Dr. Erin Bailey welcomes Dr. Katie Sciurba, assistant professor at the University of Georgia and author of Reading and Relevance Reimagined: Celebrating the Literacy Lives of Young Men of Color. Dr. Sciurba shares how her experiences as a fourth and fifth grade teacher in the Bronx led her to question assumptions about what makes reading relevant to students. She introduces her four dimensions of relevance—identity, spatiality, temporality, and ideology—and explains how these factors intersect to shape students' reading experiences. The conversation explores why it's important to engage with texts that challenge your worldview, practical strategies for teachers navigating restrictive curricula, and how educators can foster joy in literacy even during challenging times. Dr. Sciurba also shares the story behind her book's cover art, illustrated by John Jennings and featuring her own son as a "reading superhero."

About Dr. Katie Sciurba:
Katie Sciurba (Sher-buh), Assistant Professor of Literacies and Children's Literature at the University of Georgia. Katherine (Katie) Sciurba received her PhD in English Education at New York University. She is an experienced elementary school teacher and, for nearly 20 years, has taught writing to K-12 children in after-school and intervention contexts. Her research focuses on reading and relevance, especially as connected to the experiences of Boys of Color, and representations of the sociopolitical world in children’s literature.

Links:
Website: katiesciurba.com

IG: @katiesciurba

READING AND RELEVANCE, REIMAGINED: CELEBRATING THE LITERACY LIVES OF YOUNG MEN OF COLOR was published by Teachers College Press in 2024. It won the 2025 Philp C. Chinn Multicultural Book Award from the National Association for Multicultural Education. Here is the link: https://www.tcpress.com/reading-and-relevance-reimagined-9780807786246

Cover Art by John Jennings: JOHN JENNINGS STUDIO