning District, District 7, received 74th Annual Hunger Games pins, and all teens received Hunger Games–themed mini pins from Café Press. The teens had a fantastic time at the program, and staff was really impressed at how smoothly everything went. We’re looking forward to planning our next after-hours program!

Be sure to check out the video that Brodie created:

This month, EDSITEment offers three Launchpads designed to spark discussion about Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The May-pole of Merry Mount,” Pablo Neruda’s “Oda al mar,” and Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience.” EDSITEment also celebrates Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month by taking a look at the travels of Manjiro Nakanohama, our first Japanese “ambassador,” and shares stories from survivors who came of age during the Holocaust.

Celebrate May Day

Journey back to Puritan New England, when two cultures clashed. This Launchpad on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic tale, “The May-pole of Merry Mount,” provides background materials and discussion questions to enhance your reading and understanding of the short story, including videos with editors Amy A. Kass and Leon R. Kass conversing with guest host Yuval Levin, editor of National Affairs, about the story.

Pablo Neruda: A Conversation with the Sea

Pable Neruda was a multi-faceted poet stylistically, writing unforgettable love poems and odes to everyday objects as well as poetry dealing with the labors and struggles of the common man. Critic John Leonard of the New York Times said of Neruda: he “was, I think, one of the great ones, a Whitman of the South.” This interactive Launchpad will guide you through several resources to learn about Neruda’s life, works, and one of his poems from Odas elementales, “Oda al mar.”

Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”

However much Henry David Thoreau wished to avoid politics and government, they both impacted his life. Like many Americans in the North before the Civil War, Thoreau was morally opposed to slavery. Further, he viewed the U.S.-Mexican War (1846–48) as an unjust aggression against a neighboring country and also as a means by which the southern states would acquire more territory for slavery. What does a citizen do when moral conscience comes into conflict with an objectionable law? Guide your students through a close reading of Henry David Thoreau’s famous essay in this Launchpad.

Bridging Cultures to Japan

The year was 1841. Japan was an impenetrable stronghold, totally isolated and off-limits to the West. Sailors and whaling ships inadvertently entering Japanese coastal waters were summarily turned away and threatened with violence if they did not leave. Herman Melville had his immortal character, Ishmael, speak these prophetic words: “If that double-bolted land, Japan, is ever to become hospitable, it is the whale-ship alone to whom the credit will be due; for already she is on the threshold.” As it turned out, fourteen-year-old Manjiro Nakanohama, by means of a whaling ship, would cross that threshold to open the door! Celebrate National Asian Pacific Heritage Month with our first Japanese “ambassador.” Connect with an interactive map of his voyage and timeline and trace his fantastic round-trip journey across the Pacific.

Coming of Age in the Holocaust, Coming of Age Now

For Jewish American Heritage month, explore Coming of Age, a free, interactive classroom resource created by the Museum of Jewish Heritage featuring primary sources, artifact explorations, discussions, and activities for learning about the Holocaust. Middle and high school students encounter the Holocaust through the eyes of youth who survived it, with individual testimonies and more.

EDSITEment News

Did you know EDSITEment lessons are now aligned with Common Core Standards through Thinkfinity? Search standards by state.

When it comes to finals week, not much else is on a student’s mind besides finishing a paper on time, acing that test, or finding ways to reenergize. At Roesch Library at the University of Dayton (UD) in Dayton, Ohio, we strive to make our spaces and services conducive to studying but also memorable. For the past three semesters, the Libraries Marketing and Outreach Team has designed themes around finals week in the hopes of alleviating stress while providing some outlets for fun and relaxation.

Every finals week UD’s Alumni Association and a local pizzeria sponsor free pizza, while the provost’s office sponsors free coffee, taxi rides, and chair massages. Recently, student feedback and chatter on Twitter has inspired our Finals Week themes and perks. Mentions of our library on Twitter are tracked daily, and as Communications and Outreach Librarian I respond and retweet many of them. I use Twitter to gather positive and negative feedback about the library and to design services with an impact.

