Join the third annual African American Read-In on Friday, February 24, noon-6:00 p.m. in the Dixie Marie Wooten Commons Area in Hodges Library (next to Starbucks). Students, faculty, staff, administrators—all are invited to read an excerpt from a favorite book by an African American author.

Readers can bring a book to the reading or select a text from African American authored books that will be on display the day of the event. Contemporary, award-winning children’s and young adult books by African American authors will be available for browsing in the Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature (CCYAL) (3rd floor, Hodges Library) during the month of February, and during the event.

Readers are encouraged to find texts to read prior to the event. Search the Libraries’ catalog (e.g., American literature—African American authors), browse the display in the CCYAL, examine the bibliography of recommended books at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) website, http://www.ncte.org/aari, or check other popular book blogs and websites listed below:

• The Brown Bookshelf, http://thebrownbookshelf.com
• The DarkFantastic, http://thedarkfantastic.blogspot.com
• The Illustrated Page, https://theillustratedpage.wordpress.com/diversity-in-fantasy-and-science-fiction/non-white-protagonists-in-fantasy-and-science-fiction/
• Coretta Scott King Awards website, http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards
• The NAACP Image Awards for Literature, http://www.naacpimageawards.net/main_winners_nominees.html
• “We Need Diverse Books” website http://weneeddiversebooks.org

If you want to participate as a reader, email Dr. Susan Groenke, Director of the CCYAL, at sgroenke@utk.edu to reserve a 5-minute time slot between noon and 6:00 p.m.

Sponsored nationally by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Literacy Association, the Read-In makes literacy and the literary works of African American authors a central part of Black History Month. UT’s Read-In is sponsored by the CCYAL in conjunction with the College of Education, the College of Communications and Information Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, the UT Libraries, and the Brothers United for Excellence.