MRA Café-Coffee and Conversations
Welcome to the September 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.
September Reading Challenge
The Boyden Library (click here for more information) has provided the following September reading challenge book list! How many can you read this month?
Summer Leadership Celebration!
MRA’s Board Members recently had the privilege of hearing from Dennis Magliozzi and Kristina Peterson at our Summer Leadership Workshop. They talked about best practices to ethically use AI in the classroom. The authors of AI in the Writing Workshop: Finding the Right Balance work with educators to explore ways in which AI can be incorporated into the classroom without compromising the integrity of their work. Our 55th MRA Annual Conference is featuring these talented educators for the Pre-Conference Institute on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. It is not to be missed!
Patricia Crain de Galarce, Susan Flis, Nancy Witherell, Mary Weatherby, Sherry Alleman, and Terrie Marr received the Sister Madelon Award for their Local Councils.
SAVE THE DATE-MRA 2026 CONFERENCE
MRA Awards Spotlight
Celebrate Literacy Award
Nominate candidates who have shown exemplary accomplishments in any of the following areas maybe suggested for consideration:
Direct literacy teaching
Organizing local literacy programs
Promoting public support for enhancing literacy
Producing teaching materials or special media for literacy programs
Conducting literacy research
Providing young people the opportunity to help in literacy activities
Conducting informal literacy activities of a social, cultural, economic, or political nature, in which literacy activities are included
Reminder: Members of the MRA Board and Advisory Group are not eligible for nomination. Applications must be completed in entirety to be considered.
Nominations deadline: January 31, 2026
Upcoming Events and Programming
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The Salem Literary Festival aims to inspire and promote literacy and a love of books and reading by creating connections through sharing stories. Held over one weekend each fall, the Salem Literary Festival hosts readings, writing workshops, panel discussions, and artistic expression in music, theater, dance, etc.
Lit Fest primarily features local and regional authors of recently published work, some of whom have an international audience. Held in historic venues in and around Salem, Lit Fest unites published authors and book lovers, and encourages aspiring writers. Sponsored in part by Massachusetts Center for the Book.
To view the schedule, go to https://salemlitfest.org/.
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Porter Square Books is excited to welcome Josh Funk for the release of Whodonut?: A Holiday Mystery and a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the first book in the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series.
This event will take place at our CAMBRIDGE store. We offer validated parking in the lot on Roseland St. behind Lesley's University Hall. See parking details below.
RSVP to let us know you're coming and to receive event updates!*
*Please note that you will not receive a confirmation email. However, we will send a reminder email one day before the event. Please check your spam folder if you do not see the pre-event email reminder. Better yet, add events@portersquarebooks.com to your safe sender list to avoid PSB event emails going to spam!
ABOUT WHODONUT?: A HOLIDAY MYSTERY
The seventh book in the popular picture book series featuring Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast—with a holiday twist!
The day has come for the unveiling of the newest Miss Maple book, and Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast have been invited to the very first reading on Holiday Eve! Around the room, everyone is filled with excitement and holiday cheer as they wait for Agatha Crispy to open the book to the first page.
But when the lights go out and the book goes missing, everyone becomes a suspect. As the party splits up to search the mansion, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast team up once again.
Will they be able to follow the clues and save the ending to the Miss Maple series, or will the culprit be at large . . . forever?ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Josh Funk is a software engineer and the author of books like the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, How to Code a Sandcastle, Dear Unicorn, Dear Dragon, My Pet Feet, the It's Not a Fairy Tale series, Lost in the Library, and more. His books have sold more than half a million copies worldwide and been translated into a dozen languages. He has presented (and virtually presented) at over 850 schools and libraries in the last decade since his first book was released. For more about Josh, visit joshfunkbooks.com and @joshfunkbooks on socials.
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From the acclaimed author of the young adult graphic novel Flamer comes a heartwarming story following four gay Asians navigating love, identity, and friendship—a celebration of queer chosen family.
