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Read for Joy creates joyful literary experiences that enrich people's relationship with reading and deepen their connection to themselves, one another, and the world around them.

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About Read for Joy

We believe a healthy relationship with reading matters for lifelong engagement and for discovering all that literature can offer. Yet for many, reading has been shaped by pressure, fear, or shame. It can become something treated primarily as a task, requirement, or measure of performance, leaving fewer opportunities to experience the joy and meaning it can bring.

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We believe high-quality literary experiences should be within reach for everyone. Literature can be a pathway to self-discovery, connection with one another, cultural identity, and a deeper understanding of the world around us. It can create space for imagination, discovery, belonging, and growth. We want people to feel invited into a literary world that has something to offer them.

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We make that possible by taking our work to people and creating it in places where it may not traditionally exist. Our programs show up in communities, schools, natural spaces, and beyond through author events, workshops, read-alouds, community conversations, travel, signature programs, and experiences created in response to community needs. By bringing books and stories into conversation with art, nature, music, place, and everyday life, we offer new ways to engage with literature.

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Our work centers the cultures, stories, and experiences of the African Diaspora, reflecting the communities we serve and drawing inspiration from its rich literary history and vibrant contemporary presence. We welcome people of all backgrounds and create programming for children, teens, adults, and families, including experiences designed for specific age groups as well as intergenerational opportunities to share and learn from one another.

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We believe there is more than one way to participate in literary life. We support literacy through listening, talking, reading, and writing, with physical books, audiobooks, graphic novels, art, conversation, and other forms of expression offering different ways in. Wherever someone is in their reading journey, we want them to find what speaks to them, feel that they belong, and have room to grow.

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More ways to read. More reasons to love it.