The Guys Lit Wire Book Fair has generated hundreds (YES, I said HUNDREDS) of brand new donated books that will go directly to the new library we are creating in the Los Angeles Central Juvenile Jail, through Inside Out Writers...the agency for which I work as a creative writing teacher. When Lee and Colleen first approached me about this project, they told me that these things start slowly and build over the years. I expected to fetch about 20-30 books at the most. But, within the first HOUR of the announcement of the book drive, we already had 50 books pledged.
Now, as I sit here opening box after glorious box from Powell's Bookstore, I cannot contain my joy...and, yes, I'm shedding a few tears as I read the notes people have sent along with their books. I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers who want to help these locked up kids, who desperately want to read, but have no access to books. And now they do!
Some messages people have sent with their donated books:
"I'm so sorry I can only afford to send one book right now. I hope the kids enjoy it!"
"Thank you for giving the gift of reading to those who need it most."
"Bless you and Guys Lit Wire for all your generosity."
"These are our favorite books. We are in elementary school and we love to read. We hope the boys in jail like them as much as we do."
"Thank you IOW and Guys Lit Wire for helping us to help others who need it."
"I hope this book inspires and helps the boys in jail like it helped me so many years ago."
THANK YOU to all who donated books. I'm hoping to have the boys reviewing books soon...so that you all can see what a major huge difference you really are making in these kids' lives. The fact that total strangers all over the world are using their own precious money so that kids in jail can have the luxury of good books to read may just be the key to reducing the crime rate in Los Angeles. Don't laugh, it could happen!
Marley and Brandy, my beloved Springer Spaniels, have been helping me hour after hour to tear open cardboard packages bearing shiny new books. Above, you can see the ones they chose as their favorites.
Thank you for reading!
Eve
This picture is great Eve - and those books are really really good - so glad they were bought!
ReplyDeleteHi Eve! I recently found out about this awesome idea (I'm slowly returning to teh internets) and was going to contribute but see I've missed the Memorial Day Weekend deadline. Do you know if they'll ask for more contributions at a later date?
ReplyDeleteThis is so awesome!
ReplyDeleteAnd Marley and Brandy look soooo adorable. (Similar to the look they have right after they eat my sandwich.)
Hi Eve hope your house is not too overwhelmed (but I see the dogs are being helpful and sorting). I'm so excited to start seeing reviews from the lads who get to read these books.
ReplyDeleteBooks on the way! So sorry I'm a little late in getting on board. Keep up the AMAZING work you are doing!
ReplyDeletereading this made me so happy.
ReplyDeletethanks for all you do!
namaste,
Lee
Bravo! God's gonna giveth unto thee, my just and fair liege, a massive reward. Just you wait, doll.
ReplyDeleteHigh, girl. This’ll help immensely on your writing journey (Upstairs) and, believe-you-me, you’d want nothing else if you experienced what I did on high. So, why should you love our exploded plethora of produce which’ll plant the seeds for you to grow to great heights?? PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK:
Greetings, earthling. Not sure if we're on the same page if you saw what I saw. Because I was an actual NDE while in a coma on the outskirts of the Great Beyond at 15 yet wasn’t allowed in, lemme share with you what I actually know Seventh-Heaven’s dichotomy gonna be like for us if ya believe/accept: meet this ultra-bombastic, ex-mortal Upstairs for the most blatantly, tastefully, incomprehensibly phat… catch-22-zany-excitotoxins… myriads of cogently-ironic-metaphors… sheer endorphin-rush with pleasure-beyond-measure to boot… Ultra-Firepower-Idyllic-Addiction in the Great Beyond for a BIG-ol, kick-ass, point-blank, party-hardy, robust-and-risqué-play-station voltage, eternal-real-McCoy-warp-drive you DO NOT wanna miss the sink-your-teeth-in-the-rrrock’nNsmmmokin’-hot-deal: PLEASE KEEP HANDS/FEET INSIDE THE RIDE UNTIL WE MADE A CIRCUMFERENCE OF the OUTSTANDING, NEVER-ENDING, THRILLIONTH-RED-MARKER-POSSIBILITIES …with eXtra eXciting eXtroverts doing the most vivid, brazen congruent as flawless as pearls from the Toyster Upstairs!!! Quite a run-on-sentence… yet, Upstairs, you may push-the-hydraulic-envelope for endless exaggeration. WAIT!! THAT’S NOT ALL!! TELL’M WHAT THEY’LL RECEIVE, JOHNNY!! In that [in]sane landscape of tumultuous, thoroughbred metabolism high-above ’N faaar-beyond the paisley troposphere? Duuude! Just a drop-in-the-bucket in the many universes fulla audacious innuendo!! So, gain altitude, not attitude, and take front-row-seats, miss gorgeous, as the inexhaustible, irresistible intimacy from THE PowerPlaya shall blow-your-fragile-mind to peaces. Meet me Upstairs. Do that for us. Cya soon, girly.
PS “It is impossible that anyone should NOT receive all that they have believed and hoped to obtain; it gives Me great pleasure when men hope great things from Me and I will always give them more than they expect”
-Our Lord to Saint Gertrude
Good day
ReplyDelete