The Florida Writers Foundation

About thirty-two million adults in our country are
illiterate. Eighty-five percent of the juveniles forced to interact with the
court system are functionally illiterate. Seventy percent of America’s inmates
cannot read above fourth-grade level. In the words of former president Bill
Clinton, “Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and a responsibility. If our
world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century we must harness the
energy and creativity of all our citizens.” What can we do to support literacy? Join or support the Florida Writers Foundation.

The motto of the Florida Writers Association (FWA) is
Writers Helping Writers. The Florida Writers Foundation (FWF) is about writers
promoting literacy. How? Volunteers reach out to schools—making a difference in
their communities, providing books and speakers, and funding grants to publish
collections of student and teacher stories. We sponsor writing contests.

One of the most fascinating programs the FWF sponsors is
called “Sit. Stay. Write.” In this program, award-winning children’s author
Diane Ochiltree, and her dog Sally, a trained therapy dog, visit schools and
encourage children to write.

I’m proud to be the new president of the Florida Writers Foundation, but I need your help. Please help us by attending our Celebrity Workshop on October 18 or contribute to our Silent Auction at the Florida Writers Association Annual Conference. 

If you are a high school teacher in Volusia, Brevard, Lake, Citrus, Sumpter, St. John’s or Seminole County, contact me through my page. I would love to do an author visit. I’m happy to read from any of my books. You might also like to look at the advice for writing and performing poetry that appears in my book, Backpack Blues: Inspire the Fire Within. Hope to see you in October.