People of Book Harvest: Amy Franks, National Director of Family and Community Engagement, FaCE team

In your own words, what do you do at Book Harvest?  

I lead the FaCE team, the Durham-based public face of Book Harvest. I think of myself as a coach who leans into the strengths of all of the players on the team as we work collectively and collaboratively to deliver a warm, inviting, high-quality experience for all who visit our Family Space and participate in reading and play or in the numerous events & activities that we host; to provide books and information to those we encounter during community outreach in various places across Durham; to ensure book hubs, like our staff & volunteer-stocked Book Boxes are chock full of a great selection of high-interest books; to create genuine, meaningful partnerships with other youth and family-serving entities, and to be an advocate for literacy, supporting parents in supporting their children while serving as a leader within the wider organization, contributing to making growth-centered plans and decisions that advance our work as leaders in the children's literacy field, ensuring that we center in all that we do the concept of Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors as a path toward a better, more empathetic, book-loving, well-read society.

What brought you to Book Harvest?

Honestly, necessity! I needed to be employed. I had left a job that was draining me and making me question humanity, and I hadn't worked for eight months. I was intent on never again taking or staying in a job that didn't align with my values, that I didn't deeply love, or where I didn't feel seen, trusted, and valued, where I didn't have to wage war to prove my worth. By happenstance, the job opening for Education Partnerships Manager (Books on Break) came my way. The job description sounded like I had practically written it myself! The work aligned with my non-negotiables, and I was sold. The rest is, as they say, history.

What are you working on right now that you're especially excited about? 

I am especially excited to deepen a hard-won partnership with 'We Are.' We completed our first collaboration this year after long years of relationship-building, and I am excited to see what we can do together in service to children and families.

Why does that work matter to you?

My investment in this work is personal. I grew up in a very rural area of North Carolina, where almost everything we had at school first belonged somewhere else or to somebody else. We were making it on other people's scraps. I loved books and reading for as long as I can remember, and access beyond my school library was limited to our county's public library, which was a 30-minute drive away. Due to these limitations, I was in the fourth grade before I ever encountered a book with a protagonist who looked like me and had some similar experiences to my own. I don't ever want any child to have to wait years to feel the connection to books and realize who they are & who & what they come from matters in the world the way I did. It is egregious, and anything I can do to prevent any child from feeling invisible and not wanting to read because books don't hold anything of or for them, I will. 

What's something about your work that people outside Book Harvest might not realize or see?

The time and effort I put into curating the monthly Featured Five list is what I call invisible work. People see the outcome but not the effort. As much as possible, I dive into the books' content, subject matter, authors, illustrators, and sometimes even the publishers to ensure I provide lists we can all be proud of and stand by. It is always a treasure hunt, always labor-intensive, and a privilege I view as a labor of love. 

What's one Book Harvest moment, interaction, or experience that has stayed with you?

Years back, I started the Boys of Color Book Club (BC squared) at Merrick-Moore's after-school program with a group of nine boys, all reluctant readers. When the pandemic sidelined us and enough time passed that some of the boys went off to middle school, the program's manager emailed me to say that one of the boys still there asked whether I was coming back to restart the book club. He told her that he kept in touch with two of the other boys who'd gone on to middle school so they could keep sharing what they were reading and keep talking about books. She said she thought it was important for me to know what came of what I started. I was so proud of them! 

When you think about the future of Book Harvest, what are you most excited or hopeful about?  

As ever, I am most excited that our work can help tear down, forever removing, barriers to book access and ownership, and that every child has access to books where they can see themselves centered and grow and change through glimpses into, and deeper investigation of others' lived experiences. I am hopeful that these kinds of encounters with books produce harmony and hope and act as a bridge to understanding and acceptance, healing the hearts and minds of humanity. 

What was your favorite book growing up? What made it significant to you?

I loved many, many books growing up, and it feels like a betrayal of that love to elevate one over the other. However, the book that forever changed me, that tapped into and obliterated the ball of doubt that had me questioning my importance in the world, was Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Cassie Logan's presence as the central character made me believe people who looked like me had stories worth telling. After that, the hunt was on! 

What is your favorite book today/ What are you enjoying reading currently? 

Two that I will read again and again are The Color Purple by Alice Walker and Mama Day by Gloria Naylor (old school but phenomenal). I recently finished Kin by Tayari Jones, am listening to my guilty pleasure author, James Patterson's newest release, The Family Cross, and just went back to Deacon King Kong by James McBride.  

A little about you outside of work: What's something that brings you joy right now?  

Seeing my child's face and continuing our just-for-us traditions, like Friday Night Dance Party & Candlelight Theater, is a never-ending source of joy. She lives 800 miles away, so we cherish every moment. She is my best good thing! 

Is there anything else you'd love people to know about you or your work at Book Harvest?  

I am a world-class binge watcher. My record is spending an entire weekend watching 36 episodes to get caught up on one show: Breaking Bad.

[I hope one day] Every child, every human being has everything they need to thrive.