2022 News Archive
Thank YOU for an amazing 2022!
Thanks to your steadfast support, Gemma Open Door had a very successful 2022!
In collaboration with national & international literacy organizations such as ProLiteracy, NewReadersPress, & Worldreader, we were able to distribute 4,800 books & reach more than 15,000 new readers.
When planning your end-of-year giving, we hope you will consider Gemma & join us as we continue to reach emerging adult readers in 2023 … because literacy is a human right.
To donate go to www.gemmamedia.org/give.
A New HiLo Release!
We’re delighted to announce the publication of our new, HiLo romance, BAKE SALE by Suzanne Kamata.
Laura Murata is a professor in Tokyo. She is also the divorced mother of Maya, a seven-year-old girl. Widower Kazu Mori is a dentist, who is raising his son, Max, on his own. The two parents meet at a holiday bake sale at Cherry Blossom International School where their kids are great friends.
Laura & Kazu are sweet on each other from the first moment, and soon the two families are spending time together. But will misunderstandings make their budding relationship crumble?
Love requires honesty, but not too much!
We’ll see you at ProLiteracy!
We cannot wait! There are only a few more days until we see all our literacy friends in San Antonio for the 2022 ProLiteracy conference.
Will you be there? If so, stop by the Gemma booth for your chance to win 5 FREE HiLo books and get a sneak peek of our upcoming new release.
See you soon!
Gemma author discusses what it means to be a refugee.
Check out the Tesse Leads podcast to hear Gemma author Marta Maretich and podcast host Tesse Akpeki’s insightful discussion of what it means to be a refugee. Marta discusses how her personal experience as a refugee informed her writing in the Gemma HiLo book, THE POSSIBILITY OF LIONS.
Listen to the podcast here and share it with your adult literacy students.
Become a Gemma Author!
Are you an author with the desire to give back to the literacy community? Do you have the interest & discipline to write a compelling story of 10,000 words or less at a low reading level, 3rd-grade or lower?
If so, join Gemma’s roster of esteemed authors!
Gemma Open Door is a nonprofit organization, & our books are supported by generous donors as well as low-cost sales to libraries & literacy groups. So, there is no money in this. Rather, there is the incredible satisfaction of helping folks to experience what so many of us take for granted: the power of reading & the love of books.
Welcome, Luz!
We’re delighted to welcome our newest board member Luz M. Diaz!
Luz is an Adult Basic Education professional who is passionate about adult literacy & improving access to ABE materials. With more than 10 years’ experience managing innovative educational programs for adult learners, she is dedicated to helping learners amplify their voices & share their stories. Luz is keenly focused on finding new ways to reach students through technology, advising on the Digital Privacy Data Literacy Project in collaboration with the Open Technology Institute.
Learn more about Luz and our full board here.
ProLiteracy Features Gemma!
The ProLiteracy blog recently featured Gemma Open Door and our fabulous Executive Director, Trish O’Hare.
Check it out to learn more about how Gemma got started and how our books teach emerging adult and young readers about the transformative power of reading!
The blog also covers our newest release by Laurie Foos, The Other.
New Release: THE OTHER
Your adult literacy students will love our newest release, The Other by Laurie Foos!
Ava was born with wings that she hides under a special device her father made for her. No one knows her secret, not even her best friend, Theo. The doctor told Ava that she can choose to have the wings removed when she turns 16.
The big day arrives, & she can’t decide what to do. Without her wings, Ava thinks she can be like everybody else. But is that what she really wants?
Ava’s new friend Lucy has inspired her to re-think what it means to be different & what it means to accept the unique parts of ourselves.
New Lesson Plan: A Girls’ Guide to the Islands
We just released a FREE lesson plan to accompany A Girls’ Guide to the Islands by Suzanne Kamata. The book describes a series of trips Kamata takes with her disabled teenage daughter to visit art museums on the islands in Japan’s Inland Sea. Visiting the museums is a challenge for them, because of a lack of accessibility. Yet the two see works of art by some of the world’s greatest artists and enjoy adventures together.
Check out the lesson plan and let us know what you think!
And for a complete learning experience, remember to download the supplemental study guide and a low-cost audiobook.
A Productive Start to 2022
Thanks to your continued generosity and support, Gemma Open Door has had a productive start to 2022.
There is much more to do! We are actively building partnerships in the literacy community so that we may help more adults and young adults with low literacy discover the joy and life-changing power of reading.
Please help us continue providing HiLo books, audiobooks, and much-needed teaching resources by giving today. Your gift makes a difference!
New Lesson Plan Alert!
We’ve released a new lesson plan to accompany Gemma’s HiLo book American Lion by R. Timothy Rush. And the best part is, it’s FREE!
AMERICAN LION presents true short stories of the majestic North American cougar. The collection of terrifying & often heart-warming short stories is the perfect option for reluctant & emerging readers.
Go to our Teaching Resources page to get the lesson plan and be sure to check out the other teaching resources for this book like the Reading Guide or SnapRead!
We also offer the audiobook at a modest price.
15 Audiobooks Just Released!
Adult literacy students can now pair one of Gemma’s HiLo books with its accompanying audiobook!
Putting a finger on the text while listening to the audio can improve language comprehension and fluency. That is why Gemma’s audiobooks are read at a deliberate pace so that adults can follow along while reading our HiLo books.
Check out one of our 15 new audiobooks, offered at a moderate price.
On a tight budget? Gemma’s inaugural 6 audiobooks remain free of charge to get you started.
A New Lesson Plan!
Since its release last year, The Night Telephone by Greta Gorsuch has become a real hit with readers. To help teachers and students get the most from this increasingly popular title, we have created a new lesson plan to accompany it.
With the teaching tips and activities in the lesson plan, you can encourage class discussion and help readers become more involved with the mystery. Students can enjoy relevant videos, focus on new vocabulary, and explore the expansive geography discussed in the book.
Take a look at the plan and let us know what you think!
Congratulations to Gemma author
May-lee Chai!
In 2021, she was a forceful advocate for the Asian community, published work in major newspapers and journals, and was nominated for multiple awards.
And 2022 looks to be a good one too! She has been elected to the 2022 board of National Book Critics Circle and has a new book of short stories coming out in August called Tomorrow in Shanghai.
We are incredibly proud to call May-lee a Gemma author and wish her continued success!
Gemma Open Door for Literacy, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Gifts and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. EIN #81-1384020 literacy@gemmamedia.org
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