“A community that reads together grows stronger,” Dr. Susan Davis opened with these words. It was the kick-off luncheon for One Book Habersham.
“We want to expand literacy because reading opens the doors of opportunity for advancement and joy,” Davis added.
New York Times bestselling author Dr. Barbara Brown Taylor was the honored guest and speaker on Friday, January 19. Her insights filled the audience with excitement for learning as she talked about how literacy is the key to a community’s flourishing.
Taylor moved to Habersham County in 1992 to become the rector of Grace-Calvary Episcopal Church in Clarkesville. After leaving the ministry, she taught as a professor at Piedmont University in Demorest. In 1996, she was named one of the twelve “most effective” preachers in the English-speaking world. This spring, Taylor will be named to the Georgia Writer’s Hall of Fame among many accolades that she holds.
But to those who came to the kick-off of One Book Habersham, she spoke as if talking with life-long friends.
Taylor’s love for books began as a child. Her father and mother made education a priority. She described her first time in a library in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Her father taught at the University in Tuscaloosa. At the age of 6, her mother took her hand and they walked up the stairs of the public library.
“When I walked through the doors, the hush was instant. One moment earlier, the air had been full of car sounds, lawnmowers, and barking dogs, but inside that high ceiling space that was all gold wood and dusty light, in there it was so quiet that I could hear my heartbeat,” described Taylor of the moment she entered her first library.
Her parents taught her a reverence for books and taking care of them. And as she grew older, her love for books and education grew with her. The author of over 50 books and named to the Time Magazine’s top 100 list of most influential people in the world, the passion for reading and learning has served her well.
She answered the question to those who came to hear her speak, “Why do I read religiously?” She emphasized that her question had nothing to do with religion and everything to do with her passion for books.
Reading introduced her to people she would have never met in a lifetime, took her to places she would never have visited or seen, and showed her cultures she would have never known existed.
Building community through reading
Through One Book Habersham, Volunteers for Literacy of Habersham County invites residents to read and share the same picture book. This year’s book selection is Little Red and the Big Bad Editor.
The idea is to read the book and pass it along. The book is available at all public libraries and schools throughout the community. Also, look for copies in restaurants, banks, and doctor’s offices.
One Book Habersham will culminate with a visit from Author/Illustrator Shanda McCloskey. She will be in Habersham County April 17-19, speaking with students at various events. The community is invited to hear and meet Shanda at an event from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, at Wilbanks Middle School in Demorest. Free pizza will be provided.
Volunteers for Literacy began in 1989 as a partnership with North Georgia Technical College. Today, it serves Habersham County residents with programs such as English Language Acquisition, Read to Succeed, and GED Support.
For more information about Volunteers for Literacy, please call 706-949-3157 or email [email protected]
