A Manifesto for Planet Word 2.0
Back in 2013 when we started planning a museum of words and language, it was mainly intended to be a new way to bring disaffected readers back into the fold…
Happiness and Literacy: The Dinner-Table Connection
In an interview with The Washington Post’s weekly family section (“The mundane, radical, fun, painful ways we can help our children find happiness” by Deborah Famer Kris, February 2, 2023),…
Prison Reading
So the latest financial outlaw and crypto-currency-exchange fraudster, Sam Bankman-Fried, was quoted in an interview prior to his downfall and arrest as proclaiming “I would never read a book.” Who…
What Is Reading For?
Recently the New York Times devoted an entire Sunday Opinion section to the question “What Is School For?” What a crazy question, I thought! Being a former teacher, the mother…
When Soccer and Poetry Meet, Kids Succeed: Q&A with DC SCORES
Soccer and poetry might not seem to have much in common, but one local non-profit unites them toward a common goal: empowering kids. DC SCORES runs free, year-round soccer programs…
How to Spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S: Q&A with National Spelling Bee Champ Molly Baker
Kids from around the country gather each year to test their spelling skills at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. But what does it take to make it onto that stage?…