LEH Announces Light Up for Literacy and Other Humanities Awards Winners

Each year, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities – Prime Time’s parent organization – celebrates all the humanities have to offer and honor those who have made significant contributions to the understanding of Louisiana’s history and culture through the Humanities Awards. 

Presented in partnership with the State Library of Louisiana’s Center for the Book, the Light Up for Literacy award recognizes those who have made significant and lasting contributions to literacy efforts in the state. This year’s Light Up for Literacy honoree is Jane Wolfe, the founder of Eat and Read at Melba’s, one of New Orleans’s most notable nonprofit literacy programs. Through Eat and Read at Melba’s, Jane has encouraged a love of reading by distributing more than 20,000 free books to her customers and hosting readings, discussions, and book‐signings that connect New Orleanians with world‐renowned authors and educators. 

Wolfe, and the rest of this year’s Humanities Awards winners including Humanist of the Year Richard “Dickie” Landry, will be honored at the Bright Lights awards dinner on April 23. 

View a full list of award winners 

Applications Open to Host Prime Time Reading Program

Can generosity ever be a bad thing? What makes a place home? What should you do if you think a law is unfair? Is it all right to deceive someone when you think doing so may benefit them?

These are just a few of the questions children and their families will seek to answer this fall during free Prime Time family engagement and reading programs hosted across Louisiana by local community groups.

Organizations interested in hosting these programs can apply from March 15 through April 15. Eligible organizations include schools, libraries, museums, churches, government entities, and other community-based agencies located anywhere in Louisiana that possess a valid EIN#.

An initiative of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), Prime Time programs start with a shared meal, and then a storyteller reads families an award-winning children’s book. Following the reading, families are engaged in discussion around the themes found in the book using open-ended questions.

“Organizations get to choose the book series that is relevant to their communities,” said Miranda Restovic, president and executive director of the LEH and Prime Time, Inc. “These may include sustainability, inquiry, caring, democracy, or food. Each of these series contains children’s books deliberately chosen to stimulate discussion around the theme.”

Prime Time programs are free for the organizations that host them and for the families who attend. They can choose to host either Prime Time Family Reading, for ages 6-10, or Prime Time Preschool Reading, for ages 3-5. Organizations whose applications are approved will host the 90-minute sessions once a week for six weeks. Each partner site will receive a $1,000 site support stipend, stipends for team members, and a set of the children’s books used during the program. Participating families also keep all books for their personal home libraries.

More than 60 Prime Time family engagement and reading programs are currently taking place across Louisiana.

“The partner organizations across the state that host our family engagement and reading programs are really our boots on the ground, encouraging literacy, promoting family bonding, and nurturing a love of books and learning in their own communities,” said Sarah Withers, LEH vice president of education programs. “We couldn’t bring Prime Time to so many families without them.”

For more information about Prime Time reading programs, email [email protected].

Spring 2024 Program Sites Announced

Families in more than 60 communities across Louisiana will gather to share a meal, read a book, and engage in thought-provoking discussion at a Prime Time program this spring.

Prime Time, an initiative of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, brings families together twice a year at schools, libraries and other community-gathering places for its award-winning reading programs. Beginning in February, Prime Time family engagement and reading programs will take place in 25 parishes across Louisiana and represents one of the largest program cycles to date.

Prime Time Family Reading, for ages 6-10, and Prime Time Preschool Reading, for ages 3-5, bring families together one night a week for six weeks for reading and discussion. A storyteller reads an award-winning children’s book and families are then guided through discussion of the themes found in the book. The discussion encourages families to personally connect with literature and each other and think beyond shallow considerations of who, what, when, and where by using open-ended questioning to spur discussion. For Preschool Reading, hands-on activities are incorporated to keep younger children engaged.

Prime Time programs are free for families and the partner organizations throughout the state that host them. Families also get to keep the books from the sessions to help build their home libraries. Families can find a Prime Time reading program in their community on our program map.

Prime Time will also be expanding a writing component piloted last year in New Orleans to Northwest Louisiana. All About Me encourages children ages 3 to 5 to write and share about themselves — their names, likes, families, routines, and the things that make them happy. Participating families create their own books, furthering the Prime Time mission by creating a strong foundation not only for young readers but for young writers as well.

Prime Time’s spring reading programs are sponsored by Entergy, the Charles Lamar Family Foundation, the Charles T. Beaird Foundation, the Community Foundation of North Louisiana, the Shell Foundation, Baptist Community Ministries, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Citgo, the Zemurray Foundation and the State of Louisiana.

Prime Time’s Podcast Airing Now

The second season of Prime Time’s “Little Voices, Big Ideas” podcast is now live, with vignettes of each episode featured weekly on Red River Radio in Shreveport and WWNO in New Orleans and WRKF in Baton Rouge. Produced by Prime Time, a subsidiary of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), in partnership with WWNO/New Orleans Public Radio, “Little Voices, Big Ideas” explores the rich and often surprising content of children’s books and provides caregivers with ways to have meaningful conversations with children.

