‘Reading Between the Wines’: Adult Literacy League event features author Lauren Groff – Orlando Sentinel

An Orlando Fundraiser for Adult Literacy League

Reading Between the Wines

An Orlando fundraiser for the Adult Literacy League aims to have patrons “Reading Between the Wines” for the cause of helping adults learn how to read.

The event features wine and dining, silent auction items, and a Q+A session with Lauren Groff, a Florida author and three-time National Book Award finalist, on Monday, Dec. 2, at Orlando Science Center.

“Lauren Groff has been dubbed ‘one of our finest living writers,’ and with good reason,” Gina Solomon, executive director of the Adult Literacy League, said in a news release. “Her novels and short stories are thought-provoking and incredibly hard to put down. We’re delighted that the stars aligned to bring Groff to our important annual fundraiser.”

Groff’s New York Times bestsellers include “Arcadia,” “The Monsters of Templeton,” “Matrix,” “Fates and Furies,” and her latest release, “The Vaster Wilds.” The author has also made headlines when she opened The Lynx, an independent bookstore in Gainesville, with the idea of highlighting banned books and building community.

She had the idea to open her bookstore during a fellowship in Germany.

“Germans kept pulling me aside and talking to me about the book bans in Florida. They said, ‘You have to stop this now because this is the point of the spear of authoritarianism,’” Groff said. “I do believe, as a parent, that parents should watch what their children are reading.

“But no parent should tell my kids what they should be reading. This is an infringement on personal freedoms.”

Groff said that she was surprised to see her own “Fates and Furies” on a banned books list in Walton County. She mentioned other iconic authors, including Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Shakespeare as “shocking” additions to the scores of authors with banned books in Florida.

“These book bans are addressing a problem that does not exist except in the minds of people who are terrified of other people,” Groff said. “We’re here to uphold conversations, uphold thinking and uphold making your own decisions and coming to your own judgments on the world. We’re not here to force our views on anyone.”

In the last year, Groff also started The Lynx Watch, Inc., which works to distribute challenged and banned books widely in Florida. The nonprofit has already handed out more than $20,000 worth of banned books.

“We’re trying to say that we believe in tolerance and freedom. We’re going to uphold these books that have been banned and challenged throughout the state of Florida and the country,” she said. “We’re going to continue to have real, important conversations about diversity and about our dark history that we should all know about.”

As the author and bookstore owner work to promote understanding in her own ways, she is eager to participate in the Orlando fundraiser to help in the mission of helping adults learn to read. The Adult Literacy League is on track to reach 2,000 students in the upcoming year with one-to-one tutoring and classes in reading, writing, citizenship, job skills, math, Adult Basic Education, and English for Speakers of Other Languages.

“There are many, many American adults who struggle with reading. Reading is absolutely a passport to a better life,” Groff said. “Those are lives that will be profoundly, positively changed by this, and I think that’s a joyous occasion.”

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.

If you go

“Reading Between the Wines” is 7-10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2 at the Orlando Science Center, 777 E. Princeton St. in Orlando. WESH-2 News anchor Sheldon Dutes will emcee the event, which includes edibles from Central Florida restaurants, wine and beer. This year’s silent auction will offer items such as theme park tickets and passes, local theater and museum ticket packages, spa experiences, gift cards, and more. Tickets are $99 each. More information: adultliteracyleague.org.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted in the Article

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

2. Specific Targets Based on the Article’s Content

• Target 4.6: By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.
• Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article

• Indicator 4.6.1: Proportion of the population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex.
• Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.
• Indicator 16.10.1: Number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture of journalists, associated media personnel, trade unionists, and human rights advocates in the previous 12 months.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: orlandosentinel.com