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What is an All-Campus Read?
The idea of an all-campus read was born when educators began seeking new ways through which incoming first-year students could share a common bonding experience. With the primary goals of enriching the basic writing curriculum, encouraging conversation about issues reaching beyond the classroom, and exposing students to contemporary authors, all-campus reads have become common at colleges and universities across the nation.
To further enhance the experience, several campuses orchestrate an on-campus event featuring the author of the chosen book. Not only does this create buzz and raise interest, but it also provokes students to move the focus of the book from interpretation to discussion. Hearing from the author affords students the chance gain a deeper understanding of the book’s relevance by learning about what inspired the writing and by gaining firsthand insight into the subject matter.
Featured Speakers: All-Campus Reads
At APB, one of the areas in which our roster excels is that of the literary arts. Comprised of well-known, best-selling, award-winning authors and journalists, we boast the names behind compelling memoirs, fan favorite fiction, and thought-provoking poetry. From James McBrides’ The Color of Water, to Erin Gruwell’s The Freedom Writers Diary, several of our authors’ books are already established in curricula as “musts” for all-campus reads. Always on the cutting edge of riveting new writers, we also bring such fresh voices and pieces to the table as Chris Hedges’ War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning or Koren Zailckas’ Smashed: The Story of a Drunken Girlhood. Whether you have a name in mind, or you are looking for a change to your current titles, at APB we can offer suggestions that align with the objectives of your curriculum. Browse more authors for All-Campus Reads.
All-Campus Reads: The Color Of Water
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James McBride
New York Times Best-Selling Author / MusicianAn award-winning jazz musician, McBride is the author of The New York Times bestseller, The Color of Water, a memoir that has become a modern classic. Spike Lee directed the film adaptation of McBride's book, Miracle at St. Anna, paying tribute to African American soldiers who fought in WWII.
Request Speaker's Availability & Fee All-Campus Reads: Freedom Writers
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Erin Gruwell
Inspirational Educator / Catalyst For Social ChangeErin Gruwell leveraged the power of education to transform Long Beach's "unteachables," by teaching tolerance through literature and writing. Her tenacity and commitment to her students is chronicled in The Freedom Writers Diary - How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. Paramount Pictures has developed this remarkable story into a major film, Freedom Writers, featuring Hilary Swank as Gruwell.
Request Speaker's Availability & Fee All-Campus Reads: War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning
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Chris Hedges
Foreign Correspondent / AuthorA graduate of Harvard Divinity School and a foreign correspondent for nearly two decades in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans, he writes and speaks extensively on war, religion and the conflict in the Middle East. He is the author of the bestseller War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, a book that draws on the many conflicts he covered to explore what war does to societies and individuals. His most recent work is The World As It Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress.
Request Speaker's Availability & Fee All-Campus Reads: Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood
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Koren Zailckas
Best-Selling AuthorAuthor of The New York Times bestseller Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood, Zailckas chronicles her experiences with alcohol abuse as a teenager and high school student. Her story is one of the most riveting firsthand accounts of addiction. It combines insightful observations into the national culture of alcoholism and recovery with the unflinching realities of a personal experience.
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Need help finding a speaker?
APB's Program Consultants will offer custom speaker recommendations specifically tailored for your event. Submit a request for more information OR call 800.225.4575 to discuss your event needs today!