In spring 2011, a student tweet about having bad breath at the library inspired our “Stay Fresh at Roesch” theme. Two students tweeted about #RoeschBreath which they explained was the way your breath smells after spending too much time in the library (smells like musty books!) We ordered 4,000 mint candies with the “Stay Fresh at Roesch” slogan printed on the wrapper and had them around study spaces. We also hoped this might help with the common mispronunciation of our name (Roesch rhymes with fresh). One of the first students to notice the theme was the student who originally tweeted about Roesch Breath:

Love that #ClubRoesch offers mints to prevent #RoeschBreath #StayfreshatRoesch

#ClubRoesch is another Twitter trend that has existed for almost three years. A student study group started using this nickname for themselves and it caught on. Now students typically use the nickname or hashtag to refer to the library itself. We had the popular hashtag printed on blue highlighters and gave those out as prizes for Foursquare check-ins. In fall 2011, with the help of the Student Government Association, we launched the “Become a Club Roesch V.I.P.” program, where one student could win their own study room for finals by checking in to the library on Foursquare. Our winner received a key to a large study room complete with gift cards from her favorite restaurants, sparkling cider, and champagne glasses. The Sunday before finals we had a midnight dance party, “Rock Around the Christmas Tree,“ with more than one hundred students in attendance. Students tweeted song requests beforehand to make it truly theirs. We handed out glowsticks, and an eight-minute dance party ensued.

In a couple of weeks we’re launching “Stress Less at Roesch” with fresh fruit and extended chair massage hours. The Club Roesch V.I.P program is back, and the excitement is building. Now students enter to win by liking our Facebook status, retweeting us, or checking in Foursquare on Monday, April 23. A dining hall and the student-run coffee shop are donating gift certificates to create a V.I.P prize package for the winner, complete with library swag.

My daily interactions on Twitter via the library’s account show students that someone is listening. We’re also able to make an impact by making some of their comments, suggestions, and ideas into realities. I think a lot of students are really clever and have funny and important things to say. Twitter is a great way to see what students are saying and an outlet for finding creative programming ideas by students.

The Memphis (Tenn.) Public Library has partnered with the the Immigration and Naturalization Office to provide citizenship workshops in many of their library branches. In the workshops, Lynuel Dennis, Supervisory District Adjudication Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, offered an overview of the entire process of becoming a United States citizen. Her presentation detailed how to file paperwork, gave pertinent information about the citizenship exam, and explained important laws to applicants and teachers. Participants also learned about the rights and responsibilities that go along with being a citizen.

The library also recently hosted naturalization ceremonies attended by more than 1,000 people in which more than 430 candidates became United States citizens. Becoming a naturalized citizen isn’t a simple process. Candidates must pass background checks and manage a huge amount of paper work, and the total cost can reach into the tens of thousands, including attorney’s fees. It can take five to six years or even longer to become a citizen.

Wang-Ying Glasgow, Adult Services Coordinator for the Memphis Public Library and Information Center, commented, “I help coordinate all kinds of programs and services in our library system. Assisting and hosting a naturalization ceremony is one of the events that is very special and meaningful to me since I myself am a naturalized citizen. Candidates are coming from all corners of the world; this will be one of the most important days in their lives. A day they have dreamed for a long time and a moment that signifies a new beginning in their lives.”

Thank you to Wang-Ying Glasgow for sharing this with Programming Librarian. Do you have a program you would like featured? Let us know! Send the program info and an image or two to web@programminglibrarian.org.

Editor’s note: This is the fifth and last in a special, week-long series on library programming for underserved, troubled teen populations, written by authors and a librarian who participated in the Great Stories CLUB.

