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Contact: Nichole Gilbert
312-280-4387
ngilbert@ala.org

For Immediate Release
February 3, 2003

Paulette Goodman is the winner of the 2003 YALSA/Sagebrush Award

The 2003 Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)/Sagebrush Award for a Young Adult Reading or Literature Program was awarded to Paulette Goodman, learning resource director for Kennedy Junior High School, Lisle, Ill.  Goodman won the award for “A Night at the Blue Iguana Café” which encouraged young adults to discover poetry.

            During March and April the school library highlighted poetry and allowed teens the opportunity to express themselves through poetry.  Some of the programs highlights included:

  • A poetry wall displaying poetry written by students.
  • Live performances by professional poets.
  • Students and their families participated in a poetry slam.
  • A poetry booklet with poems written by students.

Goodman stated that “Poetry and teens do not necessarily go hand in hand, but this provides them with a mode of expression.  The program exposes them to good poetry.  Many teens use simple words to express themselves and they do not realize that they are writing poetry.”

            The Sagebrush Award provides $1,000 to support the recipient’s attendance at the American Library Associations (ALA) Annual Conference, to be held June 19-25 in Toronto.

            Each year the corporation offers a maximum of two awards that allow the winners to promote their local projects at the conference.  Each winning project must promote reading or literature to teens in a significant, replicable program.

            The Sagebrush Award is selected by the YALSA Outreach to Teens with Special Needs Committee of the ALA.  The 2003 committee members are: Kevin Scanlon, Canton (Mich.) Public Library; Maureen Connelly, John C. Hart Memorial Library, Shrub Oak, N.Y.; Kristen L.A. Fletcher-Spear, Foothills Branch Library, Glendale, Az.; Karen L. Heau, Queensboro Public Library, Queens, N.Y.; Doris Jackson, Atlanta-Fulton County (Ga.) Public Library; Katherine J. Richter, Chicago Public Library; Bette Silverman, Lincolnwood (Ill.) Public Library; Rebecca Swensen, Boca Raton (Fla.) Public Library; Karen J. Tannenbaum, Evansville (Ind.) Vanderburgh Public Library; Lisa Youngblood, Harker Heights (Texas) Public Library.

            For more information, visit the YALSA Web site or contact the YALSA office: e-mail yalsa@ala.org; phone 800-545-2433 x4390.


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