Worlds Awaiting

Fictional Worlds of Peril (3:28)

Of all the worlds awaiting our youth, dangerous worlds can pack the biggest wallop. Dangerous settings in fiction abound, because they make compelling stories. But just how dangerous should they be? BYU English professor, Jon Ostenson, talks to Rachel today on Worlds Awaiting about the popularity of fictional worlds of peril, dystopia, and apocalypse. Jon specializes in literature for teens and young adults. He’s taught Junior High and High School English, and presently teaches courses in adolescent literature and publishes on the topic.

Book Characters with Disabilities (13:45)

Next, Rachel visits with Tina Dyches, professor in the BYU School of Education, and founder and current chair of the Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award. She talks to Rachel about creating this award that began with her desire to encourage better fictional depictions of young characters with disabilities. Dr. Tina Taylor Dyches has worked in the field of education for 30 years, as a special educator, professor, and administrator. Her scholarship has resulted in three books about using children’s literature that include characters with special needs.

A few previous winners and recommendations from Dr. Dyches: 

Rain, Reign by Ann M. Martin 

My Brother Sammy by Becky Edwards 

My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peet and Ryan Elizabeth Peet 

BYU HAROLD B. LEE LIBRARY – SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

 

Author Tips (24:24)

We finish up the show today with three authors – Wendelin Van Draanen, Breeana Shields, and Ann M. Martin – who offer some guidance for youth and adults who want to enter the world of writing. We hope some of what they say will spark some new ideas for your own use as a teacher, writer, parent, or mentor

Books in Small Bites (3:49)

We live in a fast-paced world – overflowing with texts, tweets and Instagram posts – small bits of info grabbed on the run. We’re in a breathless hurry and want everything short. But books haven’t gone away quite yet, nor should they. So, how do we convince busy people, especially the young, to sit down and read a real book, even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time? Our first guest, Esha Gupta, co-founder of a new company, HOOKED, has co-developed a tool that is getting the Snapchat generation to read. It’s a mobile app that takes them into a fiction book in the form of 5 minute text message conversations. Gupta also shares the story behind the app’s origin. Esha’s studies were in Film and Psychology at Columbia University. She now lives in Oakland where she enjoys boxing, cooking and of course, reading.

Building Lifelong Readers (14:44)

Up next on Worlds Awaiting, Dr. Steven L. Layne, professor of Literacy Education at Judson University, Illinois, talks about his lifetime mission of helping kids become passionate about reading and becoming lifelong readers. Layne is an award-winning author of books for children and young adults and enjoys meeting his readers on school visits. He’s a frequent keynote speaker to groups of literacy educators and librarians throughout the world and has received numerous awards for his work as an educator and researcher.

Book Review (24:29)

We finish up the show today with Trent Nelson, English and Creative Writing teacher at Timberline Middle School in Utah. He introduces a middle grade book entitled Free Verse by Sarah Dooley.

Books in Small Bites (3:49)

We live in a fast-paced world – overflowing with texts, tweets and Instagram posts – small bits of info grabbed on the run. We’re in a breathless hurry and want everything short. But books haven’t gone away quite yet, nor should they. So, how do we convince busy people, especially the young, to sit down and read a real book, even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time? Our first guest, Esha Gupta, co-founder of a new company, HOOKED, has co-developed a tool that is getting the Snapchat generation to read. It’s a mobile app that takes them into a fiction book in the form of 5 minute text message conversations. Gupta also shares the story behind the app’s origin. Esha’s studies were in Film and Psychology at Columbia University. She now lives in Oakland where she enjoys boxing, cooking and of course, reading.

Building Lifelong Readers (14:44)

Up next on Worlds Awaiting, Dr. Steven L. Layne, professor of Literacy Education at Judson University, Illinois, talks about his lifetime mission of helping kids become passionate about reading and becoming lifelong readers. Layne is an award-winning author of books for children and young adults and enjoys meeting his readers on school visits. He’s a frequent keynote speaker to groups of literacy educators and librarians throughout the world and has received numerous awards for his work as an educator and researcher.

Book Review (24:29)

We finish up the show today with Trent Nelson, English and Creative Writing teacher at Timberline Middle School in Utah. He introduces a middle grade book entitled Free Verse by Sarah Dooley.

