It took me two years to start this blog because I feared that it will strap me down in a chair, stressing about what to write next rather than going out to the world and start doing something.
Don’t get me wrong. I have no issues about writers, who use the power of the pen to shape opinions and views of people to support a cause.
But I am not the type of person who stops at writing. Happiness, to me, comes in the form of fieldwork and interaction with people. There is something so joyful about talking to people, hearing them criticize others and listening to them praise someone.
- From www.3craws.co.uk
It makes me feel so alive.
It is easy to sit down in a coffee shop (or in my case, the comfort of my home office that is now filled with so much paper works in relation to the twins’ dual citizenship), surf the internet and like Facebook posts. I like doing that. In fact, I do that. But I will go crazy if I don’t go out and do something.
Take this reading advocacy as an example.
I read. A lot. I read classics. I read newspapers and magazines. I read Tagalog romance novels. I read gossip news. I read comics. I am very – what’s the word? – welcoming of different genres and varied approaches.
But I can’t bring myself to just stop at reading. I am of the strong belief that if I would like to spread the love for reading, social media involvement (this blog) should be coupled with good old interpersonal communication.
Thus born, BOOK SHARE.
So how does this work?
The Reading Ruffolos will organize a BOOK SHARE session in partnership with an organization or an institution. What will transpire is a monthly gathering that will put one book in the spotlight and this could happen anywhere in the world where we are based. The format is also open for replication.
The said book will be dissected (or you can also use the word examined) by BOOK SHARERS. These book sharers will come from different backgrounds – not necessarily, literatis who write book reviews in the same manner as they breathe air. A book sharer can be a student, a teacher, a mother, a beauty queen … anyone, who will be invited (by The Reading Ruffolos) to share his or her thoughts about the book.
Participants can range from 10 to one million (ha, kidding!) or whatever number the venue can accommodate. Or it might depend on the spirit of the book. There are books which can be shared in a large audience, but there are books which are better discussed by 10 people.
A typical BOOK SHARE session will run for three hours. It will be composed of three parts:
Introduction
Where the moderator (yes, that’s us from The Reading Ruffolos) introduces the book and gives the audience a rundown of what will happen in the next three hours
Dissection
Where the bulk of the session happens as mentioned above. There may be one, two or three book sharers depending on the book and the number of participants. Each book sharer will be given time (e.g. 15 minutes) to render their piece (yes, this is akin to a recital where a musician plays his or her masterpiece). After which, a free-flowing discussion happens with the audience. There are no right or wrong answers here. Just treasured opinions and points of view that will allow each attendee to go out of the venue still…thinking.
Conclusion
Where the moderator will announce an activity that will be done after the discussion. It can be another sharing from a participant or a recommendation of what titles/books is good for the succeeding BOOK SHARE sessions. It could also be an ongoing activity like a freedom wall where participants can write anything about books and reading.
For the month of January, The Reading Ruffolos has partnered with the University of San Carlos – American Corner Library. The spotlight is on Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, a classic that came out in 1960 and won a Pulitzer Prize.
We will be graced by three book sharers, who have graciously accepted our invitation to be part of our first session.
Jo Belle Marabiles, who teaches literature at the University of San Carlos. She will talk about characters, style and content.
Bea Martinez, who is a librarian and a member of the volunteer storytelling and reading advocate group, The Basadours. Bea will discuss the themes surrounding the book.
Jessie Cubijano, a social development worker who read and reread the book for four times. He will share how he viewed the book from different perspectives – as a high school kid, as a college student, as a starting young professional and as a professional working for more than a decade.
Literature students from the University of San Carlos have been invited to join the BOOK SHARE session. But if you want to join, please email us at crisevertruffolo@readingruffolos.com with your name and contact details.
The first BOOK SHARE will be held on January 16 (Thursday). Registrations begins at 1:00 p.m. and sharing starts at 1:30 p.m. You are required to bring with you an open mind and a fearless heart that will enable everyone to share an afternoon of learning.
As a postscript, allow me to thank Maam Concon Cabarron, Director of the USC Library System and Maam Lorna Eguia of the American Corner Library for graciously supporting The Reading Ruffolos in its endeavor to mainstream reading. It is always a happy experience to work with librarians, who clearly see the library as a platform for interactive discussion.
