NORFOLK, Neb. (Press Release) -- Several community groups have joined forces to sponsor youth literacy workshops in Norfolk.

The Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk Public Schools and the Norfolk Library Foundation are sponsoring workshops and assemblies led by award-winning author Christina Diaz Gonzalez. The author’s visit is supported in part by a grant from Humanities Nebraska. Read Aloud Norfolk is providing more than 100 complimentary copies of Gonzalez’s Golden Sower-nominated title, Invisible, to enhance participating students’ experience.

Edgar® award-winning & USA Today best-selling author, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, will appear at the Norfolk Public Junior High and the Norfolk Public Library. At the Junior High, she will share her motivation to write and her life as an author in an inspiring talk to all 7th and 8th graders. She will then lead small group writing workshops where students will brainstorm their own ideas, create multi-faceted characters, develop plot ideas, and craft an enticing opening to their new story.

The Norfolk Public Library is excited to bring Diaz Gonzalez to the community. She brings a unique yet relatable perspective to her writing. Whitney Porn, Youth Services Supervisor at Norfolk Public Library, praised her ability to write authentic and relatable stories for young people about young people. Invisible, she says, is about “fitting in, moving forward with life goals, and transitioning to high school.” The book’s graphic novel format engages readers of all abilities and eloquently handles bilingual dialogue. It has been described as “Breakfast Club” for middle schoolers, a must-read book that drives home the idea that we are all more than we appear to be on the surface.

Diaz Gonzalez’s appearance at the school will benefit all public school junior high students. To extend this opportunity to all students in our community, the Norfolk Public Library is hosting an additional free writing workshop by Diaz Gonzalez for students ages 8-19 on March 31 at 6 p.m. Registration is required for the event at the library.

The costs of author visits can be a barrier to many young people. This program would not be possible without the joint effort of our partners to remove financial barriers and provide enriching literacy opportunities for our community.

Diaz Gonzalez has stated that being an author isn’t something that many students, including herself at that age, think people like them can do. We hope to inspire our students with Diaz Gonzalez’s message of expressing oneself through writing.