September 2026

Only a few days until our book fair this Saturday, September 26!

Please share with students, neighbors, and friends — we'll be inside the mall, outside Crate & Barrel and the Discoveries Library, with thousands of gently used books of all genres.

Don't miss our raffle baskets, filled with prizes such as delicious wines, restaurant gift cards, and much more.

Thank you to reading enthusiasts for donating from throughout Anne Arundel County, and to the local businesses supporting the book fair with sponsorships and gifts. We couldn't do this without such generosity and the work of our team of summer volunteers who coordinated, collected, sorted, and stored books.

All proceeds will benefit our free adult tutoring programs.

I hope to see you there. Please invite your students and their families.

Many thanks for all you do,

Jane



Jane Seiss, Executive Director 

Anne Arundel County Literacy Council

director@aaclc.org

AACLC Tutor Runs Creative Writing Workshop at Jennifer Road Detention Center

A Literacy Council tutor recently launched a creative writing workshop for women at the Jennifer Road Detention Center. She shares about this special offering:

Guiding a creative writing workshop for women at the Jennifer Road Detention Center, affirms the extraordinary power and beauty of the human imagination. Writing includes paragraphs written during the session and short stories assigned for the next meeting. Reading aloud their writings, the young women share their vision of worlds imagined and plots of intrigue with vivid descriptions, cliffhangers, and surprise endings. Rewarding and inspirational, this volunteer experience celebrates the resilience and creativity of the human imagination.

Resource material: PEN America's "The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting A Writer's Life in Prison."

Susan H. Volunteer, Anne Arundel County Literacy Council

Refer a Friend to Train With Us

Our fall tutor training session will happen on October 17 at Woods Church in Severna Park — a few spots remain!

We're always looking for new, dedicated tutors and especially need help in northern Anne Arundel County (Glen Burnie and Brooklyn Park). In addition, there are always students from Annapolis and the Severn area on our waiting list. Please consider referring neighbors or friends you think could be committed AACLC tutors.

We're training new tutors for each of our programs: basic literacy, math, English language learning, and high school diploma preparation.

Interested trainees should contact Jane at director@aaclc.org. Space is limited.

ESL Tutor Collaboration Meet-Up

Join us on October 29 at Eastport United Methodist Church from 5 to 7 pm for an ESL tutor gathering to share ideas and resources. The AACLC team will offer guidance, news, and updates. Please email Mary Ellen to RSVP.

See you at the Book Fair on September 26...

Books will be displayed on long tables and organized into categories. We'll have browsable carts filled with hundreds of children's books!

Paperbacks will be $1, hardbacks $2, $5 for new & notable selections, or a special-edition Literacy Council reusable tote bag with all the books you can carry for $25. Restrictions apply.

See updates and previews on AACLC's social channels.

Instagram @aacoliteracy | Facebook aaclc | X @aaclc

Don't miss our amazing raffle baskets!

Tickets will be available next to our checkout station, where you can also browse the baskets.

Ticket buyers DON'T have to be present to purchase tickets or win! Email Jane if you want tickets now. Pre-event ticket sales end at noon on Friday, September 25. You must be 21 to buy tickets for or win baskets containing alcohol.

RAFFLES

$2/ticket or six tickets for $10

Enter to win any of the four baskets featured below.

1. Staycation

-National Aquarium 4-pack of tickets

-Live! Casino & Hotel $300 Prime Rib restaurant gift certificate (restrictions apply)

-$25 Crooked Crab Brewing Co. gift card with merch

-Pherm Brewing gift card

value: $605

2. Annapolis Wine & Dine

-1 bottle 2015 Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits Migration Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA

-1 bottle Frank Family Chardonnay, Carneros, CA

-Les Abbés vin rouge, Provence, France

-2 Great Frogs Winery tasting certificates

-Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant tasting certificate for 4 -$85 Carrol’s Creek Cafe gift card

-$25 Full On Craft Eats & Drinks Annapolis gift card

value: $365

3. Grocery-Coffee-Pizza Run

-$50 Graul’s Market gift card

-$150 Wegman’s gift card

-$25 Rise Up gift card with merch

-$100 Timber Pizza gift card

value: $385

4. David's Natural Market Gift Basket

-goodies from David’s Natural Market in Gambrills

Pre-event ticket sales end at noon on Friday, September 25.