When AJ moves to Seattle in the early aughts, he’s ready to reinvent himself as a gay Asian man—but his dreams hit reality fast with no friends, no job, and an apartment so far out, “not even lesbians live there.” Then a spilled drink at a bar introduces him to K, a glamorous drag queen; John, a shy gamer; and Steven, a reckless flirt. AJ’s “Boy Luck Club” helps him find love, pride, and belonging—until a brutal attack tests everything they know about friendship and family.
Meticulously observed and gorgeously illustrated, Gaysians is a fierce, funny, and tender story of queer resilience and self-discovery.
“I’ve been hunting for books like this my whole life; this story broke my heart and healed it.”—Maia Kobabe, author of Gender QueerAbout the Author
Mike Curato an author and illustrator of books for children, teens, and adults. He is best known for his Little Elliot picture book series and his young adult graphic novel, Flamer, which was released to critical acclaim and received several honors including the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Young Adult, the 2021 Massachusetts Book Award for Young Adult, and was listed as one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020. Flamer also has the distinction of being one of the most banned and challenged books in the United States, and Mike has become a fierce advocate of free speech. Gaysians is his adult graphic novel debut.
Time
7:00pm - 8:00pm (EDT)
Location
Odyssey Bookshop
9 College Street, South Hadley, MA 01075
South Hadley, MA US
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Date: Thursday, October 9, 2025
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Three V Restaurant, Plymouth, MA
Space Will Be Limited
Click Here to RSVPIn our time together, we will:
Connect both explicit instruction and an integrated approach to best support reading and writing development
Understand the links between handwriting, keyboarding, and overall literacy success
Examine the importance of a multisensory literacy approach to meet the diverse learning styles and needs of students
Join us to learn how integrating these skills can have a lifelong impact on PreK-Grade 5 students’ literacy development.
Brought to you by:
South Shore & Cape Cod Reading Councils
Sponsored by:
Learning Without Tears
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CAPE COD READING COUNCIL Fall Kickoff!!
Author ELLY SWARTZ: Courage, Connection, Compassion ~ Changing Lives One Book at a Time4:30-6:00 PM - Dan’l Webster Inn & Spa, 149 Main Street, Sandwich, MA 02563
Hors d’oeuvres, CCRC Annual Membership, Socializing and Presentation ~ $25To register and pay online, please click on QR CODE or here: CCRC Fall Kickoff
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Join us for a dynamic professional development session focused on integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into your literacy instruction. We'll delve into the three UDL principles- Multiple Mean of Representation, Action & Expression, and Engagement- and brainstorm concrete was to apply them to common literacy tasks like reading comprehension, argumentative writing, vocabulary acquisition, and more. Leave with a toolkit of practical strategies and resources to differentiate instruction proactively and empower all students to become confident and capable communicators.
Virtual Presentation
Time: 4:30- 6:00PM
Presenter: Dr. Amy Mercado
Join Our Councils!
Please take a look at the map above and consider joining your local council as a member or become involved in the board! You can visit the local council’s website or email the president directly to express your interest today! Our councils are the grassroots movement of MRA and they are the life of the organization. Our councils put on almost 90% of the events from MRA across the Commonwealth yearly! It is dedicated volunteers like you that make us thrive, connected, and become established. We NEED YOU!!! Please take a look at where you live and join your local council today!
Berkshire
Please email for information:
Cape Cod
President: Mary Weatherby
mary.weatherby@comcast.net
Website
Greater Boston
President: Jeanne Conley, Liz Colantuonio
Merrimack Valley
Merrimack Council is currently inactive. If you have an interest in leading literacy initiatives in your area, please contact MRA at info@massreading.org
Nobscot
Presidents: Marley Jallah-Deveaux, Kathy Renfrew
North Shore
North Shore Council is currently inactive. If you have an interest in leading literacy initiatives in your area, please contact MRA at info@massreading.org
Pioneer Valley
President: Sherry Sausville
sausville@stcc.edu
Christina.borgatti@gmail.com
SERRC
President: Kaitlin Donahue
South Shore
President: Kerri Fuller
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.
