Tag Archives: I’m Your Neighbor Portland

A Stranger Reads About (and Comprehends) a Stranger

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This quote from poet Amit Majmudar speaks to the mission of I’m Your Neighbor, Portland beautifully.

“Readers don’t want the differences to estrange them — for all their curiosity, they actually want the differences to disappear. They want to recognize themselves. This is all part of the larger paradox of fiction, where the characters must be specific enough to be anyone. In the end, the packaging may simply serve as an introduction. The true meeting takes place when the book opens, and a stranger reads about — and comprehends — a stranger.”  —Amit Majmudar, a poet and diagnostic nuclear radiologist, is the author, most recently, of the novel “The Abundance.”

Quoted from a New York Times essay, “Am I An ‘Immigrant Writer’?”

I’m Your Neighbor Logo

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IYN design revised
Look what arrived!  Mary E. Robbins and Nabil Sibouih of moth written made this beautiful image for I’m Your Neighbor, Portland and I’m Your Neighbor Books.  The phrase “I’m Your Neighbor” was collected in different languages by author/illustrator and I’m Your Neighbor, Portland advisor Anne Sibley O’Brien from Portland Public Schools’ Multilingual and Multicultural Center staff and from friends of Mary and Nabil.

moth written is a “Moroccan-American marriage in Maine.”  In Morocco, a moth is a good omen.  Mary and Nabil honor their family there by encouraging positive dialogue about the Arabic speaking world through the creation of t-shirts, bags, and pins in Arabic.

Support “I’m Your Neighbor”

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IYNP Featured BooksStories build understanding.
Understanding weaves together neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods make our city.

Support the sharing of stories of Maine’s “new arrivals” and the cultural fabric of the City of Portland.

Contribute to the I’m Your Neighbor, Portland city-wide read project.  Together the city will read eight books set in Maine’s “new arrival” communities and discuss the commonalities between neighbors.

A donation of $112 will put one set (8 titles) of the Featured Books into the community to be given away at I’m Your Neighbor, Portland events and on stops throughout the year on The Portland Public Library Bookmobile.

Any amount, though, is welcome and can be given here.

Are you a business or can give more?  Explore the sponsorship benefits here.

(All donations flow through our fiscal sponsor, The Portland Public Library.)

Bookmobile Visits Neighborhoods

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Photographer: Shawn Patrick Ouellette

Photographer: Shawn Patrick Ouellette

I’m Your Neighbor, Portland is delighted by the arrival of The Portland Public Library’s Bookmobile!  Over the next year, we will be providing programming for the bookmobile using the Featured Books and hopefully giving these books away as part of the programming.

To help distribute free I’m Your Neighbor, Portland books to Portland readers, please consider Sponsoring Free Book Distribution.

Hear what The Portland Public Library has to say about the Bookmobile and neighborhoods:

“This is a critical development in the life of the Library and how we create a presence in each City neighborhood.  It is vitally important that we go to people – where they live, work and recreate – in order to accomplish our goal of creating a City of Readers!…

The bookmobile will target families, particularly those with young children, in neighborhoods that are not currently served by a branch of the Portland Public Library system, and will enable the Library to be a presence in all city neighborhoods.”

Good Braider Honored

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9780761462675_p0_v1_s260x420The American Library Association named the I’m Your Neighbor, Portland featured book, The Good Braider (Amazon Children’s Books) a A YALSA Best Ficton for Young Adults Book, 2013.  Congratulations to author Terry Farish!

The city of Portland looks forward to engaging in a conversation about The Good Braider on July 11, 2013 at the Portland Public Library.  More info here.

Path of Stars Honored

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Illustration from A PATH OF STARS

The I’m Your Neighbor, Portland featured book, A Path of Stars by Anne Sibley O’Brien (Charlesbridge Publishers) has been named a Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2013. The award is a cooperative project of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC).

The picture book set in Portland’s Cambodian American community was also named an Honor Picture Book of the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature 2013. Winners of the 2013 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature, which promote Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and are awarded based on literary and artistic merit, have been selected by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association.

The community is welcome at an event celebrating A Path of Stars and the Maine Cambodian community on August 10, 2013 at the Portland Public Library.  More info here.