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<font size=4><b>April is a Month of<br>
</font><font size=5>Books Building Bridges!<br>
<br>
</b></font></div>
During the month of April, local librarians, educators and families in
western Massachusetts will examine the impact of war on libraries,
literacy and education in the US and in Iraq through their participation
in <i>Books Building Bridges</i>.<br>
<br>
<i>Books Building Bridges</i> is a year-long, community-building project
developed in order to acknowledge and foster a common human desire for
learning, authentic connection and a healthy society while transcending
political divisions in the United States and the geographic and social
distance between the United States and Iraq. The group was inspired by
Jeanette Winter's book <i>The Librarian of Basra: a true story from
Iraq</i>, which chronicles the work of Basra librarian Alia Muhammed
Baker who, with her community, saved 30,000 volumes from being destroyed
during the current war.<br>
<br>
In addition to the following calendar of events, book stores and
libraries throughout the western Massachusetts will feature Books
Building Bridges displays. Book drives on many local college
campuses will also begin to collect college text books for students and
faculty of Baghdad University, as well as dictionaries and other learning
tools for The Literacy Project’s Adult Basic Education program.
Finally, students of The Literacy Project will continue their use of the
Books Building Bridges curriculum (available on line).<br>
<br>
<b>The following is a Books Building Bridges calendar of events:<br>
</b>[Note: all events are free and open to all. Donations are
welcome.]<br>
<br>
<b>April 20, 2006, 10am to noon<br>
</b>Jackson Street Elementary School, 120 Jackson Street,
Northampton<br>
<i>A vacation-week, family-centered program, which includes:<br>
<br>
</i>Author/illustrator Jeanette Winter will read and discuss <i>The
Librarian of Basra, with projected images from the book
<dl>
<dd>Synopsis:</i> Alia Muhammad Baker is a librarian in Basra, Iraq. For
fourteen years, her library has been a meeting place for those who love
books. Until now. Now war has come, and Alia fears that the library
along with the thirty thousand books within it will be destroyed
forever. In a war-stricken country where civilians especially
women have little power, this true story about a librarian's
struggle to save her community's priceless collection of books reminds us
all how, throughout the world, the love of literature and the respect for
knowledge know no boundaries.<br>
<br>
</dl>Creative & Participatory Learning Stations:
<dl>
<dd>Arabic Calligraphy Instruction
<dd>Discussion with BBB Curriculum Educators: use in the classroom
<dd>Iraqi Children’s Art Exchange
<dd>Design Your Own Button
<dd>A Taste of Dates and Appreciating the Cultural Significance<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</dl><b>April 23, 2006, 1pm to 4:30pm<br>
</b>Holyoke Children’s Museum, 444 Dwight Street, Holyoke<br>
<i>A vacation-week, family-centered program, which includes:<br>
<br>
</i>1pm & 3pm: bi-lingual (Spanish and English) readings of <i>The
Librarian of Basra, with projected images from the book</i>
<dl>
<dd>See April 20 summary<br>
<br>
</dl>2pm & 4pm: Creative & Participatory Learning Stations
<dl>
<dd>See April 20 summary<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</dl><b>April 25, 2006, 7pm<br>
</b>Jones Library, 43 Amity Street, Amherst<br>
<i>“Untamed Nostalgia” an evening of poetry and song in Arabic and
English with Wafaa’ Al-Natheema<br>
<br>
</i>Wafaa’ Al-Natheema is the founder of The Institute of Near Eastern
and African Studies (INEAS). For more information about INEAS,
please visit:
<a href="http://www.ineas.org/" eudora="autourl">www.ineas.org</a>.
For specific details about this program, please call Claudia Lefko at
413.584.0068.<br>
<br>
<br>
Books Building Bridges is a broad-based network of western Massachusetts
literacy educators, booksellers, librarians, schoolteachers, artists and
community organizations. For more information about the project and
its participants, please visit:
<a href="http://www.booksbuildingbridges.org/" eudora="autourl">www.BooksBuildingBridges.org</a>.<br>
<br>
For more information, or to get involved, please call Erika Arthur,
413.559.1373 or Jo Comerford, 413.695.6059. All volunteers and
participants are welcome!!<br>
<br>
END<br>
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END<br>
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<br>
<font face="Arial Narrow, Helvetica" size=2>"Peace is all around
us. It is not a matter of faith; it is a matter of
practice." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh<br>
<br>
<br>
</font><font face="Garamond"><b>Jo Comerford<br>
</b>American Friends Service Committee, Western Massachusetts<br>
140 Pine Street, Room 10<br>
Florence, Massachusetts 01062<br>
413.584.8975 (W)<br>
413.584.8987 (F)<br>
413.695.6059 (C)<br>
afsc@crocker.com<br>
<a href="http://www.westernmassafsc.org/" eudora="autourl">www.WesternMassAFSC.org</a><br>
<br>
</font><font size=1><i>New Resource: <br>
</i><b>Ten Reasons Why the US Must Leave Iraq: <br>
</b></font><font size=1 color="#0000FF"><u><a href="http://www.afsc.org/iraq/activism/10-reasons.pdf" eudora="autourl">http://www.afsc.org/iraq/activism/10-reasons.pdf</a></u></font><font size=1>
<br>
</font><font size=1 color="#0000FF"><u><a href="http://www.afsc.org/iraq/activism/10-reasons.htm" eudora="autourl">http://www.afsc.org/iraq/activism/10-reasons.htm</a></u></font><font size=1>
(Text)<br>
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