Presented at the HipHopEd 2023 Conference in Bronx, New York For spoken-word poets and lovers of spoken-word poetry, this interactive workshop models ways to have conversations in classrooms and community spaces regarding identity through metacognitive observation and spoken-word poetry. Participants had an opportunity to consider their own identities and visions for the world at both individual and global levels. Presented by Dr. Anderson P. Smith

Double Presentation on: "(Re)defining Self Through Literature: Digital Book Clubs for Vulnerable Populations" and "Digital Bibliotherapy: (Re)humanization from Incarceration Through an Online Book Club" presented that the World Literacy Summit 2023 in Oxford. UK on April 4, 2023. Drawing on culturally sustaining pedagogical theories and bibliotherapy, the presenters will provide research that supports these innovative spaces to build community, enhance literacies, and deepen readers’ involvement in social justice engagements. Also, discover how a group of strangers from three different time zones with the shared experience of incarceration became a digital book club community that uplifts each member's personal and cultural knowledge with the text and ultimately strengthens their social and emotional development. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019), adolescents 15-24 spend on average seven minutes per day reading for enjoyment. Yet, they engage with media and digital literacies for over three hours for leisure per day. Further, a Pew study (2021) found that 85% of teens use YouTube, 72% Instagram, 69% Snapchat, and 51% Facebook. Pew’s research also discovered that 95% of youth have access to smartphones while 88% to a desk or laptop, with 45% saying they were online “almost constantly”. Given these statistics, as educators, we must consider robust pedagogical methods that bring together students’ interests and their digital knowledge to bridge the divides between home and school. In this workshop, Drs. Polleck and Smith will share research and practical ways educators can use digital book clubs in their classrooms and community spaces to engage culturally, linguistically, and neurologically diverse readers. Drawing on culturally sustaining pedagogical theories and bibliotherapy, the presenters will provide research that supports these kinds of innovative spaces to build community, enhance literacies, and deepen readers’ involvement in social justice engagements. The presenters will share their scholarship and practical activities that educators can use to conduct digital book clubs with diverse communities in synchronous and asynchronous forums (Polleck & Smith, 2021). This workshop will be interactive, and participants will have multiple opportunities to read diverse texts, engage with technology, and apply their learnings to their own classroom spaces.