Literature for Life’s Meet & Greet with Sister Souljah.
Join Literature for Life as we host our reading circle programming participants at the Sister Souljah launch and special presentation for her new book Midnight and the Meaning of Love!
Sister Souljah is the author of The Coldest Winter Ever, Literature for Life’s book of entry, offered within the reading circle programming. Since Literature for Life’s inception in 2000, the organization has ordered over 1200 copies of The Coldest Winter Ever, as well as copies of another Sister Souljah book, Midnight.
The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah ever has provided Literature for Life programming participants with a fast-moving, reality-based plot that instantly grabs the attention of the reader as they follow Winter, the book’s main character, through the tough streets of Brooklyn in the 1980s.
Through the narrative we are able to evaluate the role of a mother through Winter’s nameless mother figure. Other themes discussed within our reading circle groups are personal responsibilities, the value of asking for assistance, attributes of a friend, substance abuse, fatherless households, and much more.
Literature for Life is thrilled to finally meet Sister Souljah. The young women we support are equally as thrilled to meet her and to have a chance to have their books signed.
For media inquiries please contact: Tamara Shelly 416-203-9830 x 2
Stay tuned for photos and more about Literature for Life’s Meet & Greet with Sister Souljah.
Fundraiser Dj’d by Juno- Award- winning artist K-os raises $21 000 to Facilitate Literature for Life Reading Circles
Photos courtesy of Ryan Emberley for www.thecdaily.com, Spiro Mandylor for www.itsallstyletome.com, and Melissa Curry
Over 500 patrons gathered at the spa-inspired venue C Lounge on July 28th, 2011 for “Words;” a fundraiser celebrating the power of words and literature presented by Kobo and Hamilton Watches to benefit Toronto charity Literature for Life.
Hosted by Literature for Life, Lauren Shirreffs, and The Gingerich Group, the evening featured a lineup of crowd favorites including spoken word poetry by Dwayne Morgan and Jelani “Jwyze” Nias, and live music by Andria Symaniw, Mike Celia and Don Cash.
All performances were introduced by CBC News Toronto co-host, Dwight Drummond and were followed by the highly anticipated dj set orchestrated by Juno Award- winning artist K-os.
Drummond answered the call for his support by saying “Literacy and a single mom played very important roles in my life, so I’ll be there.” Co-host Anne-Marie Mediwake also took to the stage to lend support for the cause.
Named as one of the weekends can’t miss events in NOW Magazines Big 3, the long- weekend, bbq themed party with a purpose, accessorized with cotton – candy and popcorn machines, a photo booth, rose petals, tea lights and cupcakes raised $21, 000 with popular installations that included, a silent auction, raffle and live fashion art sketches by acclaimed fine artist Becky Dileo.
All proceeds will go towards Literature for Life’s unique reading circle programming that unleashes the intellectual potential of marginalized young mothers by helping them discover the joys and benefits of reading and learning.
For pictures of the WORDS event including the red carpet check out the Events section of LiteratureforLife.org
Stay tuned for more pictures and footage from WORDS and dont forget to join our Facebook page!
For more information please contact: Tamara Shelly, 416 203 9830 x 2 tshelly@literatureforlife.org
Spider’s Web launch in the news!
Lit for Life's Jo Altilia in the ring.
Spider Jones’ Youth Empowerment Initiative launched in the Chalkfarm neighbourhood last week, and Literature for Life was proud to be there along with him inside the ring. The launch was covered by The Toronto Star and CTV.
More from The Toronto Star:
“…in addition to basketball, Jones’ initiative will seek to provide youth with other activities like boxing, broadcast skills and literacy programs that encourage children to learn.
The Youth Empowerment Initiative is a pilot program that will also provide youth in Ward 7 with computer training and other mentoring programs. It has already helped provide the Chalkfarm neighbourhood with a swimming pool and a community centre.
Other organizations involved include Doorsteps Neighbourhood Services, Greenwin Inc., TD and Literature for Life.
For Jones, the desire to empower youth comes from personal experience. In 2006, he told the Toronto Star how fearful he was as a young kid, and called low self-esteem the “number 1 predator of our children today.”
“It steals your confidence away. It steals your joy. It steals your aspirations. It fills you with self-hatred. It fills you with doubt,” he said.”
The beginning of a new paradigm for Toronto’s most vulnerable communities
From news release: On Thursday June 23 at 12:00PM, Spider Jones and his Believe to Achieve Organization join TD, Greenwin Inc., Doorsteps Neighbourhood Services and Literature for Life to launch Spider’s Web Youth Empowerment Initiative, and a community basketball court sponsored by TD.
