On behalf of the Toronto Writing Project (TWP) and the Centre for Urban Schooling at OISE/UT, we invite you to join us for another edition of TWP Speaks! – a book club and speaker series that will bring educators and renowned literacy scholars together in conversation.

On Thursday, May 4, 2023, we are excited to welcome Dr. Mollie Blackburn, a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State University, to present a public lecture related to her book, Moving Across Differences: How Students Engage LGBTQ+ Themes in a High School Literature Class. You can register for this free Zoom event here.

Framed as a book club and speaker series, TWP Speaks brings educators and scholars together in conversation. A select group of TWP members will read and discuss the author’s book in an exclusive Q&A session following the lecture. Register here: https://oise-utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rc-mhpj8vGdPacw8B4eeHKCXm1crKyyDB

Dr. Nicole Mirra is an Assistant Professor the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She explores the intersections of critical literacy and civic engagement with youth and teachers. Central to her research and teaching agenda is a commitment to honoring and amplifying the literacy practices and linguistic resources that students from minoritized communities bring to civic life.

Framed as a book club and speaker series, TWP Speaks brings educators and scholars together in conversation. A select group of TWP members will read and discuss the author’s book in an exclusive Q&A session following the lecture.

Register here: https://oise-utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlc-ytqTwsGdN9M8_cbhUf1UslnvlTSE56

Dr. Antero Garica is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. His work explores how technology and gaming shape learning, literacy practices, and civic identities. Based on his research focused on equitable teaching and learning opportunities for urban youth through the use of participatory media and gameplay, Dr. Garcia co-designed the Critical Design and Gaming School–a public high school in South Central Los Angeles.

Framed as a book club and speaker series, TWP Speaks brings educators and scholars together in conversation. A select group of TWP members will read and discuss the author’s book in an exclusive Q&A session following the lecture. Register here: https://oise-utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEuduiorDooGtNb_nUe7OT6KAxgZ_UdNe1Y

Dr. Elizabeth Dutro is a Professor of Education, specializing in the area of literacy. Her research has investigated literacy education from children’s experiences in high-poverty classrooms to the accountability policies in reading and writing that impact those experiences. Her book The Vulnerable Heart of Literacy: Centering Trauma as Powerful Pedagogy was published in 2019 by Teachers College Press.