Originally developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the podcast has allowed the LEH and Prime Time to expand its award-winning literacy program to the airwaves and the internet. The second season of the podcast, which will be available to download free on all podcast streaming services and at wwno.org, is based on the Prime Time book series “Of, By, and For the People” and examines themes of American democracy and civic participation.

Each of the six episodes is hosted by mother of two and LEH Director of Curriculum and National Partners Sarah DeBacher, with contributions from humanities scholar Dr. Thomas Wartenberg, historian and children’s book author Freddi Evans, The Reading Life host Susan Larson, and early childhood literacy scholar Kyley Pulphus.

“Each episode offers historical, philosophical and cultural connections, as well as practical advice that help listeners go beyond the bedtime story,” said DeBacher. “We also include recorded conversations between children and caregivers that illustrate how the books can turn families into philosophers who engage with concepts and ideas relevant to the business of being human.”

Together, the group breaks down the structures behind the stories and interrogates the messages the stories seem to send, asking questions of one another and the story. This humanities-centered approach is proven to help children develop critical-thinking skills and the foundational skills necessary for a lifelong love of learning.

Prime Time has provided award-winning, humanities-based programming to more than 53,000 families in Louisiana since its creation 30 years ago. Each episode of “Little Voices, Big Ideas” follows the structure of the discussion portion of a traditional Prime Time Family Reading program, where participants are asked questions about the book and engage in dialogue about its major themes. The books included this season are “The Big Orange Splot” by Daniel Pinkwater, “Sophia Valdez, Future Prez” by Andrea Beaty, “We Are Water Protectors” by Carole Lindstrom, “Granddaddy’s Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box” by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein, “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type” by Doreen Cronin, and “The Day You Begin” by Jacqueline Woodson.

Episodes, which run between 20 and 30 minutes, will be released weekly for the next six weeks after the four-minute vignettes have aired. Listeners in Southeast Louisiana can hear vignettes on Thursdays in the afternoon during All Things Considered on WWNO 89.9 FM in New Orleans and WRKF 89.3 FM in Baton Rouge Dec. 21 through Jan. 25. In Central and Northwest Louisiana, the vignettes will be airing on Red River Radio on Wednesdays Dec. 20 through Jan. 24. Full episodes will be available wherever listeners find their podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more and also online at wwno.org.

The podcast is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Community Foundation of Northwest Louisiana and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in partnership with WWNO New Orleans and Red River Radio.

Listen Now

HomeRoom Workshop Serves 30 Educators

On Saturday, Nov. 18, Prime Time welcomed 30 Orleans Parish educators to The Helis Foundation John Scott Center for the return of Prime Time HomeRoom. HomeRoom is a workshop designed for K-4 educators that focuses on ways to bring Prime Time’s traditional after-school family engagement and literacy programs into the classroom through participant-centered instruction and collective learning strategies that was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Educators began by reading and discussing “Click, Clack, Moo” by Doreen Cronin. They considered questions about whether they would give the cows electric blankets, what would happen if the cows didn’t have the typewriter, and whether there is a difference between asking for something you need (the blankets) or what you want (a diving board). What is more, educators began to consider how something like a book – or any item – can be used to launch meaningful discussions about humanities topics such as friendship, bravery, fairness, and courage.

All of the educators who attended stated that they planned to use what they learned in their classrooms. Thanks to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for bringing HomeRoom to Orleans Parish.

To find out about the next workshop near you, or to host a HomeRoom workshop at your school, contact the Prime Time staff at [email protected].

Storyteller Spotlight: Holly Bell

Dr. Holly Bell started as a storyteller, but in 15 years has served as a scholar, program coordinator, preschool facilitator, preschool assistant, trainer, staff member, and content developer. She serves as director of children’s services and the Earlysteps System Point of Entry Program for Easterseals Louisiana and professor of practice at Tulane University.

Her favorite Prime Time book? That’s a tough one.

“It’s so hard to narrow it down to just one because there are so many incredible books included in the Prime Time bibliography. I love ‘Waiting’ by Kevin Henkes and Jon Klassen’s ‘This is Not My Hat’ and ‘I Want My Hat Back.’ I like the Jon Klassen books, because the illustrations tell so much of the story and there is a lot in the book that can be inferred. They aren’t wordy, but there is just enough to leave you to think about,” she said.

Coordinator Spotlight: Lt. Michael Brooks

Lt. Michael Brooks, a Prime Time program coordinator for four years, has been in law enforcement for 32 years.

He started his career in 1995. Raised by a minister, he knew he wanted to help people, but wasn’t sure what career path he wanted to pursue. He decided to try law enforcement, where he bounced from patrol to detective work, and then finally to working in schools. It was in schools that he began to find his path in his hometown of Donaldsonville, Louisiana.

