The Project Worker is required to set-up, establish and facilitate weekly shared reading groups in two London boroughs, as part of projects to improve well-being and mental health. The reading groups in Southwark will take place in a range of community settings, and in Kensington & Chelsea will be in community and in-patient mental health settings.  In addition, Project Workers are expected to take an active role and interest in the core business of TRO which includes training others in shared reading techniques, communicating the work of TRO effectively and fundraising.

The delivery of the reading groups will take place within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Southwark. The Project Worker will work closely with the Project Co-ordinator in each borough, and make links with a range of key organisations to promote the shared reading projects, recruit group members, enlist the support and collaboration of relevant staff and develop a culture of reading within the community and in-patient settings.

Deadline for applications: 9.00am Thursday 7th June

For more information and how to apply, please visit our website: http://thereader.org.uk/about-us/job-opportunities/

After a hot, sunny weekend The Reader Organisation‘s Deputy Director and Business Capacity Manager get in early to water the allotment…

Among the many highlights within Issue 46 are:

• An extract from Tim Parks’ latest novel, the unnerving and insightful The Server (Harvill Secker, May 2012)
• New poetry from Julie-ann Rowell, Neil Curry, Caroline Price, Marina Sanchez and David Attwooll
• Sue Colbourn interviews Matthew Knight, a clinical psychologist with Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who has been using poetry in therapeutic settings since the late-nineties, with some staggering results – including a wonderfully moving account of a man who spoke after four years of silence upon reading Wordsworth  – the power of whose words is further explored by Gillian Clarke, Stephen Gill, Bernard O’Donoghue and Raymond Tallis
• Brian Patten features in the regular Poet on His Work feature, writing a no-holds-barred account of the inspiration for his poem Stepfather (which is this week’s Featured Poem on The Reader Online)
• New fiction in the form of an absorbing short story, The Magpie by Mark Godfrey

The joy of Wordsworth’s words is also revelled in by Jane Davis, who ponders over the pleasure of Lines Written in Early Spring whilst being amongst nature; more stories from the Reading Revolution from Penny Markell, who takes us through a day in the life of the Get Into Reading London Project Manager, and Casi Dylan talking about how good mistakes can be made in endeavouring in the adventure of shared reading; and an exclusive preview of the latest Reader Organisation anthology, the utterly enchanting A Little, Aloud For Children, introduced by its editor Angela Macmillan.

Perfect summer reading if you’re lounging around poolside somewhere more reliably sunnier or just on the lounger in the garden.

If you’re already subscribed, you can expect Issue 46 of The Reader to land on your doorstep anytime soon and if not, then what are you waiting for - subscribe to receive your copy today.

Day 1: Reading to Live Well

Reading really does make you feel better, especially when it’s shared, and one of the main purposes of Day 1 was to explore this topic with a variety of professionals from public, private, and third sector organisations. Our Get Into Reading groups read aloud together in places ranging from care homes, GP surgeries, libraries, schools, community centres, in-patient mental healthcare settings, and prisons, improving wellbeing and providing stability, support, and a love of literature for their members. The day consisted of a mix of general plenary sessions complemented by breakout sessions focusing on a particular area of The Reader Organisation’s work.

Charlotte, Reader-in-Residence at Liverpool Hope University, highlights one of her top moments:

“‘The Consequences of Reading’, in which TRO Director Jane Davis spoke to Professor Jonathan Rose about his book ‘The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes; was without a doubt one of my favourite parts of the first day of the conference. It was brilliant to see Jane in such enthusiastic conversation with a person who is clearly a personal hero of hers, and whose book has meant so much to her. I thought it was really important that the session felt like a conversation, and was fairly informal, rather than a typical ‘lecture’ or formal Q&A session.

As an English graduate myself, I found it incredibly interesting hearing Jonathan speak about his views on the responsibility of the academic to address the over-theoretical approach to literature in education environments in modern times. He commented that, 50 years ago, English was one of the most popular subjects at university, but that in recent times there has been a significant ‘falling-off’, and that he saw the cause of this to be the de-personalisation of literature, and lack of focus on the role of the reader. I was very interested by Jonathan’s comment that he saw it as his duty to put ‘the reader first and foremost in literary history: they are the one who gives the book individuality and agency – ‘they make it do something.’

