September was an eventful month for the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. On September 17, the Redlands City Council approved a proclamation declaring September 29, 2024 as “Adult Literacy Day in the City of Redlands.” Mayor Pro Tempore Paul Barich presented the proclamation to Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Program coordinator, Chev Sotheavy, adult learner and author, and Don McCue, director of A.K. Smiley Public Library. Through this proclamation, the Council reaffirmed its recognition of the vital work done by the Redlands Adult Literacy Program along with all its volunteers and community partners and “called upon our residents to promote literacy efforts and education programs throughout our community.” Since 2010, the program has been providing free, confidential, one-to-one tutoring tailored to the specific needs of adult literacy learners. This past fiscal year, the program was able to serve 101 hardworking adult learners because of the support from 111 dedicated volunteers.
In addition to the “Adult Literacy Day” proclamation, the program celebrated publication of its seventh volume of original writing, Our Stories, A Collection of Writings. This collection has become a much-anticipated annual tradition within the program. Each year, adult learners are encouraged to capture in writing their personal journeys to literacy. Their contributions reflect a wide range of reading and writing levels. For some authors, the first step was simply dictating their stories to tutors and then working through the writing process with their tutors’ help. Other learners spent months rewriting multiple drafts until they were satisfied and ready to submit their work for publication. Regardless of literacy level, these adult learner-authors share a commitment to the learning process and are developing important literacy skills that will help them to better communicate in the workplace, with their families, and in the community.
To showcase this year’s volume – which features work from over 40 authors – the literacy program hosted a Celebration of Authors on September 29. An audience composed of approximately 150 family members, tutors, adult learners, and community members gathered to honor the newly-published authors and listen as they read their work aloud. The readings ranged from childhood memories and travelogues to powerful stories of survival and hope. One author who made a particularly strong impression was Sharhonda McLaurin with her poem, “I Told the Storm,” excerpted here:
I told the storm, I am aware of your tactics
Have seen your clouds try and block the sun
You have turned beautiful days into gloomy ones
Your wind blows past my window singing songs of defeat and my lips can’t help but sing along
I love sad songs on dark afternoons
I asked the storm why does it enjoy raining on my parade?
It never answered.
To read Ms. McLaurin’s poem in its entirety, as well as the work of other inspiring new writers, visit A.K. Smiley Public Library. Copies of Our Stories, A Collection of Writings, Volume 7 are now available for checkout.
If you are interested in learning more about volunteering with the Redlands Adult Literacy Program, please contact Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy coordinator, at (909) 798-7565 ext. 4110, or email literacy@akspl.org.
If you know of someone who needs help in reading and writing, please encourage them to take the first step in changing their life by contacting the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. Tutoring is free and confidential.