Are YOU a Writer? Do You Want to Live in Detroit, Michigan?

I came across another article on the Huffington Post website titled Write A House Is Giving Writers Free Homes In Detroit by Ashley Woods. In the article, Woods writes the following:

Think of it as a writers-in-residence program ... one that never has to end.

A new Detroit nonprofit called Write A House has figured out something to do with Detroit's thousands and thousands of vacant and blighted homes -- fix them up and give them to writers.

So, how are writers selected you may be wondering? Woods writes the following in her article:

Write A House will accept applications from working, "low-income" writers in the spring, who will be asked to send writing samples and a letter of intent. The judges include former National Poet Laureate Billy Collins, poet Major Jackson, writer and filmmaker Dream Hampton and editor of the Farrar, Straus & Giroux publishing house Sean McDonald. Writers from all over the world, or living just a few miles away, are all encouraged to apply.

If they win, they'll call Detroit home for at least the next two years. Writers will lease the homes from the nonprofit, a small amount to cover taxes and insurance. If they stay for 24 months, they'll be awarded the deed -- and Detroit will count another resident to its comeback.

Click on above link to read Ashley Woods' entire article and also click on the Write A House link above to learn more about applying for one of the homes in Detroit.

Happy Armed Forces Day!!

Happy Armed Forces Day to all the wonderful men and women serving in the United States military! Many countries around the world celebrate Armed Forces Day on different days throughout the year, but here in the USA, Armed Forces Day falls annually on the third Saturday of May.

I've learned of two interesting organizations that send books to members of the military, Books For Soldiers & Operation Paperback with the help of volunteers.

The Books For Soldiers website wrote the following about their organization:

During the first Gulf War, several of my friends from school were in the reserves and were activated to fight the Iraqis. CNN reported that once the soldiers were deployed, they were faced with massive downtime and were restricted to their base due to the travel limitations set by the Saudi government.

I am a voracious reader and at the beginning of the Gulf War, I had a closet full of paperback books. Books that were not being used. So instead of selling them at the used book store, I packed them up in small care packages and sent them out to all the soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen I had addresses for.

Within a few weeks, I ran out of books before I ran out of addresses. Friends and family members began donating their paperback books and in the end, over 1000 books were sent to the Gulf.

After the war, we received many thank-you notes from soldiers who got one of our books. Unless it was time for them to fly back home, mail-call days were one of the most anticipated events of deployment. Regardless of why the military is deployed, the men and women of our armed services are there for us. They deserve our support and if we can make their deployment easier, then all the better.

Currently, BFS is a non-profit corporation, operated as a ministry of the non-denominational, interfaith Order of the Red Grail church in North Carolina. You can download our IRS 501(c)(3) approval letter in PDF format.

The Operation Paperback website wrote the following about their organization:

Operation Paperback is a non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania that collects gently used books nationwide and sends them to American troops deployed overseas. Since 1999, we have shipped over 1.7 million books to locations around the globe. Our service members make sacrifices every day for our country. It takes so little to let them know that we appreciate what they are doing for us. When you donate to Operation Paperback, you will let our troops know that you support them, and you have not forgotten them.

Click on above links to learn more about both Operation Paperback and Books For Soldiers. Please consider joining either organization to support our troops!!

Book People Unite!!

 Book People Unite!! What's Book People Unite all about?

We’re bringing together people who share our love of reading to help us get books in the hands of kids who need them most. The movement recognizes the incredible effect books can have on a child’s imagination, sparking ambition, overcoming obstacles and inspiring curious minds.

The pledge!!

If you're a Book Person, tell the world. Books open new worlds and unlock new doors. Take the Book People Unite pledge and declare your belief in the transformative power of books, especially for young minds. Encourage your friends to join the movement too by sharing online and you'll get a download of the full Book People Unite track. We'll also follow up with news on the Book People Unite movement.

I love the idea of promoting literacy and the love of reading in youngsters. Children are our future. Giving them the tools to succeed in life is important.

The Bookman --- "Providing Books To Anyone Who Wants To Read And Learn"

"The Bookman is a registered charity that donates new and used books to children and adults around the world who do not have easy access to reading material."

I had the honor of meeting Mr. Irwin Herman (aka the Bookman) in 2010 at his book warehouse in San Diego with my mom and her neighbor. I'm in awe as to what Mr. Herman has achieved in promoting reading and learning. He seems to be very passionate and devoted in promoting literacy and education through providing access to free books for those in need. Mr. Herman spent a large amount of time talking with us about how he started his charitable organization, showing us around the warehouse, and talking about the promotion of reading and learning.... According to the Bookman website, an estimated 8 million books have been given away for free.

Here's more information about The Bookman provided from their website:

The Bookman is a global charitable organization based in San Diego, California. A registered 501(c)3 charity, The Bookman supplies books free to teachers, institutions, and groups that ask, providing they can pick them up, or have another agency do that for them. However, The Bookman is not a bookstore and does not provide books to individuals or sell to the general public.

Operated with all volunteer labor, the organization now gives away almost one million new and used books per year, primarily to groups and agencies serving the underprivileged, to teachers, to our military veterans, families, and active-duty troops, and to other charitable groups. Since its creation in 1990, The Bookman has given away more than 8 million books to people in San Diego County and through local charities, to every state and 70 other countries. There are no restrictions on who can obtain free books - those who need them can have them, as long as they are part of a deserving group and, as long as they can arrange to pick them up from the warehouse. The Bookman does not select, pack, or ship books.

The Bookman operates out of 5,000 square feet of warehouse space at the corner of 37^th St. and El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego. Donated by the building owner, Jack Grace, the floor contains an estimated 150,000 volumes, with a daily turnover of 2-3,000 books. Row after row of shelves neatly filled with books of every description. Encyclopedia sets, classic literature, self-help, biography, fiction, non-fiction, and reference books. You name it and its there. More than one third of the usable space is devoted entirely to children's books.

 Hours of operation for the Bookman are Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 11:30am. The warehouse phone number is 619-521-9830.