Bookmaking evolves into literacy outreach by former teacher

Even before Nancy Mazza retired eight years ago from teaching art to Appleton, Wisconsin, children, a job she dearly enjoyed, she had discovered an even deeper passion—bookmaking. “I was mostly interested in book forms—scrolls, origami, concertinas, pamphlet stitching, sewn bindings, glued bindings—and I had so much fun making books I tried to think how I could share this with kids,”Mazza recalled.

Hundreds of books later, her pastime has evolved into a rewarding outreach helping struggling readers and writers makes what she calls a “literacy connection.” For her creativity and innovative approach, the Hortonville woman is the 2008 Celebrating Our Volunteers recipient of the Daniel P. Spalding Volunteer Educator Award.

Becky Schuler, a reading specialist at Kaukauna’s Quinney Elementary School and president of Mid-East Reading Council of the International Reading Association who happens to be Mazza’s daughter, was quick to embrace Mazza’s way of motivating reluctant readers and introduced her to her pupils. Schuler nominated Mazza not only for her bookmaking in Quinney classrooms, but also the free workshops she conducts showing local teachers how to use visuals to boost reading comprehension, and showing parents how to support literacy at home. Read more in The Post-Crescent online