Book Inspired by Folktale (3:40)

Some stories aren’t new. In fact, some stories have been around for centuries. But then, along comes an author who makes it new and fresh, with a personal touch. That’s exactly the story behind our guest author today, Breeana Shields, who has just successfully published her first book, a fictional story based on a very old tale from India about Visha Kanya or “a Poison Maiden.” Breeana’s book is entitled Poison’s Kiss. The sequel, Poison’s Cage, comes out in 2018. Shields graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in English. When she’s not reading or writing, she loves traveling, eating good food–especially if it’s pasta or chocolate–and spending time with her husband, her three children and an extremely spoiled miniature poodle.  

Discovering Gems in Poetry (14:46)

Up next on Worlds Awaiting, local poet, Gina Clark, talks with Rachel about the joys of digging deeper into a poem – going below the surface, and discovering greater riches in the process. She also suggests reading poetry as a family – even adding a poem to the bedtime routine. Gina Clark is a Utah native and mother of six children. She completed a Master of Fine Arts degree in poetry at Arizona State University and has taught as an adjunct at Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University. She is currently a writing instructor with BYU's Independent Study. Gina is an avid supporter of her local public library in Orem, Utah, where she has been a volunteer storyteller for over a decade. Her monthly "Storytime" presentations might better be called "PoetryTime," since she fills them with poems for readers – young and old alike.

Poetry Readings (25:57)

As long as we’re on the subject, let’s finish up the show with two poems – the first is written by our guest, Gina Clark, entitled A Birds Brain, read by Whitney Snow, Production Assistant for BYU Radio’s The Apple Seed. And, the second poem is Robert Louis Stevenson’s Foreign Lands from A Child’s Garden of Verses, read by Garret Rushforth, BYU Radio Sound

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:40 - Book Inspired by Folktale

00:14:46 - Discovering Gems in Poetry

00:25:57 - Poetry Readings

Book Inspired by Folktale (3:40)

Some stories aren’t new. In fact, some stories have been around for centuries. But then, along comes an author who makes it new and fresh, with a personal touch. That’s exactly the story behind our guest author today, Breeana Shields, who has just successfully published her first book, a fictional story based on a very old tale from India about Visha Kanya or “a Poison Maiden.” Breeana’s book is entitled Poison’s Kiss. The sequel, Poison’s Cage, comes out in 2018. Shields graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in English. When she’s not reading or writing, she loves traveling, eating good food–especially if it’s pasta or chocolate–and spending time with her husband, her three children and an extremely spoiled miniature poodle.  

 

Discovering Gems in Poetry (14:46)

Up next on Worlds Awaiting, local poet, Gina Clark, talks with Rachel about the joys of digging deeper into a poem – going below the surface, and discovering greater riches in the process. She also suggests reading poetry as a family – even adding a poem to the bedtime routine. Gina Clark is a Utah native and mother of six children. She completed a Master of Fine Arts degree in poetry at Arizona State University and has taught as an adjunct at Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University. She is currently a writing instructor with BYU's Independent Study. Gina is an avid supporter of her local public library in Orem, Utah, where she has been a volunteer storyteller for over a decade. Her monthly "Storytime" presentations might better be called "PoetryTime," since she fills them with poems for readers – young and old alike.

 

Poetry Readings (25:57)

As long as we’re on the subject, let’s finish up the show with two poems – the first is written by our guest, Gina Clark, entitled A Birds Brain, read by Whitney Snow, Production Assistant for BYU Radio’s The Apple Seed. And, the second poem is Robert Louis Stevenson’s Foreign Lands from A Child’s Garden of Verses, read by Garret Rushforth, BYU Radio Sound Engineer.

Joy in Reading (3:38)

What encourages learning? Catching and correcting all a learner’s mistakes or catching that learner doing something right? Dr. Roxanne Owens, Chair of the Teacher Education Department at DePaul University talks to Rachel on Worlds Awaiting about helping children find joy in reading through more encouragement and less criticism. She also suggests that reading together as a family can put a positive spin on the child’s desire to read. Owens has been a faculty member at DePaul for 25 years. Prior to that, she taught junior high in Chicago. Her present duties include, teaching the Children’s Literature course and spending time in elementary schools with her university students. Owens is a recipient of multiple awards for excellence in teaching and was inducted into the Illinois Reading Council Hall of Fame in 2012 for her dedication to literacy. 

Favorite Books (13:58)

Up next on Worlds Awaiting, high school teacher, Angela Nederhand, talks with Rachel about her passion in life – books. She gives titles of some of her favorite books and genres. Nederhand is a TV Broadcasting teacher at Salem Hills High School, Utah. Previously, she taught Leadership Principles and worked with multicultural students to find opportunities to serve the community. She studied at both Westminster College and Utah Valley University.

