General / Research / Education

What Have We Learned this Fall?

CLiF celebrated eleven wins this fall – we kicked off all of our Year of the Book partnerships with in-person events! As we have navigated another fall of closures, shortages, and sickness, we have also succeeded in so many ways. Here are some articles and research pertinent to literacy work in our ever-evolving world. Thank … Continued

General / Book Recommendations

What the CLiF Team is Reading This Summer

At CLiF, we love to read. That’s probably why we spend our time helping kids discover that love for themselves and embark on a lifelong journey of enjoying literature. Summer offers some much-needed time to dig into your To Be Read pile and relax with a good book (or 3. Or 4.). Here’s what the … Continued

Research

What Are We Learning about Literacy from the Pandemic?

This post offers some research and activities for both reflecting on lessons learned this year and thinking about what components have value for the future. FOR EVERYONE Watch Using Books to Engage Young Children to Talk About Race & Justice, Part 1 and Part 2 How to teach with living poets’ work Join VTLIB and … Continued

Writing

CLiF Kids’ Poetry Contest!

National Poetry Month is coming up in April, but you don’t have to wait until then to get your poetic juices flowing! Poetry has lots of benefits for readers and writers of all ages, including building vocabulary, language, and imagination. It’s also fun! The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) is hosting a Kids’ Poetry Contest. Children … Continued

General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight / Education

Steve Swinburne, Non-Fiction Author

CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Steve Swinburne of South Londonderry, VT. Steve is a life-long naturalist and explorer of wild places. “As an author, I love writing about wildlife and this amazing and beautiful planet we share. As a guitar and ukulele player, I love connecting music and nature.” Watch his intro video! … Continued

Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight / Education

Geof Hewitt, Poet/Performer

CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Geof Hewitt of Calais, VT. Geof is the author of four poetry volumes and the Poetry Slam Laureate of Vermont. He also plays the nose flute (see photo). CLiF created the outline below to help students of all ages think about his poems and poetry. Watch a … Continued

General

CLiF’s Book Club for Grown-Ups: Poet Rajnii Eddins

CLiF’s virtual Book Club for Grown-ups series continues! In Book Club, CLiF’s award-winning presenters share their work and answer your questions. You can find the full October discussion with author Sarah Stewart Taylor of The Mountains Wild here (skip the first 10 mins, which is just chatting and set-up). In November, we’ll be talking poetry … Continued

Writing

Happy Poetry Month!

April is #NationalPoetryMonth, and while poetry slams, readings, and school-wide events may be cancelled, you can still celebrate poetry at home! Watch poets/CLiF presenters Rajnii Eddins and Ted Scheu (“That Poetry Guy”) perform their original work. Poetry Out Loud’s national competition has, of course, been cancelled this year, but they still have a fantastic selection … Continued

Presenter Profiles

Q & A with Rajnii Eddins

CLiF is proud to work with 64 talented authors, illustrators, poets, graphic novelists, and storytellers from every corner of Vermont and New Hampshire to inspire low-income, at-risk, and rural kids to love reading and writing. We send our amazing presenters to schools, libraries, after school programs, childcare centers, summer camps, affordable housing developments, and other … Continued

General

April is Poetry Month: Time to Rhyme (Not Really)

I have noticed that if you go into any bookstores that sell children’s books, the poetry section is quite thin. In some stores, children’s poetry books occupy one shelf. You will usually find something by Robert Louis Stevenson (commonly in an anthology) or something by Shel Silverstein. And there is an occasional book by other … Continued

Presenter Profiles

Q & A with Poet Ted Scheu (“That Poetry Guy”)

CLiF’s 64 talented and accomplished presenters are a big part of what makes CLiF special. We send these amazing VT and NH authors, illustrators, poets, graphic novelists, and storytellers to places where low-income, at-risk, and rural kids spend time in VT and NH. They share their creative processes and generate kids’ excitement for reading and … Continued

General

The Power of Poetry

April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poetry in all its forms. Many schools and programs take advantage of this month to launch poetry units and special events. Towns such as Montpelier, VT celebrate with Poem City, a city-wide initiative that posts poetry all over public spaces and celebrates poets with readings and … Continued

General

What’s On Your Bookshelf This Summer? The CLiF Team’s Summer Reads

It should come as no surprise that the staff at CLiF – where our mission is to nurture a love of reading and writing among low-income, at-risk, and rural children in New Hampshire and Vermont – loves to read! Here’s what we’ve been reading this summer.  Stephanie & the Kucinskas Family’s Summer Reads   When … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

Mothers and Kids: Togetherness

At CLiF, much of our work occurs behind the scenes. We spend many hours scheduling events, organizing logistics, communicating with coordinators who are on the ground in various communities throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. While we love what we do, nothing compares to hanging up the phone, logging off our email, and stepping out from … Continued

General / CLiF Spotlight

CLiF Spotlight: A Picture Says 1,000 Words

On May 10, Meredith and I went to Kids Day in Burlington, Vermont’s Battery Park. Hundreds of kids (and quite a few parents) stopped by our booth to write poems using magnetic poetry and their imaginations. Everyone who wrote a poem got to choose a book to take home. Here are a few young poets with their masterpieces. … Continued

CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.

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