This pilot project, headquartered at 160 Chalkfarm Drive in Toronto with day to day operation being supervised by Doorsteps Neighbourhood Services, will offer underserved youth in Ward 7 a safe haven where they can learn the skills necessary to overcoming adversity through boxing, computer training and mentoring. Literature for Life will provide a literacy program encouraging children to read and participate in learning.
Motivational speaker/journalist, Spider “Chuck” Jones will be joined by a TD representative, as well as Kevin Green, President of Greenwin Inc. and Ward 7 City Councillor, Giorgio Mammoliti to launch the initiative, which will ultimately cater to all Ward 7 youth.
“We need to engage our children in these turbulent times and teach them how to make the right choices and deal with peer pressure,” says Jones. “Education is the liberator of all. It’s not where you come from in life; it’s where you’re going that counts.”
Adds Councillor Mammoliti: “This is a great example of how the private sector has stepped up to the plate to support a community in need. My vision for the future of the community I represent and neighbourhoods throughout our city is to have the public and private sector work together to deliver these types of programs in underserviced areas.”
“With the swimming pool, community centre and now, the basketball court, literacy and mentorship program, this site has become a community hub,” says Green. “That’s been the goal from the start.”
“Literature for Life is pleased to be involved with Greenwin properties, TD Bank, The Spider Jones Believe to Achieve Foundation and Doorsteps Community Services to support the literacy component of this project. Each partner brings a unique piece to the project and together we are working to keep the community engaged in positive social change.” says Jo Altilia, Founder and Executive Director of Literature for Life.
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A note from Literature for Life: This new private and public sector partnership has evolved to change a community. Chalkfarm is notorious for being in need of social change as captured in an article published by the Toronto Star in the Winter of 2011. This partnership is the beginning of a new paradigm for Toronto’s most vulnerable communities!
This partnership is interesting as the current political climate has highlighted the need for such collaborations with recent discussions of privatization and the need for social change to curb violence among the youth. The positive social impacts are numerous.
Another noteworthy aspect is the value of education outside of the classroom that is promoted within this initiative.
Literature for Life, will conduct the literacy programming within this partnership using their unique reading circles that often includes Hip-Hop literature by authors Tracy Brown (White Lines) and Sister Souljah (The Coldest Winter Ever, Midnight).
With an office located within the Centre of Social Innovation , Executive Director, Jo Altilia is aware of the positive social outcomes when public and private sectors work together. Partnerships with book publishers has enabled the Toronto-based charity to sucessfully promote the benefits of reading and literacy to marginalized individuals and communities using literature as a tool to break the cycle of poverty.
“They made me believe I could do it, and showed me how”
Literature for Life recently received a glowing testimonial from the Women Moving Forward Program at the Jane/Finch Community Family Centre. The entire letter is here. An excerpt is below:
‘Each LFL facilitator we have worked with comes to the program with a belief that each woman is both capable and deserving of education. Our participants feel this, and thrive under the unwavering support offered. The impact of the work LFL has on the lives of our participants continues long after they have graduated from WMF. One woman, who recently completed the York University Women’s Studies Bridging Program, came back to share her final essay with WMF staff. She received a B+ on her essay, but was even prouder of the professor’s comments, which spoke of her ability to weave her thoughts and argument seamlessly throughout her essay. The woman asked that I pass the comments on to Jo, because, as she stated, “without [LFL], I wouldn’t be where I am today. [They] made me believe that I could do it, and showed me how.” This sentiment is one that all of our graduates share.
The most profound outcome of the LFL program, however, is the impact that LFL’s work has on the families of our participants. As women become more confident in their ability to read, they begin to share this with their children. Women who had never been to the library with their families before LFL are now going regularly, and have started a routine of reading with their children. As the mothers in our program return to school, they become even stronger role models for their children. They are able to help with homework, and many share that they now sit at the kitchen table with their children, doing homework side-by-side. As a result, their children are also beginning to see a different future. As one woman shared, her nine-year-old daughter is now planning to go to university like her mother, “and she won’t accept any grade lower than a B+”.’
An award-winner!
We were very excited to hear that Rachelle Goberdhan recently won 2nd place in Humber College’s Literary Awards in Poetry for her poem “Chrysalis”. Rachelle credits Desi Di Nardo’s Literature for Life poetry workshops for “kick starting” her poetry career, and we look forward to reading what she comes up with next.
Chrysalis
Laying in this deep, dank, pit of despair,
The darkness resides within.
Breeding in the absence of light,
Prostrate in wait of negativity.
Its stench lingers on the periphery,
At the edge, of where darkness meets bright.
Unshakeable like a shadow,
Full ashen clouds rumble in,
The storm has come.
It rages within, a battle of wills.