I have spent some time pondering the programming for our library at the Southwest Oklahoma Juvenile Center in Manitou, or should I say the lack of programming. When you are the library media specialist at a secure juvenile center, programming is not an easy task. In order to have an outside entity enter the facility you have to do a great deal of coordinating. The activity has to be approved by the school and then by the Office of Juvenile Affairs. You have to ensure that there is ample staff to handle all security issue. Since we are a treatment facility and have a very strict schedule that is followed each day, I have to ensure that everyone is notified of a change in that schedule. So you can see that programming can be an issue.

I am very fortunate that the volunteer coordinator for the facility is extremely helpful to me and others where programming is concerned. She ensures that the proper forms are completed and that the activity runs smoothly. Most of our programming activities are treatment-based. These include drug and alcohol programs, anti-smoking programs, and programs that deal with victim impact issues. We have also had musical groups from the area along with motor cycle and car clubs, but we are lacking in cultural programs.

I have been fortunate to have been a part of the ALA Great Stories CLUB for the past two years. This program has given us the opportunity to read and discuss books that we would not have time to discuss in a group setting. This was a wonderful experience for the young men that participated.

Programming is lacking at this facility. Having to sit down and actually look at what we have done in the past, and how much more can be done in the future, has been an eye-opening experience for me. It has motivated me to be more proactive in the programming department. There are possibilities for programming that I have not even considered. Thanks ALA!!

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a special, week-long series on library programming for underserved, troubled teen populations, written by authors and a librarian who participated in the Great Stories CLUB.

Ever since my first novel Tyrell was published in 2006, I’ve been invited to visit juvenile detention centers across the country, sometimes as part of ALA’s Great Stories CLUB. Whenever I visit incarcerated youth, the young men and women I see are always so surprised that an author is taking the time to talk with them. They often ask outright, “Why did you come here?” That question is heartbreaking; it’s as if they assume all adults have already written them off, that they don’t deserve anyone’s attention.

My answer is, “Why wouldn’t I come here? Being in here doesn’t make me forget about you.”

After so many years of speaking at juvenile detention centers, I was surprised when Lainie Castle of ALA invited me to visit Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie, New York. This was going to be a new experience for me, my first time visiting young men serving sentences in a medium security prison.

When I arrived at Greene on the evening of January 25, 2012, I met Laura Rogers, who has been volunteering there, conducting a creative writing program. As part of this program, the participants had already read two of my novels, Tyrell and Bronxwood.

The men were seated in a large circle when I entered the library, and I was barely in my seat before the questions began. Right away, it was clear these were creative writing students; they were all very comfortable discussing books and the writing process. Their questions were very impressive—they were interested in craft! They asked me about point of view, theme, structure. They wanted to know why I made certain choices as an author, and they told me how they were thinking about questions like these for their own stories and memoirs.

Beyond the questions about writing, they also told me how they could really relate to my books. Like Tyrell, my sixteen-year-old protagonist, they understood the challenges and frustrations of being placed in a situation where you’re forced to grow up before you’re ready. They told me what it was like for them, how much responsibility they had on their backs, and their feelings for their fathers, most of whom were absent from their lives. And they talked about the anger they often carried around.

A few men even related to Tyrell’s father, Pops, who is incarcerated in the first book and released in the sequel. Even though the men didn’t agree with the erratic, sometimes violent, way Pops interacted with Tyrell, they understood how Pops felt disconnected from his son and how he just wanted his family to go back to the way it was before he went to prison. Like Tyrell’s father, they will be going home one day after having missed so much of their kids’ childhoods. My book, they said, gave them a lot to think about.

They also talked openly about how much the creative writing program at Greene had gotten them to reflect on their lives and the choices they’ve made—and how writing about these things made them even more determined not to repeat those mistakes. The act of writing had also helped them cement their future plans. Being there in that room with those men—listening to their discussion, seeing what parts of the story made them remember incidents from their adolescence—deeply affected me. It’s so gratifying to know that your work connects to people.

