The Rhymer's Corner welcomes...Flowers with the Tea, book club.

Vlog:

Aspects of adult literacy awareness...

Written by A.Abyla Lloyd

While working with emerging small business owners from Black and Brown communities, I discovered that many faced significant intellectual challenges when managing and operating their companies. One of the most pressing obstacles was illiteracy, particularly in reading and writing.

Though many people perceive me as a devoted extrovert, the truth is, I’m a self-proclaimed nerd. I can easily lose myself for hours in a library, flipping through bookshelves and immersing myself in texts. However, during college, I realized that despite my passion for learning, my writing skills were at the level of a 9th grader. This was an uncomfortable truth, especially when I received critical feedback from professors who tore apart my written work. As disheartening as it was, it served as a wake-up call.

Fortunately, Northern Illinois University offered writing support services that played a pivotal role in my development. With their help, I improved my writing skills significantly, ultimately enabling me to complete my degree in economics. This experience taught me the importance of support systems in overcoming intellectual barriers and strengthened my understanding of the challenges faced by small business owners in similar situations.

A.Abyla Lloyd holding a notebook sold in her online store, "Beautifully IAMME."

Adult reading and writing literacy awareness refers to the recognition and understanding of the importance of literacy skills—specifically, reading and writing—in the lives of adults. This awareness is critical in promoting educational programs and resources that support adults in improving these skills, which are fundamental for personal, professional, and business intellectual development. Literacy awareness among adults includes acknowledging the need for literacy across various contexts, from daily tasks like reading instructions or bills to more complex ones like workplace communication, civic participation, and lifelong learning.

This is why I have started a digital book club, Flowers with the Tea, sponsored by The Rhymer's Corner with A.Abyla Lloyd where individuals break away from their cell phones to read a book and meet to sip their favorite tea and discuss whether the book deserves its flowers or to give the book to the weeds.

Resources:

Adult learning programs "It starts with you. You can do it."

Chicago:

https://www.chipublib.org/resources-for-adult-learning/

https://www.literacychicago.org/adult-literacy.html

Detroit:

https://detroitpubliclibrary.org/services/adult-literacy-ged

https://detroitliteracy.org/

Las Vegas:

https://thelibrarydistrict.org/adult-learning/

https://nevadaadulteducation.org/Students/Adult-Basic-Education-Programs/Adult-Language-and-Literacy-Programs

Los Angelas: