MRA Café-Coffee and Conversations
Welcome to the May updates of the Massachusetts Reading Association. MRA Café is a monthly publication that connects our members, inspires joyful collegiality, shares insights into literacy education, and celebrates success stories.
May Reading Challenge
Brighter Day Press (click here for more information) has provided the May reading challenge book list! Take the challenge and read each book for each day in May!
New Executive Board
Celebrate Literacy Award
VICKY TITCOMB: Owner of Titcomb’s Bookshop in East Sandwich, Vicky is more than a bookseller; she is a devoted steward of Cape Cod’s literary culture. Vicky has spent over three decades transforming a historic family business into a vital hub for literacy advocacy across the Cape. Her dedication extends to the next generation through partnerships with local schools and the establishment of the Ralph and Nancy Titcomb Prize in Literature at Sandwich High School, which specifically honors students with a passion for the humanities. Through her tireless efforts, she ensures that the written word remains a vibrant cornerstone of community life. Vicky was nominated by Cape Cod Reading Council.
Vicky received her award at the conference on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
Pictured left to right: Celebrate Literacy Co-Chairs Kim Kelley and Holly Banusiewicz, Vicky Titcomb, MRA Immediate Past President Adam Brieske-Ulenski.
2026 Children’s Literature Award
Carmen Agra Deedy receives an inscribed Revere Bowl presented by Author Co-chairs Sherry Alleman and Nancy Verdolino
at the MRA Conference on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Carmen Agra Deedy, a 2026 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Nominee, is an award-winning author of sixteen books for young readers, including The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!, Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, Rita and Ralph’s Rotten Day, and 14 Cows for America, a New York Times Bestseller. Her latest books are Wombat Said Come In, released in October 2022; Carina Felina, released in August 2023; and The Peanut Man, released in March 2025.Her personal stories first appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered. Funny, insightful, and frequently irreverent, Deedy’s narratives are culled from her childhood as a Cuban refugee in Decatur, Georgia. She hosts the four-time Emmy-winning children’s program, Love That Book!Deedy is also an accomplished lecturer. She has been a guest speaker at the Library of Congress, Columbia University, the TED and TEDx Conferences, and the Kennedy Center, among other distinguished venues. An editor and lifelong advocate for libraries, she previously served on the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.
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David A. Kelly is the author of the Ballpark Mysteries series which follows cousins Kate and Mike as they solve mysteries at different Major League Ballparks across the country.
Jack’s Abby, 100 Clinton Street, Framingham. Appetizers, Gourmet Pizzas, Salad, & Dessert. Cash Bar. Nobscot Reading Council Members $20, Non Members $25
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Southeast Regional Reading Council (SERRC)
Join us for a literacy-filled day, Books at Buttonwood Zoo with your family!
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Please join us as Dea discusses From Reading to Evidence: Teaching Students to Analyze, Cite, and Write with Purpose.
Dan’l Webster Inn & Spa, 149 Main Street, Sandwich, MA. Hearty Hors d’oeuvres. Cash Bar. $25
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IJoin author and former classroom teacher Megan Litwin to explore the layers within picture books and the countless profound ways they can impact classrooms and students of all ages.
Workshop - $15 includes GBC Annual Membership
Thank you for your dedication to literacy. Together, we can ensure every student becomes a confident and capable reader, writer, and learner.
MRA information
The Massachusetts Reading Association is a professional non-profit organization of individuals whose primary purpose is to improve the quality and level of literacy in the state of Massachusetts. The MRA is affiliated with the International Literacy Association (ILA), a worldwide literacy organization. Our Mission The mission of the Massachusetts Reading Association is to promote literacy for all learners through professional development, research, publications, and advocacy.