The Collective connects with the audience at a performance. Three of the members will be at the Perry Library at 6 p.m. today.
Three members of the Greensboro-based performance art group The Collective will put on a show at the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library today from 6 to 7:15 p.m. as part of the library’s second annual observance of Teen Read Week.
The Collective’s performance will consist of spoken word, hip-hop and R&B, and the trio will be available for questions and comments during a brief reception after the show, reports Claire Ramsey, the head of youth services for the Perry Library.
The aim of the performance is to raise issues teens care about in a way that’s appealing to teens. “The Collective was formed with life in mind,” the group says about itself. “Spoken word, live music and other forms of raw expression blend to tap the rhythm of life in all we do.”
The Collective’s show is the second of four events the Perry Library has scheduled for Teen Read Week. The library held a kickoff event at 5 p.m. Monday. Also on the schedule are an open event Wednesday and a volunteer opportunity at the Time for Tots program Thursday, both running from 5 to 5:45 p.m.
Teen Read Week is the national adolescent literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association. It is held each year in the third week of October.
“Today’s teens seem to have less and less free time, and there are increasingly more activities for them to take part in during what little leisure time they have,” said Pam Spencer Holley, YALSA’s president. “That is why it’s important to encourage teens to set aside some time to read.”
Ramsey encourages parents to celebrate Teen Read Week at home. She offered these ideas:
* Visit the Perry Library or the school library with your teen to attend a program or to check out books.
* Set aside time each night for the family to read.
* Give books or magazine subscriptions to your teen as a gift or reward.
* Share your favorite book with your teen.
* Surf the Internet with your teen to learn about new books or authors. A good place to start is www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists.
* Join a book discussion group at the school or public library.
For more information about The Collective and Teen Read Week, check out the Perry Library’s Web site.