It will wash the terrain clean.
I will emerge born again.
Fresh. Anew. Simmering.
Blood, scarlet, skin.
The rising sun, a glowing, fiery ball.
A new day is born, as, am I.
Strong willed and charismatic,
A hush falls upon my approach.
Focus and determination run deep and true within.
From a deep, dark place, a bright light is seen.
A crack in the façade appears,
Bursting out,
Eager and enthused,
As my wings drip dry and unfurl,
I leap off this precarious precipice,
Venturing into the untamed,
Awash, with the still wet paint of my hopes and dreams.
She Does the City does Literature for Life
Jo Altilia and Literature for Life were profiled by the website She Does the City, which called the organization “quite possibly the world’s most important book club.”
“Most participants in Literature for Life live in poverty and isolation, and a third have a history of physical and/or sexual abuse. Often they have less than a grade 10 education and generally lack critical literacy skills. Research suggests that their children are likely to continue this cycle; more apt to underperform in school, become teen parents themselves, or end up in trouble with the law — often becoming dependent on the welfare system. We have learned over the last ten years that assisting teen mothers in developing strong literacy skills increases their ability and confidence to invest in education opportunities for themselves and for their children. Literacy is a powerful tool and a first step in breaking the cycle of women and child poverty.” Read the rest here.
Literature for Life meets NOW HEAR THIS!
In November 2009, NOW HEAR THIS! teamed up with Literature for Life and hosted 2 writing workshops with poet Desi Di Nardo through the WRITE ON! Workshop program. WRITE ON! Workshops can be offered at schools, community centres and other organization and feature a professional writer to help participants improve their writing skills, enhance creative thought and produce writing that is self-empowering.
The workshop “Life Writing: Personal Myth, Memoir & Autobiography” explored a variety of ways in 
which a person can choose write about her life. Fifteen participants from the local Jane & Finch neighbourhood took part in the workshop, many involved in the Women Moving Forward program.
Desi began the workshop by sharing her own poetry with the group. She talked about her own life story and explained how each of the women would have an opportunity to share their own stories.
After Desi led the young women in an exercise, encouraging them to draw maps of their childhood neighbourhood. From there participants brainstormed topics that they could build into a personal narrative.
The women wrote out their own stories and collaborated with their peers in order to perform a collective piece with the group. The spoken word aspect of the workshop made writing autobiography active and immediate, highlighting how important it is for women to share their stories aloud. Desi was then able to give them constructive feedback for both their writings and performances.
NOW HEAR THIS! Social Network Links:
BLOG: nowhearthis.ca
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/NOWHEARTHIS.ca
TWITTER: twitter.com/NOWHEARTHISca
For more information about this specific workshop, please email Whitney.
Mini Interview with Reading Circle Facilitator Desi Di Nardo
Credit: Rick O'Brien
Question: What factors do you keep in mind when choosing which books you’ll be using in your reading circles? What makes a successful book for the circles, and is there anything that the less successful books have incommon? What book have you discovered the most from through your participants’ responses?
There are indeed key factors I try to take into consideration when selecting the books we read at the June Callwood Centre. Certainly, a bias on my part influences choice as I feel it is important to expose the group to books with a more literary slant no matter how simple the story line or narrating seems to be. However, I know to remain cognizant and sensitive to age, background, and reading ability when making that decision. The books should be able to touch the girls in a way that allows them to examine their own situations and empower them with the tools and motivation necessary to continue reading further books based not only on plot and character development but also out of the sheer simple pleasure they derive from reading aloud and the thought-provoking discussions which emerge from the reading circle.
I feel the books which are accepted and read with zeal are typically ones which portray a strong yet ‘fallen’ female protagonist, usually relayed in first person perspective so the girls are able to penetrate the mind and feelings of the character(s). There tends to be obstacles they themselves have personally encountered or are currently experiencing and often the struggle or conflict is resolved in a way that is accessible to the reader and illustrates how that character is redeemed or salvaged in a manner the girls can relate and/or aspire to.
The books which have proved most successful and engaging are Leslie’s Journal by Allan Stratton, The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara, The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, and (my personal favourite) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
-Desi Di Nardo
WomenwithWordz
WomenwithWordz is an interactive blog where women of all races, ages and backgrounds can post and share their writings, rhymes, poems, stories, scripts, and words. This virtual space is welcoming of all types of work: a quiet reflexive song, an angry loud poem even silly fun lyrics and stories are accepted and celebrated.
The WomenwithWordz blog was born from the Women with Wordz writing circle held every Wednesday at 1900 Sheppard Ave in Toronto. Supported by Literature for Life, the women are led by their instructor Motion to let go and write freely and openly about what is most important to them.