Please Invite Friends, Family, & Students to the Book Fair!

Thank you, sponsors!

Location Sponsor & Partner

Media Sponsor & Partner

Playwright Sponsor

Poet Sponsors

Reader Sponsor

Partners

BOOKS FOR INTERNATIONAL GOODWILL

PIP MOYER RECREATION CENTER

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY: DISCOVERIES BRANCH

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, ANNAPOLIS

EAST COAST ADVERTISING SPECIALTIES

EASTPORT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF ANNAPOLIS

In-Kind Donors

Follow BOOK FAIR updates on our social media at Facebook and Instagram.

Resources & Activities

Six AACPL branches are now open on Sundays

Community Resources at icanread.org

The Community Resources page on our website at icanread.org features an organized list of community resources available to residents of Anne Arundel County. It includes websites and phone numbers for government departments and services, library resources, education, employment, immigration, and food assistance.

The Community Resources page is available in Spanish.

En español: recursos comunitarios.

Anne Arundel County Health Department Website

Visit our local health department website for information on services, vaccines, and other health topics.

AACPL & Luminus Health Free Flu Vaccinations

Eastport Annapolis Neck Library

Tuesday, September 29, 1 – 3:30 pm

Luminis Community Health Improvement Department is providing free flu vaccinations for adults and seniors only. 

AACPL & Luminus Health Flu Vaccine Clinic

Busch Annapolis Library

Thursday, October 8, 1 – 4 pm

Free flu shots for adults ages 18 and older. No ID or health insurance required. Standard dose and senior dose (65+) available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Anne Arundel County Food Pantry & Resources

This resources page, published by the Anne Arundel County Food Bank and updated regularly, provides information on where to find free food and basic necessities throughout the county. Pantry locations, contact numbers, and hours are included. Visit the resources page to download a pantry map that lists food, baby, and senior pantries all over Anne Arundel County.

OIC of Anne Arundel County ESL Classes

Free virtual ESL classes at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Call OIC's partner, the Center of Help (Centro de Ayuda), at 410-295-3434 to enroll.

AACPL Online English Conversation Club

Thursday, September 24, 6:30 – 7:30 pm, on Zoom

Registration required & opens on September 10.

https://www.aacpl.net/event/english-conversation-club-241559

Also scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

Registration required & opens on October 8

https://www.aacpl.net/event/english-conversation-club-241563

and Thursday, November 19, 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Registration required & opens on November 5.

https://www.aacpl.net/event/english-conversation-club-241569

Language Exchange at Linthicum Library

Monday, October 12, 6 – 7 pm

https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-238076

also occurs on Monday, November 9, 6 – 7 pm

https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-238078

Language Exchange at Brooklyn Park Library

Wednesday, October 21, 6 – 7:30 pm

https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-241782

also occurs on Wednesday, November 18, 6 – 7:30 pm

https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-241783

Language Exchange at Busch Annapolis Library

Saturday, October 24, 3 – 4:30 pm, in the library cafe

https://www.aacpl.net/event/intercambio-de-idiomaslanguage-exchange-240108

AACLC's English Conversation Group in Eastport

Monday, September 28, 5 – 7 pm

Seeds 4 Success office

The group is most suited to Spanish speakers, and space is limited to 15 people. The evening features a welcoming atmosphere, enjoyable conversation, games, and light refreshments. Literacy Council tutors or students should email Mary Ellen if they plan to attend.

AACLC's Crofton English Conversation Group

Gathers 2nd Wednesdays:

Wednesday, October 14, 5 – 7 pm

Wednesday, November 11, 5 – 7 pm

Crofton Library

The group is open to all English language learners. The evening features a welcoming atmosphere, enjoyable conversation, games, and light refreshments. Literacy Council tutors or students should email Matthew if they plan to attend.

AACLC has been honored with excellent reviews on GreatNonprofits! We appreciate all of your contributions! 

Read our reviews.

Thank you for caring about local adult literacy & education.💛