“The poetry can be breathtaking,” Thomson says.
The girls have had no formal training, and Thomson suggests that this can add to the poetry’s often raw beauty.
Of course, some of the poetry is not so good, but this is hardly the point. Thomson has managed to take her love of literature and book groups and turn it into a community of respect and creation. She has seen the girls change as they participate in the groups.
“They’ll sit up taller. Prouder,” says Thomson. “It is so beautiful it makes me cry.”
The groups also allow for the girls to form new relationships.
“Many of the girls don’t trust other women,” says Thomson. “Here, they learn that they can.”
Thomson also makes sure there is a sense of ceremony present in the group meetings. “There is something spiritual in it,” says Thomson.
The girls conduct their meetings at a set table complete with tablecloth and lit candle. There they read, write, break bread, and come away with a good book.
“Many girls have never owned one before,” says Thomson. “It is important to me that they get to keep the books.”
Though the original teen mother reading groups remain successful, LFAOU’s hope for the book groups has not stopped there. They have created two other programs. “Children’s Literature for Parenting” focuses on parents’ goals for their children, and “Outreach Training” helps to educate volunteers on how to start their own book groups. In 2005 LFAOU also piloted a boy’s reading group, which continues to grow.
LFAOU also provides means of connecting its participants’ newfound literary voices to the public through readings, anthologies, and cards. No matter Thomson’s original fear, one thing is now assured. People are listening.
To donate or volunteer for LFAOU, please visit Literature for all of us.