Writing programs conducted by caring teachers like Laura Rogers have the ability to change people, all people, regardless of their situation. These programs offer them a way to think about their lives differently, express themselves, tell their stories, find their individual voice. Being able to write about your feelings, about your frustration and pain, is a great tool to have. It’s a technique that can help people think about things before acting, before making the wrong choice.

While it’s wonderful that the men at Greene are learning how to do this now, I wonder how their lives might have been different had this kind of creative education been available to them when they were much younger. There need to be more programs like this in middle school and high school, when the choices young people make can have devastating life-long consequences. It’s a shame that the only time these men received this kind of attention was after they had been incarcerated. Imagine how much more of an impact it would have had on their lives earlier. Before.

These men need to know they aren’t lost causes, that they’re worth the investment of time and resources. I wish all men and women who are incarcerated would have a program like this available to them soon. Thank you, ALA Great Stories CLUB, for inviting me to Greene Correctional Facility.

Editor’s note: This is the third in a special, week-long series on library programming for underserved, troubled teen populations, written by authors and a librarian who participated in the Great Stories CLUB.

A week after my ALA Great Stories CLUB visit to Green Oaks Juvenile Detention Center in Monroe, Louisiana, I met with the boys at the Gardner Betts Juvenile Justice Center in Austin, Texas. As with my visit to Green Oaks, I was extremely impressed by the level of care and dedication provided by both the permanent employees of the facility and the volunteers as well. Librarians Heather Schubert and Kathleen Sullivan—and countless others, I’m sure—have put together a remarkable youth library.

Whereas the Green Oaks facility is somewhat rural, with a tall, razor-wire-topped fence around the yard, Gardner Betts is right in the center of Austin, on the third floor of a fairly new government building. This being Austin, there apparently is no shortage of creative people volunteering at the center. Kathleen mentioned that the kids had been visited by people teaching them yoga and art and ceramics, among other things.

We met in the gym, and after a short introduction, I read a selection from my book The Brothers Torres, set in small-town northern New Mexico, about a narrator named Frankie who idolizes his older brother until he realizes that his brother is perhaps not who he thinks he is. At one point during the first chapter, Frankie’s attention wanders to a group of cholos out in a dirt parking lot: “These are the dudes our parents always warned us about—the tattoos […] the dark-ass sunglasses day or night—hardcore vatos chilling with their lowriders.”

I noticed some smiles in the audience, and a few chuckles, too, and I neglected to suppress my own laugh, acknowledging for all of us that the kids in front of me were probably exactly the kinds of kids Frankie was talking about.

During our discussion after the reading, a common question came up: How much of the story is true? I explained that while none of the plot is true, a lot of the details are true. The way the clouds look in the afternoon is true. The taste of the stuffed sopaipilla is true. The New Mexican feeling of being overrun by Texas is true (yes, I know I live in Texas now, but still). I did really know a kid who had his name etched on the side of his glass eye, but he was nothing like the Zach character in the book. In other words, by writing the book, I basically took all those little “true” things and threw them all together, and the result was an entirely new and different kind of “truth.”

One of our most lively exchanges came when I talked about how as a writer you can choose to write about everything you want. Reading may be an escape into another world, but writing is much more so. For example, I wrote The Brothers Torres, a book that takes place in small-town New Mexico, when I was living in northern California and missing the food and culture of my home state. I wrote Lucky Fools, which comes out in 2012 and takes place in northern California, after I moved from the Bay Area to Houston.

But my best example of writing being able to take me somewhere else has to do with my upcoming adventure novel, Annie Fleet and the Golden Jaguar. Basically, I thought to myself, where would I go if I could go anywhere? What would I do if I could do anything? The answer, when I really thought about it, was that I would go scuba diving all over the world searching for lost treasure. So that’s what I decided to write about. I was already a certified diver, but I took all kinds of advanced scuba certification classes, such as Rescue Diver, Underwater Hunter, and Diver Propulsion Vehicle. I read books about shipwrecks, fantasized over tourism websites, and longingly devoured YouTube videos of other people’s exotic vacations. Then I got to work and made an adventure of my own.

