Earlier this year I did a story on the Get Lit Players - two stories actually - for a couple classes. That's how I first met these amazing people. Since then I've been asked to write for them, which I'm honored to do. Diane asked me to share the original two pieces I did about them with you, so here they are.
Bringing Words to Life
Literacy is a big issue across America. According to statistics, one fifth of graduates cannot read their diploma, 20% of seniors can be classified as functionally illiterate when they graduate and 85% of juvenile offenders have a reading problem. Los Angeles next to last among the 58 counties in Calfornia in basic literary skills according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
One organization, called GetLit, is working to change the poor literacy rate among teens in Los Angeles. Founded by Diane Luby Lane, the GetLit Players are a group of teens who go to schools around Los Angeles performing original and classic works of poetry, as well as classic literature to engage other teens in the power words have to express what they feel every day. By reciting pieces from classical writers, the GetLit Players are able to illustrate how relevant the writings of Shakespeare or Walt Whitman are to teens today.
Click here to read the rest of this piece.
The second piece is a video, which you can see here.
