The Harvard Library in New York partners with the Chapman Perelman Foundation to present the Third Annual Young Readers Prize with guest speaker Fran Lebowitz

NEW YORK, May 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the Harvard Library in New York (HLNY) in partnership with the Chapman Perelman Foundation announced the winners of the Third Annual Young Readers Prize. The Young Readers Prize was awarded to three 8^th grade public school students:

• Amaris Asiedu, Success Academy Charter School Harlem
• Jessica Khan, Bronx Global Learning Institute
• Kasper Biggs, PS/IS 30 in Brooklyn

The prize is intended to recognize students who show a deep love of reading for its own sake – irrespective of academic or testing performance – and show thoughtfulness about what they read and how it impacts them. HLNY Board members Richard Chapman and daughter Dr. Anna Chapman spearheaded the effort to create the annual prize in 2017 as an opportunity encourage the next generations of thoughtful, young readers. 

Guest speaker Fran Lebowitz, American author and public speaker, addressed the importance of reading and the role that fiction has played in her life. The Chapman Perelman Foundation, along with the Sherman siblings in honor of their late father and Harvard alumnus, Julius Sherman, sponsored the award which includes a $250 gift certificate to Strand Book Store as well as a selection of books curated by Fran Lebowitz. Last year's guest speaker, author Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award Winner and National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, read from her award-winning book Brown Girl Dreaming.

"I'm so happy about the nice response we've gotten, and the momentum around this small award program. I hope the message reaches more and more young people – that reading will deepen the way they think and feel, and that that is a worthwhile life goal," said Dr. Anna Chapman.  

A celebration was held on Wednesday, May 22^nd at the Harvard Library's Gordon Reading Room, where the three selected students, Amaris Asiedu, Jessica Khan and Kasper Biggs, were announced and each awarded the Young Readers Prize. To be considered for the prestigious award, the students were asked to write a brief personal essay, responding to one of the following quotes. Essays are personal reflections on the quotes and bring in students' own life narratives and self-understanding.

• "We read to know we're not alone." – William Nicholson
• "The more that you read the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." – Dr. Seuss
• "Books are a uniquely portable magic." – Stephen King
• "Think before you speak. Read before you think." – Fran Lebowitz

"Books aren't just about entertainment or learning to read. Books teach you so much more. They teach you how to act, feel, and how to cope with hard feelings. I wouldn't be the same person I am today if it weren't for books," wrote Young Readers Prize recipient Kasper Biggs from PS/IS 30 in Brooklyn.

"When I read, I am optimistic and open minded and want to discover what message the author is trying to convey. When I open a book there is a sense of excitement because I know I will be transported to a world that is sometimes quite different from my own," wrote Jessica Khan, Young Readers Prize recipient from Bronx Global Learning Institute. "Books never cease to amaze because there is always something new and fresh about them."

"I open the book and as my eyes consume the words on every page. The black ink from the page dances around me. The world of reality disappears from around me as I fall down the rabbit hole of my imagination, an out of body experience. My spirit leaves the physical world I know and transports to a world full of fantasy, thriller, mystery, horror, the world of stories," wrote Young Readers Prize recipient, Amaris Asiedu from Success Academy Charter School Harlem.

About the Harvard Library of New York:

Since its founding, The Harvard Library in New York has remained true to its mission "to stimulate and maintain interest in good literature."

In addition to preserving and caring for all documents, memorabilia and literature relating to Harvard and Harvard Club members, the Library is home to a significant collection of rare books and archival materials. As a public benefit and a public service, the Library has made these documents available for research and scholarship to members of the Harvard extended community and to the broader community of scholars and researchers world-wide.

About The Chapman Perelman Foundation:

The Chapman Perelman Foundation, led by Dr. Anna Chapman and Ronald O. Perelman, provides financial and strategic support to innovative, early-stage initiatives. The foundation focuses on mental health and medical research, education, and environmental causes. Ronald O. Perelman is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, a company with interests in a diversified portfolio of public and private companies. The principal interests of MacAndrews & Forbes include in AM General, Deluxe Entertainment, Harland Clarke, Merisant, RetailMeNot, Revlon, Scantron, Scientific Games, SIGA Technologies, Valassis, and vTv Therapeutics.

Anna Chapman is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in private practice in New York City. She received her BA in English literature from Harvard University, her medical degree from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and completed her psychiatric residency at NYPH-Cornell. She serves on the voluntary faculty of New York Presbyterian Hospital, Cornell and Columbia campuses, where she does clinical supervision with the residents and teaches on the neurobiology of mental processes.

SOURCE The Chapman Perelman Foundation