Research, perhaps paradoxically, is one of the best aspects of writing fiction. The old cliché goes, “Write what you know,” and my response to that is simple: “Know more.” In researching my various projects, I’ve visited a chicken processing plant, taken diving classes, visited a shooting range (where I discovered I’m a terrible shot), and so much more.

That’s what I tried to stress to the kids. Our world is so much more than our physical surroundings. We have the power to create entirely new worlds to visit. Worlds where we make the rules, where there’s priceless treasure we get to find, where we know how to stand up to the people who try to put us down.

When our conversation was over, the kids lined up by unit so I could sign their books. Perhaps the best part of my visit was the conversation with each boy. Some of them talked about what they liked in the book, and a few even told me they thought they might read the book. A typical exchange went something like this:

Kid: That book sounded okay.
Me: Great. I’m glad you thought so.
Kid: I guess I’ll probably read it.
Me: That would be wonderful. I hope you enjoy it.

The candor was refreshing. They weren’t yet ready to admit to being excited about reading, but I know that, given time, and with the guidance of dedicated youth librarians like Kathleen Houlihan and Heather Schubert, they’ll get there.

Editor’s note: This is the second in a special, week-long series on library programming for underserved, troubled teen populations, written by authors and a librarian who participated in the Great Stories CLUB.

Earlier this month I had my first visit to a juvenile detention center. As part of the American Library Association’s Great Stories CLUB, my novel The Brothers Torres was selected (along with Jennifer Brown’s debut Hate List and Dope Sick by the incomparable Walter Dean Meyers) for inclusion in this year’s theme “Second Chances.” According to ALA’s website, the Great Stories Club “is a reading and discussion program that targets underserved, troubled teen populations.”

I arrived about a half-hour before the event and was met at the front door of the facility by Mr. Williams, who lead me through a couple locked doors and into the room where I’d be reading. We were soon joined by Stephanie Wilkes, the librarian; Lamar Anderson, head of education; and Mr. Elliott, director of the center. I was grateful for a few minutes to talk about the facility. They were (deservedly) proud of the place.

I learned that the kids ranged in age from thirteen to seventeen. It was generally a short-term facility, although some kids were there for three months or more. They’d been detained for offenses as varied as skipping school to fighting or armed robbery. In a number of cases, the kids received better care in the facility than they did at home. Also, they completed their school work during the day, and they generally left the facility having caught up or surpassed their classmates in school.

Then the kids shuffled in, girls first, followed by the boys. Ms. Wilkes offered a wonderful introduction of me and of the Great Stories CLUB, and then we were off. I read a chapter from the book, and I spent the rest of the hour answering questions and signing books. Mr. Elliott and Mr. Anderson took me on a tour of the facility afterwards, followed by cake, with a message on the icing that read, “Green Oaks JDC Welcomes Coert Voorhees.” Ms. Wilkes apologized that the cake had been pre-sliced, rendering the message slightly illegible, but knives weren’t permitted in the facility. Needless to say, this issue was generally not a problem at my other school visits.

During my reading, I couldn’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable as I read a passage about a party spot the narrator hoped to visit now that he is a sophomore: “There’s such a huge network of narrow dirt roads and hidden nooks and crannies that the cops can hardly ever find the festivities, let alone bust them up.” I was acutely aware that I was in the presence of actual cops who had busted up actual festivities—and actual kids who might have had their festivities busted up by these cops.

My favorite part of the evening was the Q&A that followed the reading. Once we got the basics out of the way—I didn’t make a billion dollars on the book; I don’t really have the tattoo that’s on the cover; no really, I swear I didn’t make a billion dollars on the book—we got into a good discussion about goals and dreams and writing.

