Tag Archives: Book Talk

Word Up: Let’s Talk About Abortion: How to Talk to Kids About Abortion with Doulas, Carly Kol and Emulsify

Saturday, April 26, 2025 – 4:00pm to 5:30pm
Word Up Community Bookshop / Librería Comunitaria
2113 Amsterdam Ave. & 165th St.
New York, NY 10032

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We invite parents, educators, caregivers, and abortion providers to join for an important and thought-provoking event featuring Carly Kol and Emulsify, the authors of Let’s Talk About Abortion. This book is a groundbreaking resource that provides a compassionate and age-appropriate approach to discussing abortion care with kids. It serves as a guide for adults looking to navigate conversations about reproductive health with children and young people in a supportive and nonjudgmental way.

In this event, both authors, who are experienced abortion doulas, will share how their work in the field informed the creation of the book and why it is crucial to have these open discussions. The event will include an interactive reading of the book, followed by a Q&A where attendees can engage with the creators on approaching these topics with children and how caregivers can create spaces for healthy, empathetic dialogue.

“Straightforward language frames an approachable, gender-neutral discussion of abortion … Warm, stylized illustrations visualize people with various abilities, body types, and skin tones, many in domestic and natural spaces. It’s a high-level explanation of the topic that works to fill a significant gap in children’s books about healthcare. Includes a creators’ note, resources, discussion questions, and more. Ages 6–12.” — Publishers Weekly

We require all children under the age of 12 to be accompanied by an adult.

This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with 30 max attendees. Please register in advance.

In compliance with Word Up Community Safety guidelines, all attendees for this event must wear a mask inside.

Word Up Community Bookshop is located at 2113 Amsterdam Ave. (& 165th St.) in Washington Heights, NYC. You can take the 1 train to 168th St and the A/C train to 163rd or 168th  St.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Let’s Talk About Abortion is a groundbreaking and essential resource designed to help parents, caretakers, and providers discuss the topic of abortion with children ages 6 to 12. Authored and illustrated by experienced abortion doulas and vetted by early childhood educators, this book is crafted with the intention of fostering intentional, compassionate, and nonjudgmental conversations about abortion care.

In a landscape where no other children’s books discuss this topic, Let’s Talk About Abortion fills a crucial gap. It provides a medically accurate, gender-inclusive, and nonjudgmental resource that acknowledges the diverse and complex nature of abortion care. The book’s text is carefully constructed without gender-specific language or one specific character, recognizing that each abortion experience is unique and personal.

This book serves as a starting point for discussion, offering parents, educators and caretakers a thoughtful and sensitive tool to approach discussions about abortion. By avoiding the portrayal of “good” or “bad” reasons for seeking an abortion, the authors ensure that all experiences are respected and validated.

Let’s Talk About Abortion is more than just a book; it’s a compassionate guide designed to support honest and open dialogue, empowering young readers with knowledge and understanding in a safe and supportive manner.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carly Kol (she/her) is a white, queer, Jewish full-spectrum doula from New York. She has always believed that young people deserve honesty and compassion when it comes to information about their sexual health and bodies. Carly has supported over 3,000 individuals during their procedural abortions and medication abortions. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California with her partner and their pitbull, Mickey.

Emulsify (they/them) is a queer parent and full-spectrum doula. They create art to imagine new worlds. Emulsify lives in Brooklyn with their family and spends a lot of time creating while snuggling their pups. Through their work, they have made incredible friendships, learned from brilliant peers, and found their home.

Word Up at Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center: Alejandro Heredia’s LOCA with Elizabeth Acevedo

Thursday, March 6, 2025 – 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center
530 W 166th St
New York, NY 10032

 

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Word Up Community Bookshop and Dominican Writers Association invite you to celebrate the debut release of Loca by Alejandro Heredia. In conversation with Heredia will be award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo. There will be a limited signing after the event.

“In a novel that is as tender as it is brilliant, Heredia writes with ferocity and warmth.”—Elizabeth Acevedo

This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket.

Alianza Dominican Cultural Center is located at 530 West 166th Street New York, NY 10032. The event will take place on the second floor, which is accessible by an elevator.

