Comics go 'OUCH!' at night
Contact: Nichole Gilbert
312-280-4387
For Immediate Release
October 3, 2002
Comics go 'OUCH!' at night
YALSA announces Teen Read Week partnership with cable television's The N
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is proud to announce its association with The N, Noggin's new cable television network for teens and creators of the short form series,
"OUCH! Comics." The partnership grew out of the graphic novel theme for the association's fifth annual Teen Read Week, October 13-19, 2002, where librarians and teens across the country are being encouraged to "Get Graphic @ your library™." Teen Read Week is a national adolescent literacy initiative, sponsored by YALSA, encouraging teens to "read for the fun of it." YALSA is a division of the American Library Association (ALA).
To speak directly to teens and the adults in their lives, The N will air billboard advertisements for Teen Read Week at the end of each segment of
OUCH! Comics on TV, September 30 through October 19. The billboard invites teens to re-imagine their libraries as places where they can find graphic novels, comics and librarians interested in young adult information needs. In addition, The N will link the
OUCH! Comics section of their Web site,
www.the-n.com, to YALSA's Teen Read Week site at
www.ala.org/teenread.
The N also is providing a tip sheet on creating comics, for teachers and school and public librarians that will appear in the inaugural issue of YALSA's new journal, Young Adult Library Services. To accompany the tip sheet, The N has created a small comic book journal available exclusively to YALSA members who register on the Teen Read Week Web site. Each YALSA member who registers will receive a package of 50 journals and a lesson plan created by The N that gives instruction in hosting a comics writing workshop in a school or public library.
"We are thrilled to partner with The N because our missions are very similar in nature," commented YALSA president Caryn Sipos. "We both believe in creating developmentally appropriate experiences for teens and empowering them to be a force in their own lives. And it shows again that reading can be enjoyed, can be done for the 'fun of it'."
"The N is proud to be a part of Teen Read Week 2002, supporting YALSA's 'Get Graphic @ your library' theme with our original, short form series,
OUCH! Comics," said Tom Ascheim, General Manager, Noggin & The N. "Not only does this partnership promote literacy, but it encourages creative thinking and expression by giving teens the opportunity to read graphic novels AND create their own comics."
OUCH! Comics appears on The N's Web site as well as on their new teen programming block that airs every night starting at 6 p.m. (EST).
OUCH! Comics are comics written by teens about real-life embarrassing moments and animated by The N for TV and the Web.
Teen Read Week will be celebrated in hundreds of schools and public libraries across the country, October 13-19, 2002. The celebration will highlight the popularity of comics and graphic novels with teen readers, who will be encouraged to "Get Graphic @ your library™." Now in its fifth year, Teen Read Week reminds teens, parents and educators of the importance of reading for pleasure. Reading not only improves grades; it leads to a lifetime of learning and enjoyment.
Teen Read Week corporate sponsors include Barnes & Noble, Inc., New Line Cinema, Random House and Harcourt. Friends include CrossGen Comics, Scholastic, Dark Horse Comics and Pamela Spencer Holley. Nonprofit partners include: American Association of School Administrators, American Booksellers Association, Kidsnet, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Council of Teachers of English, SmartGirl.org, National Education Association, National School Boards Association, Speak Up Press, International Reading Association and
TeenInk.
For more information visit
www.ala.org/teenread, or contact YALSA by e-mail at
yalsa@ala.org, or by phone at 800-545-2433, ext. 4391.
