READ3Zero Literacy Foundation Announces Release of First Annual Short-Story Anthology, Recognizing 45 Newly Published Students from Texas

Online, October 25, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Building on their foundational and structural pillars of Literacy, Creativity and Learning, READ3Zero will honor each of the Texas based students in a public book signing ceremony where the students will receive certificates of accomplishment, read excerpts from their newly published stories and sign the newly released book before their family, friends and community supporters.

Founded in 2009 by children's author and public speaker, Melissa M. Williams (LongTale Publishing) and her co-founder, author and motivational speaker, Bobby Ozuna (Ozuna Publications) READ3zero has embarked on a mission to help enhance the learning experiences of children through creative endeavors. Using creative writing workshops, illustration camps, song-writing workshops and school lectures, READ3Zero has found a niche for enticing the internal desires in children to learn outside the classroom, by first using and utilizing the tools which have been instilled by the educational system.

The READ3Zero Literacy Foundation was created as a means for co-founders, Melissa M. Williams and Bobby Ozuna, to share aspects of the literary and publishing world, to help influence the lives of children to learn outside the classroom and offer a means for children to utilize their creative desires to establish successful patterns for their future. The tagline, "Conquering illiteracy together...30 minutes as a time" is the outward projected message READ3Zero wishes to convey within communities, encouraging adults to read 30 minutes a day with a child to help conquer childhood illiteracy. Also, READ3Zero offers a means for communities to partake in activities that inspire a greater sense of learning, such as their creative writing, illustration and song-writing workshops. Knowing children will be more apt to learn if their own creative desires are nurtured, READ3Zero offers school lectures to groups of children, grades third and higher, reiterating the importance of reading, writing and learning, and more so, cooperating with their educators as a means to learn necessary tools for creating success. The creative writing workshops offer a means for children to learn how to think independently, while focusing on necessary literary skills acquired while in the classroom. Children are forded the opportunity to write stories and poetry for submission to the READ3Zero annual short-story contest: "I-Write." Children with a greater desire for art are allowed to submit drawings for publication within the anthology and one child will win the cover-art contest, where their artwork will decorate and adorn the cover to the annual anthology. This contest is presently open to all children in the US, grades third through eighth. Presently, all of the children in this first book are from the state of Texas. Organizations, businesses and community members are able to help fund the efforts of READ3Zero by donating contributions to the creative efforts to support future projects. Educational institutions are able to support READ3Zero by booking author school visits or using the "I-Write" contest as a means to encourage extra credit and classroom/community participation. Information regarding READ3Zero and the 2011 "I-Write" contest, author visits/school booking, and means to contribute to the efforts of READ3Zero can be found on the foundations homepage: www.READ3Zero.com.

One of the primary creative projects of READ3Zero is the annual short-story contest, I-Write. The contest is designed to locate children with a creative knack for writing and illustrating, and feature their work in the short-story anthology: I-Write: Short-Stories, By Kids, For Kids. This anthology is available for purchase to the public, using standard publishing channels, such as bookstores, direct purchase through the publisher (LongTale Publishing) and online retailers, such as Amazon.com. This anthology is hosted by contest, where children, in cooperation and help from their parents, guardians and teachers, can download story guidelines and submit a written copy of their story for judging. Upon notification, winners are announced and READ3Zero, with a house of volunteers-the I-Serve team-begin the editorial process, polishing stories for publication. A cover-art contest is held in conjunction with story submissions, where one winner is selected and that child's art is used as the cover design for the new book. Story-submissions are accepted in the winter and winners are announced in late spring, before the standard school-year ends. This year, 45 children, grades third through eighth, are being honored in this first anthology and their efforts will be recognized and celebrated in a mass public book signing ceremony. The front cover art was designed by a 7th grade student and the back cover art was designed by an 8th grade student, both of whom are from Houston, Texas.