Book Trivia (25:08)

We finish up the show today with Cole Wissinger, part of the Worlds Awaiting team, who plays children’s book trivia with students he encounters on the Brigham Young University campus.

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:38 - Joy in Reading

00:13:58 - Favorite Books

00:25:08 - Book Trivia

Joy in Reading (3:38)

What encourages learning? Catching and correcting all a learner’s mistakes or catching that learner doing something right? Dr. Roxanne Owens, Chair of the Teacher Education Department at DePaul University talks to Rachel on Worlds Awaiting about helping children find joy in reading through more encouragement and less criticism. She also suggests that reading together as a family can put a positive spin on the child’s desire to read. Owens has been a faculty member at DePaul for 25 years. Prior to that, she taught junior high in Chicago. Her present duties include, teaching the Children’s Literature course and spending time in elementary schools with her university students. Owens is a recipient of multiple awards for excellence in teaching and was inducted into the Illinois Reading Council Hall of Fame in 2012 for her dedication to literacy. 

Favorite Books (13:58)

Up next on Worlds Awaiting, high school teacher, Angela Nederhand, talks with Rachel about her passion in life – books. She gives titles of some of her favorite books and genres. Nederhand is a TV Broadcasting teacher at Salem Hills High School, Utah. Previously, she taught Leadership Principles and worked with multicultural students to find opportunities to serve the community. She studied at both Westminster College and Utah Valley University.

 

Book Trivia (25:08)

We finish up the show today with Cole Wissinger, part of the Worlds Awaiting team, who plays children’s book trivia with students he encounters on the Brigham Young University campus.

Summer Reading (3:22)

What’s summer for anyway? Swimming? Baseball? Movies? Art projects? What about reading? Research says that when kids leave the classroom over the summer, they can lose 1-3 months of learning. Mary Bigler wants adults to keep kids reading during the summer months to avoid losing all that ground. Bigler promotes what she considers to be the “ABC’s of Summer Reading.” She’ll tell us what those are on today’s show. Once a pre-school teacher and now, a professor, Bigler has spent her life promoting literacy and celebrating the joys of teaching. She’s an award-winning professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Eastern Michigan University and, author of Lessons Learned.

Childhood Reading (23:02)

We close the show with Olivia Noli, Worlds Awaiting Social Media Manager. Check out the Worlds Awaiting Facebook page (which Olivia maintains). She talks about her passion for reading, where that passion came from, and how it affects her today.

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:22 - Summer Reading

00:23:02 - Childhood Reading

Summer Reading (3:22)

What’s summer for anyway? Swimming? Baseball? Movies? Art projects? What about reading? Research says that when kids leave the classroom over the summer, they can lose 1-3 months of learning. Mary Bigler wants adults to keep kids reading during the summer months to avoid losing all that ground. Bigler promotes what she considers to be the “ABC’s of Summer Reading.” She’ll tell us what those are on today’s show. Once a pre-school teacher and now, a professor, Bigler has spent her life promoting literacy and celebrating the joys of teaching. She’s an award-winning professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Eastern Michigan University and, author of Lessons Learned.

Childhood Reading (23:02)

We close the show with Olivia Noli, Worlds Awaiting Social Media Manager. Check out the Worlds Awaiting Facebook page (which Olivia maintains). She talks about her passion for reading, where that passion came from, and how it affects her today.

Graphic Novels (4:05)

Who would have thought it possible that reading simple comic books – Spiderman and Superman, you name it – could help a teenager become a better reader and develop a love for even more demanding literature! High School English teacher, Ronell Whitaker, has done this very thing in his classroom. He uses comics and graphic novels as a gateway for leading his students along toward more advanced literature. His method, first developed by fellow teacher, Eric Kallenborn, has grown nationwide through the help of the Pop Culture Classroom. Ronell teaches at Community High School District 218 in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up on the city’s south side, he developed a love of comic books, film and technology. These seemingly disconnected passions have informed Mr. Whitaker as an educator, and have led to his passion for helping his students develop fluency in multiple literacies. He’s presented across the country at conferences and conventions on the benefit of comics in the classroom, and is a founding member of the Comics Education Outreach Program with Pop Culture Classroom. 

Book Chat (22:10)

We close the show with Worlds Awaiting host, Rachel Wadham who chats with Jessica Verzello. She works with Rachel in the BYU Education and Juvenile Literature Library. They discuss the graphic novel, One Trick Pony by Nathan Hale.

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:04:05 - Graphic Novels

00:22:10 - Book Chat