Local teacher and author Creola Thomas is turning her works of fiction into an engaging, interactive experience for Austin children.
Starting at 11 a.m. on June 28 at the North Austin branch of the Chicago Public Library, Thomas is launching an updated version of Books Not Bullets – programming designed to make reading more engaging for kids. Though Thomas has previously hosted readings of excerpts from her five books, this will be the first time she’s inviting other artists to join her and enhancing the experience for young people through music, dancing and costumes.
The North Austin branch library is at 5724 W. North Ave.
“It’s not just a reading series. This is making reading engaging through music, through acting, through role-playing,” Thomas, who teaches at DRW College Prep in North Lawndale, told Austin Weekly News.
Thomas was inspired to start Books Not Bullets from her own childhood relationship with literature. She grew up in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood, where she said reading helped her to escape.
“The portal to other worlds came through books. That altered my view on life because I felt hopeless. I know what it’s like to feel like you’re never going to get out of this, you’re just not smart enough, you’re just a lot of ‘nots,’” Thomas said. “I know that books can open up doors to a whole new way of seeing and viewing things.”
Thomas attended Edward Jenner Elementary in Cabrini-Green and later taught there alongside Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson before moving to the West Side to continue teaching. Throughout her career, Thomas has found herself drawn to helping children with learning difficulties.
“I really have a passion for teaching kids that have problems with reading and writing because I kind of struggled in that area myself growing up, and because I was a quiet kid, it was unrecognized for a while,” Thomas said. “Even though I love to write – that’s a part of my passion – my greatest passion is to see kids read again.”
Books Not Bullets is partnering with Chicago Public Schools’ Faith-Based Initiatives, which will be providing free books to give to children who attend programming. The libraries are largely responsible for bringing kids to Books Not Bullets. For example, on July 16 at the Austin branch, the reading experience will take place during the library’s day camp.
Thomas said she hopes to put on Books Not Bullets at the Douglass branch library, her own Chicago Public Library location, later this year, and bring it to the King branch library on Chicago’s South Side in August.
Though Thomas will read excerpts from her own stories at Books Not Bullets, she’ll also turn other authors’ works into interactive performances.
Thomas has written five books. Her latest one, “Stop Being Weird: 5 Simple Steps Toward Wholeness for Christian Singles,” came out last month. Through narratives, the book offers guidance on how to be at peace without a significant other. Thomas reads excerpts from the book every Sunday at her church.
Thomas was writing one of her young adult fantasy books when one of her students at DRW College Prep was killed. In honor of that 14-year-old, and several other students that were killed at her school, Thomas launched Books Not Bullets.
The most recent of these, “Adventures with the Shortiez: Portal to the Unknown World,” is the third in the series and follows West Side middle schoolers who find themselves in trouble before discovering access to a supernatural world.
Also, as a part of Books Not Bullets, Thomas is hosting a competition to give away a free laptop or two. Anyone who reads Thomas’ books, which are in Chicago Public Libraries, and completes a form online, will be entered to win a computer.