Towards the end of the conversation, Jane and Jonathan spoke about the fact that there is not much opportunity given to children in society now to listen to a story over a long period of time. ‘Story times’ in schools tend to focus more on short snatches of reading, in which the child is asked to look for specific things, and feed-back on afterwards. Jonathan commented that he saw it as incredibly important that we don’t necessarily ‘ask for something in return’ when we read to a child – that we should let the story wash over them, and sink-in over time.”

Our twitter hashtag for the Conference, #TRO2012, also prompted an enthusiastic response from the audience:

#TRO2012 if only every GP could see what Dr Iona Heath can see. (@TriciaCanning)

#TRO2012 Inspirational stuff yesterday & such enthusiastic staff, would love to see it rolled out in our organisation (@OT_LisaB)

#TRO2012 CRILS – Entertaining, informing and challenging – the best presentation by academics I have ever seen (@devonbiker)

The knowledge of the speakers and the passion displayed by everyone both on stage and off was truly inspirational. Exhausted, but elated, we geared up for Friday…

Day 2: Living to Read Well

This day was exclusively designed for people who had completed our Read to Lead training and are practising as Shared Reading Facilitators. Day 2 was therefore a combination of practical sessions on reading aloud and choosing material, problem solving and literary masterclasses. Equally valuable was the opportunity to meet and catch-up with other Shared Reading Facilitators from around the UK and beyond, providing encouragement and advice on this challenging but rewarding practice.

Credit Steve Wasserman, http://readmesomethingyoulove.com

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the day for many was Lemn Sissay in conversation with Jane Davis. An advocate for Looked After Children, young people with whom The Reader Organisation also works closely, he was by turns hilarious and heart-breaking, as Michael, our Events and Publications Intern, explains:

“There was a great deal of hype surrounding Lemn Sissay’s conversation with Jane.  An expectant audience had heard a lot about this

c.Helen Kielt

charismatic writer and, I have to say, he didn’t disappoint.  What could be added to Lemn’s already extensive list of job titles (including: poet, playwright, social commentator) is performer. His energy on stage kept us on the edge of our seats, whilst his anecdotes had us laughing and murmuring our agreement in equal amounts.

But what shone through most was Lemn’s passion for children and the effect great literature can have on their minds and their lives. ‘Books open up a free space inside a child’s imagination’, Lemn affirmed.  He listed a number of characters from literature who were orphaned at a young age or who grew up in care – Oliver Twist, Harry Potter, Bruce Wayne, Jane Eyre – and argued that it is these characters that should be utilised more effectively to demonstrate to us all just how significant looked-after children are, and the important part they play in our society.”

Twitter was buzzing in response, once again:

Fabulously moving and funny Lemn Sissay #TRO2012 (@HelenKielt)

#TRO2012 what a day! What a day! What a day! What a day! (@RachelNiblock)

train home from @thereaderorg#TRO2012 conference @britishlibrary – words not enough to voice my awe of the past two days. Amazing people.(@ajeastwood)

The impact the conference had on all of us here at The Reader Organisation itself was phenomenal  – we were intellectually stimulated, re-energised and inspired, and hope you were too. The Twitter hashtag is still live, so please continue to voice your thoughts online @thereaderorg.

There’ll be more on the blog in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, roll on 2013…

Internships at The Reader Organisation cover a wide-range of engaging and exciting activities, all of which will play a significant role in helping us to grow in the coming months. Our latest round of internships are open for application now, and we’re on the look-out for five keen, energetic graduate-level individuals to join us at our Head Office in Liverpool for a four-month internship.

These internships will last for sixteen weeks, for a total of 21/25 hours per week (unpaid, but with travel expenses paid). Current roles are:

• Communications: Events and Publications Internship (download Job Description)
• Communications: PR and Publicity Internship (download Job Description)
• Arts Adminstration Internship (download Job Description)
• Business Support Internship (download Job Description)
• Organisational Development Internship (download Job Description)

Previous interns at The Reader Organisation have gone on to take up posts such as Editor at Vintage Books, Marketing Manager at Princes Ltd, Digital Executive at a design company, Marketing Assistant at an architect’s firm, Accountant Graduate Scheme at KPMG, and a variety of positions within The Reader Organisation, including our current Communications Assistant, Research Administration Assistant and Development Manager.

