Imagine when you were a child and the first time you picked up a book. Remember how excited you were when you first started reading?
Every year, the “Best Awards” are given out at Bookstock at Laurel Park Place, capturing the same excitement and passion.
Fourth-grade kids write essays, and the winning student receives $750 for their school, $500 for their teacher, and $150 for themselves.
Susan Morse, on behalf of the Mike Morse Law Firm, which is the presenting sponsor of Bookstock, and this year’s “Best Awards” winner Syeda Tausiyah and her teacher Kenya Posey from Davison Elementary and Middle School in Detroit, joined “Live in the D” with co-host Tati Amare to talk about the big event that helps get books into the hands of people all over the community.
Tausiyah composed an essay about her favorite book. She said that the main character in the book was a lot like her because they’re both Muslim American and love learning. She emphasized that she aspires to be a teacher like the character in the novel and to assist children to achieve their educational goals.
Posey said that seeing a student win something like this is exciting. She expressed her delight that Tausiyah chose to pick up a book, read it, have a personal connection with the text, and become a champion among her peers. As a teacher, she believes it demonstrates her love for reading and writing in the face of life’s distractions.
In this day and age, Morse said it is important for her and her son to continue to support Bookstock as the presenting sponsor. She said that each year is a new year with fresh audiences and that people continue to visit year after year to gather books. She went on to say that they not only provide a service where they can put books into the hands of people like Tausiyah, but also others who come back and collect them. People can also donate books they don’t know what to do with to a worthwhile cause.
The Bookstock event continues until Sunday. At the end, Morse also said that if you are a nonprofit or have a letterhead, you can come to Laurel Park Place and pick up the books for free. The remainder of the books will be given to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Bookstock will be held at Laurel Park Place until Sunday. All books will be half price on Sunday, and more books are added every day.
The complete interview may be seen in the video above.