Blog

30 July

YALSA and Blink partner to promote Teen Read Week

For Immediate Release
Wed, 07/24/2013

Contact:

Jaclyn Finneke
Communications Manager
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
312-280-2128

[email protected]

Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) announces that Blink, a new young adult imprint of Zondervan is now an official sponsor of Teen Read Week™. By sponsoring Teen Read Week, Blink is aiding in YALSA’s continued efforts to help libraries engage teens through reading and literature.

“We can’t stress enough how extremely important it is for teens to continue to hone their reading skills and develop an appreciation for a variety of literature,” said YALSA President Shannon Peterson. “And thanks to Blink and their sponsorship, we are able to continue in our efforts to help libraries implement innovative reading programs.”

Blink aims to publish “authentic and immersive content that engages and inspires readers.” In addition to appealing to the teen audience, Blink also aims to appeal to adult readers with literature that is both innovative and exciting.

With this new partnership, both YALSA and Blink will partner on a range of activities, including offering a free webinar on trends in YA literature for anyone who joins the online Teen Read Week community at www.ala.org/teenread.

“YALSA and Blink have a critically important goal in common – to get teens excited about reading,” said Chriscynethia Floyd, Zondervan vice president of marketing. “We are pleased about entering this partnership and more excited about the opportunity to introduce our innovative and imaginative YA books to teen readers in libraries across the nation.”

Teen Read Week™ is a national adolescent literacy initiative created by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). It began in 1998 and is held annually during the third week of October. Its purpose is to encourage teens to be regular readers and library users. This year, Teen Read Week takes place Oct.13-19 with the theme of Seek the Unknown @ your library.

Blink is an imprint of Zondervan, a HarperCollins company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich. For more information, visit us online at:

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens.  For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail, [email protected].