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School Visit – Lincoln Elementary

Thanks to the organizing and kindness of Aspire Education in Oakland who provide tutoring, mentoring, and support to public school students in the Bay Area I was able to read to Lincoln Elementary. All photos by Beau Tindle.

Lincoln is smack dab in the middle of Oakland’s Chinatown and has a predominantly AAPI student body, but a lot of families from different backgrounds are mixed in there.

Staff from Community Reading Buddies and Aspire provided information and resources for the family, pizza, salad, cookies, and snacks, and free books!

As families started to pour in and get ready for me to read I began getting my daughter and my presentation set up.

I began reading “Fresh juice” published by Lee & Low Books to the little kids, tweens, and parents and found everyone super engaged, responsive, and curious.

There were several copies of the book given away that evening and many folks followed along with me as I read the story. I’ve read a hundred times but its still fun to engage the audience with details from their life experience like taking public transportation, going to farmer’s markets, or the kinds of fruits and veggies we eat at home or school.

After I read the book I got to share a little bit of the art process as I often do. I walked around showing my sketchbook as well. While it is nice to get ooh’s and ahhh’s from young people seeing your drawings, I don’t remember ever meeting an author or illustrator in school as a shorty. The work organizations like Aspire Education do is vital, for inspiration and academic success. So, I hope that some of them will be inspired to draw or write for books.

If you haven’t read “Fresh Juice” you can watch and listen to a reading HERE by actor Da’Vine Joy Randolph courtesy of Storyline Online and SAG Aftra Foundation.

One of the coolest things about my job by far is meeting young people who are not just artists, writers, change makers, etc but literally the future. This one was super fun too. If you’d like to invite me to come visit your school or library, check my contact page and hit me up.

Dig this? Check out these other school or library visits:

August 20, 2025
in School or Library Visit
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Fotos from bella vista reading

Two weeks ago I read at a local Oakland school called Bella Vista, and here are some photos from the reading which had over 100 kids, parents and teachers. Photo credit.
This was a tough one because the crowd was big so I had a mic and walked around with a student to show the kids the pages of the book in between reading. Since 2012 I’ve done 1-10 school, library, or event readings with my books every year. Sometimes by myself and sometimes with another author.
I’ve spoken to pre school, elementary, high school, and college students. If you’d like me to come speak to your students give me a holler.
Dig this? Check out this visit to Columbus Ohio where I tabled at SOL Con and read to a local school. LINK
June 6, 2022
in General
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Testimony: Oakland Teachers re: school closures

 

This video gives some testimony by former and current teachers in Oakland California’s public school system. Their school Roots was closed by OUSD school board and there is a current fight to stop several schools from being closed in Oakland which predominantly serve Black and Brown students. Like most places, Oakland has its affluent and working class areas. Can you guess which areas are being targeted? 
This week has a bunch of actions
And here are some stats: via Reparations for Black Students

And here are some photos by Brooke Anderson showing demonstrations this past week.

Articles:
February 9, 2022
in General
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KQED Arts -Oakland Teachers Strike!!

Yo!! Yesterday marked DAY ONE of the Oakland teachers strike here in the Bay Area. Like West Virginia, LA, Denver, Chicago, and many other cities Oakland’s teachers are striking to get more resources for their students, smaller class sizes, more nurses, counselors, and better pay so they can do their jobs effectively and live in the city they teach in. 
Artist and badass Thi Bui (Things we could do) organized a bunch of us local cartoonists to go to Oakland schools, interview teachers, and draw them so we could assist their fight for fair pay.
As a former after school enrichment teacher who worked in many Oakland schools and as a parent of a child that went from Kindergarten to 8th grade in an Oakland school i fully support Oakland teachers. And the more I hear about the district cheating the students out of $ for basic shit like books, pencils, usable libraries, and teachers that do not leave after one year I am furious.
Please go check out the artwork by the other artists and hear quotes direct from the teachers!
Shout out to all the Oakland organizers, parents, and union members bringing the fight to the district and the sate! Forward!
February 22, 2019
in General
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