We talked about what it means to be a writer, and one of the kids asked how to become one. My response to the question was (and is) simple: A writer writes. That’s it. If you want to be a writer, and you sit down to write, then by definition you are a writer. There’s no need to have other people validate you—you’re a writer. I said that the key to writing is exactly what it is for every other profession: you have to show up to work every day.

We talked about having dreams, about finding what it is we wanted to do with our lives, no matter how long it takes, and I shared with them the experience that made me realize I wanted to be a writer.

In one of my many previous eras, I was convinced I was going to be an actor. After majoring in theater (and Spanish), I moved to Los Angeles and got my headshots and started auditioning for roles in student and indie films, along with the occasional commercial. It didn’t take long before I realized that everyone in the waiting room, all the different versions of me waiting to audition, wanted to be there more than I did. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to be an actor, but there was something in their eyes that told me they were willing to do whatever it took. I was surprised to discover that the same was not true for me. One thing was clear: I needed to find what I wanted as much, if not more, than anybody else. It took me a while, but writing is where I ended up.

Toward the end of the program, one of the boys in the back raised his hand and asked, “Why are you here talking to us?”

I stumbled a bit with my initial answer, trying to explain the process behind the Great Stories CLUB and how that led me to Green Oaks, but then judging by the look on his face, I realized that he wasn’t asking for the administrative details about my visit. In much the same way teachers zone out when students give a plot summary of a book instead of saying what a book is about, this boy’s eyes glazed over as I got lost in the details of the grant-funded program.

Me being there talking to them was the whole reason for sitting down at the computer in the first place. Not them specifically, of course—I didn’t write the book with juvie kids in mind—but readers in general. As writers we don’t dare presume that what we write is going to have an impact on other people’s lives, if for no other reason that presuming you’ll have an impact is the quickest way to ensure that you DON’T have an impact at all. When it actually happens, when I’m actually privileged enough to stand in front of a group of people holding my book, it makes all those solitary hours worth it.

That’s what I finally told the boy in the back row. That’s why I was talking to them, and why I’ll talk to any reader who’ll have me.

I signed their books, impressed that each one of them looked me in the eyes and addressed me as, “Sir.” And then it was time for them to get back to life “on unit,” as they called it, while I got to go out on the free.

Editor’s note: This is the first in a special, week-long series on library programming for underserved, troubled teen populations, written by authors and a librarian who participated in the Great Stories CLUB.

Last August, I learned that Hate List had been chosen for ALA’s Great Stories CLUB theme Second Chances. I was so thrilled about this, partly because the theme so perfectly fit what I believed the book to be about—healing and letting go of the past and moving forward into a bright future—but also because this program was going to be geared toward troubled teens.

This was a big deal to me, because being a voice for troubled teens was what I’d originally intended to do with my life. I have a degree in psychology, and throughout college, I wanted to work with troubled teens—whether in a rehab, a mental health facility, or a juvenile detention center, I didn’t care. I’d grown up regularly visiting a loved one in all of those places. I watched her struggle with feeling isolated from the outside world, and with being seen mostly as a set of behaviors or a diagnosis, her dreams and thoughts and ideas not much taken into consideration.

So how thrilled was I when I received an email from ALA asking if I’d be willing to visit two facilities that had taken part of the Great Stories CLUB grant! I was very excited to get to meet the teens who’d read my book, to hear their thoughts, and to reach out to them in the best way I know how—through writing.

I drove to Oklahoma on August 11; first stop: Yukon. I met up with librarian Carla Hickey, who whisked me away to visit the teens in Gary E. Miller Canadian County Childrens Justice Center. I could tell the moment we walked into the building that this was going to be a good group. The teens had been assembled in a common area, their chairs in horseshoe formation, with a chair for me right in the middle, so we could all easily see one another and communicate conversationally. They’d decorated the room with streamers and had pulled in a long table with cookies and punch for the group. It was a special day!

