General Questions

• What is Sarabande in Education?
• What is the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund?

Participation

• How do I become part of the Sarabande in Education program?
• I do not teach Contemporary Literature, Composition, or Creative Writing, but I still feel as if my students would benefit from studying one of your authors. Can my class become part of the Sarabande in Education program?
• I am a teacher at a high school, but feel as if my students are capable of handling college-level material. Can I become part of the Sarabande in Education program?
• I would like my classroom to participate in Sarabande in Education, but I can/will not be ordering books for the entire class. Can I still participate?
• I am an individual who is not in a Sarabande in Education class, but I am still interested in participating. Is this possible?

Author/Title Questions

• I am interested in several of your featured authors, but I cannot decide which one is best for my students to study. What might help me choose an author for my classroom?
• I would like to feature two or more Sarabande in Education authors in my classroom? Is this possible?
• Despite having contact with authors on the net, I would still like to schedule a live author reading at my university. How should I go about doing that?

Teacher/Student Feedback

• I have drafted a sample syllabus for one of the Sarabande authors and feel as if it would be useful to other teachers. How can I go about posting my syllabus?
• I have completed a class with the Sarabande in Education program and would like to post a comment/testimonial on the site. How do I go about doing this?

What is Sarabande in Education?

Sarabande in Education is an interactive, Web-based educational program designed for the benefit of literature, creative writing, and English instructors and their students at the collegiate level. This initiative provides classrooms all over the nation with two resources we think essential to the learning process: reader's guides created by the Sarabande authors and virtual, real-time access to the authors themselves.

The program begins with the instructor. Professors may request desk copies of any Sarabande title. Should the book be adopted for study, all educational aids on our Website are available for use, free of charge.

The online reader's guides are designed and assembled to include all the necessary supplemental materials for a thorough academic study of each of our titles. The questions, reading suggestions, and exercises found in our reader's guides come directly from the source – each is a specialized companion written by the author of the book.

Included in these online guides are:

• Author biographies and interviews
• Reviews of the author's book
• Questions posed by the author for the student reader
• Sample syllabi
• Key excerpts from the book
• Further suggested reading
• Possible essay topics
• Creative writing exercises
• Links to other Web resources

In addition, when a professor adopts a Sarabande book, he or she is given access to an online chat area in which we help to schedule a live, online interview with the author.

One of the primary goals of the SIE program is to increase readership for Sarabande and other independent press titles by demonstrating to students that writers write for a real audience and with a real purpose. SIE is not intended to be an online class; we believe that there is no substitute for the scholarship and pedagogy that takes place in the classroom. Sarabande in Education is an aid to the educational environment, a tool designed to inspire students of the online generation to delve deeper into the literature they are studying.

What is the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund?

The Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund invests in programs that enhance the cultural life of communities and encourage people to make the arts and culture an active part of their everyday lives. It funds efforts to build audiences for the performing, visual, literary, and folk arts, and supports programs to improve literacy instruction for adults and for the creation and improvement of urban parks.

The Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund awarded Sarabande Books a three-year grant of $71,284 to fund Go Write to the Source: Sarabande in Education. "Our goal is to build audiences for literature by helping publishers who produce high quality works connect directly with readers through the Internet, in book discussion groups at public libraries, and direct sales in neighborhood convenience stores," said the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund president Christine DeVita. "Not only are these publishers known for their quality, but they are able to reach niche audiences, especially diverse readers of all ages." According to the 1998 Grantmaking Report from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the Fund "made grants totaling $2.4 million to help nonprofit publishers of high-quality works undertake new editorial and marketing strategies." The ten publishers chosen by the Fund for these grants are described as "the best in the field" and as having "well established track records for artistic excellence and innovation."

The fund is now administrated under the direction of the Wallace Foundation, whose stated goal is to "strengthen education leadership, arts participation and out-of-school learning." For more information, visit their Website at http://www.wallacefoundation.org.

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How do I become part of the Sarabande in Education program?

This project focuses on Contemporary Literature, Composition, and Creative Writing classrooms at four-year colleges and universities. The support package is available to professors who adopt a Sarabande title. For a desk copy and site password, contact Nickole Brown, Director of Marketing and Development, through the "contact us" link at the top of the page.

I do not teach Contemporary Literature, Composition, or Creative Writing, but I still feel as if my students would benefit from studying one of your authors. Can my class become part of the Sarabande in Education program?

Yes, Sarabande in Education welcomes diversified areas of study outside of traditional writing and literature programs. Women's Studies, Cultural Studies (Hispanic and African-American), or Social History are all areas which might be able to successfully incorporate one of our titles into the classroom.

I am a teacher at a high school, but feel as if my students are capable of handling college-level material. Can I become part of the Sarabande in Education program?

Yes, some Sarabande in Education's titles might be quite suitable for advanced readers at the high school level. Please note, however, that a few of our titles might contain a level of difficulty and controversial matter that may pose a problem in secondary schooling. To receive a sample copy of a title for review, simply contact us.

I would like my classroom to participate in Sarabande in Education, but I can/will not be ordering books for the entire class. Can I still participate?

No. This program is designed for total classroom participation, and access to our author chats is a benefit of adopting the title for the entire class.

I am an individual who is not in a Sarabande in Education class, but I am still interested in participating. Is this possible?

No. While Sarabande would be happy to send you additional information about authors, the program is for classroom study only.

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I am interested in several of your featured authors, but I cannot decide which one is best for my students to study. What might help me choose an author for my classroom?

The best way to decide which one is best for your students would be to first look at their author information. If you are still at a loss, direct your questions or concerns to Nickole Brown, Marketing Director of Sarabande Books, through the "contact us" link at the top of the page.

I would like to feature two or more Sarabande in Education authors in my classroom. Is this possible?

Yes, providing the course load isn't too much for the class, there should be no reason why you can't adopt as many titles as you like. Just make sure to plan well in advance to schedule live author interviews.

Despite having contact with authors on the internet, I would still like to schedule a live author reading at my university. How should I go about doing that?

Contact Nickole Brown, Marketing Director of Sarabande Books, through the "contact us" link at the top of the page.

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I have drafted a sample syllabus for one of the Sarabande authors and feel as if it would be useful to other teachers. How can I go about posting my syllabus?

Please mail a copy of your syllabus to Sarah Gorham, Sarabande Books, 2234 Dundee Road, Suite 200, Louisville, KY 40205. We'll take a serious look at your syllabus, and if it is helpful, post it on our Website.

I have completed a class with the Sarabande in Education program and would like to post a comment or testimonial on the site. How do I go about doing this?

Comments and testimonials are always welcome. E-mail or mail them directly to us through the "contact us" link at the top of the page so that we can post it on a non-password protected area of the site for all to read.

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