A brief departure from the norm

I’ve begun this a thousand times. Every time a different sentence, every time a different way to phrase what I’m trying to say, and all of them wrong.

So perhaps I don’t begin, perhaps I rather say this:

I advocate for the importance and the relevance of literacy and literature on a daily basis. I believe feverishly in the right to read and the empowerment of that reading.And so do you, consciously or unconsciously, through your investment in literature. Every time you read, every time you visit a bookshop, the library, the charity shop, and pick up a book, you’re making a statement.

You are speaking so loud, so openly, so hopefully about what you think this world can and should be. You are speaking so loud, so beautifully loud.

You’re reading for yourself, your mother, your father, your sister, your brother. The man you see on the bus, the woman you see downtown, the kid you say hi to every morning.

You’re reading independently, together, communally.

You’re reading critically, angrily, hopefully, questioningly, selfishly, indulgently, painfully.loudly, openly, proudly, honestly.

You’re reading with love.

Don’t ever let that stop.

If you are looking for support and resources on the atrocity in Orlando, I direct you initially to this thread of tweets from Teen Vogue. It is, I feel, a thread to be lauded. I welcome any suggestions of further resources to add).