Tag Archives: Word Up Recirculation

Word Up Recirculation: Booked and Unbothered – A Community Read-In

Bring your book. Bring a journal. Something you’re writing. Your notebook full of thoughts you promised you’ll organize one day.

A Sunday afternoon dedicated to slowing down, turning the page, and finding community through stories.

The Experience

Bring the book you’re currently obsessed with (or the one you’ve been trying to finish), find a cozy spot, and settle in for an afternoon of reading, reflection, and connection.

Read quietly at your own pace, browse Word Up’s expansive collection of books, and engage in conversations with fellow book lovers throughout the afternoon. Whether you’re discovering a new author, sharing a favorite recommendation, or simply enjoying uninterrupted reading time, the experience is designed to help you slow down and be present.

A soulful instrumental soundtrack will gently fill the room, creating the perfect backdrop for getting lost in a story, exploring new ideas, and embracing the simple joy of reading in community.

Whether you’re an avid reader, trying to build a reading habit, or simply looking for a slower way to spend your Sunday, you’ll find a welcoming community waiting for you.

Word Up Recirculation: Sheba the Alley Cat Launch Party with Lauren Fornoles

Meet SHEBA THE ALLEY CAT—a plucky feline heroine with a nose for adventure at the launch party of her story! Teacher and author Lauren Fornoles will read this spooky—but not scary—Halloween story, perfect for kids ages 3 and up. Lauren will also read from her other new Halloween-themed book, Monster’s Day at School!

Following the story time, kids will get to color and create costume masks and learn about black cats with The Cat Collective NYC.

“Sheba the Alley Cat is an absolutely charming seasonal read that captures the spirit of Halloween without being spooky or overwhelming for young readers. The illustrations are precious and full of warm, festive detail, striking a perfect balance between playful and cozy.” —Laura J., Educator

Please register in advance.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Sheba dreams of a world beyond her alley. When a mysterious note appears in the newspaper, Sheba knows she’s just the cat for the job. But is she brave enough to journey to the spooky old house? Fans of Gustavo and Room on the Broom will love cheering Sheba on her adventures in this sweet Halloween “tail”!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lauren Fornoles (a.k.a. Early Bird) is a certified teacher and literacy specialist who is passionate about helping children and their families reach their literacy goals through her stories and videos. She has over a decade of classroom teaching experience and holds dual masters degrees in the Teaching of Reading and the Teaching of English.Lauren’s stories and videos draw on her professional training in language and vocabulary development to build essential literacy skills. It is her hope that her work helps others discover or re-discover the magic of reading together.

Word Up Recirculation: Joy in Motion

Welcome to Joy in Motion
Move. Listen. Connect.
Come move, breathe, and catch a vibe.
What can you expect?
  • A 60 minute yoga flow
  • A soundtrack worth moving to
  • Good people and good energy
  • A chance to meet someone new
  • No pressure

Sunday afternoon. Good music. A soulful yoga flow. A room full of people looking for a little more connection.

Joy in Motion is a 60-minute movement experience from Culture Lime that brings together yoga, music, and community in a space where you can slow down, move at your own pace, and enjoy being present with other people.

You don’t need to be a yogi. You don’t need to touch your toes. Just come ready to move.

Bring your yoga mat, water bottle, and whatever else helps you get comfortable

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Word Up Recirculation: Joshua Jelly-Schapiro’s DAYLIGHT COME

Word Up welcomes Publisher’s Weekly Director of Publishing Joshua Jelly-Schapiro to discuss his new book Daylight Come: Harry Belafonte and the World He Made (Significations), a vibrant, revealing portrait of the “King of Calypso,” whose extraordinary performing career and activism helped remake America through the civil rights era and beyond.

This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with a maximum of 100 attendees. Please register in advance.

ABOUT THE BOOK  Even three years after his death, Harry Belafonte is everywhere. You can’t go to a wedding, or to a sports arena, without hearing “Day-O,” “Jump in the Line,” or “Jamaica Farewell.” The Harlem-born son of Caribbean immigrants, Belafonte turned the folk music of the islands into American pop—and shaped the fantasy of Caribbean life that endures as an ideal and as a multibillion-dollar tourist industry. Belafonte released the first million-selling LP in history. He was America’s first Black movie star, the first Black person to produce a prime-time special on network TV, and the first to win an Emmy Award. He was once the highest-paid Black performer of all time, beloved by Black and white fans alike, even under segregation. His artistic career helped create the pop culture of the twentieth century—and his political activism reshaped the course of American history.

In this sparkling new biography, Joshua Jelly-Schapiro brings Belafonte’s personality and music vibrantly to life, following him from rags to riches and from Harlem to Jamaica to the March on Washington. Jelly-Schapiro takes us inside Belafonte’s lifelong brotherhood with Sidney Poitier, his friendship with Fidel Castro, his collaboration with Nelson Mandela, and the sometimes shocking therapeutic relationships his difficult upbringing necessitated. At the heart of the story is Belafonte’s bond with Martin Luther King Jr., whose cause Belafonte would champion for the rest of his life. That commitment to the greater good would sustain him and benefit untold numbers—and would come at a cost.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joshua Jelly-Schapiro is a geographer and writer whose books include Names of New York: Discovering the City’s Past, Present, and Future Through Its Place-Names; Island People: The Caribbean and the World; and, with Rebecca Solnit, Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas. His work appears regularly in publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The New York Review of Books. Jelly-Schapiro teaches journalism at New York University and is director of publishing at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, where he hosts the popular Author Talks series and is coeditor in chief of Pioneer Works Broadcast.