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People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos is a grassroots humanities program designed to create an enjoyable and enriching experience with literature for those who are not presently reading it independently. In our program, short stories of literary merit are read aloud and discussed using our well-developed method that draws upon the life experiences of basic readers to understand literature. Participants, often people who have had less access to education, are introduced to difficult texts in a reading and discussion that brings forth their inherent abilities to tackle topics usually reserved for the college classroom. The structured dialogues that develop encourage participants to move beyond stereotypes, communicate better across racial and cultural differences, refine critical and analytical thinking skills, and lead to a sense of mastery and accomplishment as challenging issues and texts are examined in rigorous ways. Because the chosen stories are complex in the way life is complex, coming to know and appreciate these texts can lead to the perception of wider and, therefore, more liberating choices. Participants, who are often at challenging crossroads in their lives, are thus encouraged to take tangible steps toward greater empowerment such as pursuing previously intimidating educational or vocational venues.


The poet Stanley Kunitz has recently observed that the stories we find in literature "recount the soul's passage through the valley of this life - that is to say, its adventure in time, in history." He goes on to lament that these stories are largely "relegated to the classroom," and suggests that "it would be healthier if we (writers) could locate ourselves in the thick of life, at every intersection where values and meanings cross, caught in the dangerous traffic between self and universe." This is precisely where People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos locates itself - in the "thick of life," where people in local community centers or social service organizations are not presently enjoying their rightful inheritance, powerful stories that touch the core of our humanity.

Gente y Cuentos Program - El Centro de Recursos, Trenton