Staten Island OutLOUD is a community reading, dialogue & performance project…
We host a continuing series of grass-roots readings of world classics, historic texts and other compelling works.
Most events are intimate participatory readings; some are larger stage performances with music and dance. We meet in historic sites, nature preserves, delis, bookshops, museums, galleries, public housing projects, on the beach, on trains and on the Ferry, in libraries, parks & playgrounds, cafes, community centers, and in churches, mosques, synagogues and temples.
Our events draw diverse, inter-generational participation. In addition to our year-round series of readings & performances for all ages, we host a variety of programs for youth, thus nurturing a new generation of readers & writers. We also offer Memoirs OutLOUD, a creative writing workshop for adults. We’re all volunteers and we operate on a shoestring. Our events are free & open to the public. To get involved, just show up!
Here’s What They’re Saying About Staten Island OutLOUD
“Your dialogue on the Liberian civil war made me feel like an eyewitness to history.”
“Thank you for Moby Dick OutLOUD. I had goosebumps as I listened to that wonderful story – a mystical ambiance.
There is a spell you cast – the only word for it: Gifted.”
“You have a knack for inspiring ordinary people to expand their horizons.”
“Sojourner Truth was stirring. The readers were great – neighbors sharing history.”
“Your programming shows a concrete grasp of diversity and a deep understanding of history.
There must be a profound humanitarian impulse driving all this activity.”
Honors and Awards
- National Endowment for the Arts – The Big Read: 2011-2022
- NAACP Humanitarian Award
- NAACP Founder’s Day Award
- Women of Achievement – Staten Island Advance
- Staten Island Arts (aka Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island – COAHSI)
- COAHSI Achievement in the Arts & Humanities Award
- Staten Island Arts Encore Awards
- SI Historical Society – Literary Leadership Award
- Greenbelt Conservancy – Stewardship Award
- New York State Council on the Arts
- New York State Council on the Humanities
- World of Women Community Service Award
- Coalition of Staten Island Women’s Organizations
- College of Staten Island Liberty Partnership Award
- Soroptimist International of Staten Island
- Citizens for NYC Building Blocks Award