Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss Dear Manny by Nic Stone.

Nic Stone is open and warm, just like her favorite color -- orange. We discuss her commentary on lies (fiction is truth through the lens of a lie), her degree in psychology (understanding human experience helps with character development) and the habit of pursing discomfort (helps us grow and staves off boredom).

Authors mentioned in this episode:
Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Jacqueline Woodson and Terry J. Benton-Walker.

Additional authors and the books mentioned in this episode:
Jason Reynolds, Long Way Down
Elle Desamours, Needy Little Things
Louis Sachar, Holes (a book that also came into play with the Middle School Reading Ambassador conversation around Jasmine Warga)
Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides

Thanks to the Tucson Festival of Books for coordinating Nic Stone's visit.

This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the U of A College of Education with assistance from the U of A COE Tech Team.

Producer/Host: Rebecca Ballenger, Worlds of Words Center Associate Director
Lit Discussant: Kait Waterhouse, U of A COE Graduate Assistant
Learning & Engagement Intern: Bonnie Rock, U of A W.E. Franke Honors College Student
Audio Engineer: Alexis Mendoza, Worlds of Words Student Employee and U of A First-year Student
Coordinator: Vianey Torres, Student Employee and Nursing Major

For more information on the WOW Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP), visit wowlit.org.

###

We Can Promote Global Literature Together!

The Worlds of Words Reading Ambassador program is completely free for participants who receive a book for themselves and a book to share with their school librarian, ELA/English teacher, or other school entity. If you would like to support this program, please make a gift on-line through the University of Arizona Foundation.

Thank you for listening and keep reading!

Join the Worlds of Words Center Reading Ambassadors (middle and high school) as we recap our experience around University of Arizona Museum Day.

Twelve cultural and science collections on the U of A campus offered free or reduced admission and special programming on Saturday, March 29, 2025. In this bonus episode, we briefly discuss...

• The UA Museum of Art
• Center for Creative Photography
• Greivenkamp Museum of Optics
• Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
• Worlds of Words Center

Worlds of Words shared three experiences for U of A Museum day: our original exhibit "Cepeda Stories: Everyone Has a Story to Tell," art from our archives that complement the exhibit, and award-winning global picturebooks with outstanding illustrations.

The Reading Ambassadors share how these kinds of campus-wide events impact them personally and how they benefit the community.

Special thanks to the U of A Research, Innovation & Impact and the committee who worked to launch this second campus-wide day celebrating art, science and the humanities, including the above listed units as well as Poetry Center, Coit Museum of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Museum of Democracy, African American Museum of Southern Arizona, Flandrau Science Center, Museum Association of Arizona, and The Archive of Visual Arts.

This podcast was recorded in the Worlds of Words Center studio in the U of A College of Education.

Producer/Host: Rebecca Ballenger, Worlds of Words Center Associate Director
Audio Engineer: Liam Arias, Worlds of Words Student Employee and U of A Radio, TV, Film Major

For more information on the Worlds of Words Reading Ambassadors, visit wowlit.org and look under "About."

###

We Can Promote Global Literature Together!

The Worlds of Words Reading Ambassador program is completely free for participants who receive a book for themselves and a book to share with their school librarian, ELA/English teacher, or other school entity. If you would like to support this program, please make a gift on-line through the University of Arizona Foundation.

Thank you for listening and keep reading!

Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we recap our experience around A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga.

In this episode, we discuss...

• How are we seen in real life and in books? How do we see ourselves?
• In what ways do we help or hinder our relationships with friends and family?
• The tight nature of writing in the mystery genre.
• And Emaline takes a clear stance on graphic organizers.

Bonus Book Mentions:
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Thanks to the Tucson Festival of Books for coordinating Jasmine Warga's visit. In our session, we learned Jasmine previously taught 6th grade. We determined she was likely an excellent teacher. She also mentioned Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and Holes by Louis Sachar (a book that also came into play with the Teen Reading Ambassador conversation around Nic Stone).

This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the U of A College of Education with assistance from the U of A COE Tech Team.

Producer/Host: Rebecca Ballenger, Worlds of Words Center Associate Director
Lit Discussant: Kait Waterhouse, U of A COE Graduate Assistant
Learning & Engagement Intern: Bonnie Rock, U of A W.E. Franke Honors College Student
Audio Engineer: Alexis Mendoza, Worlds of Words Student Employee and U of A First-year Student
Audio Engineer Supervisor: Liam Arias, Worlds of Words Student Employee and U of A Radio, TV, Film Major
Coordinator: Vianey Torres, Worlds of Words Student Employee and U of A Nursing Major

For more information on the Worlds of Words Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP), visit wowlit.org.

###

We Can Promote Global Literature Together!

The Worlds of Words Reading Ambassador program is completely free for participants who receive a book for themselves and a book to share with their school librarian, ELA/English teacher, or other school entity. If you would like to support this program, please make a gift on-line through the University of Arizona Foundation.

Thank you for listening and keep reading!