Punching the Air

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We have an amazing weekly October literary opportunity that we are thrilled to share out with our community.  Rather conveniently, it occurs on Wednesdays, those amorphous (in these pandemic times) school days for high school students.  The American Booksellers Association is sponsoring a free virtual four-part reading series with Punching the Air authors Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam!  This young adult novel in verse was just published on September 1 and has received many outstanding reviews.

Here's a synopsis:  "Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he's seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy ... Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal's bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn't commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art"

And here are the details:

  • This event will take place from 1 pm to 2 pm CST on Zoom every Wednesday on the following dates:

    • Wednesday, October 7, 2020

    • Wednesday, October 14, 2020

    • Wednesday, October 21, 2020

    • Wednesday, October 28, 2020 

  • Registration for the free event series is required through Eventbrite; the event link and password will be shared with attendees a few days ahead of the event in a direct email. An attendee will only have to register once for access to the entire four-part series.  

  • An educators' guide accompanies the series.

Topics covered include:

  • My Punches will be my Paintbrushes – the importance of art for teens

  • The Criminalization of Blackness

  • The Prison-industrial complex

  • The Emotional Work of Social Justice

Obviously, these topics are super current and will encourage thoughtful discussions.  Perhaps not so obviously, the fact that a book is labeled "young adult" doesn't mean that older adults can't benefit from it (once more, with feeling: YA IS FOR EVERYONE!)  Whatever your age, we have copies of the book and would love to get them into your hands.  As a member of the event's sponsor, the American Booksellers Association, we at Skylark Bookshop hope that you enjoy learning through Punching the Air authors Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam!  Give us a call at (573) 777 6990 or email us and we’ll take care of you!