Right away, I launched into my story of being bullied and how I came to write Hate List. I had planned to talk with them about lots of things, from the inspiration behind the story to my journey to writing and even a little about story creation. But I could tell that these teens were prepared with questions, so instead of talking “at them,” I let their curiosity and thoughts be our guide. I told them we would interrupt for questions whenever they felt like asking, rather than saving questions for last. And it just happened that, through answering their questions, I was able to talk about all the things I’d planned to talk about anyway. I even had time to read some key passages from Hate List.

The students asked me tons of questions, from what authors I love to read most to what the tattoo around my wrist says. They gave me book recommendations, and leafed through the German and Chinese versions of Hate List. They were interested in when and how I decided to become a writer. This allowed me to talk to them a little about my own long and winding path to where I am now. How I made some poor decisions in my youth, and how those decisions took me down roads that were not at all where I wanted to be in life. How I made the decision to go back to school and renew my life. How I decided to try being published, and how I had to keep getting back up after being knocked down by rejections time and time and time again. I realized my story of my own journey fit very well into the Second Chances theme as well, and I hoped that I passed on to some of the students a feeling that, though it may not feel like it, they still have choices and chances ahead of them in life, and they can choose to make right choices and take those chances and end up in a really good place somewhere down the road.

A student asked me if I’d ever considered writing a story about addiction or rehab. This allowed me to open up a discussion about stories always being around you, and being a writer not being so much about “coming up with” new stories, but of recognizing the ones that are already there. We did a short exercise where I proved to them that they all had stories already inside their heads, and they just needed to be open to seeing those stories. This segued very naturally into a discussion about using the story they already know—the story of the life they’ve been through—to create fictional stories, just as I used my experience with bullying to create Hate List. In the end, I encouraged the girl who asked the question to consider writing her own story about addiction and rehabilitation, because it is a story she knows well.

After a brief book signing, Carla once again whisked me away, back to the Mabel C. Fry Public Library, for a quick Lunch with the Author event, where the library brought in pizza, salads, and soda, and a few patrons came in, asked questions, talked about books, and ate, and then I was off to my second destination, Tecumseh!

I arrived at the Tecumseh Public Library in mid-afternoon, and was taken to the Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center by librarian Susan Goldsberry. She informed me that she had a small group of girls who’d been reading Hate List and were excited to meet me. This was apparent as the social worker led us to our meeting room and a few of the girls began yelling to me from across the yard, waving and cheering.

Indeed it was a small group, and we had considerably less time to talk. Again, I talked about my inspiration behind the book and did a little reading to get us warmed up. But these girls had lots of questions, and we ended up talking about education, about my writing process, and about the nuts and bolts of being a writer. These girls seemed to be interested in the job of writing, wanting to know how much money a writer makes and how long it takes to write a book. They were enthusiastic and eager, and very excited to get their books signed at the end of our discussion. Susan passed out copies of the next book in the Great Stories CLUB series as I signed copies of mine, and I watched as the girls excitedly asked questions about the new book.

Overall, I came away from the experience knowing that the troubled teens being touched by the Great Stories CLUB are so appreciative of the time the librarians and authors are willing to give them. They are inquisitive and they care. They have aspirations and thoughts and big dreams that they hope will be lent some credence during these visits. Not many of them want to be writers, but almost all of them are willing readers. And their ideas and discussions will likely stick with me for a long, long time. Thank you, ALA!

Librarians are helping to spread the joy and love of reading by taking part in World Book Night (WBN) on April 23, which is also the UNESCO’s World Book Day, chosen to commemorate the anniversary of Cervantes’ death, as well as Shakespeare’s birth and death. Held in the United States as well as in the U.K. and Ireland, the initiative aims at promoting the value of reading, printed books, bookstores, and libraries to everyone year round.

