NEW
Library Project
“People & Stories is an important addition to our adult basic education curriculum because it provides a glimpse of the world of the humanities, opening students’ minds to critical thinking and problem-solving. At the same time, People and Stories helps our clients see the value of reading for pleasure as well as for survival in the everyday world. Many of the people we work with are themselves parents, and we believe programs of this kind also assist them in becoming reading role models for their own children.”
Rev.
Brian McCormick, President,
Martin House Community for Justice Foundation
“La magnífica
experiencia de Gente y Cuentos...
demuestra que la literatura agrega la densidad de la significación,...esa
reverberación de los sentidos y de las palabras que produce a la vez
indeterminación, ambigüedad, elisiones que suple la imaginación,
trabajo no solo de escritura sino también de lectura...¿Quién puede decir
que el placer de la ficción, el recurso al imaginario, tiene que estar
tan fuertemente marcado por el lugar social, que a los sectores populares es preciso
reservarles, con exclusividad, el discurso del folletín televisivo o de
la historia banal?”
Beatriz
Sarlo
escritora y crítica literaria de Argentina
“People
& Stories
is an opportunity for people to experience
themselves in an inviting context of discovery, participation, and growth
--
a kind of group process organized around profound human experiences
relevant to our own. I recommend heartily People and Stories to
the…Foundation, absolutely certain that your funding will be carefully
stewarded and that many people, young and old, will finally have something
to say that will be truly heard.”
Stephen
L. Kitts, Executive Director
Mercer Street Friends
“People
& Stories and the
Rescue Mission have a history of working together since 1997. Frankly,
when you first approached me with the idea, I was a little skeptical of
how the residents would respond to literature. As we both joyfully
witnessed, anything that lifts the spirits and gives a new way to look at
life is an uplift to those struggling with addiction, economic poverty,
and many other problems."
Mary
Gay Abbott-Young, Chief Executive Officer
Rescue Mission of Trenton
“Gente
y Cuentos is an experiment in
democracy and pluralism, in self-respect and mutual tolerance....These
stories do for these people what art should be doing to millions were they
not excluded from the circuits through which it habitually flows....Gente
y Cuentos supposes that, with the right methodology, a whole reserve and
universe of culture can be opened to everyday people.”
Ariel
Dorfman
Chilean novelist, dramatist, poet
“The
People & Stories program is an important addition to our curriculum. It provides a glimpse of
the world of the humanities, opening students’ minds to critical
thinking and problem solving. The program provides the opportunity for our
students to see the value of reading for pleasure as well as for survival
in the everyday world.”
William
Tracey, Principal
Trenton Daylight/Twilight High School
“The
Princeton Public Library is
delighted to sponsor (People & Stories – Gente y Cuentos) each year
and to help people in our community make the connection between people and
stories. Last year I sat in on one of our sessions. The discussion that
evening was spirited and lively with all of the participants actively
involved. But what was even more exciting was the composition of the
group. Young and old, native Spanish speakers and people who were trying
to improve their Spanish language skills, well educated and newly arrived
immigrants, all sat side by side enjoying the moment and creating a
community around reading and learning. How fortunate Princeton is to have
this wonderful program.”
Leslie
Burger, Director
Princeton Public Library
“I’d
love to see People & Stories
programs for the parents of children in every at-risk school district in
the country and to see local businesses and service organizations get
behind them.”
Robert
Hass, Professor of English, UC Berkeley
Poet Laureate of the United States, 1995–1997
“Program
therapists have told me that client participation has strengthened and supported
our women on their path to healing and recovery. Many of the readings have
inspired them with stories of courage and hope – something that was
lacking in their addiction. Many of our women utilize a journal to measure
their progress. They have told me that the sessions have helped them reach
deeper levels of understanding and awareness of the root of their
addiction, resulting in an increased desire to remain clean and sober.”
Kathy
Wellbank, Program Director
Interim House
“The
program breaks down stereotypes by
showing common experience through literature. Participants discover that
they have the ability to communicate about literature and controversial
issues, which increases their self-confidence.”
President’s
Committee on the Arts and Humanities
Coming Up Taller: Arts and Humanities Programs for Children and Youth At
Risk
