Lucille Clifton, 1936-2010

I want to alert readers to the passing this week of poet Lucille Clifton. I don't get a chance to read much poetry these days, but as soon as I have the time I will be revisiting Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems and Quilting Poems, my favorite Clifton collections. Lucille Clifton was born in New York, but spent a great deal of time in Baltimore, Maryland, my hometown. I think of her as a Maryland poet; indeed, she was poet laureate of Maryland for several years. I highly recommend seeking out one of her collections.

--Susan Monroe
. . .

Another New Havener, Elizabeth Alexander, had these reflections about Lucille Clifton's passing in the New Yorker:

"I do not think there is an American poet as beloved as Clifton, or one whose influence radiated as widely."

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2010/02/remembering-lucille-clifton.html

Campaign for the American, and New Haven, Reader

Nationally, the Campaign for the American Reader is worth a look:
http://americareads.blogspot.com/

Locally, the New Haven Independent ran a recent story by Thomas MacMillan about "1555 Books":
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/picture_books_headed_for_city_preschools/

According to this article about "the third annual book bag packing party, an event put on by the New Haven Early Childhood Council," the books in Spanish and English "were purchased with money given by the Board of Aldermen and the mayor’s office. Every preschool and infant/toddler classroom in the city will receive a bag of seven or 10 books respectively, [Sandy] Malmquist said. The bag-packing volunteers included a number of women who work in the classrooms that will receive the books."

Literacy 2010

Happy new year! As 2010 begins, here are two resources -- one national, one local -- recommended to readers and advocates of reading anywhere:

*Literacy Powerline, with which the Greater New Haven Literacy Coalition is affiliated http://www.literacypowerline.com/

*the New Haven Review http://www.newhavenreview.com/

Issue 5 of the New Haven Review made for eclectically absorbing reading on the London to New Delhi leg of a trip to India over the holidays. From fiction to poetry to a physicist's account of how http://arxiv.org/ has revolutionized his field, this still-new publication is well worth a subscription.

Junta for Progressive Action, Adult Education

A recent Yale Daily News article treated adult education for immigrants in New Haven, including GED classes offered in Spanish through a partnership between New Haven's Adult and Continuing Education program and Junta for Progressive Action.

Junta and its executive director, Sandra Trevino, participate in the Greater New Haven Literacy Coalition.

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/city-news/2009/12/04/junta-supports-spanish-geds/

http://www.juntainc.org/

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/11/literacy_coalit_1.php

The Greater New Haven Literacy Coalition recently held a Literacy Forum at the new Literacy Resource Center at 4 Science Park in Newhallville.

Read to Grow with Edward M. Kennedy Jr.

Read to Grow, whose executive director Susanne Santangelo is a Greater New Haven Literacy Coalition board member, held its annual luncheon on November 13. This year's event featured Edward M. Kennedy Jr.

A New Haven Register article appeared the next day:

"Kennedy Recalled at Literacy Group's Annual Luncheon"
http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/11/14/news/new_haven/a3-neread.txt

For more on Read to Grow's early literacy work, see:
http://www.readtogrow.org/

Literacy News

* Tomas Miranda received a Hispanic Leadership in Education award from the Hispanic Professional Network of Connecticut in September 2009.

* Junta for Progressive Action marked its 40th anniversary at an October 2 event and was featured in a New Haven Register article:

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/10/05/news/new_haven/a1_mon_junta40.txt

* An October 29 Literacy Forum (previewed in an October 18 post to this blog) was described in New Haven Independent and New Haven Register articles below:

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/11/literacy_coalit_1.php

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/10/26/life/announcements/doc4ae5849ac2e15633638488.txt

* Read to Grow and R.J. Julia Booksellers have been selected to receive the Clifford W. Beers "Kids Are Our Business" service award on November 20. Also, Read to Grow will host Ted Kennedy Jr. as speaker at its annual luncheon on November 13.

Thursday, 10/29 Literacy Forum

Margie Gillis of Haskins Laboratories and Literacy How, Inc. will be the featured speaker at a Literacy Forum on Thursday, October 29.

Her topic:
"Bringing Research into the Classroom, One Teacher at a Time"

coffee 8:00 a.m.
discussion 8:30-10 a.m.

Literacy Resource Center
4 Science Park
New Haven 06511

All are invited; RSVP to:
info@gnhliteracy.org