How to apply

Please complete the required application form and return by email to jobs@thereader.org.uk or in post to The Reader Organisation, The Friary Centre, Bute Street, Liverpool L5 3LA.

Deadline for all applications is Friday 1st June at midday. You will be notified if you are to be called for interview by the end of the day on Wednesday 6th June. If you have not heard from us by then, you have been unsuccessful. Volume of applications may make replies to everyone impossible.

Interviews will be held at The Reader Organisation Head Office at The Friary Centre, Bute Street, Liverpool on Thursday 7th June 2012.

If you have any queries, please call The Reader Organisation on 0151 207 7207.

Here is one of those moments from Liz McGaw, Project Worker for Get Into Reading in the South West:

At the Yeovil Library Memory group we have been reading extracts from Cider with Rosie, with accompanying poems by Seamus Heaney, an unfamiliar poet to the group members. Sometimes faces are pulled when we read more ‘modern’ poets, and the group feels on unfamiliar territory.

Last week the group process beautifully illustrated the theory behind the Get Into Reading model, with the poem linking the feelings arising from the text, to an opening up and a shared understanding of the poems, which we would have otherwise found harder to reach.

We had puzzled over the lines at the end of Seamus Heaney’s poem Sunlight;

and here is love
Like a tinsmith’s scoop
Sunk past its gleam
In the meal bin

The group had been remembering people from their past, and all felt that ‘love’ was the most important word. One member of the group was accompanying his wife for the first time, and surprised both of them by expressing his understanding of the poem. She said, ‘Fifty years married, and I’ve learnt something new about my husband this afternoon’.

The following week we puzzled again over the last line of Heaney’s Personal Helicon. Like the previous week, all was clear until the last verse;

I rhyme To see myself, to set
The darkness echoing

What could it mean? There had been memories shared during the text of going down wells, going to the bottom and fishing around in the darkness, and remembering smells and textures.

We thought that the poet was writing to recall for himself and bring out his memories from the darkness, just as the group had done during the reading of the text. One man wrote in the comments book;

I didn’t realise how much of my childhood I can recall. Most edifying.

He had stopped us whilst we were reading to express his amazement at the variety of stories and memories the group had shared around the table, whilst reading Laurie Lee.

A collective understanding of this last verse was shared by everyone, as buried memories echoed around the table, and my image of the previous weeks poem was of a hand plunging into a bran tub ‘like a tinsmith’s scoop’ and bringing out a hidden prize.

We read again, ‘I rhyme To see myself, to set the darkness echoing’, and there were smiles and nods around the table. We decided that whatever the poet meant by these lines, we knew and could share our understanding of them, and that the poem echoed the group’s own personal discoveries brought out of the darkness. The poems had expressed for the group the experience of digging up these buried memories, and delighted them.

For more ‘wow moments’ and testimonials about the impact of Get Into Reading from group members themselves, visit our website.

The Reader Organisation is considering the possibility of acquiring a property through asset transfer to develop a self-sustaining health and educational centre.  To help us with this process, we wish to commission an individual with relevant experience to produce a short report detailing the financial business model for such a centre.  The individual will be required to:

1. Research

Research the current identified revenue generating opportunities for the self-sustaining health and educational centre  and the income and cost model associated with each of the activities.

Ideally this will be gathered through meetings with owners/managers of existing businesses, however it can also be gathered through desk research.

2. Report

Based on the research and costing information available, produce a short report which details the financial business model for the health and educational centre – this will include the full budget for the project.

Download the detailed job specification here.

Person Specification

The individual will have experience/knowledge of operating a similar centre/enterprise, network to obtain information relating to proposed enterprises and knowledge of profit & loss accounts and balance sheets.

Terms

The Reader Organisation has budgeted 30 days at £120 per day – we have additional budget for travel costs relating to the report. The report is required for 31st July 2012.

Please send CV and covering letter to Michelle Barrett (michellebarrett@thereader.org.uk) by Monday 21st May, 4pm.  Interviews will take place week commencing 21st May 2012.

The Three Peaks Training Diary has been following the team’s progress and our next entry comes from Colin MacGregor, TRO volunteer and Managing Director of Alexander MacGregor, who are kindly sponsoring the minibus for the trip.

