Writing the first draft of a novel is like playing with finger paints: messy, colorful and fun. Painting with our instinct, creating images of whatever we fancy without worrying what the grown-ups will say, allows us to find our voice, get to know our characters, and allow the story to unfold. While the Inner Critic […]
Meet November’s IndyGo Student of the Month: Halima
Halima came to Indy Reads after spending years and years moving from place to place. At the age of 13, she fled her home country of Algeria thanks to an arranged marriage. She was taken to France and promised an education and a brighter future, but was immediately put to work instead. Over the following […]
We’re Grateful for Stories Like Khalil’s
This Thanksgiving, We’re Grateful for You! Khalil is a student in Indy Reads’ English Language Learners (or ELL) classroom. Khalil and his classmates — all of them seeking a brighter future and a second chance in America — learn and develop their English reading, writing, and speaking skills together, and build up an incredible community in the […]
What is Thanksgiving, Anyway?
In my mid twenties, I attended graduate school overseas. The hardest part about being an international student was not being home for the holidays. As summer turned to autumn, I started thinking about all that I’d be missing: the rowdy family parties, the hours of reading by the fireplace at my parents’ house, and the […]
Meet October’s IndyGo Student of the Month – Bethny!
Bethny came to Indy Reads after having fled oppression and a lack of opportunities in her native Burma. Her father came to America first, and worked hard to bring Bethny and her five brothers and sisters afterward. Together, the family has struggled through learning cultural differences and being “outsiders” in the United States. Bethny made […]
Día de Los Muertos at the Eiteljorg
Many of us may be familiar with the sugar skulls and flower-crowned skeletons that pop up in stores around Halloween for Día de Los Muertos, but know little about the holiday itself. Last weekend, I attended the Día de Los Muertos event presented by Nopal Cultural at the Eiteljorg Museum. At the event I learned […]
Breaking Through Writer’s Block: Reasons to Sign Up for NaNoWriMo™ Next Month
As I sat in my lit professor’s tiny office, bookshelves crammed with leather-bound, dusty books, her desk piled with essays to be marked with red ink, I waited with bated breath as she paused to respond to my brilliant idea for an independent study. I planned to write a novel. We sat looking at each […]
Meet September’s IndyGo Student of the Month: Christina!
Indianapolis native Christina attended Pike High School’s special education program. The program served many students with a wide range of special needs and taught necessary life skills such as grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, and basic arithmetic. However, there were simply not enough resources to meet each student’s individual needs and literacy skills were not the […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Kathy Sunday
October 1-5 is National Tutoring Week, where education organizations across the country recognize those who help teach learners of all ages. Indy Reads classrooms are built around the support of volunteer tutors, and one of the ways we’ll be celebrating our volunteers this week with a series of volunteer spotlights. To learn more about volunteering at […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Intern Lauren Reed
October 1-5 is National Tutoring Week, where education organizations across the country recognize those who help teach learners of all ages. Indy Reads classrooms are built around the support of volunteer tutors, and one of the ways we’ll be celebrating our volunteers this week with a series of volunteer spotlights. To learn more about volunteering at […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Gage Bentley
October 1-5 is National Tutoring Week, where education organizations across the country recognize those who help teach learners of all ages. Indy Reads classrooms are built around the support of volunteer tutors, and one of the ways we’ll be celebrating our volunteers this week with a series of volunteer spotlights. To learn more about volunteering at […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Ruth Jennings
October 1-5 is National Tutoring Week, where education organizations across the country recognize those who help teach learners of all ages. Indy Reads classrooms are built around the support of volunteer tutors, and one of the ways we’ll be celebrating our volunteers this week with a series of volunteer spotlights. To learn more about volunteering at […]
Indy Reads Announces Andrew Luck as 2018 Literacy Hall of Fame Award Honoree
BUY TICKETS | SPONSOR A TABLE | CONTACT INDIANAPOLIS, IN. (MARCH 14, 2018) — Indy Reads, Central Indiana’s leading adult literacy nonprofit, is proud to announce Andrew Luck, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, as the recipient of the 2018 Indy Reads Literacy Hall of Fame Award. The award will be presented to Luck […]