In keeping with the newly reopened Pages Bookshop’s mission of literacy, owner Jelani Stowers and nonprofit literacy partner We Shall Read are hosting a community roundtable discussion about literacy using Leslie Vaughn’s Bus Stop Blues as the starting point.
“My son struggled with reading,” said Mrs. Vaughn, a Detroit resident and mother of eight (8) children.
“When I found Brain Friendly Reading as the key to unlock his potential, I also found that early reading books were not written for anyone over the age of 8.”
When she asked librarians, Mrs. Vaughn was told those books didn’t exist. So she began writing. Believing that struggling readers deserve “literacy with dignity,” she approached artist Lamarr Sanders, her neighbor. He immediately recognized it as his story as well, and their collaboration began.
Bus Stop Blues is a young adult decodable reader with original artwork that tells the story of the struggle to read from different perspectives. It will be performed as Spoken Word poetry at 1:00 p.m. by Ivana Jones on August 23, at Pages Bookshop, 19520 Grand River Avenue in Detroit. A community roundtable discussion will be held immediately following. Mr. Sanders will be on hand to sign books.
Refreshments will be served. RSVP at https://withfriends.co/event/26578890/bus_stop_blues_literacy_community_roundtable.
“Leslie came to We Shall Read and Brain Friendly Reading as a way to help her son learn to read,” said
Kristin Dwyer, founder and executive director of We Shall Read. “She wrote this book as a way to both showcase the problem and find a solution.”
Pages Bookshop, a beloved staple of the Grandmont-Rosedale communities, recently reopened with new owners and a mission of expanding literacy.
“It really is a perfect fit, and we are thrilled to be the inaugural host of this book,” said Mr. Stowers. “This is a story that resonates with so many, and will have a real impact on the book world. I want it to spark conversation and action around the very real issue of literacy. Everyone should have the opportunity to learn to read.”
Pages Bookshop is a community-rooted independent bookstore in Detroit’s Historic Rosedale Park Neighborhood. On top of the adored bookshop people have come to know and love, Pages is a community hub advocating for collaboration between all ages, from Boomers to Zoomers, and is dedicated to expanding literacy and the joy of reading by using our specific strengths as an independent bookstore: Our sensitive ear and quick ability to respond to community interests, the inability for books to be banned within our shop, and the platform we offer to the stories that resonate most with our community! You can find them on Facebook and Instagram, @pagesontheave.
We Shall Read’s mission is to train and mentor teachers, tutors and parents in brain-friendly instructional strategies that improve children’s reading, spelling and writing regardless of their age, ability or background. It uses the proprietary Brain Friendly Reading™ method with a “train the trainer” model to make literacy exponential and accessible for everyone, including English language learners.
More information can be found at www.weshallread.org. You can also find them on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
