cktimes.ca Archives: “Celebrating International Literacy Day”
Originally posted on: Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Mary Lou Dickinson will read from and talk about her recently published novel, Ile D’Or |
The Tri-County Literacy Network is celebrating International Literacy Day at the William Street Café at 28 William Street South in Chatham on Friday September 10, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. by hosting a reading for adults by guest author Mary Lou Dickinson. We will also present the 2010 Tri-County Literacy Network’s Literacy Promotion Award for Chatham-Kent.
Mary Lou Dickinson will read from and talk about her recently published novel,
Ile D’Or, a novel about gold, greed, renewal and hope. Mary Lou will be glad to answer questions after she reads. She will also be available after her presentation to sell and autograph her book. Her presentation is made possible through the financial assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts through the Writers’ Union of Canada.
Ile D’Or is a vibrant new novel that examines language, community and the politics of Canada through the lens of the hardscrabble life of a company mining town and the psychological fallout for the adults and children who live there.
Ile D’Or takes place shortly after the first referendum on Quebec separation. Four forty-somethings encounter each other in Ile d’Or, the town where all of them grew up. These intriguing characters are emerging from a frontier existence and moving into late twentieth century society. They must discover how their contemporary lives connect with their pasts and how their presents have been shaped by growing up in a Northern Quebec mining town in the 1930s through the 1950s.
Mary Lou Dickinson's short fiction collection, One Day It Happens, was also published by Inanna in 2007. Her fiction has appeared in numerous literary periodicals and has also been broadcast on CBC Radio. Dickinson grew up in northern Quebec and after a few years in Montreal and forays to the West coast has lived since then in Toronto. Ile D’Or is her first novel.
Mary Lou Dickinson will share her writing as part of our celebration of International Literacy Day.
Every year as part of International Literacy Day, the Tri-County Literacy Network encourages people to learn something about literacy, teach someone something about literacy and care enough to tell somebody about a literacy/upgrading program.
Literacy affects all aspects of one’s life including employment, further education, independence and coping with a rapidly changing society. Literacy skills are important in terms of finding, maintaining and advancing in employment. Literacy skills are critical for adults who wish to further their education and training to pursue a high school diploma, college program or apprenticeship. Literacy skills are important in everyday activities such as using a banking machine, reading a medicine label, writing a letter to a friend, reading to a child, reading road signs and directions as well as understanding forms and documents. Improvements in people’s literacy skills result in improvements in all these aspects of one’s life.
The Tri-County Literacy Network envisions a community in which literacy and life-long learning are highly valued.
The Tri-County Literacy Network is a non-profit organization that promotes literacy as an important part of life-long learning. We provide support to adult literacy programs and develop community partnerships with other promoters of learning in Chatham-Kent, Sarnia-Lambton, and Windsor-Essex.
In Chatham-Kent there are four programs available to help adults with upgrading their essential skills including reading, writing and math skills.
• Adult Language and Learning (formerly the Chatham-Kent Council on Adult Basic Education) offers one-to-one tutoring throughout Chatham-Kent at a time and location that are convenient to both tutor and learner. A large and small group program is also available during the day in Chatham.
• The Lambton Kent District School Board, Literacy and Basic Skills program, has small groups in Blenheim, Chatham and Wallaceburg that are available during the day. The program assists in upgrading for credit and employability. An eight week Computer Job Readiness program is also available in Chatham.
• The St. Clair Catholic District School Board, Literacy and Basic Skills program, offers a program for adults with developmental challenges. The program assists in employment preparation or maintenance and looks at the literacy needs that would contribute to greater independence. Daytime classes are in a small group setting in Chatham or Wallaceburg.
• St. Clair College, Thames Campus, offers academic upgrading to meet admission requirements for post secondary and apprenticeship programs.
These Employment Ontario programs are funded by the Ontario government. These programs are free of charge. Assistance with transportation and childcare may be available for participants.
There are many ways to promote literacy in your community:
Promote reading
Support friends who want to participate in a literacy program
Support local literacy programs by volunteering as a tutor
Donate money or equipment to your local literacy program
Be informed about the literacy needs of adults in your community
Have a guest speaker on literacy at your club or group
Read with your child regularly
Read a book instead of watching television
Ensure that printed material, brochures and signs are in plain, clear language
Spread the word about literacy programs in your area to staff, co-workers, friends, family and colleagues
Be sensitive to people who may have difficulty reading
For further information, contact the Tri-County Literacy Network at 519-355-1771 or toll-free at 1-877-333-4833 or visit the website at www.tcln .on .ca.