WBN seeks out reluctant adult readers wherever they are, in towns and cities and in such public settings as nursing homes, food pantries, low-income schools, and mass transit centers, according to organizers. Tens of thousands of volunteers will hand out copies of thirty specially chosen and printed World Book Night editions in their communities. The volunteers will visit safe, well-populated public areas or indoor settings. WBN U.S. is a nonprofit organization.

Among the thirty titles on the giveaway list are contemporary classics such as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Popular titles such as The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and The Stand by Stephen King are also being distributed, as well as provocative titles that include The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and Just Kids, the autobiography of counterculture icon Patti Smith. Some young adult books are also included, such as Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.

More than 600 librarians are participating. The American Library Association (ALA) is among the supporters of the event, along with book publishers, the American Booksellers Association, Barnes & Noble, the Association of American Publishers, and Ingram Book Distributors.

Among the librarians participating is Alexia Hudson, reference and instruction librarian at Penn State Abington College, Abington, Pennsylvania, and incoming member of the ALA Executive Board (2012–2015). Hudson said:

World Book Night is a wonderfully unique opportunity to elevate importance of literacy by turning it into a “high-touch” personalized global conversation—in that we will distribute amazing and diverse literary works for free. I’m not only giving someone a book, but I’m inviting them to engage in a very deep and personal manner with me regarding the title I’m distributing. I hope to be asked “why this book? How will it enrich my life, etc.?” The ability to place a “ping” of interest in reading in anyone’s life is an incredible opportunity and I’m honored to participate.

WBN U.S. Director Carl Lennertz announced that the cooperation of the publishing, bookselling, library, and book manufacturing communities has resulted in a half million special editions produced for giveaway by 25,000 volunteers on April 23, preceded by a week of activities in hundreds of cities. The volunteer book givers will be able to pick up their boxes the week before WBN, when they will also receive buttons, bookmarks, a guidelines letter, and a thank-you certificate. To facilitate this, more than 750 bookstores and libraries are holding pre-WBN receptions.

“It is cool how this has taken hold across America. There are givers in 5,800 towns and cities, and I am overwhelmed by the their passion, as well as by the booksellers and librarians who have embraced this campaign, some of whom have organized major activities by local groups to complement the outreach by the individual givers,” Lennertz said.

For more information, visit the World Book Night website or its Facebook site.

With Choose Privacy Week (May 1–7) right around the corner, the American Library Association (ALA) is offering online resources for libraries who are interested in holding Choose Privacy programs of their own. Sponsored by the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), Choose Privacy Week is an annual initiative inviting library users of all ages and backgrounds into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age.

The campaign gives libraries tools to educate and engage users and offers individuals the resources to think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy. This year, ALA encourages libraries to develop programs and resources that help their users better understand how government agencies and corporations are monitoring and tracking their activities as well as how they are collecting, storing, and using that information. The theme for this year’s Choose Privacy Week is “Freedom from Surveillance.”

Many of these resources are available online at PrivacyRevolution.org, including:

• Privacy video: The Choose Privacy Week 2010 video featuring author Neil Gaiman and Constitutional scholar Geoffrey Stone explores the meaning and importance of privacy in a digital age. We encourage libraries to host events featuring this video, which is available either as a Web streaming video or a low-cost DVD, during Choose Privacy Week and to link or embed it on library websites or social networking sites.

• Video study guide: A supplemental study guide for the video is available to help promote learning and discussion.

• Civic engagement materials: Tools for libraries to moderate community discussions on privacy. This page includes free downloadable PDF guides for hosting a community forum.

• One-page privacy handout: Sample handout for communicating library privacy policies to users.

• Word search: Free downloadable PDF word search, focusing on “Computers and Privacy.”

• Web banners and graphics: Add Web badges and banners to your library’s website.

To learn more about Choose Privacy Week and the resources available to help libraries engage their users in a conversation on privacy, please visit PrivacyRevolution.org, or contact Jennifer Petersen, ALA PR coordinator, at (312) 280-5043 or jpetersen@ala.org.