Caught Reading!

About Kendra:
Kendra Scheck is an Elementary Education major at Liberty University. She’ll be busy student teaching this fall and is excited to hone her teaching skills at Amazement Square! She’s been working at the Square since December 2007 and absolutely loves it.

Favorite Book as a Child:
The Monster at the End of This Book, starring everyone’s favorite monster, Grover from Sesame Street. “That book was so funny! I still read it all the time!”

Favorite Dr. Seuss Book:
Horton Hears a Who or The Sneetches. “They’re both phenomenal!”

Why read Dr. Seuss?
“What’s really great is that adults can read his book for the pure enjoyment of his creativity and children can benefit from the rhyming of nonsense words and pure imagination of it all. His books are amazing and so great for pre-or-beginning readers!”

You can check out more about Dr. Seuss and other important reading initiatives at the National Endowment for the Art.

What Dr. Seuss event is going to rock the fox out of his socks this month?
“The Dr. Seuss Egg-spired Easter Egg Hunt is going to be soooooo much fun!”

poetry slam at the square!

What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?...Maybe it just sags like a heavy load? Or does it just explode?

~ A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes

That excerpt from one of Langston Hughes' most memorable poems is just a snippet of what you'll hear at our From Harlem to Lynchburg Poetry Slam tonight! The slam starts at 5 pm and goes until 7 pm. Young local poets will share their favorite poems from the Harlem Renaissance as well as their own original work inspired by our own Lynchburg community.

Want to participate? All you have to do is show up! It's an open mic, which means that anyone can participate. Be sure to come down, hear some great poetry, maybe share your own, and enjoy in food and fellowship with your Lynchburg neighbors.

Sidenote: Speaking of a dream deferred, did any one catch A Raisin in the Sun on television Monday night? I thought it was really fantastic and great precursor to our event tonight!

Fiddlin' Fun

This past weekend's program, featuring Woody McKenzie and friends, was a rip-roaring, toe-tapping good time! If you weren't able to make it, you missed out on a chance to hear music from all over the the world, try your hand at playing the fiddle, and make the dancing man dance.

Check out this photos below to see how much we're having during The Year of Authors!

Welcome to The Year of Authors Blog!

2008 is the The Year of Authors at Amazement Square! This year-long program will focus on introducing beloved children's authors to new and old readers alike through interactive and exciting programs.

Did you know that according to the National Endowment for the Arts report Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, reading rates are declining rapidly in all groups, especially among youth? Our goal is to make books exciting, relevant, and essential in the lives of every young person and their families.

This blog is your resource for author information, program updates, recommended reading, tips for parents and teachers, and so much more! Remember, this is your resource! If there's anything you'd like to see, drop us a comment or an email!

Happy Reading!