The Three Peaks Team has just seven weekends left to cram in some serious exercise before the challenge commences on June 30th. Ten days ago, as part of Sam’s carefully programmed training regime, the team conquered Snowdon –albeit at a leisurely pace. All agreed it was a doddle but next time we attempt the climb, on Sunday 1st July at about 1pm, it will be the third and final peak of the 24 hour challenge – and the clock will be ticking relentlessly towards the deadline. It’s just possible that tired legs might be a little less willing (or able) to carry us swiftly up and down the highest peak in Wales.

And so, as the ‘oldie’ on the team and determined to succeed in the mission, a bit of extra-curricular training seems like a good idea. I’ve made the odd foray into the Welsh hills over the past couple of months – in snow, rain and some unseasonably warm March sun. Last Sunday I returned to one of my favourite walks at Llantisilio Mountain, a few miles west of Llangollen. Unlike Snowdon though, I met just one other walker all morning! At just short of 600metres this is not a big climb, but the ridge walk is really rewarding with some beautiful views of the River Dee, The Clwydian range and (on a clear day) Snowdon. And believe it or not, with a nod to the forthcoming adventure, the walk includes three peaks. At the end of the morning’s exertion, a pint of foaming ale at The Sun in the village of Rhewl helped stave off any risk of dehydration – perfect.

So will I be ready for the 3 Peaks? I don’t know. My knees worry me. So for the next few weeks training will step up and Housman’s Reveille, from A Shropshire Lad (and yes I am a Shropshire lad!), will continue to get me out of bed – early:

Wake: the silver dusk returning
Up the beach of darkness brims,
And the ship of sunrise burning
Strands upon the eastern rims.

Wake: the vaulted shadow shatters,
Trampled to the floor it spanned,
And the tent of night in tatters
Straws the sky-pavilioned land.

Up, lad, up, ’tis late for lying:
Hear the drums of morning play;
Hark, the empty highways crying
‘Who’ll beyond the hills away?’

Towns and countries woo together,
Forelands beacon, belfries call;
Never lad that trod on leather
Lived to feast his heart with all.

Up, lad: thews that lie and cumber
Sunlit pallets never thrive;
Morns abed and daylight slumber
Were not meant for man alive.

Clay lies still, but blood’s a rover;
Breath’s a ware that will not keep.
Up, lad: when the journey’s over
There’ll be time enough to sleep.

Like everyone else on the team, I’m conscious that this is not just about the personal challenge of completing a gruelling 24 hours but more importantly about raising some serious money for The Reader Apprenticeship Programme. So for all our blog readers out there who haven’t yet sponsored the event – please support us now with a donation at http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/trothreepeaks.

Dr Patricia Canning, Project Worker for Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland, presented a workshop on how Get Into Reading works for people across the country and specifically in Northern Ireland, where she currently runs a group in Hydebank Prison. As with our other projects in Criminal Justice settings, outcomes have been outstanding, with members reporting benefits such as:

• increased empathy
• personalisation and dignity
• better communication
• solidarity and a sense of community
• greater understanding and appreciation of their own ‘life stories’

Patricia’s presentation – Transforming Lives through Shared Reading - is available to download from The Library Association of Ireland’s website.

“Read to Lead taught me more about reading than my MA in literature ever did.” – Shared Reading Facilitator

We are accepting applications for the final few places on the upcoming Read to Lead training course in London. Read to Lead equips you with the skills and understanding of a shared reading facilitator, and the ability to run shared reading groups inspired by The Reader Organisation’s ground-breaking Get Into Reading project. Read to Lead is a training course and a personal experience in its own right, the beginning of a journey developing the craft of shared reading, and a special way to get involved in the Reading Revolution.

Completion of the course also allows access to Day Two of The Reader Organisation’s forthcoming National Conference - Living to Read Well - exclusively designed for those who have completed Read to Lead and who wish to develop their practice as readers and facilitators. Taking place at the British Library on 18th May, you can find out more information and book your place here.

The course will run on 14th – 16th May at 8 Hop Gardens, off St Martin’s Lane, London WC2. The three-day course and 12-month access to The Reader Organisation’s CPD programme costs £750. Flexible payment options are available. Download your application form here or contact roisinhyland@thereader.org.uk for more information.