Literacy. An aspect of the non-profit industry that lies close to a writer’s heart. Emily Kirkpatrick is the Vice President for the National Center for Family Literacy, a non-profit that promotes literacy education for both children and adults.

Their boilerplate says it all: “The National Center for Family Literacy, founded in 1989, is the worldwide leader in family literacy. More than 1 million families have made positive educational and economic gains as a result of NCFL’s work, which includes training more than 150,000 teachers and thousands of volunteers.”

On that note, we decided to ask Ms. Kirkpatrick a few questions…

1. Why is it important for writers to give back to the community?

Writers are masters of the written word and also depend upon the consumption of expressions of thought. Their profession requires individuals to have reading proficiency. It's essential to have readers in homes and communities.

In addition, writers are exceptional storytellers and can take readers to new places by inspiring thought and imagination. Writers have a responsibility to lift the human spirit to new places: whether that means developing a thirst for mastering the written word, escaping poverty, or simply traveling to faraway places...all through a story, fiction or non-fiction.

2. That being said, what benefits, aside from emotional, do the authors receive when they donate their time?

Writers receive the benefit of sharing their books with current and potential readers. When they donate their time, they can also realistically build their business and livelihood. It's a bit of a doing-well-by-doing-good model. Writers can also see the power of individual action. For each author, literary agent or publisher who gets involved, measurable progress can be made.

3. In your opinion, what are the greatest talents authors have shown in their volunteerism? In other words, what kind of unique impact can they make?

Some of our favorite authors have helped us reach more families and inspire them to read. One example is the late best-selling author Richard Carlson. Through his legacy, Richard and NCFL have provided literacy kits to thousands of families; the kits build on Richard's philosophy of "Don't Sweat" and apply those principles to literacy--the kits help families build literacy one moment at a time.

4. Greg Mortensen, author of New York Times bestseller Three Cups of Tea, is a keynote speaker at your national conference in Orlando on March 1-3. How does he exemplify the kind of author that the NCFL promotes?

Greg has developed an international movement for girls, women and education. He exemplifies what is possible through masterful writing and thoughtful action such as his Pennies for Peace program. NCFL seeks to work with authors that can help make a difference through action. Doing so usually requires raising funds for programs.

5. What would you like to see change the field of literacy education in the year to come?

We need to reach more people. NCFL plans to do so through a new Web site, where we'll offer free literacy tools and resources for adults, children and literacy programs. In addition, we want to involve more authors in our efforts, especially awareness and fundraising. We will announce a new program designed to do just that later this spring.

6. Is there anything you would like to add?

We just welcomed another best-selling author and new champion to our conference: Jan Goldstein, author of All That Matters and The Prince of Nantucket. He will speak at our event on Tuesday, March 3. We have quickly developed a friendship, and he shares NCFL's vision for parents and children learning together, beginning with reading. The quote he provided, below, shows the synergy between our missions and his deep-seeded passion for literacy:

"Increasing literacy, especially in children and families, is, on some basis, about fashioning a key into creativity, wonder, and imagination…When you facilitate literacy, you are providing alternative ways to think about problems, crisis, and despair, and opening avenues to possibility. Authors have a sense of the stories that float within our minds, they also spend time observing the human condition and can have a capacity for connecting to that oasis of wonder within fledgling readers that yearns for growth…As an author, I feel a particular ability to articulate and remind others to give their inner artist, a chance. Literacy leads to that chance, that promise, to embrace a larger world, to think and live large, to notice details, to be willing to reach out beyond yourself and form bridges for yourself, your family, your community. Authors can help make those kinds of connections."

As writers, we often take our literary skills for granted. It is sometimes easy to forget that those who live in certain areas or come from lower economic backgrounds do not receive the same education as we have all experienced. Emily Kirkpatrick stresses that is it our responsibility as educated literary people to help those of the world who do not posses these skills, in order for them to have a better quality of life.

We thank Ms. Kirkpatrick for her insights. For more information, visit www.famlit.org.

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