Celebrating our Voices

For the 2022-2023, we will be focusing on celebrating our voices, particularly those in North Carolina. We are excited to announce that we received grant funding from the North Carolina Arts Councils which will be used to provide professional development through monthly Professional Development sessions on Zoom and at our March Conference. Through the grant we have been able to secure funding for 8 North Carolina voices to share their art, expertise, and live for literacy with all NCRA members. These authors, poets, story tellers, and advocates will share how we can celebrate all voices in North Carolina.

This year the theme for our Young Author project is: “Your Voice Matters: Celebrating Every Reader’s Story”. We all have our own thoughts, ideas, and voices and they are worth sharing and celebrating. As you and your students write, be encouraged to stay true to yourself, your beliefs, and YOUR story. I am looking forward to celebrating every reader's story as I read the entries this year.

Our Conference theme is: “Your Voice Matters: Celebrating Literacy”. At our conference we are looking forward to raising the voices of educators as they share ways to celebrate literacy to increase student learning. We are excited to have several North Carolina Authors that will be presenting. You can share your voice too- to present please fill out our Call for Proposals by October 1st, 2022.

There are several ways that you can support NCRA this year. First, you should JOIN your local chapter. Another way that you can support NCRA is by recognizing leaders in your life through our Leadership Appreciation Fund. This fund is a way for you to honor any and all leaders in your family, community, schools, churches, state and the nation. The funds raised will help pay for published authors to present at the annual NC Reading Conference and for funding our annual Young Authors celebrations.

Happy Reading!

Margaret Cuthbertson

NCRA President