Nights are never cold when you snuggle in to read!

For everyone saddened a few months ago when the start of school signaled the end of the Dallas Public Library’s annual summer reading event, there’s a new reading event in town. It's the Mavs Reading Challenge, with the Dallas Mavericks. And though it's already in progress, having opened December 1, the season runs through March 18, 2018. That’s plenty of time to see you through a long winter’s break of reading, and into the spring.

image: pixabay

The rules are as simple as a playground pick up game.

First: sign up online or at any of the 29 Dallas Public Library locations. Nearly 400 readers have already done it! (Click here to find your closest library branch. And note that even more branches will have even more hours of operation starting January 2.)

Second: read at least 20 minutes a day. Readers from age 0-18 can participate. Parents, grandparents, older siblings or anyone else can help kids too young to read by reading to them for the same length of time. Seriously, that’s about two picture books per session.

Next: log the days your read (or were read to) for those 20 minutes online. If your computer access is limited, or you need help getting online, check with a librarian. 

Finally: visit any Dallas Public Library location to collect prizes!

Prizes include drawstring bags, hats, notebooks, and Whataburger certificates/free meals. (Did I forget to mention that Texas-based Whataburger is a sponsor?)

Plus, readers who log 40 reading days by the end of the program will be entered in a grand prize drawing for a chance to win a Dallas Mavericks fan experience. This includes four lower level tickets, four high-five line passes, and a third quarter locker room tour for a 2018-2019 Mavs home game.

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I’ll be posting more about writing classes later, BUT -- today, Tuesday, December 5, is the deadline to register for the Writers’ League of Texas online class: Whose Story Is It? Playing with Point of View, with Stephanie Noll.

Register by 5 p.m. today at the Writers League site and reopen your computers for the class itself, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., CST. The cost is $49 for Writers League members, $109 for nonmembers.

If you (like me) have another commitment tonight for which remaining glued to your screen would be rude, register anyway and access the class recording anytime through December 13.

Selecting the point of view (POV) for a story is vital to shaping the experience of your reader. The class will read and discuss excerpts of published works that use all possible points of view, including second person, discuss the advantages/disadvantages of each and complete writing exercises to let participants “try on” all perspectives and determine which is best for our own story.

Stephanie Noll is an author, teacher, and storyteller. For more on her and her take on POV, click here.