The first annual short-story anthology, I-Write: Short-Stories, By Kids, For Kids, will be released and unveiled to the public and the newly published authors and illustrators, on Saturday, November 13th, 2010 in Houston, Texas. This Literacy and Book Signing Event will take place at The School at St. George Place at 5430 Hidalgo Street, Houston, Texas 77056 at 1:00pm. The Awards Ceremony will offer individual recognition in a certificate of excellence to each student author and illustrator followed by individual reading times at 1:45pm. Autographing will follow the awards ceremony at 3:00pm for the first Book Signing Group and 3:30pm for the second Book Signing Group. Refreshments and celebration will accompany the event. This event is scheduled to close at 4:00PM.

Student Honorees

Authors

•Logan Hibbeler, Smith Middle School / Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston, Texas
•Shannon Kummer, Aragon Middle School / Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston, Texas
•Morgan Mayer, Aragon Middle School / Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston, Texas
•Benjamin Snyder, Smith Middle School / Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston, Texas
•Gabby Torres, Goodson Middle School / Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston, Texas
•Jessica Ullrich, Hamilton Middle School / Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston, Texas
•Maryam Vessalpour, Aragon Middle School / Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston, Texas
•Sarah Young, Aragon Middle School / Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston, Texas
•Stephanie Bassey, Sugar Mill Elementary / Fort Bend ISD, Sugarland, Texas
•Danyal Chhapra, Sugar Mill Elementary / Fort Bend ISD, Sugarland, Texas
•Jay Daryanani, Sugar Mill Elementary / Fort Bend ISD, Sugarland, Texas
•Ayesha Khan, Sugar Mill Elementary / Fort Bend ISD, Sugarland, Texas
•Jordan Farber, Sugar Mill Elementary / Fort Bend ISD, Sugarland, Texas
•Jaanita Mehrani, Sugar Mill Elementary / Fort Bend ISD, Sugarland, Texas
•Prashanth Pai, Sugar Mill Elementary / Fort Bend ISD, Sugarland, Texas
•Riya Solanki, Sugar Mill Elementary / Fort Bend ISD, Sugarland, Texas
•Avni Vora, Sugar Mill Elementary / Fort Bend ISD, Sugarland, Texas
•Carson Wetsel, Sugar Mill Elementary / Fort Bend ISD, Sugarland, Texas
•Jacob Bons, Grandview Intermediate / Grandview ISD, Grandview, Texas
•Kamryn Flores, Grandview Intermediate / Grandview ISD, Grandview, Texas
•Kylee Flores, Grandview Intermediate / Grandview ISD, Grandview, Texas
•Brianna Furman, Grandview Intermediate / Grandview ISD, Grandview, Texas
•Tanner Huffman, Grandview Intermediate / Grandview ISD, Grandview, Texas
•Zuhayr Ali, School at St. George Place / Houston ISD, Houston, Texas
•Isha Borkar, School at St. George Place / Houston ISD, Houston, Texas
•Ariana Burke, School at St. George Place / Houston ISD, Houston, Texas
•Ariana Chalajour, School at St. George Place / Houston ISD, Houston, Texas
•Samantha Fuentes, School at St. George Place / Houston ISD, Houston, Texas
•Nikki Johnson, School at St. George Place / Houston ISD, Houston, Texas
•Zoe Lovelace, School at St. George Place / Houston ISD, Houston, Texas
•Doonya Tabibi, School at St. George Place / Houston ISD, Houston, Texas
•Katie Kelton, Bridlewood Elementary / Lewisville ISD, Flowermound, Texas
•Dominic Ozuna, Harper Elementary / Princeton ISD, Princeton, Texas
•Kai Mangrum, Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet / Sunnyvale ISD, Dallas, Texas
•Taylor McClure, St. Vincent de Paul / Houston, Texas
•Jilia Tremont, St. Vincent de Paul / Houston, Texas
•Lauren Wolfe, St. Vincent de Paul / Houston, Texas
•Caroline Worchesik, Homeschool, Houston, Texas
•Daniel Yohe, Ecole Emmanuel Homeschool, Houston, Texas

Illustrators

•Girija Chatufale, St. Stephens Episcopal School, Houston, Texas
•Eamon Eaves, St. Stephens Episcopal School, Houston, Texas
•Shelby Thomas, Lutheran South Academy, Houston, Texas

Cover Artist

•Caisa Doyle, St. Stephens Episcopal School, Houston, Texas
•Erin Long, St. Stephens Episcopal School, Houston, Texas