“I was a poor kid myself, and the needs of the families and children in these neighborhoods was just… I wanted to help. The literacy rates are really low,” he said.

In 2017, he got a chance to make a big difference. With the support of the community, the sheriff at the time, Jeff Wiley, opened a community center at a former school in response to an uptick in crime. Named the Hickley M. Waguespack Center — or the Wag Center, as it’s known — the center is a substation of the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Lt. Brooks has led the Wag Center since its opening.

“At the center, we do our homework together. We learn together. We play together. I pump everything I can at these kids – sports, books, whatever I can. Our sheriff, Bobby Webre, the work he does, it’s not for political gain. He does it because he cares,” Brooks said.

The center has become a neutral space – a safe haven – where the community can gather. In addition to Prime Time, the center provides a place for job fairs, a Back-to-School Bash, expungements, and Girl Scout meetings for incarcerated mothers and their daughters.

“We had homicides in broad daylight in our little bitty town. And we built that center in the neighborhood,” he said. “It’s a safe place for children, families, grandparents, and grown people to express themselves. It’s a hub and a lighthouse of hope and opportunity,” he said.

Prime Time serves not only as a way to bring families together and promote literacy but also to talk about important issues affecting the community.

“For parents, we know they are working and it’s a long day so, yes, we are going to have a good meal and we are going to have good conversations. It’s kind of like a good night at the movies. It’s not church. It’s not school. It’s something different. We have hard conversations, but they are real, and everybody appreciates it,” he said.

Applications Now Open for Spring Prime Time Programs

It’s time to get your community signed up for Prime Time!

Applications will be accepted until Oct. 17 for organizations that would like to host either Prime Time Family Reading, for ages 6-10, or Prime Time Preschool Reading, for ages 3-5.

Prime Time programs are free for the organizations that host them and for the families who attend. Eligible organizations include schools, libraries, museums, churches, government entities, and other community-based agencies that possess a valid EIN#. Organizations whose applications are approved will host the 90-minute sessions once a week for six weeks. Each partner site will receive a $1,000 site support stipend, stipends for team members, and a set of the children’s books used during the program. Participating families also keep all books for their personal home libraries.

An initiative of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, Prime Time programs start with a shared meal, and then a storyteller reads families an award-winning children’s book. Following the reading, families are engaged in discussion around the themes found in the book using open-ended questions such as “what is a similar situation you have experienced,” “what would you do differently,” and “why.”

If you have questions about applying for a Prime Time reading program, please email [email protected].

Storyteller Spotlight: Daniel Gonzalez

More Than 60 Prime Time Programs to Reach Louisiana Communities This Fall

More than 60 Prime Time Family Reading and Prime Time Preschool Reading programs will take place in 21 parishes across Louisiana from August through December.

A program of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), Prime Time programs involve story sharing around an award-winning children’s book during a weekly session that takes place for six weeks at libraries, schools, churches, community centers and other local community gathering places. Prime Time Family Reading, for ages 6-10, and Prime Time Preschool Reading, for ages 3-5, encourage families to personally connect with literature and each other and think beyond basic plot details by using open-ended questioning that spurs and encourages rich discussion across generations. For Preschool Reading, hands-on activities are incorporated to keep younger children engaged.

This school year, Prime Time is partnering with New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO), a nonprofit founded in 2006 with a mission to deliver on the promise of excellent public schools for every child in New Orleans, to bring Prime Time programs to a record number of schools in Orleans Parish.

“New Schools for New Orleans is excited to announce our partnership with the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities through the Prime Time program. Twenty-two charter schools received funding to host a Prime Time program at their school site this fall,” said Nan Sterling, NSNO chief of schools. “We support our schools by increasing their commitment to family engagement and literacy. We look forward to visiting the schools and seeing our families interact with the program and bond with their children through the love of reading.”

Through the support of its partners, Prime Time programs are free for families and the community organizations throughout the state that host them. Families start the program by sharing a meal and also get to keep the books from the sessions to help build their home libraries. Prime Time’s fall reading programs are also sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Shell Oil Company Foundation, Entergy Charitable Foundation, Zemurray Foundation, Community Foundation of North Louisiana, the Beaird Family Foundation, the Lamar Family Foundation, and the State of Louisiana.

Families can find a fall Prime Time program near them, along with contact information and dates, by visiting https://primetimefamily.org/prime-time-reading-families/#map.

“As we begin the new school year it’s exciting to envision our Prime Time programs reaching so many families,” said Miranda Restovic, president and executive director of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and Prime Time, Inc. “Whether it’s in a school, a public library, a church or a community center, the goal of Prime Time is to expand on the literacy efforts already taking place in our state while opening up a world of questioning and discussion that will lead to our next generation of critical thinkers.”

In addition to Louisiana sites, Prime Time reading programs are hosted by state humanities councils throughout the United States. This fall, Prime Time will also take place in Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska and Washington.