In Spring 2021, Word Up Community Bookshop offered a free virtual afterschool program for elementary school kids (grade 1-2). The program was open to kids interested in literature, visual arts, movement, music, and more, and was co-facilitated by actor Reza Salazar and Robby Kim, with visits from artists, writers, and musicians.
Each participant received free copies of the following books:
April to June 2021
Tuesdays, 5-6pm on Zoom
Start date: Tuesday, April 7, 2021
Abril a Junio de 2021
Martes de 5:00–6:00pm por Zoom
Empieza: martes, 7 de abril, 2021
More about our teaching artists:
Reza Salazar is an actor, producer and storyteller extraordinaire. He has appeared in tv shows such as Daredevil, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Louie, Law and Order, among others. He is a regular storyteller at the Sugar Hill Museum of Art and Storytelling, The Hispanic Society Museum and LIbrary and the 2020 Uptown Arts Summer Camp at Word Up. He stars in KCRW's first-ever bilingual radionovela, Celestial Blood and most recently worked on this summer’s Shakespeare in the Park production of Richard II airing this summer on WNYC. Reza began volunteering at Word Up with his sister in 2011 and was the host of Word Up's weekly open mic. Reza lives in Washington Heights with his wife, the artist Josefina Hernandez, where together they curate the @porlasventanas project.
Robby Kim is a Word Up collective member who works as Word Up's shipping and web associate. He is also an Uptown parent and has helped organize the annual Uptown Kid Lit festival. Recently, he was an after-school teacher in Flushing both in-person and online before assisting in the virtual 2020 Uptown Summer Arts camp. Robby is a 2019 graduate of the Publishing Certificate Program at The City College of New York.
This program was made possible by the Manhattan Community Award from Borough President Gale Brewer's Office and Coogan's and United Way of New York City.
In Spring 2021, Word Up Community Bookshop offered a free virtual afterschool program for middle school students (grades 6, 7, & 8). The program was open to middle school students interested in literature, visual arts, movement, and more, and was co-facilitated by two teaching artists and longtime Word Up community members, Rishauna Zumberg and Cindy Vasquez.
Each participant received free copies of the following books:
Each month featured a different book. Writing, visual arts, and movement-based activities and projects centered themes from the featured books.
April to June 2021
Wednesdays, 4:45-6:00pm on Zoom
Start date: Wednesday, April 14, 2021
Abril a Junio, 2021
Miércoles, 4:45–6:00 de la tarde por Zoom
Empieza: miércoles,14 de abril, 2021
More about our teaching artists:
Rishauna Zumberg has 20 years of experience in youth development and has worked as a facilitator, consultant, counselor, retreat leader, and director with various nonprofit organizations in NYC. Rishauna led a year-ling work-based learning program in the Bronx that evolved into the Thinkubator, an organization that incorporates design thinking, personal development, and job readiness. She has led an art club for high school students with Manhattan Youth since 2018 and before that directed a mostly arts and mindfulness afterschool program through Lineage Project at Horizon Juvenile Center for detained youth. As a movement artist, Rishauna has created participatory performances, processions, and improvisations, mostly in public spaces, with funding from Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, Movement Research, and Friends of Inwood Hill Park. Rishauna was privileged to manage the Solitary Gardens northeast tour in September 2018. She currently improvises online and in Riverside Park with jill sigman/thinkdance. A 17-year resident of Washington Heights, Rishauna has a master's degree in social work from Hunter College and has volunteered at Word Up since its first summer.
This program was made possible by the Manhattan Community Award from Borough President Gale Brewer's Office and Coogan's and United Way of New York City.