ABOUT THE BOOK

If Junot Diaz’s critically acclaimed collection Drown and Janet Mock’s Emmy-winning series Pose produced offspring, Alejandro Heredia’s Loca would be their firstborn.

It’s 1999, and best friends Sal and Charo are striving to hold on to their dreams in a New York determined to grind them down. Sal is a book-loving science nerd trying to grow beyond his dead-end job in a new city, but he’s held back by tragic memories from his past in Santo Domingo. Free-spirited Charo is surprised to find herself a mother at twenty-five, partnered with a controlling man, working at the same supermarket for years, her world shrunk to the very domesticity she thought she’d escaped in her old country. When Sal finds love at a gay club one night, both his and Charo’s worlds unexpectedly open up to a vibrant social circle that pushes them to reckon with what they owe to their own selves, pasts, futures, and, always, each other.

Loca follows one daring year in the lives of young people living at the edge of their own patience and desires. With expansive grace, it reveals both the grueling conditions that force people to migrate and the possibility of friendship as home when family, nations, and identity groups fall short.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alejandro Heredia is a writer from the Bronx. He has received fellowships from LAMBDA Literary, Dominican Studies Institute, UNLV’s Black Mountain Institute, and elsewhere. He received an MFA in fiction from Hunter College. Loca is his debut novel.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Elizabeth Acevedo is the current Young People’s Poet Laureate and the New York Times-bestselling author of The Poet X, which won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Carnegie medal, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and the Walter Award. She is also the author of With the Fire on High—which was named a best book of the year by the New York Public Library, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal—and Clap When You Land, which was a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor book and a Kirkus finalist. She holds a BA in Performing Arts from The George Washington University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. Acevedo has been a fellow of Cave Canem, Cantomundo, and a participant in the Callaloo Writer’s Workshops. She is a National Poetry Slam Champion, and resides in Washington, DC with her loves.

Word Up: Families Belong Together, Families Demand Repair: Reparations for Child Welfare Teach-In

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 – 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Word Up Community Bookshop / Librería Comunitaria
2113 Amsterdam Ave. & 165th St.
New York, NY 10032

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Join us at Word Up for a teach-in on learning, reflection, and action toward abolition and reparations. We will confront the violent history of family separation, the ongoing harm of state surveillance, and the necessity of repair through a 5-point reparations framework. Together, we will build collective power, deepen our commitment to liberation, and take concrete steps toward ending systems of harm.

This event is free or a $5 suggested donation to Word Up. Please register in advance. 

Word Up Community Bookshop/Libreria Communitaria is located at 2113 Amsterdam Avenue (corner of 165th Street) in Manhattan. Subways: A, C or #1 train to 168th Street (walk south to 165th St, turn left, then walk east to Amsterdam Avenue).

Black Families Love and Unite (BLU) is an organization dedicated to empowering Black and Brown families through education, organizing, and community care.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Imani Worthy is a Bronx native whose family was impacted by the child welfare system in 2019. Following this experience, she pursued advocacy work, holding roles such as Public Speaking Coordinator at Rise Magazine and Family Advocate at the Center for Family Representation. Imani is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Black Families Love and Unite (BLU), an organization dedicated to empowering Black and Brown families and dismantling systems of oppression. She holds an MBA and is deeply committed to holistic and restorative justice practices, including circle keeping and somatic wellness to create meaningful change for our communities.

Nancy Fortunato, Senior Family Organizer, has over 10 years of advocacy and organizing experience as an impacted parent and an expert on systemic racism. She graduated from the Child Welfare Organizing Project and the Institute of Transformative Mentoring at The New School. Nancy has held roles at the East Harlem Community Partnership Program, the Center for Human Development and Family Services, and RISE, where she was promoted to Senior Parent Leader. She is currently a Peer Navigator at Justice For Families.

Cassandra Gonzalez, Family Organizer with two years of advocacy and organizing experience, is an Afro Latine parent of two boys who embraces inclusivity and gender diversity. With a passion for cooking and a commitment to empowerment, Cassandra utilizes their life experiences to support and uplift fellow parents, reflecting their resilience and compassion.