Thomas, WV – Ivonne Martinez and Cathy Lilly has been selected to receive a competitive grant from the American Library Association (ALA) to host a reading and discussion program for at-risk youth about teen violence and suicide.
As one of 75 Great Stories Club grant recipients selected from across the country, Mountaintop Public Library and the Rubenstein Juvenile Center will work with a group of 10-15 teens to read and discuss three books in which protagonists deal with issues surrounding teen violence, bullying and suicide.
The book titles, under the theme “Structures of Suffering: Origins of Teen Violence and Suicide,” include: “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher; “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” by Ned Vizzini; and “Romeo and Juliet” (No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels” illustrated by Matt Weigle. The titles — selected by librarian advisors and humanities scholars — were chosen to resonate with reluctant readers who struggle with complex issues such as incarceration, violence and poverty.
Mountaintop Public Library and the Rubenstein Juvenile Center will receive 11 copies of each of the three books, which will be gifted to the book club participants. Each title will be completed as a group. The Mountaintop Public Library will also purchase extra copies of each book so more youth will be able to join the Great Stories Club. The grant also offers training and resources to assist with leading the book discussion. Gatherings of the Great Stories Club at the Rubenstein Center will begin in April. More information can be found at https://apply.ala.org/greatstories.
Since its inception in 2006, ALA’s Great Stories Club has reached 670 libraries in 49 states and more than 30,000 young adults (ages 13 to 21). The grant is administered by ALA’s Public Programs Office in partnership with the Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), including the Library Services for Youth in Custody and Library Services to the Incarcerated and Detained interest groups. The Great Stories Club is made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence.
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.
The National Endowment for the Humanities was created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov.
