MRA Café-Coffee and Conversations
Welcome to the December issue of the MRA Café, a monthly publication that connects our members, inspires joyful collegiality, shares insights into literacy education, and celebrates success stories.
Lights On Literacy
It is time to celebrate Jólabókaflóð!
Are you a book lover looking for special ways to celebrate the holiday season? Try this unique and cherished tradition from Iceland, where families and friends gather and read together. The evening involves gifting books, cozying up by a fire, drinking hot chocolate, laughing, and reading together.
Check out your local library, to nourish this unique literary tradition. Many have special holiday book sales and special events. Like the Concord Free Public Library with a 2024 Holiday Book Sale will take place in the Goodwin Forum of the Main Library on Friday & Saturday, December 6 & 7, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
If you are thinking of gifting books, check out your local independent booksellers A good spot to find diverse books for readers of all ages is Frugal Books in Roxbury.
If you are in the spirit of donating books consider More Than Words in the South End of Boston. The bookstore is completely run by youth workers and offers a great selection of good-condition-used books and local gifts.
Celebrate the season with cozy storytime and winter crafts at Barefoot Books has a Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 14, 2024.
Create a cozy winter ambiance perhaps at Hyggehouse bookstore ~a cozy bookshop that specializes in unique book experiences and builds up local literacy in Westborough. Or get cozy at the library with a take-home Hygge Kits! The Central Library in Copley Square is giving bags full of small treats, a cozy book, and activities to help you relax indoors on a cold day.
After unwraping books with family and friends curled up with steaming cups of hot chocolate and read. Warm up this winter with Hot Chocolate Fridays at Boston’s Dagny Hotel! Every Friday, stop by the lobby for a delicious cup of rich, comforting hot chocolate.
In Iceland, during the long, dark, harsh winters, farmers huddled together in a single room to stay warm while one person read aloud. To hear stories and do a holiday book stroll you may visit West Roxbury Public Library’s Mystery! Mayhem! on Monday, December 9, from 5:00 pm–7:30 pm.
This nation of storytelling may be reenacted during Story Time with Santa | December 13th, 3-5 pm at Boston’s Dagny Hotel.
Like many in Iceland, the Central Library in Copley Square will celebrate Jólabókaflóð or book Flood on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, 2:00 pm–4:00 pm
Upcoming Events and Programming
Below are events happening this month from our councils and committees. Upcoming events may be found on our MRA 2024 - 2025 calendar
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Student Agency, Critical Literacy, and Creative Interpretive Discussions: Teaching Literature in an Era of Assessment with Ziva Hassenfeld REGISTER TODAY!
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Come discuss Punished for Dreaming by Bettina Love (zoom link)
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Councils, committees, and board members of MRA will gather to discuss the upcoming conference, budget, and awards. All are welcome to join the virtual meeting.
MRA Community Spotlight
MRA awards season is happening now!
Help us celebrate Massachusetts educators who make a difference in the field of literacy. Give an excellent literacy educator or school the recognition they deserve. MRA is accepting nominations and applications for the 2025 awards and scholarships!
Student Awards: The Donald L. Landry Student Award |Application Essays due February 1. Learn more here.
Educator Action Research: Sylvia D. Brown Scholarship | Nominations due January 17th. Learn more here.
School/Program Awards: Exemplary Reading Program Award | Applications due December 20th. Learn more here.
Impact Award: Celebrate Literacy Award | Nominations due January 31st. Learn more here.
Council Minigrants: Local Council Minigrants | Applications due March 1st. Learn more here.
Council Achievements: MRA Sister Madelon Honor Award | Form due June 1st. Learn more here.
Congratulations! Bridgewater State University Members of
Chapter of Alpha Upsilon Alpha
24 Bridgewater State University Students were inducted into Alpha Phi on November 6th. We welcomed these emergent scholars into the literacy profession with a complimentary annual Massachusetts Reading Association student membership
2025 MRA Conference Updates
The 54th Annual Massachusetts Reading Association Conference, Literacy & Language: Words Empower, Inspire, and Transform
will be held March 27-28, 2025, with a pre-conference on the 26th, at the Boston Marriott Newton Hotel in Newton, MA.
Registration opens on January 13, 2025!
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Literacy Inspirations
“We need co-conspirators to actively work toward collective healing, reflection, and joy, attempting to love as many humans as they can along their journey.”
How do we heal?
MRA chair of the DEI committee, Ashley Houston-King invites us to read and discuss Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal, by Dr. Betina L. Love.
This timely text will offer valuable insights as we reflect on 2024 and consider how we can be in solidarity with one another to create a better future for our students. Join other educators as we discuss the text, seek repair, critically examine reform movements, and support healing in a virtual book conversation.
As we enter the winter season of rest, build resilience and restoration by curling up by a fire and reading Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal or the other texts below. Ashley also suggests reading words of wisdom from the iconic James Baldwin in a letter to teachers written in 1963 - that still holds true today!
Thank you for your dedication to literacy. Together, we can ensure every student becomes a confident and capable reader, writer, and learner.
MRA information
The Massachusetts Reading Association is a professional non-profit organization of individuals whose primary purpose is to improve the quality and level of literacy in the state of Massachusetts. The MRA is affiliated with the International Literacy Association (ILA), a worldwide literacy organization. Our Mission The mission of the Massachusetts Reading Association is to promote literacy for all learners through professional development, research, publications, and advocacy.