The National Book Foundation’s Author Residencies brings National Book Award writers to schools and settlement houses across New York City’s five boroughs to illuminate the value of reading and writing and to encourage participants to explore reading as an activity done for pleasure.

Young-adult author, Sharon Flake with students attending the after-school program at the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York.

Authors in Settlement Houses
The National Book Foundation, in partnership with United Neighborhood Houses of New York, brings National Book Award authors to New York City Settlement Houses. Participants, who range in age from children to senior citizens depending on the site, receive a complimentary copy of the visiting author’s book. Authors tailor lessons to their own strengths and the Settlement House’s needs, using examples from their books and the works of other writers in discussions, readings, and workshops that encourage participants to read outside of a school environment.

Past authors in schools and settlement houses include Willie Perdomo, Mary Ann Hoberman, Nikki Giovanni, Katherine Paterson, Rita Williams-Garcia, Christopher Myers, Patricia Smith, Roger Bonair-Agard, Mike Winerip, Miriam Cohen, Nina Crews, and Pam Ryan.

For more information, e-mail Leslie Shipman at lshipman@nationalbook.org.