PRH & Lambda Literary Collaborate to Introduce LGBTQ+ Books in NYC Classrooms
Penguin Random House is thrilled to join forces earlier this year with Lambda Literary’s LGBTQ Writers in Schools program, an initiative that partners with the NYC Department of Education to bring LGBTQ+ writers and their works to K-12 classrooms across New York City. Since 2015, every student in the program has received a copy of the featured book, followed by a visit from the author who signs each student’s copy. The program primarily serves Title 1 schools, which cater to children from low-income backgrounds, making access to LGBTQ+ literature crucial for LGBTQ+ students and their allies.
With over 160 visits scheduled throughout the city, the LGBTQ Writers in Schools program is excited to showcase the following PRH authors and their titles in this year’s program: THE GRIEF KEEPER by Alexandra Villasante, INTO THE LIGHT by Mark Oshiro, TOO BRIGHT TO SEE by Kyle Lukoff, STONEWALL: A BUILDING. AN UPRISING. A REVOLUTION by Rob Sanders, THE YEAR MY LIFE WENT DOWN THE TOILET by Jake Maia Arlow, THE HUMAN ORIGINS OF BEATRICE PORTER AND OTHER ESSENTIAL GHOSTS by Soraya Palmer, FRIDAY I’M IN LOVE by Camryn Garrett, OFF THE RECORD by Camryn Garrett, FULL DISCLOSURE by Camryn Garrett, CONTINUUM by Chella Man, THE STARS AND THE BLACKNESS BETWEEN THEM by Junauda Petrus, DIFFERENT KINDS OF FRUIT by Kyle Lukoff, CHASING PAQUIAO by Rod Pulido.
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- Alexandra Villasante visits Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School to discuss The Grief Keeper.
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- Mark Oshiro poses with students in the Manhattan Hunter Science High School library, after a discussion about their book Into the Light.
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- Mark Oshiro gives a presentation to students at Townsend Harris High School, sharing books they enjoyed reading as a child.
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- Kyle Lukoff signing copies of his middle grade novel Too Bright To See for students at I.S. 125Q Thomas J McCann. Students asked Kyle about his inspiration for writing the book, and Kyle shared that he wanted to write a middle grade novel about a trans boy because there was only one other one at the time.
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- Rob Sanders answers questions about his children’s book Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution at PS 59 Beekman Hill International.
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- Rob Sanders and students wave goodbye after a virtual visit to P.S. 7Q to discuss A Song for the Unsung: Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the 1963 March on Washington.
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- Jake Maia Arlow visits a class at The 30th Avenue School to discuss The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet.
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- Soraya Palmer gives a presentation on writing and The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts to students at Townsend Harris High School. After the visit, the educator shared, “Soraya went above and beyond to build connections with our students and make them all feel valued. We were in awe at the number of individual conversations she made the time to have.”
For more information about Lambda Literary’s LGBTQ Writers in Schools Program, please visit their website.